Independence Day


Posted originally on the CTH on July 4, 2023 | Sundance

As we gather with family and friends for this Independence Day celebration, we remind ourselves that freedom is a valuable and precious gift worth fighting for.

There are many current anxieties, frustrations and feelings of despondency as our July 4th, 2023 celebrations take place. However, we would be well served to remember that we alone control our responses to events around us.

We can choose to put aside all of the challenges and issues that seem beyond our control, and we can gather in joyful fellowship with our family and friends to celebrate the reason our forefathers defeated tyranny.

We Americans come from solid stock.

We carry in our DNA a fortitude of individual identity that is not dependent on government for affirmation or permission.  We are the beneficiaries of those who believed in stubborn independence.  What takes place at your picnic, gathering or assembly of fellowship is your independent choice.

I am reminded of an article written more than two decades ago, that still rings true to this day.

An American credo, By Don Feder”:

I am an American. I was conceived at Plymouth, born in Lexington and Concord, and reached maturity at Philadelphia.

I went through the fires of Shiloh, Gualdacanal, the Chosin Resovoir, Khe Sanh and a thousand other battlefields, and emerged rededicated to the ideals on which America was founded.

I am an American. Ever ready to defend my liberty and independence, to make any sacrifice and bear any burden – still, I seek no quarrel.

I march to the sound of the guns out of necessity alone. I fight not for glory or territory, or to make others bend to my will, but to vindicate my rights and preserve my freedom.

I am an American. I’m proud of my past. Words like Valley Forge, Gettysburg Address and Pearl Harbor — names like Washington, Jackson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt — make my blood stir.

Glancing behind me, I see generations of men and women who labored and struggled, lived and died to let me stand where I am today — who cleared the land, planted the crops, built the factories, raised the cities and made the discoveries that created a civilization which all the silent, suffering ranks of slaves, serfs and subjects who came before them could never imagine.

I am an American. While recognizing the errors that were made in nation-building (has a nation ever been built exclusively on light?), I proclaim America’s past glorious indeed, a boon to humanity, and consider myself among the blessed of the earth to share this nation’s destiny.

I am an American. Liberty is my birthright. To speak my mind, choose my leaders and legislators, defend my home and family, and worship the Creator in my fashion — these are not privileges, but G od-given rights. Governments can respect or deny them; they cannot change them.

I am an American. I have no rulers. Those who make, interpret and enforce our laws are servants. When they no longer recognize that verity, their authority loses legitimacy.

I am an American. My rights are a sacred trust to be exercised in the cause of justice and virtue. They are not the playthings of a spoiled child or mechanisms of self-indulgence.

I am an American. English is my language. Our ancestors arrived on these shores speaking everything from Chinese to Yiddish. It was English that united us, that allowed us to overcome age-old antagonisms.

From the Mayflower Compact to the latest piece of legislation introduced in Congress, our history and heritage are written in the tongue of the Magna Carta and the King James Bible.

I am an American. I have no distinctive race, religion or ethnicity. I am black, white, yellow, brown and red — Catholic, Protestant, Jew and Hindu. I came here from the hamlets of Old England, the bogs of Ireland, Napoli’s sunny shore, the Pale of Settlement and the villages of Vietnam. American isn’t a color or creed, but a state of mind.

I am an American. I welcome immigrants who are here to work and build, who identify with our past and ideals, who were spiritual Americans before they landed. Broken English is fine, as long as faith remains unbroken. An American speaks with the heart as much as the lips.

I am an American. My ism is Americanism. I reject all dogmas and ideologies. Collectivism, racism, militarism and imperialism have no place here. The rot that’s eaten away at the soul of so many nations and cultures must be fiercely resisted.

I am an American. I recognize only one loyalty higher than allegiance to our flag — faith in God. I acknowledge that America and God, the physical and the spiritual, are inseparable. America was founded by people of faith and grew to greatness by His grace. I pray that we will always be the instruments of His will.

I am an American. I weep over the fact that American history is no longer taught in our schools. In its place is a worldly, cynical skepticism inculcated by authors and educators at war with our basic values.

I am an American. I cringe at the collection of connivers, cowards, clowns and quacks that passes for our political leadership. I wonder that so many of my compatriots have no idea what America means and show no gratitude for the blessings that are theirs.

I am an American. My ranks grow thin; the night closes in. Whether I will be the last of my kind or the vanguard of their resurgence, only time will tell.”

