Understanding the Neocons


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted Dec 28, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: I saw you on TV here in Russia. I think you are more respected in Russia than in the United States. You are the only person ever to say that war is created by politicians and not the people. Do you see any hope of avoiding war?

VR

ANSWER: Unfortunately, no! The only real question is how bad does it get?

As I said at our World Economic Conference, nobody has tried to defeat this model more than me. I have come to see that you really cannot change the long-term because nobody will act for the future. They only react to immediate news and propaganda. Congressman Adam Kinzinger said that NATO could take out Russia in only three days. Kinzinger is the new John McCain. He always advocates war and is clueless. His statement that NATO could take out Russia in 3 days is the most absurd statement I have ever heard.

Kinzinger acts as if NATO could completely destroy Russia in 3 days and they never get a shot off? It is beyond me why these people always preach war and have ZERO regards for the consequences. These people should be barred from ever holding office even for a dog catcher. They live in a delusional world. They also hate China. So they are supposed to wait until NATO destroys Russia in 3 days and then we turn to destroy them in 5 days? Then we also ask North Korea and Iran to please wait their turn for destruction.

The US, Europe, Russia, China, and even Iran all have their Neocons. We should gather them all up, throw then in Madison Square Garden, sell tickets and bet on who is the last one standing. Anyone else who wants to be a Neocon should just be put in the line for the next match.

Poland & Germany Offer to Buy Energy from Russia for 2023


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted Dec 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Russia’s Transneft has received applications from Poland and Germany to pump oil for the first quarter of next year, despite reports of unwillingness to continue deliveries. Nikolai Tokarev, president of Transneft, said on the air of the Rossiya-24 TV channel. “They announced that they would not take oil from Russia from January 1. Now we have received applications from Polish consumers asking for 3 million tons next year, and 360,000 tons for December, and Germany has already submitted an application for the first quarter, he said.

On December 12, the Polish Cabinet called for the introduction of ‘full, comprehensive sanctions without exceptions’ against Russia, including ‘comprehensive sanctions against the northern pipeline (Druzhba).’

“If this does not happen, then we will continue discussions together with the [Orlen] concern, or the concern will decide what to do next with the commitments already made,” Anna Moskva, minister of Climate and Environment of Poland, who is responsible for energy issues, told reporters.

We have to wonder if the Politicians in Germany and Poland are starting to fear civil uprising if people have no heat.

There is No Defense to Hypersonic Missiles & Russia’s Plans to Expand


Armstrong Economics Blog/Economics Re-Posted Dec 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Russia announced yesterday that it will increase its military strength from 1 million to 1.5 million. The Western Press keeps putting out the propaganda that that this is all because Russia has lost momentum and many soldiers in Ukraine. I reported before that sources from Ukraine, not Russia, put the death toll at over 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers. That was also in the draft speech of the head of the EU, but it was removed to keep up the image that Ukraine is winning.

What is not being said here is that Poland has been instructed by the US to increase its military from 100,000 to 250,000 making it the largest force in NATO. It is only a 14-hour drive from Warsaw to Moscow. This in addition to NATO’s plans to incorporate Finland and Sweden, has also played a role in this decision.

The Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared that the country needs a force of 1.5 million “to guarantee the fulfillment of tasks to ensure Russia’s security.” China has about 2 million and the USA has about 1.4 million. North Korea has 1,280,000 active with another 600,000 in reserve. Belarus has an army of only 62,000 with 344,750 in reserve.

Currently in Russia, the regular draft, calls up 120,000 to 140,000 men twice a year for a one-year tour of compulsory service. What is becoming very obvious is that the West wants war. There is no desire for peace whatsoever. This has changed the game. The Western Press keeps just putting out propaganda about Ukraine winning, while it is ignoring the mobilization of NATO which is clearly anticipating war. This is not going to be just about Ukraine as we head into 2023. You have to be blind not to see that the West is clearly preparing for war. This is what Russia is now responding to. With Poland raising its army to 250,000, that presents a serious threat to Russia for the exceeds the active personnel in Belarus.

On top of all of this, Putin has wisely instructed that they should be studying how the weapons the US has been handing Ukraine and to regard these as valuable lessons to be learned during the fighting to modernize the armed forces. Thus, Ukraine has been an experiment to study the weapons systems of one’s opponent on both sides.

Putin also made it clear that Russia will start to deploy more hypersonic weapons, noting that the first warship equipped with state-of-the-art Zircon hypersonic missiles will be commissioned by the navy next month. There is no question that defense against Russia’s hypersonic weapons is not something that may be possible. Russia has been using some hypersonic missiles in Ukraine. It is believed among our sources that this may have been more to intimidate NATO and the United States. Obviously, the conventional wisdom has been that there is just no effective defense against hypersonic weapons. Hence, their use has been to intimidate the USA and NATO, but this does not seem to have succeeded.

