Pelosi Visits Taiwan


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Aug 3, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday night despite warnings from both Washing and Beijing. The nature of her trip was so secretive that it was not on her official itinerary. Now, the true nature of her visit is coming to light. “We take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” Pelosi said. “We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan — and democracy itself,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Our congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom.”

Her statements blatantly disregard the One China policy and all but confirmed that the US would support Taiwan if China invaded. In fact, her tone was so forceful it seemed as if she may be pressuring Taiwan to break away from China. China did not shoot down her plane as some Chinese commenters speculated, but they did flex their military muscles by conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait before Pelosi arrived. China does not want a war – but will they be pushed into one?

The nature of Pelosi’s visit has finally been disclosed. She will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday, and some news outlets are reporting that she plans to meet with activists who are outspoken about China’s human rights violations. Pelosi seems to be pushing the nation to liberate itself from the One China policy. One must wonder if Washington expressed dismay publicly while secretly endorsing Pelosi’s monumental trip. China has already punished Taiwan by banning it from exporting 100 food items, which will certainly hurt Taiwan’s fishermen and farmers. They are likely calculating their next move against the US. Expect tensions between the US and China to reach new heights, all due to Nancy Pelosi.

Klaus Schwab – How to Rule the World – Maybe!


Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest Re-Posted Aug 3, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Klaus Schwab does not understand human nature or how the world economy functions. He preaches Stakeholder Economics which failed and was instituted during the Depression BECAUSE there were no government programs. The theory then was that companies should contribute to saving society. It failed because there was no coordination, for every company was independent, and they would contribute to what they saw or had a bias toward.  His “Stakeholder Economics” is not his own idea. He took it from Berle and Means.

Milton Friedman, back in 1970, exposed how Stakeholder Economics was inefficient and stupid. He laid out that such a role was that of government, not corporations, whose #1 fiduciary obligation was to its shareholder. Under Schwab, I could say, “OK I will go public; everyone sends in money. I will give you shares in return and then say — OMG, there are people starving in Africa!” So, I decide to give 50% of all the profits to them and not my investors. This is Stakeholder Economics.

The history of the Volkswagen brand began with the “Käfer”; development work on this Nazi prestige project began in 1934. On May 28, 1937, it was formally established. The name was changed to “Volkswagenwerk GmbH” in 1938. With the outbreak of war, it became the arms industry. But it was produced under the direction of Hitler was called the Volkswagen (“people’s car”). This is the Stakeholder Economics of Schwab today. I can tell you that, personally, Schwab is a control freak. He runs the WEF with an Iron Fist. Errors are not tolerated.

Schwab is actually advocating fascism where he wants to control the future by controlling the production of all corporations. His dream of world domination is much deeper than simply communism, where his hero remains Lenin.

Lenin nationalized all manufacturing and industry throughout Soviet Russia. This is what Schwab is advocating to get them to “voluntarily” surrender their fiduciary duty to his one-world government to end the potential war as was structured in the EU. Schwab pushed for that and his bedfellows, George Soros, poured money into Britain to try to storm BREXIT.

The one-world government of the Roman Empire did not prevent civil war and uprisings. Julius Caesar said men believe what they want to believe. That certainly applies to Schwab and Soros. They only look at what they want to hear from the dead economic theories.

Lenin failed to understand human nature. He requisitioned surplus grain from peasant farmers to feed his Red Army in addition to nationalizing all manufacturing. These measures proved disastrous. Under the new state-owned economy, both industrial and agricultural output completely plummeted. The very people who understood how to run their companies or when to plant crops were capitalists who were typically killed or imprisoned. This policy led to an estimated five million Russians who died of famine in 1921 alone. The living standards across Russia plunged into abject poverty. This is the hero worshiped by Schwab!