Don Feder

Are you Still Proud to be an American?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Jul 4, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Once upon a time, being an American and traveling overseas, you had this persona like some halo around your head, and you were actually proud to be an American. When my father took me to Europe for the summer in 1964, I had Kennedy half dollars. When people saw I had one, they would forget the bill and settle for just a 50-cent coin. I remember telling my father we should have brought rolls of the new coin with us.

I was in Berlin and looking at the machine gun bullet marks on a concrete wall. An old German guy approached me and yelled – You did that! That incident stuck with me. I came to understand that there were always two views, and what he was expressing was his support for the nationalism of Germany, not actually the policies of Hitler. As they say, history is written by the victor. Both sides always commit atrocities in a war. That is just the nature of war itself.

Years later, I was in Hiroshima. Given the civilian deaths, I was perhaps embarrassed at first to be an American in that city. Yet an old Japanese lady approached me, noticing that I was an American, and apologized to me for her government forcing the United States to have dropped the bomb. I was stunned.

What is unfolding currently is that Americans I know in Europe are being tainted by the likes of warmongers such as Lindsey Graham, who always promotes war and interventionism in international affairs. As we celebrate our Independence Day, Gallup’s recent poll reveals that pride in being American has now plummeted to a historic record low. According to Gallup, indicates that only 39% of Americans consider themselves “extremely proud” to be American. When I was in London, even the Brits liked celebrating the 4th of July. Those days seem to be declining.

Speaking to European friends, they may try to avoid the subject entirely. This is the problem with the Neocons. They paint all Americans with this hatred. In turn, they get people to gate all Russians applying the image of Putin to everyone there. The truth is, the average American and Russian could care less about international objectives. They want to get by and provide for their families. The words of Goring on how to manipulate the people are words we should never forget, for all governments will seek to engage in propaganda to manipulate the people.

$200 Billion in COVID-19 Funding Missing


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Jul 3, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

What the hell is the US government doing with our tax dollars? We just heard that the Pentagon managed to misplace $600 billion in funds to Ukraine. They simply have no idea where $600 billion wandered off to and are not investigating. Now, a watchdog group revealed that over $200 billion in COVID-19 relief funds also went M.I.A.

We already knew paycheck protection funding was widely abused. But an inspector general from the US Small Business Administration now believes AT LEAST 17% of all COVID-EIDL and PPP funds were “disbursed to fraudulent actors.” Fraud estimates for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans reached $136 billion, or 33% of the entire program. Then it is estimated that an additional $64 billion was stolen from Paycheck Protection Fraud.

Government agents deny mass fraud. They say that the recent report “contains serious flaws that significantly overestimate fraud and unintentionally mislead the public to believe that the work we did together had no significant impact in protecting against fraud.” The problem here is that this is the money of the American people. In less than two weeks, the US government just announced they lost nearly a trillion due to bad actors and/or accounting errors. We deserve a complete overhaul of government accounting and a thorough investigation into where these funds went. Chalking it up to an accounting error or being duped is not sufficient. They need to tell the people exactly how they are spending our money, especially since they continually ask for more each year while providing nothing in return.

“BIGGEST DANGER TO MANKIND” | Bill Gates Funded Wuhan Lab? – #152 – Stay Free With Russell Brand


By Russell Brand Originally Posted on Rumble on: Jun 22, 12:00 pm EDT

Pentagon: $6.2 BILLION in Ukraine Aid Missing Due to Accounting Error


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Jun 22, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The nation was distracted by the 24/7 news coverage about the submarine that went missing while cruising around to see the Titanic. It seems that there is always a big news story put forth on days when undesirable information is released. We know the entire conflict in Ukraine was planned many years ago (see: “The Plot to Seize Russia”). We know that Biden is in bed with Ukraine – bought and paid for. Now, the Pentagon is admitting that “due to accounting errors” they LOST $6.2 BILLION!

Did the money go to contractors? Politicians? Ukraine? The government refuses to say. Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh explained that they originally thought $3 billion went missing, but the figure they are admitting to the public is closer to $6.2 billion. “We have confirmed that for FY23, the final calculation is $3.6 billion, and for FY22 it is $2.6 billion, for a combined total of $6.2 billion,” Singh said. “These valuation errors in no way limit or restricted the size of any of our PDAs or impacted the provision of support to Ukraine,” she added, as if taxpayers think that we aren’t doing enough for a foreign nation when America is a desperate state.

Everyone should be outraged. That is a HUGE sum of money that this indebted nation cannot afford to misplace. This entire situation reeks of corruption. If this happened under Trump, there would be a never-ending investigation from every angle. If you or I paid a penny less on our taxes, they would hunt us down with the full force of the law. That money was taken from hardworking Americans who pay their taxes. No taxation without representation is a faraway dream. WE DESERVE ANSWERS.

