One Year Later, Biden Fails to Unite the World Against Russia. Plus, Week in Review with Michael Tracey | SYSTEM UPDATE #46


Glenn Greenwald Posted originally on Rumble on: Feb 24, 7:00 pm EST

U.S. Defense Dept Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Ukraine Conflict with Potential for Further Troops on NATO Eastern Flank


Posted originally on the CTH on February 24, 2023 | Sundance

Following upon the heels of Joe Biden attending a meeting of NATO’s “eastern flank” partners, colloquially known as “the Bucharest-9”, and against the backdrop of China stepping into the picture with “no separation” support for Russia, the Pentagon is noting the anniversary of the Ukraine conflict by indicating additional U.S. troops maybe needed on the NATO eastern flank.

It is important to mention that Ukraine is NOT a NATO country.  The U.S. and Western media tend to avoid noting this uncomfortable fact, but NATO has no obligation to defend Ukraine.  Some might ask why NATO is even involved at all.

With that in mind, France 24 notes there is a possibility of a brigade sized reinforcement group inbound to this region [LINK HERE].  The Pentagon press release is below:

(Pentagon) – […] In response to the most urgent danger to European security since the end of World War II, we have moved swiftly with our allies to further unify and strengthen NATO. The Alliance has bolstered its defenses on the Eastern Flank. Meanwhile, the United States has deployed or extended more than 20,000 additional U.S. forces to Europe and forward-stationed the first permanent U.S. forces on NATO’s Eastern Flank. NATO is more united than ever, and the U.S. commitment to defend every inch of allied territory remains ironclad.

One year into a war of aggression waged by a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, our allies and partners worldwide stand united and resolute. Putin’s reckless, illegal war is not just an all-out assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and a historic threat to European security. It is also a direct attack on the system of rules, institutions, and laws that the world built at such great cost after World War II—a system that rejects aggression and respects the rights of all countries, big and small. (read more)

Pfizer’s Long History of Fraud & More


Armstrong Economics Blog/Rule of Law Re-Posted Feb 24, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The two industries that can do whatever they want and are exempt from criminal prosecution even for mass murder are Bankers and Pharmaceutical companies. I know a lot of people in the legal field. They all say the same thing. The lobbying on Capital Hill is official bribery. Pfizer and others donated just $61.8 million not for the political campaign of Biden, but just for his inauguration party!

Nobody will ever criminally charge bankers personally just as the CEO of Pfzier could distribute hemlock to reduce the population pretending it is a flu shot and just walking away. Why? Because the regulatory agencies are all on the take. They will chart the firm with some fraud civilly and then fine them $100 million which is they cut in the fraud. Nobody ever goes to jail and they pretend to be regulating banks and Pharmaceutical companies all to protect us when it is just to cover their own pensions and expenses.

In 1992, Pfizer agreed to pay between $165 million and $215 million. The list is endless. In 2004, Pfizer agreed to plead guilty to two felonies and paid $430 million. In 1996, Pfizer administered an experimental drug during a clinical trial on 200 children in Nigeria but never told the parents that their children were the subjects of an experiment. Who cares about Nigeria?

You can read the article yourself. The point is, our politicians no more represent us than the Mafia. They typically enter broke and all leave as multi-millionaires. They preach hate for the evil rich but then pass laws that they can keep all political donations tax-free. Why do CEOs of Goldman Sachs rush into government? Because they MUST sell their shares to prevent conflicts of interest yet since they must do so to take the job – it’s all tax-free.

Pfizer knew all too well. Once they paid enough to get government-mandated vaccines, they could kill 50% of the population for the government will NEVER admit their guilt so any deaths must be misinformation of perhaps carried to earth by aliens floating around in balloons. My children were vaccinated. I use to get a flu shot. But once the government got involved, after dealing with them for 40+ years, I know the game. They will NEVER admit a mistake so that was the ultimate guarantee that Pfizer did not need to bother testing anything. The fix was in.

Is the Biden Administration Just Completely Brain-Dead?


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Feb 23, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons on all its ships. The US arrogantly told China not to support Russia or that they would impose sanctions on China as they have done with Russia. That is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Once you make such a public demand on China, they now MUST  act against it or their leadership will lose face.