There began a massive uprising, as we see in Sir Lanka. The civil unrest threatened the very existence of Lenin’s Soviet government. Lenin used the secret police (Cheka) to silence all political opposition. This was a rein of terror targeting both his opponents and challengers within his own political party. Schwab sees this as a necessary tool, and thus this is why he wants total digital ID to restrict movement using pandemics that will most likely be created for control. What they did with COVID may not have established a precedent. It may have hurt so many people that the attempt to initiate a repeat performance itself is more likely to erupt in civil unrest next year on a major scale.

Indeed, there was an attempted assassination on Lenin by Fanya Kaplan, who shot him in the shoulder and neck as he was leaving a Moscow factory in August 1918. Lenin was badly injured. This unleashed the Red Terror carried out by his secret police. They unleashed a campaign of mass executions against supporters of anyone who supported the czar. Russia’s upper classes and any Socialists who weren’t loyal to Lenin’s Communist Party found themselves on the target list.

Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) established the Praetorian Guard to protect the emperor. When Caligula was assassinated on January 24, 41 AD, the Praetorian Guard made Claudius Emperor, who had always been a Republican and played the role of the fool. He did not want to take the throne. He was advised by his Jewish friend Herod Agrippa to take it or he would be killed, for there were those in the Senate who would love to be emperor. So here you see a gold aureus of Claudius with the reverse showing the Praetorian camp. For you see, without an emperor, they were unemployed. They made Claudius emperor, and neither he nor the Senate had any choice.

Consequently, once Lenin created his Secret Police (Cheka), they were not about to let Russia slip back into a monarchy or a democracy, for that would have ended their power, as was the case with the Praetorian Guard upon the assassination of Caligula. The Cheka (Secret Police) is believed to have executed at least 100,000 so-called “class enemies” during the Red Terror between September and October 1918 following the assassination attempt of Lenin.

As a result, Lenin was forced to back down from his authoritarian government, instituting his New Economic Policy, which was a temporary retreat from complete nationalization. The New Economic Policy created a more market-oriented economic system, “a free market and capitalism, both subject to state control.” Lenin’s Red Army eventually won Russia’s civil war, and then in 1922, he formed the USSR with a treaty between Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Transcaucasus (now Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). Lenin thus became the first head of the USSR.

Between 1922 and his death in 1924, Lenin suffered a series of strokes that impacted his ability to speak, and it had been his charismatic delivery of speeches that gave him power, as was the case for Adolf Hitler. Both spoke with a passion that moved the crowds. This opened the door for Joseph Stalin, who was the Communist Party’s new General Secretary, and he quickly began to consolidate his power. Lenin resented Stalin’s growing political power and saw his ascendency as a threat to the USSR. Lenin’s Treaty for the USSR was one built upon mutual respect, whereas Stalin saw it all as one nation with all power at his fingertips.

Lenin died on January 21, 1924, at the age of 53. Knowledge of his death came after Stalin had already come to power. It was Stalin who stole all the food from Ukraine, killing some seven million, and he unleashed the Great Purge of 1936-38. He strengthened the Cheka (Secret Police) to firmly retain power in the same fashion that the Roman Praetorian Guard supported the emperor to retain their jobs.

Beware, this is the same power being crafted by Klaus Schwab. The digital ID for everyone and to create a “social” index of people is the exact way to instill control as well as fear.

FBI Training Materials Designate Gadsden Flag and Historic American Symbols as Evidence of Militia Violent Extremists


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 2, 2022

Project Veritas has obtained whistleblower materials from official FBI training and instruction, highlighting images that are defined as evidence of Militia Violent Extremists or MVE’s.  Among the material now identified by the FBI as extreme are pictures of the Gadsden flag, Betsy Ross flag, Patriot symbols, Molon Labe and a host of other historic images that are now defined as evidence of Militia Violent Extremism.

[WASHINGTON, D.C. – Aug. 2, 2022] Project Veritas released a newly leaked document today provided by an FBI whistleblower, which shows how the Bureau classifies American citizens it deems to be potential “Militia Violent Extremists” [MVEs].