The USA is exploring how to defend itself against hypersonic missiles. One theory is the exploration of “boundary layer phenomenology,” which is the idea that disrupting the airflow surrounding a hypersonic projectile may throw it off course. Disrupting the airflow may send it off course, but it will still hit something. The other hope is to deploy lower-flying networked satellites in an effort to establish a continuous targeting track of an approaching hypersonic weapon.

The reason there is no defense is that a hypersonic projectile will travel much too fast to track them because it will move from one radar aperture to another, making it virtually impossible to establish a consistent targeting track or lock.

Meanwhile, our brilliant world leaders are playing with everyone’s life all because they prefer war rather than reform whereby they might lose power.

The Aftermath of Republican Betrayal + AMA | Rich Baris, Pedro Gonzalez | The Charlie Kirk Show LIVE


The Charlie Kirk Show Published originally on Rumble on December 23, 2022 

After his bombshell testimony, Rich Baris joins to break down exactly what he told the court in the Kari Lake lawsuit against Maricopa County. Pedro Gonzalez from Chronicles Magazine and the “Contra” Substack joins to break down the Senate Republicans latest and unforgivable betrayal. Send your questions to Freedom@CharlieKirk.com for an hour 2 Ask Charlie Anything. The Charlie Kirk Show is LIVE on Salem Radio stations across the country and simulcasting on Real America’s Voice.

The Crumbling of the United States


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Dec 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: I just want to say that Socrates was the only correct forecast for the elections. It said the Republicans would take the House but not the Senate and there would be no red wave. I appreciate the nonbiased views that are refreshing.

Keep up the good work

Pat

REPLY: If we put aside personal desires and the fact that people tend to judge others by themselves, just looking at the numbers will always reveal the truth. What is taking place is propaganda and the further division of the country. Just look at these charts which are the total number of seats on Capitol Hill occupied by each party as a percentage of the total. You can see that the Democrats are well below the Downtrend Line and the Republicans just edged ever so slightly above their 50.65% against 50.57%.

When I have warned that Socrates is forecasting this is the fall of socialism, this is not my personal opinion. The Democrats have been losing ground. Holding a majority and ramrodding through their agenda with less than a 51% holding is seriously destroying the country and it is creating such a deep fissure that there will be no choice but to watch the United States crumble. There are plenty of unheard separatist movements in the United States. There is a big one in California to break up the state, but there was also a movement that wanted to separate from the United States if Trump was reelected. Then since 2014, there has been a growing movement to separate New York City that wants nothing to do with New York City. Even going back to 2012, there were petitions involving 36 states where people wanted to secede from the United States. All of these tensions will increase dramatically starting in 2023 into the capitulation by 2032.

The Holy Grail Quest for President Trump’s Tax Returns Ends with the World’s Loudest Sad Trombone


Posted originally on the CTH on December 22, 2022 | Sundance 

For seven years the media have walked the American people through a journey to publicize President Donald J Trump’s tax returns, using phrases like “bigger than Watergate.” Promising, almost daily, the results of their quest would be “the beginning of the end” of Trump.

Thousands of hours of media punditry shouting about the holy grail paper trail sure to culminate in a result “devastating beyond all imaginings.”

Meanwhile, millions of column inches were filled with “bombshell” promises of deep expose’s, certain to highlight how the universal villain of all things universally villainous would be crushed under the weight of financial nakedness.

This moment, they promised, would be second only in political consequence to origin of our constellation.  The quest for Trump’s taxes was the culmination of thousands of hours of deep Lawfare expertise, an epic battle worthy of Homer.

A horrible human would explode in shame they said. Yes, Trump was about to be exposed by professionals, DC experts who build careers understanding the complex system of tax filings, financial schemes and arcane laws.  WATCH:

These were the Gandolfian wizards, heroes as proclaimed by the pretorian guard media, the gatekeepers who would finally gain access to the epicenter of the one true financial enlightenment that would forever destroy Godzilla Trump and crush the empire beneath him.

Breaths were held as “soon” they swore.  Pearls were clutched as ticks were tocked.  ‘Any moment now’, the masses began to shout.  Busses and trains stopped.  Swarms of people rushed home to watch television.  Flights were being cancelled as the moment drew near.  The economy came to a halt as thrills were pronounced to be running up legs.

The world’s most investigated human in all humanity was on the cusp of the abyss. The moment had finally arrived.  The culmination of years of baited anticipation.  This was THE moment; this was THEIR moment….