I have dealt with governments for some 40 years +. Warnings of this nature have ALWAYS been communicated privately – NEVER publicly for that is confrontational and will necessitate the opposite side to vote against your demand. I cannot imagine that even I know far more about diplomacy than anyone in the Biden Administration. That suggests to me that this is deliberate. They just cannot be this stupid. They seem to be deliberately moving Russia and China together against the arrogant West in the very same manner that resulted in the Peloponnesian War with Sparta taking down Athens for its arrogance.

As the world teeters on the edge of World War III between Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran against the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Europe,  diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful settlement are seriously lacking. Europeans should be storming their own parliaments demanding the end to supporting Ukraine and honoring the Minsk Agreement to forestall a potential conflict the likes of which Europe has not seen since the end of the second World War and will certainly not survive.

The Biden Administration appears to be taking the advice of Adolf Hitler given the complete lack of any diplomacy whatsoever. China has offered a peace settlement but the Biden Administration wants war. China had no choice but to respond to Biden:

‘The US is in no position to tell China what to do’

The United Nations has become a joke. The Security Council can take action to maintain or restore international peace and security under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. Sanctions measures, under Article 41, encompass a broad range of enforcement options that do not involve the use of armed force. The UN has refused to remain unbiased and should have imposed sanctions on Germany, France, the UK, and the United States for their bad faith in negotiating the Minsk Agreement and for their unwarranted sanction of Russia that even began before the 2022 invasion. The UN no longer represents an independent body of nations but has been usurped with lofty ideals of becoming the one world government thanks to Schwab’s World Economic Forum and the pressure from the American Neocons directing US foreign policy.

The United Nations took its marching order from the United States and suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council on April 7th, 2022. They have courted world war with the vision of emerging as the new one-world government. They self-proclaim: “Now, more than 75 years later, the United Nations is still working to maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights, and uphold international law.” Sanctioning private individuals claiming that will put pressure on Putin was a blatant violation of international war. Under this theory, then the Republicans could confiscate all the personal assets of Democrats until the Democrats agree to their terms. This is absurd.

The United Nations has REFUSED to be impartial and to prevent World War III. They are a total failure and a disgrace to humanity. Here is the simple pattern they should have investigated if they really cared about preserving world peace.

  • (1) In 2014 US installs an interim government in Ukraine which is unelected and immediately sends troops to attack the Donbas for wanting to separate from Ukraine after its own revolution
  • (2) West engages in the Minsk Agreement whereby Merkel has come out and acknowledged it was in bad faith and intended only to allow Ukraine to build its army while making a fool out of Putin for trusting the West
  • (3) Zelensky is elected promising to end corruption and the civil war with Russia
  • (4) VP Kamila Harris at Munich Security Conference tells Ukraine they should join NATO
  • (5) On February 23rd, 2022, Zelensky announces that Ukraine should rearm itself with nuclear weapons

February 24th, 2022, Putin intervenes to support the Donbas when the West ignores their human rights. If the United States even exists after World War III which they are promoting, then we would no doubt have a similar investigation into the deliberate policies that have rejected any possible peaceful negotiations and promoted war for the total destruction of Russia.

When not just diplomacy fails we get war, but when the United Nations acts in its own self-interest against all the member states that fund it and ignores the very foundation upon which it claims any authority. That seems to be in line with the World Health Organization to dictate its policies to the world.

Biden Guarantees Pensions of Ukraine – Not Americans


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Feb 23, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Marty; Why would Biden allow the billions he is sending to fill the pensions of government workers in Ukraine?

YD

ANSWER: This video has been going viral. However, this was from the beginning – of April 28th, 2022. The pensions are all the Ukrainian politicians – not the people. This is the kickback for destroying their own country. As long as they are being paid by the United States, they will allow this civil war to continue unabated. This money going to Ukraine is filling the pockets of Ukrainian politicians against their own people.

This was not from Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. He met with Zelensky as a slap in the face to Putin. During his visit, Biden announced yet another additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance — on top of the more than $50 billion already provided — for military equipment and other aid. With this addition, he will be handing Ukraine twice the military budget of Russia. By allowing the money to go into the pockets of Ukrainian politicians, this is not helping the people of Ukraine.

Back in April 2022, Biden gave $1 billion in economic security. “This is money the government can help use to help stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said on April 21.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the economic aid will keep Ukraine’s government running by paying employee salaries and pensions and supporting other social programs. Close to $2 billion was included in the March 2022 aid package to support “either macroeconomic needs in Ukraine, continuity of government efforts such as energy and cyber security, or needs in neighboring countries.”