In the document, the FBI cites symbols, images, phrases, events, and individuals that agents should look out for when identifying alleged domestic terrorists.

The “Unclassified/Law Enforcement Sensitive” document says it is for “FBI Internal Use Only.”

Of note, under the “Symbols” section, is a prominent citation of the Second Amendment, where it explains that “MVEs justify their existence with the Second Amendment, due to the mention of a ‘well regulated Militia,’ as well as the right to bear arms.”

Right below that, under the “Commonly Referenced Historical Imagery and Quotes” section, Revolutionary War images such as the Gadsden Flag and the Betsy Ross Flag are listed. Each flag displayed in the document comes with a brief description of what it means.

Under the “Common Phrases and References” section of the leaked document, Ashli Babbitt is cited as a person that MVEs consider to be a Martyr.

The same document also refers to Ruby Ridge, Waco, and even Timothy McVeigh, tying in traditional American ideas and symbols with radical and/or violent events in the past. (see and read more)

FBI Director Chris Wray is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday [SEE HERE], perhaps someone will ask him about this.

It would appear, if we are to accept the narrative from the FBI, patriotic Americans are all dissidents now.

Foreboding Data, Second Quarter Credit Card Balances Jump 13 Percent, Largest Increase in Twenty Years


It’s not just the scale of the increase that is surprising; it’s the history of how long it has been since this scale of debt increase happened in a single quarter.

(CNBC) – […] Although average hourly earnings are up 5.1% from a year ago, prices have been rising much faster. The Consumer Price Index, which measures the average change in prices for consumer goods and services, jumped a higher-than-expected 9.1% in June, the fastest pace in over four decades.

To bridge the gap, more consumers are relying on credit cards to get by, which has helped propel total credit card debt to $890 billion.

Overall, credit card balances rose 13% in the second quarter of 2022, notching the largest year-over-year increase in more than 20 years, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (read more)

This doesn’t sound like a good economic omen.

Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 2, 2022 | sundance

Smooth Operator, Senator Joe Manchin Answers Questions About His Energy Deal with Senator Chuck Schumer


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 2, 2022 | sundance |

Democrat Senator Joe Manchin wears the purple tie today as he answers questions from the DC legislative narrative engineers.  There are two videos below.  The first is a general presser with multiple members of the DC media (print journos) about the Green New Deal energy bill he negotiated with Senator Chuck Schumer. The second video is an interview between Manchin and Fox News host Harris Faulkner.

Unfortunately, in both the presser and the direct interview no one pins Manchin down on where “expanded energy production” of the bill is located.  Manchin claims there is legislative language in the deal that supports the fast domestic production of oil, coal and natural gas to meet the immediate issue of skyrocketing energy prices.  However, Manchin is a smooth operator, and he states confidence that rapid and expanded development of oil, coal and gas is part of the deal.  WATCH:

Here’s the segment with Harris Faulkner trying to pin him down on tax increases, energy production, inflation and the 2024 election.

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Joe Biden Announces White House Monkeypox Response Team to Deliver “Health Equity to all Monkeypox Stakeholders”


Posted originally on the conservative tree on August 2, 2022 | sundance

I was unaware that monkeypox was an issue for the White House. However, today the Biden administration is proud to present a team of government officials tasked for the purpose of handling the whole of government response to the U.S. outbreak of monkeypox.

Additionally, I’m not exactly sure what a “stakeholder in monkeypox” is, but this team is in charge of making sure they have “health equity.”

WHITE HOUSE – “Today, President Biden named FEMA’s Robert Fenton as the White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis as the White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator. Fenton and Daskalakis will lead the Administration’s strategy and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak, including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments.