Boxes were spotted passing through the halls of congress. “That’s them,” people muttered clamoring for a glimpse.  MSNBC finally, after years of anticipation, triggered the countdown clock – as a visibly climaxing Rachel Maddow could no longer contain the spontaneous ecstasy.

And then…

Nothing.

The world’s most anticipated and promoted financial disclosure in the history of the modern universe, was a complete nothingburger.

The only person who seems happy is Geraldo Rivera, who likely thinks that perhaps now his opening of Al Capone’s empty vault has finally been eclipsed in its ridiculous nothingness.

President Donald Trump’s taxes show an ordinary schedule of incomes and losses that fit within the four corners of every other tax filing by every other private company owner.  Incomes that rose and fell with the U.S. economy.   Worse yet, the filings show income losses that were amplified by Donald Trump’s decision to put aside his business interest and run for public office.

Yes, Donald Trump is the first President of the United States who lost money as an outcome of his political ascendency because he never sold his office to any individual, corporation, multinational or financial interest.    President Donald J Trump worked for the American people, using policies that were designed to benefit the American people, from within an office that was created to benefit the American people.

For the media, the world’s largest sad trombone.

Manhattan Judge Sets $250 Million Bond and House Arrest for FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried


Posted originally on the CTH on December 22, 2022 | Sundance

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried waived an extradition fight and U.S. Marshals flew him from the Bahamas to New York late Wednesday night.  Appearing in a Manhattan court today, the judge set bail at $250 million and permits SBF to remain under house arrest at his parent’s California home until trial begins.

Additionally, it was revealed that Carolyn Ellison, 28, the former chief executive of Bankman-Fried’s trading firm, Alameda Research, and Gary Wang, 29, who co-founded FTX, pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud, securities fraud and commodities fraud.  Both are cooperating witnesses with the prosecution against the FTX founder.

New York – The cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried can post $250 million bond and live in his parents’ home in California while he awaits trial on charges that he swindled investors and looted customer deposits on his FTX trading platform, a judge said Thursday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos said in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that Bankman-Fried, 30, “perpetrated a fraud of epic proportions.” Roos proposed strict bail terms, including a $250 million bond and house arrest at his parents’ home in Palo Alto, California.

An important reason for allowing bail was that Bankman-Fried agreed to waive extradition, Roos said.

Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein agreed to the bond and also approved the house arrest proposal. He also said Bankman-Fried would be required to get an electronic monitoring bracelet before leaving the Manhattan courthouse.

[…] Prosecutors and regulators contend that Bankman-Fried was at the center of several illegal schemes to use customer and investor money for personal gain. He faces the possibility of decades in prison if convicted on all counts.

In a series of interviews before his arrest, Bankman-Fried said he never intended to defraud anyone.

Bankman-Fried is charged with using money, illicitly taken from FTX customers, to enable trades at Alameda, spend lavishly on real estate, and make millions of dollars in campaign contributions to U.S. politicians. (read more)

Elon Musk Perplexed as Twitter Begins Widespread Suspensions of Accounts Critical of U.S. Funding for Ukraine and Zelenskyy Grift


Posted originally on the CTH on December 22, 2022 | Sundance 

The basic premise of Jack’s Magic Coffee Shop was to use Twitter as a platform built upon a mission to control and influence public opinion.

As a result of the evolution, the growth of the public-private partnership, content moderation flows through DHS.  If the system operators allowed you to see that your opinions were not in the minority, it would be a risk for those in power. The foundation of the mission would be compromised. It really is that simple.

Against the backdrop of Twitter triggering suspensions and content removal for any account critical of U.S-Ukraine policy, apparently Elon Musk is perplexed about the system operators of his platform acting to support government and control public opinion.

Either Elon Musk really doesn’t know who is operating his platform, or this is a very public exhibition of Mr Musk pretending not to know.  You decide.

Meanwhile, the FBI is claiming {Direct Rumble Link} that anyone who notices their influence over the platform content is a “conspiracy theorist” intent on delivering harm to the United States by spreading disinformation.  It’s as if the powers that be within the FBI are desperate to keep the American people gaslit.

There comes a time in the maintenance of any fraud, where the victims start to become aware of their surroundings.  Perceptions, perspectives and prior opinions begin to change.  For those benefiting from the fraud, the loss of control starts triggering all kinds of reactions.

The need for control is a reaction to fear.

The illegitimate regime of Joe Biden was installed by the collective weight of an intentionally manipulated domestic information control operation. That operation was run and influenced by the United States intelligence community, through the U.S. social media system (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), with the full support of a complicit legislative branch.