House Republicans Censure Adam Schiff for Falsifying Intelligence Information to Public


Posted originally on the CTH on June 21, 2023 | Sundance 

Congressman Adam Schiff was the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2015 through 2019, then Chairman of that same committee from 2019 through 2023.  In his leadership position on the HPSCI, Schiff was also a member of the congressional Gang of Eight who received classified intelligence briefings on all U.S. intel matters.

Adam Schiff used his position on the HPSCI to fabricate information from the HPSCI, leak information to media, and falsify statements during public appearances.  Following the 2020 midterm election result, Schiff was forcibly removed from the committee by Speaker Kevin McCarthy.   Today the House of Representatives censured Schiff for his lies and manipulative conduct and submitted him to an ethics investigation by the House.

(Via Politico) – The House GOP voted Wednesday to publicly reprimand Rep. Adam Schiff for his leading role in Democratic investigations of former President Donald Trump.

The measure, which passed 213-209, formally censures Schiff and directs the House Ethics Committee to investigate his actions. All five Republican members of the House ethics panel and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) voted “present” on Wednesday’s measure.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), the sponsor of the resolution, and other conservatives tried to advance a similar censure measure last week, but 20 Republicans — objecting to language that could have resulted in a $16 million fine for Schiff, unless he resigned from Congress — joined most Democrats to sink it before it came up for a full House vote. Luna removed that provision to allay their concerns. (read more)

Glen Greenwald Reflects on Viral RFK Jr.


By Glen Greenwald Posted originally on Rumble on June 16, 2023

Senator Grassley Reveals FBI Confidential Human Source Alleging Biden Bribes Has Recordings of Himself Talking to Joe Biden


Posted originally on the CTH on June 13, 2023 | Sundance 

Things are certainly getting interesting on the Biden bribery story. Apparently, in the unclassified interview with the Confidential Human Source, the FBI redacted the source alleging he has audio recordings of himself speaking to Joe Biden.

Senator Chuck Grassley revealed this little bit of information today from the security of the Senate floor. WATCH:

[Grassley] […] Let me assist for purposes of transparency.

The 1023 produced to that House Committee redacted reference that the foreign national who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden allegedly has audio recordings of his conversations with them. Seventeen total recordings.

According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses fifteen audio recordings of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden. According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden. These recordings were allegedly kept as a sort of insurance policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot. The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden. (read full transcript)

[Transcript] – Last week, I came to the Senate Floor to give a speech about the Biden Justice Department and FBI playing games with the American people by hiding the FBI-generated 1023 document from Congress.

Director Wray was going to be held in contempt for refusing to produce the 1023 that I told Chairman Comer about. Then, instead of contempt, the FBI committed to showing the 1023 and related documents to Congress.

So, the FBI showed but didn’t provide possession of that 1023 to the House Oversight Committee last week.

As the public knows that 1023 involves an alleged bribery scheme between then-Vice President Biden, Hunter Biden and a foreign national. The same allegations that Chairman Comer and I made public on May 3 of this year.

And on the same day that the FBI provided a redacted version of the 1023 to the House Oversight Committee, the Justice Department announced that former President Trump had been indicted and charged with 37 crimes relating to his alleged mishandling of classified records.

Attorney General Garland signed off on prosecuting Trump for conduct similar to what Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton engaged in. Two standards of justice in this country will turn our constitutional Republic upside down. Thanks to the political infection within the Biden Justice Department and FBI, we’re well along the road for that to happen.

This senator will do all that he can to fight that political infection. And you fight it by bringing transparency to what the government does. The public’s business ought to be public. Transparency brings accountability.

With respect to the 1023 shown to that House Committee, from what I’ve been told by folks who’ve reviewed it, it’s filled with redactions. So, Director Wray placed redactions on a document that’s already unclassified.

More than that, the FBI made Congress review a redacted unclassified document in a classified facility. That goes to show you the disrespect the FBI has for Congress. On a previous time on the Senate Floor, I asked my fellow senators what’s so unusual about an unclassified document being given to the public, when on May 18 of this year, there was leaked to the New York Times a classified document and even the name of a confidential human source. So, we’re kind of in a strange situation here. A classified document can be leaked to the New York Times, but an unclassified document can’t be made public to 300 million Americans.

Accordingly, Congress still lacks a full and complete picture with respect to what that document really says. That’s why it’s important that the document be made public without unnecessary redactions for the American people to see.

Let me assist for purposes of transparency.

