Subtle as a Brick Through a Window, U.S. Media Starts Reshaping Corrupt Ukraine Narrative


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 21, 2022 | Sundance 

From the CTH perspective, if we accept the scale of the approaching U.S. economic pain that is clearly visible on the horizon, this narrative shift from the Associated Press and NPR, about a balancing act for U.S. policy and a corrupt Ukraine government, seems very predictable.

The average U.S. worker, and the middle class in general, is in trouble.  The visible reference of bailing out the people of Ukraine to the tune of $60+ billion is legislative salt in an open economic wound caused by Biden policy.  A shift is needed.

Pivoting away from Ukraine to focus on financial subsidies for Americans requires using a particular arm-distancing toward Zelenskyy from the politicians.   Look, corruption.

Here we go:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dismissal of senior officials is casting an inconvenient light on an issue that the Biden administration has largely ignored since the outbreak of war with Russia: Ukraine’s history of rampant corruption and shaky governance.

As it presses ahead with providing tens of billions of dollars in military, economic and direct financial support aid to Ukraine and encourages its allies to do the same, the Biden administration is now once again grappling with longstanding worries about Ukraine’s suitability as a recipient of massive infusions of American aid.

Those issues, which date back decades and were not an insignificant part of former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, had been largely pushed to the back burner in the immediate run-up to Russia’s invasion and during the first months of the conflict as the U.S. and its partners rallied to Ukraine’s defense.

But Zelenskyy’s weekend firings of his top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials have resurfaced those concerns and may have inadvertently given fresh attention to allegations of high-level corruption in Kyiv made by one outspoken U.S. lawmaker.

It’s a delicate issue for the Biden administration. With billions in aid flowing to Ukraine, the White House continues to make the case for supporting Zelenskyy’s government to an American public increasingly focused on domestic issues like high gas prices and inflation. High-profile supporters of Ukraine in both parties also want to avoid a backlash that could make it more difficult to pass future aid packages. (read more)

♦ Tomorrow’s News Today.  Sometime in the not-too-distant future, congress is going to need to spend several trillion to bailout business and individuals who will suffer under the biggest U.S. economic collapse since the 2007 housing crisis.

Within those several trillions of emergency legislative appropriations, supported by both wings of the UniParty as an expression of the economic and humanitarian urgency, the Biden administration will hide the $500 billion in Green New Deal spending.  The crisis will not be wasted.

The 2022 democrats are setting up the 2023 republicans to be the people in charge of congress when this economic collapse and subsequent bailout is needed.   Lucy with the football Democrats, will demand more money be spent ‘for the people‘, essentially to subsidize the energy driven economic crisis they have fueled for the past two years.

Wash – Rinse – Repeat

What Exactly Do the Officials Mean by “Managing the Transition”, Here is What They Will Not Say Openly


Posted originally in the conservative tree house on July 21, 2022 | Sundance 

The goal of this outline is to answer a frequent question about what the alignment of government and private sector officials mean when they say, “managing the transition.”  Some of this is self-explanatory, some of this has been astutely explained by others (with specific reference points), yet much of this is what they cannot say publicly.  So here we go.

As you are well aware the various western nation central banks including the U.S. Federal Reserve, are raising interest rates into a global economic contraction, a drop in demand.  Raising interest rates into a contracting economy is counterintuitive, it runs against the expressed interest of government to grow economic conditions.  However, there is a purposeful design to the contradiction.  [A TLDR Version Here]

I will further expand, and hopefully this will provide information so that you can make decisions on how to protect your interests.

The central bankers are trying to support western government policy.  Unfortunately, the government policy they are under obligation to support is the fundamental energy shift, or what the World Economic Forum (Davos Group) has called the “Build Back Better” climate change agenda.

Monetary policy can only impact one side of the inflation challenge.  The western bankers (EU central bank, U.S. federal reserve bank, and various banking groups) are raising interest rates in order to “tame inflation” by “taming demand.”  However, as you know the global economic demand has been declining for several quarters.  Raising interest rates into an already contracting economy only does one thing, it speeds up the rate of economic contraction.

Economic contraction is the lowering of economic activity.  Raise interest rates -in a general sense- and businesses invest less, borrowers borrow less, consumers purchase less, employers expand less, and the economy overall slows down. When the economy turns negative, meaning less products and services are produced, we enter a recession. Some businesses and employers do not survive a recession and subsequently unemployment rises.

During recessionary periods people buy less stuff, people have less income stability, and economic activity drops.  When the banks raise interest rates into an economy that is already stalled or contracting, unemployment and general pain on Main Street increases.  Workers are laid-off, incomes shrink, consumer spending drops and that leads to less employment.  Recessions are bad for middle-class and working-class people.

