Category Civil Society

Mar 6 2022

Remember That You Are Dust, and To Dust You Shall Return


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 2, 2022 | Menagerie 

Jl 2:12-18

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.

Added, from a comment I made yesterday on the Mardi Gras post, in answer to a question about Mardi Gras excesses. I think part of it fits here as well.

I’m not from New Orleans, or any of the other cities across the world where Mardi Gras and Carnival are celebrated. I don’t understand the costumes or krewes or other traditions, nor how they got started. I would guess though, that their origins were not entirely without religious significance. The secular world has of course intruded, but there are deep roots underneath.

I myself hope to slay some demons of my own during the 40 days. Perhaps giving face to them now helps do that.

Here is my Catholic take, for what it is worth.

My celebration of Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras is quite simple, maybe having pancakes for supper, a few extra sweets, especially if I’m giving them up for Lent. It’s a little celebratory, clear the decks kind of day as I focus my mind on the upcoming journey I want to make with Jesus during Lent. Kind of a clear out the old, extraneous, the unnecessary, the frivolous to make room for more somber, serious, and much more worthwhile things.

From a religious standpoint, Fat Tuesday is really about Lent. I have never experienced more changed (me, inside), joy filled, grace filled Easters than I have since converting to Catholicism and learning to live by the liturgical calendar, following the life and ministry, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, and the building of the Church, especially Lent and Easter.

We Christians are not meant to stand still, to tread water. We are meant to literally burst at the seems with driving, passionate, exploding growth. Lent helps us grow, pare back, trim off dead growth and condition ourselves for that growth.

Today we celebrate and appreciate all the culmination of great things the Lord has given us. Tomorrow we begin to give back in a special way some of those gifts in order to make room for more.

God is bountiful like that. The more he gives us, the more we accept and give away in turn, the more and more and more he wants to give us.

Lent is a journey where we get to know and love Jesus a little better, and to open ourselves to the true light and joy and love and hope of Easter Sunday.

If you aren’t familiar with it, and you are interested in learning more, begin with us today and follow along weekly as we journey toward the Cross and Resurrection with Jesus.

Mar 6 2022

The First Sunday of Lent


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 6, 2022 | Menagerie

Temptation of Christ

Gospel

Lk 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.

The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.

Mar 6 2022

Authoritarian Trudeau Denounces Authoritarian Putin, Weeks After Canada Targeted Political Protestors for Arrest


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 5, 2022 | sundance

In order for the most entrenched leftist ideologues to maintain their ideological agenda, they must pretend not to know things.

Two days after he announced the U.S. workforce vaccine mandate, in Shanksville Pennsylvania, Joe Biden said that both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin were “autocrats” who dictate to the citizens of their nations.  Biden noted in conversations with them – those leaders have questioned the viability of ‘western democracy.‘  This statement came a mere 36 hours after Joe Biden said he “has lost patience” with half the nation, and as an outcome, was going to FORCE a mandatory injection (COVID “vaccine”) into the arms of every citizen who wanted to work.  The media ignored the contrast as if they could not see the inherent hypocrisy.

Yesterday, in a speech to a Ukraian delegation in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had the nerve to talk about the “slipping of democracy” as a result of “greater authoritarianism”, only a few weeks after Trudeau invoked the emergency act and triggered financial targeting against protestors who assembled against his regime.   Again, the media ignore the inherent hypocrisy.  WATCH (Prompted):

Mar 6 2022

VISA and Mastercard Will Announce The Next British Prime Minister Tomorrow at 4:00pm GMT


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 5, 2022 | sundance 

After years of anxiety within the European Union, as an outcome of a minor movement within the U.K to trigger Brexit, the multinational financial corporations in consultation with the European Commission, NATO and Central Bankers have determined it is in their interest to select a British prime minister who will void the Brexit vote.

Tomorrow at 4:00pm GMT, a new British Prime Minister will be announced.  In advance of the announcement, and representing the global alliance of financial interests, VISA and Mastercard released the following statement:

“We are compelled to act following Great Britian’s unprecedented diminishment of the European Union, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed,” said Al Kelly, chairman and chief executive officer of Visa Inc. “We regret the impact this will have on the misguided Brexit supporters, and on the colleagues, clients, partners, merchants and cardholders we serve in the U.K.  This Brexit crisis and the ongoing threat to peace and stability in the EU, demand we respond in line with our values.”