Biden has been supporting the economy of Ukraine, not just providing aid to the military. Ukraine has been given more economic aid for its economy that any state in the Union.

Corruption inside the Deep State


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ancient History Re-Posted Feb 23, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

History repeats because human nature never changes. During the Roman Republic, the name of the moneyer would appear on the coinage just as today the Secretary of the Treasury’s signature appears on our paper currency – i.e. Steven T. Munchin.  To this day, our coins are denoted by which mint produced them – Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco.

The collapse of the monetary system following the capture of Emperor Valerian I in 260AD by the Persians, set off a collapse in public confidence whereby the people suddenly saw Rome as vulnerable. What is fascinating is that the “hyperinflation” of Rome which took place in just 8.6 years,  was aided by the corruption within the Deep State of the Roman Empire. This raises the question: We will see the same thing take place during our final 8.6 years into 2032 which begins by May 2024. The debasement of the coinage was NOT on the decree of the Emperor. This was the greed of those in the Deep State.

Following the assassination of Emperor Gallienus, that is when Claudius II came to power and the debasement reached it lowest point during his reign. The Goths invaded Rome and brought the plague with them from the East. Emperor Claudius II died of the plague. Claudius’s brother, Quintillus tried to succeed him, but Aurelian and his troops marched against him. His troops deserted him and he committed suicide.

Therefore, Aurelian became emperor in 270 AD and he returned to Rome in 271 AD, where he had to pacify a terrified city. He immediately halted the rioting and restored order to the capital. The controller of the mint in Rome began a rebellion over the monetary reforms laid out by Aurelian. He ordered that all the debased currency be purchased back and replaced with a new currency of higher content in silver. The rebellion was led by Felicissimus. It appears that those who had been running the mint were embezzling the intended silver and issuing the debased coinage at least in part on their own authority.

Obviously, any reform to the monetary system that called for an increase in silver content would have been unprofitable for those running the mint for personal gain. In the rebellion, as many as 7,000 soldiers died when Aurelian was forced to trap and execute them and their allies, some of the senatorial ranks, in a terrible battle on the Caelian Hills. Thereafter, Aurelian then introduced mintmarks to identify if any mint was cheating the silver content.

When Diocletian (284-305AD) reorganized the coinage when he came to power as well as the political structure of the Roman Empire. With respect to politics, he divided the empire in two creating two emperors with their eventual successors given the rank of Caesar. This became the Tetrarchy.

The monetary reform introduced the new bronze coinage silver plated known as the follis terminating the radiate antoninianus which had begun as a double denarius during the reign of Caracalla (198-217AD). Diocletian required each mint to engrave their coins with an identifiable mint mark, and also letters or marks to indicate the individual workshops (officina) within the mints. Thereby, any collusion to debase the coinage would be identifiable to a specific group within each mint.

Each mint mark from Diocletian onwards consists of a group of letters identifying the mint (normally in the exergue) and usually (but not always) letter(s) and/or mark(s), sometimes in the exergue, sometimes in the field, These identified the individual workshop within the mint. In the West, workshops were numbered either in Latin numerals I, II, III or in the initial letters of Latin ordinals such as P(rimus), S(ecundus), T(ertius). The problem with Latin surfaced when trying to distinguish between S(ecunda) and S(exta) or between Q(uarta) and Q(uinta). They had to develop in the West a mixed system of Greek and Latin to give P(rima), B, T(ertia), Q(uarta), E, and S(exta) valid meanings. Western mints sometimes used the Greek system at varying times.

Here we can see a silver Argentius (2.87 grams) with the “R” Roman mint mark. Lugdunum used “PL” for their mint mark as illustrated by this follis of Maximianus – Diocletiuan’s co-emperor.

History repeats because

HUMAN NATURE NEVER CHANGES

John Rourke Describes His Meeting President Trump and What Trump’s Visit Meant to the People of East Palestine, Ohio


Posted originally on the CTH on February 23, 2023

John Rourke of Blue Line Moving was one of the people who worked the logistics of bringing supplies donated by President Trump to the people of East Palestine, Ohio.