The 1023 produced to that House Committee redacted reference that the foreign national who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden allegedly has audio recordings of his conversations with them. Seventeen total recordings.

According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses fifteen audio recordings of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden. According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden. These recordings were allegedly kept as a sort of insurance policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot. The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden.

So, as I’ve repeatedly asked since going public with the existence of the 1023, what, if anything, has the Justice Department and FBI done to investigate?

The Justice Department and FBI must show their work. They no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt. It’s clear that the Justice Department and FBI will use every resource to investigate candidate Trump, President Trump and former President Trump.

Based on the facts known to Congress and the public, it’s clear that the Justice Department and FBI will use every resource to investigate candidate Trump, President Trump and former President Trump. Based on the facts known to Congress and the public, it’s clear that the Justice Department and FBI haven’t nearly had the same laser focus on the Biden family.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has used a recording against former President Trump. Well, what’s U.S. Attorney Weiss doing with respect to these alleged Joe and Hunter Biden recordings that are apparently relevant to a high-stakes bribery scheme?

Getting a full and complete 1023 is critical for the American people to know and understand the true nature of the document and to hold the Justice Department and FBI accountable.

It’s also important for asserting constitutional congressional oversight powers against an out-of-control Executive Branch drunk with political infection. Remember, Congress has received 1023’s in the past and they’ve been made public. So asking for this 1023 to be turned over to the American people to read is not unusual.

Congress owes it to the American people and the brave and heroic whistleblowers to continue to fight for transparency in this matter and make this document public without unnecessary redactions.

I want everyone to remember, that I have read the unredacted version. [Transcript Link]

Additionally, as more information is coming out from the FD-1023 and associated articles, the deep weeds walkers and research teams are zeroing in on the potential identity of the Confidential Human Source who gave the interview to the FBI.

SEE HERE 

Also keep in mind, this testimony was made to the FBI in July of 2020.  We are now past several elections of sequential coverup operations by the FBI in order to protect Joe Biden and manipulate election outcomes.

Mark Meadows and Mike Pompeo – Acceptable Republicans for National Security State


Posted originally on the CTH on June 7, 2023 | Sundance 

Some people reviewing the latest articles [SEE HERE] about the potential indictment framework of President Trump are stunned by this section regarding former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows:

[…] Mr Meadows has already given evidence before the grand jury and is said to be cooperating with the investigations into his former boss. It is understood that the former North Carolina congressman testified as part of a deal for which he has already received limited immunity in exchange for his testimony.

[…] It is not yet known whether the testimony or the charges in question relate to the documents probe, or a separate investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Both investigations are being overseen by a Department of Justice special prosecutor, Jack Smith. According to ABC News, Mr Meadows has given evidence in both the documents matter and the January 6 investigation. (read more)

First, President Trump did nothing wrong.  Meadows can give no testimony that is damaging to President Trump in any ordinary construct.  The targeting of Trump is apex Lawfare, which is the manipulation of the law, including new and novel concepts of law, as weapons against opposition.

There, but for the grace of God, stand any one of us.  I say this from armored experience against these creatures.

Second, removing the unsubstantiated claim about Meadows reportedly pleading guilty to some charge, which is directly and strongly called “bullshit” by his lawyer, some people are wondering about Mark Meadows. I am not one of those who wonder about Meadows; I have always viewed him as a sketchy self-interested conniving Republican, and I retain that disposition through today.

Mark Meadows and Mike Pompeo were part of the “approved” Republican group who operated inside the Trump administration with loyalty to the right-wing of the UniParty apparatus.  Meadows and Pompeo were/are about as trustworthy as Rupert Murdoch and Ron DeSantis, which is to say, they ain’t.  They are DeceptiCons, and this isn’t a new position about them.  I have previously used the testimony of Mark Milley to show just how Machiavellian this entire tribe of  ‘acceptable Republicans’ was/is.

Keep in mind, as President, Donald Trump had few options on administration personnel.  He hired what everyone said at the time were solid republicans, only to see those same people undermine his efforts whenever possible.  Jeff Sessions, Dan Coats, Mark Meadows, Mick Mulvaney, Bill Barr, Mike Pompeo, the list is long, including his Vice President, Mike Pence.

In essence, this was the GOPe control within the Trump administration, the exact same dynamic would happen in any disruptive administration that came from outside the beltway.  This is why those same DeceptiCons are embracing Ron DeSantis – he’s in the club, Trump wasn’t.