[Now, Do We Have Your Attention?]

This post is obviously sarcasm. However, the intent is to draw attention to the precedent currently underway.  With the Visa/Mastercard action & intent against Russia in mind, are you sure you’re okay with multinational corporations choosing, approving or disapproving of national political leadership?

Below is a short list of the multinational corporations who have expressed their intent to choose who will be the President of [any country] targeted by the New World Order.

Mar 6 2022

Neil Oliver, Sorry Ukraine, but We’re Not Going To Stop Asking Questions


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 5, 2022 | sundance

Another good reflective and contemplative monologue from Neil Oliver today, as he notes the quick shift from ‘you cannot question the vaccine’ to ‘you cannot question what’s going on in Ukraine.’

Indeed, the analogous pivot by global governance was so fast, we didn’t even feel ourselves get shoved through the media looking glass. They’re getting good at this now; the global crew have had a lot more practice in the past two years.  They’re like the performer who can snatch the tablecloth from under the plates without moving the cutlery.

However, as Neil Oliver mentions, sorry team NATO or global alliance or whoever the f**k you are, our experience with your abusive reaction to us in the past two years has thickened the callouses of our sensibility.  We are not going to stop asking questions and looking for the real images behind the opaque narrative you present.  Ukraine may, or may not, be all you say, but for the past two years you have manipulated so much we won’t stop asking questions, and we certainly will not accept the media presentations at face value. WATCH:

Mar 6 2022

Another Alternate Perspective on Ukraine From Col Douglas Macgregor


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 5, 2022 | sundance

Appearing on Fox Business with Stuart Varney (Friday, 3/4/22), retired Colonel Douglas Macgregor provides a different take on the current situation in Ukraine; a perspective that takes a more pragmatic and realistic view of the situation.  Putin appears to be successfully working through a methodical plan and strategy, despite western media trying to frame the great Ukrainian resistance effort.

As noted by Macgregor, there’s nothing heroic about Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sticking to the pro-NATO position within the Ukraine Russia conflict.  A more pragmatic approach would be for Ukraine to declare itself neutral in the geopolitical contest between NATO and Russia thereby diffusing the issue that motivates the conflict.  WATCH:

It appears all of the western interests, specifically the billions of dollars flowing into Ukraine from U.S. and western sources, are the driving factor in Zelenskyy’s decision making.  The Ukraine President held a zoom conference with the U.S. Senate today and received more assurances of money and arms to keep up the battle.  The U.S. is going to frame this as a multi-year-long insurgency battle if Vladimir Putin succeeds.

(NBC) […] Schumer told Zelenskyy that Congress will get the $10 billion in economic, humanitarian and security assistance to the Ukrainian people “quickly,” according to two people with knowledge of the call.

Zelenskyy spoke on the call first, followed by Schumer and McConnell, then Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the co-chairs of the Senate Ukraine caucus, said two people with knowledge of the call. (link)

Mar 5 2022

Bayer President: The mRNA Vaccines Are Gene Therapy


Armstrong Economics Blog/Vaccine Re-Posted Mar 5, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

President of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division, Stefan Olerich, admitted at the World Health Summit in November 2021 that the COVID mRNA vaccines are a form of gene therapy. The pharmaceutical companies knew they were administering gene therapy falsely marketed as a common flu-like vaccination.

How is this a conspiracy when a top guy at Bayer said directly: “mRNA vaccines is gene therapy.” Anyone who declared that the vaccines altered DNA in any form was condemned and labeled as spreading fake news. Yet, Big Pharma has been touting it as such for months. “Two years ago, 95% of the people would have refused to take the gene therapy. But COVID made it possible.” The Bayer executive smugly stated.

The mRNA vaccines for covid are a form of gene therapy. This fact has not been hidden from the public. Unfortunately, many are unwilling to accept that they forcibly took a vaccine that may come with long-term consequences as they were unknowingly the first live sample trial on the global population.

Mar 5 2022

Is War the Ploy for the Great Reset?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Great Reset Re-Posted Mar 5, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

There is something very wrong going on here. In diplomacy, you NEVER begin by demonizing your opponent. It is like an argument between two people. You may try to discuss your issues, and at some point, it becomes impossible for either party to agree. That brings the name-calling and anger where you either leave or end up in a fistfight. Here we have skipped all the formalities, abandoned any discussion, and simply moved to verbal assaults. Something is just not right. Graham’s outrageous statement calling for the assassination of Putin simply takes this to the level that there is not going to be an attempt to reach a settlement.