Set that cornerstone and then everything that comes after that process, including the need to control future elections, is a process of risk mitigation.

That reality is the ultimate reason why there is a disconnect between the American people and our government.

Every government and social institution are now predicated on the retention of fraud.  The U.S. system of government is now exhausting itself, spending the majority of time and institutional energy, maintaining the lies that underpin it.

One of the key institutions charged with maintaining that pretense is the FBI.

“Anti-law enforcement violent extremists – may pose the “greatest threat” domestically this year and likely into 2022″, the DHS narrative continues.

Perhaps I am wrong, but the only time I can recall in modern U.S. history that aggressive and illegal federal activity was halted mid-effort, was the example of the Clive Bundy ranch in 2014.  Armed citizens forced federal authorities, including the FBI, to back down.   In response to their loss, former AG Eric Holder vowed to revive “a domestic terrorism task force.”  Contemplate that response against the 2021 statements of the FBI saying domestic violent extremists (DVE’s) represent the greatest threat.  Can you see the connective tissue?

From the worldview of the DOJ/FBI, law-abiding U.S. citizens  – pushed to the point of taking up defensive arms against federal agents – are a threat.  Ergo, the newest definition of “Domestic Violent Extremists, or DVEs”, to define who the FBI view as their most substantive enemy.  Two years after the Bundy Ranch standoff, the FBI shot and killed LaVoy Finicum, fulfilling their promise to eliminate extremists as defined by their worldview.

The FBI was fully aware of the Boston Marathon bombers, the Tsarnaev brothers, before they executed their plot.  The FBI took no action.  The FBI knew about the San Bernardino terrorists, specifically Tasfeen Malik, and were monitoring her phone calls and communications before her and Syed Farook executed their attack killing 14 people and leaving 22 others seriously injured.  The FBI took no action.  The FBI knew Colorado grocery store shooter Ahmad Alissa before he executed his attack.  The FBI took no action.

The FBI knew in advance of the Pulse Nightclub shooter (Omar Mateen) and were tipped off by the local sheriff. The FBI knew in advance of the San Bernardino Terrorists (Tashfeen Malik). The FBI knew in advance of the Boston Marathon Bombers (the Tsarnaev brothers) tipped off by Russians.  The FBI knew in advance of the Parkland High School shooter (Nikolas Cruz). The FBI knew in advance of the Fort Hood shooter (Nidal Hasan), and the FBI knew in advance of Colorado grocery store shooter Ahmad al-Aliwi Alissa.  The FBI took no action.

Consider the case of the first recorded ISIS attack on U.S. soil in Garland, Texas in 2015.  The FBI not only knew the shooters (Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi) in advance, the FBI took the shooters to the venue and were standing only a few yards away when Simpson and Soofi opened fire.  Yes, you read that correctly – the FBI took the terrorists to the event and then watched it unfold.  “An FBI trainer suggested in an interview with “60 Minutes” that, had the attack been bigger, the agency’s numerous ties to the shooter would have led to a congressional investigation.”

Remember, shortly before the 2018 mid-term election, when Ceasar Syoc – a man living in his van – was caught sending “energetic material that can become combustible when subjected to heat or friction”, or what FBI Director Christopher Wray called “not hoax devices“?   Remember how sketchy everything about that was, including the child-like perpetrator telling a judge later than he was trying to walk back his guilty plea because he was tricked into signing a confession for a crime he did not create.

Or more recently, the goofball plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer that involved 18 suspects, twelve of them actually working for the FBI as the plot was hatched?  And we cannot forget the January 6th. DC protest turned insurrection effort, which is clearly looking like an FBI inspired and coordinated effort.

Have we forgotten the Atlanta “Olympic Park Bombing”, and the FBI intentionally setting up transparently innocent, Richard Jewel?

Then, there’s the entirety of the FBI conduct in “Spygate”, the demonstrably evident FBI operation to conduct political surveillance against Donald Trump using their investigative authorities; and the downstream consequences of a massive institutional effort to cover up one of the biggest justice department scandals in the history of our nation.   The original effort against Donald Trump used massive resources from the DOJ and FBI.  Heck, the coverup operation using the Mueller/Weissmann special counsel used more than 50 investigative FBI agents alone.

And of course, the FBI still had 13 extra agents available to rush to a NASCAR racetrack to investigate a garage door pull-down rope that might have been perceived as a noose; but the serial rape of hundreds of teenage girls, eh, not-so-much effort – even when they are standing in front of the FBI begging for help.