However, that said, there is one benefit from a recession…. Energy use drops.

People travel less; businesses operate shorter work schedules; manufacturing stops; overall fewer goods are produced because less consumer spending is taking place.  From the perspective of the groups who want to see overall energy consumption drop, a recession is a good thing.

A recession also brings along a natural drop in energy prices as less overall energy is used inside an economy that is slowing, stalled or contracting.

Oil prices drop as less oil is needed for the manufacturing of goods.  Energy use in transportation also drops and generally gasoline prices drop because less transportation fuel is needed, because fewer goods are being transported.  When the economy goes into a recession, energy use and prices always drop.

Put these factors together and you start to see how the transition to a new western energy policy, the Build Back Better agenda, benefits from a recession.

This is the essential understanding needed to reconcile why central banks would intentionally create an economic contraction.  The bankers are supporting the governmental objective of transitioning the western economy into a new energy system away from oil, coal and natural gas.  The banks are supporting the policy makers.

The central banks cannot openly admit what they are doing to support the politicians and policy makers.  In this weird new era, the banks are being instructed to support the policy makers without actually admitting they have changed their monetary mission.  The central bankers will continue to say their job is to manage and/or balance employment and inflation.  However, what they will not admit is their unspoken agenda to support the political decisions.

Instead, almost all the central banks are saying their interest rate hikes are intended to cool inflation by lowering demand.  However, it is not demand that is driving inflation; it is the policy making behind the energy transition that is driving higher costs on everything.

The supply-side of the inflation dynamic is being overwhelmed by massive increases in energy costs which are the results of intentional western policy.  Extreme increases in consumer prices are the outcome of these energy price increases.  The overwhelming majority of consumer price inflation is being caused by energy policy, not demand.

The various central banks and monetary policymakers know this.  In fact, they are lying about their motives.  They have to lie, because if they were to tell the truth there would be an uprising, and the sucess of the energy agenda would be put at risk.

In order to support the energy objectives of the various governments’, the central banks are trying -and succeeding- to lower economic activity.

Less economic activity means lower energy needs.  This is what they call “managing the transition” to the new economy based on “sustainable energy.”

The banks and policy makers are ultimately managing the economic decline in order to Build Back Better in the future.  This is why the originating charter of the central banks is being ignored, and the banks are raising interest rates into an already contracting economy.

None of this is being done accidentally.  All of this is being done with forethought and implicit intention.

Unfortunately, for the average person this means the banks and policy makers have entered a phase where it is in their interests to shrink the global economy.  They are trying to control the collapse of the various economies by working together.  This means less jobs, less work, a lower standard of living, and a period of extreme financial pressure for the average person.

Eventually, we will reach a point where the government(s) will need to step in and fill the gap from the declined economic activity.  Bailouts and subsidies will be needed as they were in the COVID lockdown test run.  Unemployed workers and the people being impacted by a prolonged economic recession will need subsidies in order to survive.

The government policy makers are planning to do just that, spend more.  They practiced during the COVID economic lockdowns, now they will execute a similar policy path as they manage the energy transition.

We have only just entered the beginning phase of this Build Back Better agenda.  No one, including the banks and policy makers, have any idea how long this is going to take. We could be in this period of severe economic contraction for several years, perhaps decades, until their grand design of a new energy future is complete.  This has been the discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF), as the instructions were passed out.

The entire time the western government architects are doing this, they must keep the demand for traditional energy products like coal, oil and gas at the lowest demand possible.  That is why the central banks and politicians must keep economic activity at the lowest -yet survivable- rate possible.

Prepare your informed long-term affairs accordingly.

Joe Biden Appears to Say He Has Cancer During Speech in Sommerset, Massachusetts, (Video and Transcript)


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 20, 2022 | sundance 

Moments ago, while delivering a speech at a former coal-fired power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, Joe Biden stated he has cancer.  I’m not sure if that is what he meant to say, but here is the video and transcript:

…”My mother drove us, and rather than us be able to walk, and guess what? The first frost, you know what was happening, you had to put on your windshield wipers to get literally the oil slick off the window. That’s why I, and so damned many other people I grew up with, have cancer; and why can’t for the longest time, Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation.”…

WATCH:

Global Water Scarcity on Schedule


Armstrong economics Blog/Agriculture Re-Posted Jul 20, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

A new study by the University of Colorado Boulder published on “One Earth” cites water scarcity as the top threat to food security in the next 20 years. “Multiple events occurring at the same time compound the problem,” the study noted, citing droughts, floods, heat waves, pest outbreaks, diseases, and financial and political conflicts. Over 50% of those experiencing food insecurity live in conflict regions, and increasing political instability and civil unrest will cause this figure to rise. Various agencies such as the World Bank and United Nations have cited that food insecurity reached record levels in 2021 and has increased in 2022. However, one aspect that is not often discussed is water.