We have to ask the question: Has the failure of COVID to accomplish the Great Reset been escalated to war? Seizing assets of private citizens and moving deliberately to burn down the world economy in order to Build Back Better is starting to appear to be an agenda. This makes no sense and getting the press and the people to just demonize Putin ensures there can be no resolution other than confrontation. What will the West do when Ukraine falls?

I received a poll and look at the options. It appears that there is an attempt to escalate this further which is a war that cannot possibly be won. Then in their mind, they get to really Build Back Better.

There have been those who think that the current world monetary system and Bretton Woods was achieved only because WWII wiped out the world economy — except the United States’. This is not an opportunity to Build Back Better in the wake of WWIII, which would be far more devastating. The Atomic Bomb over Japan brought an end to the war. But this time, those weapons are standard – not unique to one side.

A number of emails have come in asking, “Who will benefit?” It seems that this is a desperate idea to redesign the world economy at a tremendous expense.

Mar 5 2022

Stupidity of Sanctions


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted Mar 4, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Spread the love

Never in all my career have I ever witnessed such stupidity. While the majority are cheering the sanctions imposed on oligarchs, nobody seems to realize that what goes around, comes around. In total there are almost 3,000 American companies in Russia, and the U.S. is also the leader in terms of foreign companies in Special Economic Zones, with 11 projects. 3M, Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, AECOM Air Products, Albermarle Chemicals, Representative Office Alcoa SMZ (Alcoa Russia), American Express Russia, and CIS AmeRussia St.Petersburg, Russia. Here is a list of just a handful of American companies. We cannot seize assets of private Russians and expect that they will not do the same to Westerners.

France has seized the yacht belonging to Igor Sechin, on the simple grounds that he is a top Putin ally and the head of state oil firm Rosneft, according to the Bloomberg report. While this will bring cheers from the peanut gallery that hates Putin, they seem to think that this is a one-sided game. Both Russia and China have vast amounts of American and European investment when we had a world economy.

The hatred of Russia in the United States has been propagated by the military for they always need an enemy to justify more money. This is true of NATO as well. Without evil Russia, why have NATO? They turned terrorism into a major funding source and they knew about 911 and made sure it succeeded for that gave birth to the Patriot Act, financial tracking, and you have to take off your shoes to get on a plane.

Perhaps you will recall in 2014 that Obama attempted to block Russia from the world economy as a whole removing them from the SWIFT system entirely!  Obama starting this idea of a sanction that I warned back in 2013 would lead to World War III. Obama went too far and his co-conspirator Christine Lagarde began threatening all tax havens that they will be removed from the SWIFT system if they do not give up all foreign accounts. Lagarde even threatened the Vatican.

Back then, the international payments financial organization SWIFT refused to cut off Russia from all international financial flows. The organization announced that it had received appropriate policy prompts. However, it would not be forced to violate international law at the direction of Obama. The incident revealed that it was Obama who came up with this idea. His personal hatred of Putin resulted in the ejection of Russia as a G8 member all over Crimea. Nevertheless, the SWIFT system stood firm and that has been a serious mistake now for China is moving full steam ahead with its alternative and that will divide capital on a global scale. Abusing the SWIFT system is undermining the world economy and set it on the road to economic decline into 2032.

Mar 5 2022

The Markets & the Solution


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Mar 4, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The talks between Ukraine and Russia did not agree on a ceasefire but did agree to create safe corridors for civilians to evacuate. Both sides are clearly at fault here and it is hard to see why there is no settlement to a ceasefire. Agree to a democratic resolution and allow the people of Donbas to vote and monitor it. Both sides should just agree to accept the vote and end this nightmare. There are too many civilian lives disrupted and I do not think that they have had a voice in this dispute. My discussion with some Ukrainian friends feels that they have become mere pawns in a chess game between the West and Russia. Meanwhile, Zelensky claims he foiled three assassination attempts by Putin.