[At this point, I am increasingly convinced by evidence the FBI themselves are the perpetrators involved in sex trafficking and human smuggling. Perhaps as part of a dark money operation to continue funding a mission unknown to the public]

It is important to realize what exactly happened in the case of the Olympic gymnasts and the rape of hundreds of teenage girls.  When the victims and parents told the FBI about what Larry Nassar was doing, the FBI did not bungle the investigation.  The FBI did not investigate.   But worse…. after the parents kept coming back to the FBI to ask what was going on; and report that other parents were now reporting that new rapes and assaults were ongoing; the FBI told those parents an investigation was ongoing.  Except it wasn’t. The FBI was lying.

As the FBI was telling the victims they were investigating Larry Nassar, the FBI was doing no such thing.  The FBI was lying to the victims and their families.  The FBI was not taking any action whatsoever to address the multitude of claims against Nassar.

After the FBI was caught lying about their conduct, they then lied to the internal oversight, the OIG, about everything surrounding their conduct.    The FBI didn’t make a mistake, or drop the proverbial ball, they intentionally and specifically maintained the sexual exploitation of teenage girls by doing absolutely nothing with the complaints they received.   This is not misconduct, this is purposeful.

Then, as if to apply salt to the open wound of severe FBI politicization….what did the FBI do with the Hunter Biden laptop?

[Notice I’ve set the issue of the disappearing Huma Abedin/Anthony Weiner laptop –in the known custody of the FBI– over there in the corner, next to missing investigation of the Awan brothers.]

My point is this…

What the Federal Security Service (FSB) is to the internal security of the Russian state; so too is the FBI in performing the same function for the U.S. federal government.

The FBI is a U.S. version of the Russian “State Police”; and the FBI is deployed -almost exclusively- to attack domestic enemies of those who control government, while they protect the interests of the U.S. Fourth Branch of Government.  That is the clear and accurate domestic prism to contextualize their perceived mission: “domestic violent extremists pose the greatest threat” to their objective.

Put another way, “We The People”, who fight against government abuse and usurpation, are the FBI’s actual and literal enemy.

Let me be very clear with another brutally obvious example.  Antifa could not exist as an organization; capable to organize and carry out violent attacks against their targets; without the full support of the FBI.   If the FBI wanted to arrest members of Antifa, who are actually conducting violence, they could do it easily – with little effort.

It is the absence of any action by the FBI toward Antifa, that tells us the FBI is enabling that violent extremist behavior to continue.  Once you accept that transparent point of truth; then, you realize the FBI definition of domestic violent extremism is something else entirely.

The FBI is no longer a law enforcement or investigative division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  The FBI has evolved into a political weapon of a larger intelligence apparatus that is now focused almost entirely on self-preservation, even if that means destroying civil society in the United States.

Anyone who continues to push the fraudulent “honorable FBI rank and file talking point”, is, at this point in history, willfully and purposefully operating to deceive the American people on behalf of government interests who are intent on control.  It is not a difference of opinion any longer.  It is a matter of just accepting what is staring us directly in the face.

There will Never Be a Trial for FTX


Armstrong Economics Blog/Rule of Law Re-Posted Dec 22, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

You have to understand the way the government prosecutes its cases. If you look closely, all cases are charged with CONSPIRACY. That means the proof is NOT the crime itself, but only an AGREEMENT to commit a crime. Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, who was also the CEO of Alameda Research, a privately-controlled hedge fund, and Gary Wang, co-founder of FTX, have both pleaded guilty earlier this week, according to newly unsealed court documents. That means the case is already over.

Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang cut deals so they get less time, or even no time, in return for throwing Bankman-Fried under the bus. They would take the stand and will be prepared by the prosecution and artfully say whatever they are instructed to maintain the government’s 99% conviction rate.

With their pleas in hand, in addition to all the press against Bankman-Fried, there is no way he could ever win a trial. His lawyers will be urging him to take a deal. That will be the end result with no trial and no shot of the truth EVER surfacing. All the money laundering from Democrats funding Zelensky, who then in turn handed cash to FTX who then was the 2nd largest donor to the Democrats for the Midterms, will remain hidden from ever gracing the history books without someone doing a FOIA 25 years from now.

One of the few New York Judges who exposed the corruption in the prosecution, Jed S. Rakoff, wrote: Why Innocent People Plead Guilty. They will threaten someone with 25 years in prison. Plead guilty and say what we need you to say, and you will get 5 years or less.

So, any hope that putting Bankman-Fried on trial is a fool’s dream. The whole money laundering scheme with Zelensky funneling cash back to the Democrats will never see the light of a jury.

The ONLY question will be is he too found dead from suicide? This is the same jail where Epstein supposedly committed suicide. This is the same place they tried to kill me, but I survived after being in a coma for several days. High-profile cases NEVER see the light of day – EVER!