[…]  “Bob Fenton and Dr. Daskalakis are proven, effective leaders that will lead a whole of government effort to implement President Biden’s comprehensive monkeypox response strategy with the urgency that this outbreak warrants,” said Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the President. “From Bob’s work at FEMA leading COVID-19 mass vaccination efforts and getting vaccines to underserved communities to Demetre’s extensive experience and leadership on health equity and STD and HIV prevention, this team will allow the Biden Administration to further accelerate and strengthen its monkeypox response.”

Fenton and Daskalakis will coordinate and manage response efforts across the White House and all Federal departments and agencies. They will work with local, state, national, and international stakeholders on tracking and fighting the spread of monkeypox, with state and local partners to ensure they have adequate supplies to test, treat and vaccinate at-risk individuals, with clinicians and providers on available testing, treatment and vaccination options, and with stakeholder communities on building public understanding of the virus and how to address it most effectively.

[…] Over the coming weeks, under the leadership of Fenton and Daskalakis, the Administration will advance and accelerate the United States’ monkeypox response to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect individuals most at risk of contracting the virus, and care for those who have been afflicted with it.” (read more)

Optimistic Gubernatorial Candidate Kari Lake Discusses Election Day in Arizona


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 2, 2022 | sundance

Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake discusses primary election day today in Arizona.  {Direct Rumble Link} Most polls show Trump endorsed Kari Lake with a significant lead over the establishment candidate Karrin Taylor Robson; however, the GOPe apparatus (including Brett Baier) has been promoting push-polls that show a much closer race.

Ms. Lake appears on Steve Bannon’s war room podcast to discuss.  WATCH:

Job Openings in June Decreased 605,000, Retail Sector Dropped 343,000


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 2, 2022

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) produces a monthly report of available job openings.  The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS report) shows the number of available jobs at a captured moment in time.  This JOLTS report [DATA HERE] is a summary of the last day in June.

As you can see within modified Table-1, the number of available jobs dropped by 605,000 in this report.

Hires and separations were little changed, so too was the number of people who quit their jobs.  The big change in this JOLTS survey was the removal of available jobs.  Employers cancelling job openings.

BLS – “On the last business day of June, the number and rate of job openings decreased to 10.7 million (-605,000) and 6.6 percent, respectively. The largest decreases in job openings were in retail trade (-343,000), wholesale trade (-82,000), and in state and local government education (-62,000).”

If we monitor the JOLTS report as an indicator of employment strength reflecting the general pattern of consumers, we can see a pullback in both the goods and service sector.

Retail job openings dropping 343,000 as consumer spending tightens even more due to inflation, and now we see the service side with leisure and hospitality dropping 91,000 openings.

Nancy Pelosi Lands in Taiwan After Kirby Reaffirms “we do not support Taiwan independence”


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 2, 2022 | sundance 

There was a lot of back-and-forth hostility between the government of China and the administration of Joe Biden in advance of Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.  Some Chinese state media even suggested a possibility that Pelosi’s plane could be shot down.  However, none of the threats materialized.

Yesterday it was obvious the White House was attempting to diffuse the aggressive grievances of Beijing when spokesperson John Kirby, technically the NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications, made a specific statement:

The world has seen the United States government be very clear that nothing has changed — nothing has changed — about our One China policy, which is of course guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint U.S.-PRC Communiqués, and the Six Assurances.  We have said — and we have repeatedly said — that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.  We have said that we do not support Taiwan independence.  And we have said that we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.”

Those six words, “we do not support Taiwan independence,” was a very deliberate and public assurance to China.  Essentially, the United States will not do anything to support the independence of Taiwan, do whatever you want.  Joe Biden took a knee to Chairman Xi.  As a result, Beijing dropped back their tone to traditional rhetoric saying in a statement Tuesday morning, the visit “seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Arriving late last night, Speaker Pelosi released the following statement“Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan – and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances.  The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.”

The Biden administration then sought to overwhelm the media coverage of the Pelosi controversy by promoting the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri.

…And that’s the way that went.