Humans can survive longer without food than water. Without water, there are no crops or cattle. Other studies point to increasing global demand for water as well. A 2019 study, “Reassessing the projections of the World Water Development Report,” found that water demand increased 600% over the past century.

“Global water demand for all uses, presently about 4,600 km3 per year, will increase by 20% to 30% by 2050, up to 5,500 to 6,000 km3 per year. Global water demand for agriculture will increase by 60% by 2025. By 2050 the global population will increase to between 9.4 to 10.2 billion people, an increment of 22% to 32%.”

Agricultural needs represent 70% of water demand. The poorest nations often have less access to clean water, and these are the same areas where the population is expected to rise. The aforementioned study also states that food demand will increase by 60% by 2050.

Our model projected entering another “grand minimum,” which overtook the sun beginning in 2020 and will last through the 2050s. This will result in diminished magnetism, infrequent sunspot production, and less ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching Earth. We are facing a global cooling period on the planet that may span 31 to 43 years. It is interesting that these studies are pointing to 2050 as the point where water will become extremely scarce as it aligns with our models’ projection for the weather as we will then enter a new sunspot cycle.

The Government is Tracking You


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Jul 20, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Yes, the government is tracking your movements. You do not need to have a COVID pass installed on your phone nor do you need to be a criminal. The location data industry has become a $12 billion market that is actively growing.

It recently came to light that the Trump Administration began tracking mobile data on a grand scale. The Department of Homeland Security targeted information on at least 336,000 data points across the country. Biden continued tracking American’s locations and provided the Customs and Border Protection with a $20,000 contract last September.

One company, Venntel, said that it has access to 250 million phones and devices. There are currently no restrictions on this invasion of privacy, and the government may legally track you and your family. This information has been abused by various agencies, such as one that tracked the location of people who visited abortion clinics.  The US military even used the technology to identify Muslim populations.

“There are over 350 million mobile devices in the United States in use today, and that number is growing exponentially as more people purchase mobile devices every day. Therefore it is not uncommon to encounter individuals involved with illicit activity taking advantage of mobile technology to further their criminal goals,” a contract between CBP and Venntel said.

You can attempt to turn off your device’s location, but that is extremely difficult considering the number of apps we use on a daily basis. GPS? Tracked! Social media? Tracked! Various search engines? You bet!

I believe this violates the Fourth Amendment, which is intended to protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

U.S. Public Broadcasting Promotes American Diet of Insects to Support Biden Administration Climate Change Initiatives


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 19, 2022 | sundance 

The goal of gaining public acceptance for eating insects instead of meat is now part of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) effort.  The larger climate change objective is to “transition” the global food supply away from cows, pigs and chickens, and toward a more sustainable lifestyle of eating insects and bugs.   Farmers in North American and Europe are facing massive regulatory changes as part of the Build Back Better or Green New Deal initiatives.

In the U.S. Joe Biden has pledged his entire administration effort toward the goal of reducing U.S. carbon emissions and protecting the planet.  Part of that initiative includes the need to change the diet of Americans away from traditional farm proteins, and toward sustainable alternatives via bugs and/or insects like cockroaches, crickets and grasshoppers.

A comprehensive marketing, branding and image campaign is underway to change the public perception toward an acceptance of sustainable algae and bugs as food sources.  Public Broadcasting (PBS) is part of that imitative:

(SOURCE)

Several U.S. food manufacturers now include insects and bugs as part of their ingredient list.  It would be worthwhile checking the labels on the latest snack foods to identify the percentages of worms and bugs that may be included in your favorite salted snack.

Additionally, a significant investment has taken place in Canada where they are now generating 9,000 metric tons of crickets to replace traditional protein sources (link).  The public/private partnership in London, Ontario, is now shipping crickets for use by North American food manufacturers.  There has been minimal public pushback against the effort and the government appears to be fast-tracking insects as food alternatives for global shortages of grain and meats.

In the United Kingdom, the government is now taking public feedback on the use of insects in the food supply.  According to a recent public notification from the U.K. Food Standards Agency, they are working toward an acceptable standard across the industry for insects and worms in the food supply.

From the notification: “A consultation on a proposed legislated transitional period under the novel food regulations for edible insects in England, Scotland and Wales. The proposal has been developed with input from Food Standards Scotland (FSS).” (more)

(Source)

As farmland across Europe and North America increasingly comes under enhanced “climate change” regulation from government, we can expect the speed of food supply transitioning to insects to increase exponentially.