President Trump thanked Mr. Rourke personally and publicly for his efforts in supporting the visit. Additionally, Mr. Rourke appeared with Fox News Tucker Carlson to give his overall impression of what President Trump’s visit meant to the people of Ohio and the region.  {Direct Rumble LinkWATCH:

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Raw Video – Love and Cheers as President Donald Trump Raises Spirits During Visit to East Palestine, Ohio


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on February 22, 2023 | Sundance 

President Trump traveled to East Palestine, Ohio today, telling the community they will not be abandoned nor forgotten as they cope with the fallout of a devastating train derailment and toxic chemical spill.

Raw video of President Trump talking to local residents surfaces, showing how much respect and appreciation the people of the region have for him showing up to show his support.  This area of Ohio is deep MAGA Trump country.  The crowd shouts, “We love you“, as President Trump provides his thanks, encouragement and support.

President Trump was joined by various local officials as well as Ohio Senator JD Vance.  WATCH:

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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized the federal response to the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a “betrayal” during a visit to the village where residents and local leaders are increasingly frustrated more than two weeks after the disaster.

Trump, wearing his trademark red “Make America Great Again” cap and an overcoat, said the community needs “answers and results,” not excuses. He spoke at a firehouse roughly half a mile from where more than three dozen freight cars — including 11 carrying hazardous materials — came off the tracks near the Pennsylvania state line.

“In too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal,” Trump said. He appeared with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway and other state and local leaders, giving the visit the look of an official trip.

The former president and other Republicans have intensified criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the Feb. 3 derailment, which led to evacuations and fears of air and water contamination after a controlled burning of toxic chemicals aboard the rail cars. The Biden administration, meanwhile, has blasted Trump and other Republicans for loosening rail safety measures and environmental protections when Republicans were in charge in Washington — though there is no evidence that having them in place now would have prevented what happened in East Palestine.

The trip offered Trump, who is running for the White House in 2024, an opportunity to reprise the role he often held as president, when he surveyed disaster damage and met with impacted residents following tragic events. He said he would donate cleaning supplies along with pallets of what he said was Trump-branded bottled water to residents who remain concerned about the quality of their drinking water. (AP Read More)

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Putin Says NO To US Inspecting Nukes, Dr. Pierre Kory’s War For Ivermectin, & Will Aliens Save US?


By Kim Iversen Posted originally on Rumble on February 21 2023 at 9:00 pm EST

Ukraine – The Pawn of Foreign Powers


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Feb 21, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Hi Marty,

Would it not be better for Putin to follow the American model and invade all of Ukraine vs. using nuclear weapons? There is still time to execute such a strategy.

Taking control of all of Ukraine would give Russia control of the borders, hence no more major offensive weapons would cross to Ukraine from Poland.

On the flip side, using nuclear weapons is bad PR. The public opinion is against nuclear weapons, so if Putin were to use them, NATO would then have an excuse to enter the conflict directly. All it would take is a PR spin.

Cheers from Canada,
Lucas

ANSWER: If Russia nuked Ukraine, that would not provide a legal excuse for NATO since Ukraine is not a member of NATO. The whole criticism of Putin in Russia is that he has been too “soft” because he is too nostalgic and regards Kiev as the first capital of the Rus. To him, nuking Kiev would be like the US nuking London. He launched his “special” operation to defend the Donbas because the West lied about the Minsk Agreement to buy time for Ukraine to create an army.

The problem we really face is that the West has conspired to create war with Russia and to use Ukraine as cannon fodder. From the start, Zelensky has drafted 18 to 60-year-olds. Tass has reported that Ukrainian prisoners taken recently are 16 and 17-year-olds.

The West does not care about the Ukrainian people. The more civilians killed, the better. That will enable the West to rally troops for revenge. This war could have ended in 10 minutes. All the West had to do was to allow Ukraine to seek peace and honor the Minsk Agreement – nothing more.

But the West is outright trying to destroy Russia and the bankers are in line once again licking their lips at all the wealth of Russia from gold and platinum to rare earths, diamonds, and energy. Just as I was solicited to join them back in 1999 and I refused, they are back again cheering war.

The Ukrainian people have nothing to gain from this. The Donbas is occupied by Russians for hundreds of years. The Ukrainian people NEVER had a country. They finally got one in 1991 and they are throwing that all away for the Donbas. Zelensky will fly at the last moment to Florida when Ukraine falls. This is the leader of a country who takes orders from foreign powers.