White House Covid Vaccine Summit: A Good Day for Big Pharma


Arnie Mazer Writer at TrialSite News where it was originally posted on Jul. 26, 2022, 6:30 p.m.

Opinion Article

The White House hosted a “Summit on the Future of the Covid-19 Vaccine” on Tuesday featuring a combination of administration officials, scientists, and executives from the pharmaceutical industry. The summit was chaired by Dr. Ashish Jah, the White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator. Attendees included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as well as Dr. Francis Collins, the former head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Also in attendance were the representatives of pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna and Pfizer. There is no question the advent of vaccines blunted the complete force of the Covid-19 pandemic as Fauci pointed out in his address to the group. He said that “vaccines have saved over 2 million lives and prevented 17 million hospitalizations” even though the World Health Organization pointed out, initially, the vaccines were not distributed equitably among poor nations while the pharmaceutical companies were reaping profits. But the emphasis of the Summit was on how vaccines will be developed and distributed.  

Big Pharma at the Summit

In his opening remarks, Dr. Jah extolled vaccines, saying they are “truly a miracle of human ingenuity and 70% of Americans are now vaccinated.” But Jah also said vaccines “need to be better.” Fauci talked about science and manufacturing working together to make sure vaccines are distributed equally and the private sector and science are working together to advance vaccine technology. Additionally, it was pointed out the Biden Administration is committed to the development of new vaccines. Fauci then presented slides of the projects the NIH was funding and developing with vaccine manufacturers. 

Included in this was a “Mosaic Approach,” a new form of vaccine that takes on multiple parts of the virus and could help protect against future Covid variants. Participating in the summit were Paul Burton of Moderna and Angela Hwang of Pfizer. Fauci’s presentation of the future of vaccines included the idea that vaccines need to be updated because the Covid virus is continually mutating.  

He emphasized the partnership between academia and the private sector. As effective as Fauci’s speech was, it also seemed as if he was giving free advertising to the drug companies with the idea of maximizing the benefits of the partnership of science and technology.  The transformative power of the new generation of vaccines continued to be pointed out and regional manufacturing of vaccines was repeatedly pointed to as a way to get more shots in arms. This point came from both Ashish Jah and Angela Hwang. Regional manufacturing and licensing is a way for pharmaceutical companies to increase profit. Moderna’s Paul Burton said manufacturing is a key part of the future, and the company had recently made deals to build new plants in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Kenya. In the future, vaccines will be administered through nasal sprays and patches. Angela Hwang pointed out that “probably two and a half billion people have received the Pfizer vaccine. That’s an incredible wealth of real-world evidence that we’re sitting on… I think that we have a great opportunity to also help us to understand, how can we design new therapies.” Hwang added Pfizer is “happy to be on this journey.”

mRNA Vaccines Originated with the Department of Defense

The summit gave a history of the mRNA vaccine and said the potion originated through a part of the Department of Defense known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The development of the vaccine came as a result of research to help American troops if they’d been exposed to biological warfare on the battlefield. Through that program and others, DARPA had been doing the groundwork for the United States to produce a rapid cure for a pathogen like Covid-19 for years. The pharmaceutical companies capitalized on developed technology and took it further. 

Transparency Emphasized

Summit panels continually talked about the fact not enough of the population has been vaccinated, and Dr. Francis Collins claimed the pandemic exposed the vulnerability of the American health care system. Collins said there was a need to build public trust even though, initially, the vaccines were not “distributed with equity.” This included the fact that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) has to do a better job of vaccine distribution through what was termed an “allocation framework”.  In closing, Dr. Ashish Jah emphasized, again, the importance of public and private partnerships. The summit was, overall, informative and a great day for the pharmaceutical companies. 

The impact of such governmental backing of just a few companies most certainly reinforces the market brand. The presenters didn’t do much reflection as to what they could have done better during the pandemic. Rather, industry and government collaboration on more advanced vaccines suggests the government will increasingly be involved in helping fund the few winners of the vaccine and drug development business.