I have friends who have now fled to Germany from Kyiv. There are reports that over 700,000 have fled.  Their lives have been completely upended and Zelensky has made decisions that do not appear to be taking into account the desires of the people. Some think they have had no say in this matter and others wonder if Zelensky thought he would get military support without understanding the real dynamics. Others just say Putin is a madman and that forecloses any negotiation.

As I have said, this is not a war that Putin can afford to lose. Such a loss would be devastating for Russia politically and at that point faced with the collapse of Russia then nuclear tactical weapons become possible. It is now clear that China asked Putin to delay any invasion until after the Olympics. Some fools think we should just rush in and confront Putin. They paint all Russians with the same brush which is like taking Biden and saying all Americans are the same as him.

My deepest concerns here are that we are headed into a global war and both sides in all wars always think they wear the white hats. The real risk here is Russia does not stand alone. If the West rushes in, it will be confronted by Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and others. Calling Putin a madman may feel good, but it blinds one to the connections. A settlement here is imperative or this is going to spiral out of control. Already Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is in Ukraine and it is now on fire and captured. The Chernobyl nuclear crisis when that melted down belonged to the Soviet Union, but that was also in Ukraine. On top of all of this, about 30% of the Wheat supply comes from Ukraine and Russia so food prices will escalate even higher.

We need a peacemaker to broker a deal here and I cannot believe that Zelensky has any clue what he is doing and he is just taking orders from someone behind the curtain. With time, that too will surface. Those just saying Putin is a madman means no negotiation and they better take a look around the globe as to what will really emerge here on many fronts. There are no right and wrongs here. Both sides are obstinant and are responsible for the total breakdown of peaceful communication and mutual respect.

As Henry Kissinger said in the Washington Post on March 14, 2014 – “The demonization of Vladimir Putin is not a policy. It is an alibi for not having one.” It has only foreclosed negotiation. I believe Henry is the most qualified geopolitical analyst of his lifetime.


I can only see one reasonable solution and that does not include sending in storm troopers with lightsabers because you hate Putin. Let us state the obvious. Ukraine cannot defeat Russia. This is a losing battle. So let us take a deep breath and look at the real facts that control this dispute and stop the propaganda and rhetoric. I am sure someone can read this and start negotiations without me hopping on a plane.

The history here is lost in all the hatred and demonization. When the Soviet Union broke up, Ukraine had more nuclear weapons than China and was the third-biggest nuclear power in the world. People forget that interesting point. The Budapest Agreement required that Ukraine would give up its nuclear weapons provided both Russia and the U.S. agreed not to invade Ukraine. Yes, Putin has actually violated this agreement. That could be a negotiating point that would justify NATO entering the war.

Now the primary sticking point is that Putin does not want Ukraine to join NATO and would eventually become a nuclear power against Russia. That would mean a violation of the Budapest Agreement by the West. Therefore, Ukraine MUST remain neutral at all costs. The solution is that Ukraine doesn’t join NATO and they acknowledge that would violate the Budapest Agreement. This would satisfy Putin’s main concern. This gives Putin a victory and a way out of this confrontation. There MUST be an exit strategy just the same in trading. Everyone is simply honoring the Budapest Agreement which perhaps Zelensky is unaware of and his advisers have probably withheld that information from him. Europe in turn grants Ukraine EU membership which would be freedom to travel for its people – a huge win for the people of Ukraine, not including the separatist regions of Donbas and Crimea.

The other point will be that Ukraine MUST renounce any claim to Crimea. As I have said before, Crimea was historically part of Russia, not Ukraine, and the people there are Russian. Ukraine can claim that it put in infrastructure and thus it should be compensated for those expenses. Let the Donbas vote under international monitoring but Ukraine has downgraded them to second-class citizens anyhow by enacting the language law outlawing the officially Russian language. I believe the Budapest Agreement MUST be honored and end this nonsense of Ukraine joining NATO. That would violate all the agreements reached with the fall of the Soviet Union.

The world economy is right on the edge. Looking at Gold and the Dow we see that both are hovering around critical levels that will decide their fate going forward. Remember. Without negotiation, in war, both sides see that they are right. There is never any wrong. So Henry Kissinger said: “The demonization of Vladimir Putin is not a policy. It is an alibi for not having one.” To end this, we need an acceptable exit strategy for both sides. Otherwise, WWIII is upon us now. This is not some football game where we can just defeat Putin. That stupidity for a solution will only engulf the entire world. We must understand the real threat here for devastation is not a victory.