There are a lot of government resources [EXAMPLE HERE] now dedicated to changing public perception.  The western government alliance wants people to start eating bugs, and, more importantly, want people comfortable doing so as the energy and climate regulations increasingly limit food options.

(Source Pdf)

With PBS now joining the chorus of insect food promotion; and with the increasingly discussed pending global food shortage now looming; it would appear that western leaders are following the advice from the World Economic Forum and preparing their citizens in Europe and North America to accept insects as food.

As noted earlier, you may already be eating the insects and just not be aware of it.  Apparently, people who are allergic to shellfish should be more concerned and diligent about the ingredients of the food they consume, as insects may generate the same allergic reaction.

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Biden Energy Security Official Says Administration Cannot and Will Not Accept or Approve Long-Term Oil and Gas Development


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 19, 2022 

This guy popped up after the trip to Saudi Arabia and has been spouting hypocrisies ever since.  In this first segment, White House senior energy adviser Amos Hochstein, in charge of U.S. energy security, says the administration cannot accept or approve any long-term oil and gas development that undermines the urgency of the crisis they are exploiting.

Instead, Hochstein says U.S. energy producers should invest in oil and gas development that turns an immediate profit. [Pro-tip, that doesn’t exist.]  Keeping the oil and gas industry in a perpetual state of shortage, overcapacity and expense, allows the “transition” to windmills and solar to remain urgent.  Put another way, the energy crisis is part of the plan. WATCH:

Mr. Hochstein also appeared on Fox News this afternoon to claim that coal is the worst of the worst and must never be used again.  When asked about Germany going back to coal to replace Russian gas, Hochstein says that’s a terrible plan.  However, Hochstein was never confronted over the stupid part of his anxiety.

Germany is being forced to use coal because Biden/Hochstein have triggered energy sanctions against Russia that stopped the flow of natural gas.  Germany is being forced to use the horrible coal because Biden/Hochstein is forcing them to.

In order for ideologues to retain their insane ideological positions, they must pretend not to know things.  Unfortunately, we do not have a media that is capable of calling them out on the hypocrisy and challenging the weakness of their positions.  Thus, the great pretending continues….

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Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) Questions Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg About Electric Vehicle Goals without Energy Grid to Support Them


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 19, 2022 | sundance 

Kentucky republican House member Thomas Massie had some interesting statistics in hand when questioning Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the administration goal to make electric vehicles 50% of all cars, vans and trucks sold by 2030.

Essentially, it is a cart and horse scenario.  An electric vehicle requires five times as much energy production as the standard home air conditioning cost.  The U.S. electricity grid cannot support an increase in household energy use that is equivalent of adding five times as many houses using air conditioning.  Math is math.  WATCH:

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Comrades, the likely federal government solution is simple.  Comrade citizens can have one electric car (mandated by regulatory compliance), or they can have their home air conditioned, but they cannot have both.  [Assuming social credit scores are high enough]

See how easy that is?

...”the significant problems we face are only as challenging as the significance of the problem.”

THE COLLAPSE IS HERE & THE FARMERS ARE FIGHTING BACK


The Dive With Jackson Hinkle  Published originally on Rumble on July 15, 2022

Obama Lashes Out at Former White House Physician for Questioning Biden’s Mental Health


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Jul 15, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House physician under the Biden Administration, was reprimanded by former President Obama for admitting that everyone has been questioning Joe Biden’s mental health for years. “Holding the Line: A Lifetime of Defending Democracy and American Values,” a memoir penned by Jackson, discusses the conversations he had concerning the then vice president’s deteriorating mental state.

Biden was on TV again, making crazy statements and concerning mental gaffes; he didn’t know what state he was in or what office he was campaigning for,” Jackson noted in reference to his 2020 campaign. “He apparently thought at one point that he was running for the Senate and later couldn’t remember what state he was campaigning in. This had been going on for months and was getting worse.”

Jackson also happens to be the same physician who forced Donald Trump to undergo a cognitive test, which he passed. The media was constantly criticizing Trump for mistakes and he willingly took the cognitive test to put the public at ease.

In the letter posted above, Obama expresses his disappointment at “the cheap shot” Jackson took at Joe Biden. He did not, however, claim that the statements Jackson made were untrue. It is almost impossible to ignore the missteps of President Biden at this point in time, and America has become the laughing stock of the world for putting a senile old man in charge. The Democrats clearly knew that Biden was mentally unfit to run for president but elected him anyway. This man possesses the nuclear codes, executive order powers, and the ability to catapult this country into the Dark Ages.