As I outlined in September of 2021, years of agonizing and frustrating reviews and analysis of the Trump administration reconciled in the testimony of Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley.  During his September 28, 2021, Senate testimony before the Armed Services Committee, General Mark Milley clarified some very painful issues to accept.  Namely, that President Trump was being heavily managed by operatives of the Senior Executive Service (SES), and his Republican inner circle was willfully participating.

General Milley is a brutally political, manipulative, entitled and arrogant member of the United States armed forces.  His delusions of grandiosity represent the worst of our nation and can only be topped by one other, Anthony Fauci.  However, in his testimony Milley outlined the Republican opposition to Donald Trump.

JC Chairman General Mark Milley was attempting to flex his power in the almost identical way we saw former FBI Director James Comey pull the same angle.   You might remember, during congressional testimony in March 2017, when Comey was questioned about why he never informed congressional ‘gang-of-eight’ oversight about the preceding eleven month FBI investigating the incoming President, Donald Trump.  Director Comey pontificated, obfuscated, dodged carefully, and then deflected responsibility by saying he informed the “national security council” under President Obama.

When General Milley attempted to justify his unilateral contacts with Chinese military officials, he made a similar, and remarkably telling, admission and deflection.

For the January 8, 2021 phone call with General Lee of China, Milley stated he informed President Trump’s Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Keep in mind, Kash Patel has publicly stated General Milley did not inform Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller directly, at least to his knowledge.  So, Milley’s secondary point about notifying Christopher Miller in January 2020 needs to be reconciled carefully.

Listen carefully to how Milley is describing those calls.  Specifically, pay attention to Milley saying the calls were initiated by him in response to “concerning intelligence, which caused us to believe the Chinese were worried about an attack on them by the United States.”   It is important to note what this is NOT.

The contact by Chairman Milley was not initially triggered by the Chinese contacting him or any U.S. official about their concerns.  The contact to them is justified by saying the U.S. intelligence community was generating intelligence that said the Chinese were worried.

For clarity, the Chinese did not say they were worried, the U.S. intelligence community were saying the Chinese were worried.   Knowing how the Deep State, aka Fourth Branch of Government operates, keep that key point in mind.

Milley goes on to say, he was attempting to “deescalate” a situation the Chinese had never escalated.  Think about that carefully.

[WATCH from 09:00 forward, Prompted]

.

The first call, driven by U.S. Intelligence Community alarms, was made in October 2020, before the election.  Then another call was requested by the Chinese on December 30, 2020, for scheduling on January 8, 2021, after the U.S. election.   Note this important statement surrounding the January 8th call: “Shortly after my call ended with General Lee, I personally informed Secretary of State Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff Meadows, about the call – among other topics.”

Notice who General Milley did not inform.

General Milley did not inform President Trump, nor his national security advisor Robert O’Brien. This framework appears intentional; however, when you overlay what we previously suspected and outlined about Mark Meadows and Secretary Pompeo, it all makes sense.

Just like many other people who preceded them in the administration, Meadows and Pompeo were in place to manage President Trump.  Unfortunately, accepting that reality brings with it a bunch of very concerning issues.

We’ve long suspected Mark Meadows was introduced into the Trump orbit specifically because the Fourth Branch was exerting influence and needed to mitigate any independent action by President Trump.  This is the same scenario around introducing former CIA Director Mike Pompeo for the same purposes.

Mike Pompeo and Mark Milley worked unilaterally without President Trump’s authority on at least one situation during the winter of 2019 when U.S. strikes took place.  [Background Here] [Background Here]. President Trump made Esper, Milley and Pompeo hold a press conference without Trump supporting them; then President Trump remained silent on the issue for days.  There were other issues with Pompeo which looked sketchy, but that one specifically was a big red flag (or cherry on the proverbial cake).

Mark Meadows was the source of frequent leaks against President Trump including his health status during his COVID hospital stay.  Mark Meadows was also the primary source for John Solomon when Meadows was in Congress.  [Solomon made this admission during a podcast.]

During the peak of the 2018 “Spygate” headlines, prior to the mid-term election, it became obvious that Solomon was being managed and steered in his reporting.  It always appeared that Meadows was attempting to tamp-down outrage within the Trump base in order to manage it.  John Solomon and the Fox News tick-tock club were a big factor in the success of that approach.

Meadows was/is loyal to the Republican corporation inside the swamp.  This was always the accurate prism to view Mark Meadows.

Yes, it is remarkable…. with so many Republicans working against the America First Agenda of President Trump, including all of the Republican members who participated in the Hillary Clinton Russiagate nonsense, it is amazing how Trump was able to achieve so many accomplishments on behalf of Main Street.