Too Dangerous to Allow Elon Musk Control Over So Much Data Says Washington Post


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

The latest developments in the effort to purchase the unsustainable magic coffee shop are quite revealing.

According to the New York Post, “Musk himself is willing to invest between $10 billion and $15 billion of his own cash to take Twitter private, two sources close to the situation said. That’s up from the current 9.1% stake in the company he revealed on April 4, which is worth about $3.4 billion.”

However, more revealing about the overall issue are the comments from the PR firm of the U.S. Intelligence Community, The Washington Post:

(WaPo) […] “Putting so much power in the hands of one company is bad enough, but putting it in the hands of one person, as is largely the case with Facebook shareholder Mark Zuckerberg and would be the case if Twitter were owned by Musk, would be incompatible with democracy.” 

“There are simply no checks and balances from any internal or external force,” … “It would leave Musk, like Zuckerberg, with an amount of assembled data about people and the ability to use it to manipulate them “that cannot be compared to anything that has ever existed, and allows intervention into the integrity of individual behavior and also the integrity of collective behavior.” (read more)

People are starting to catch on to the reality that costs for data processing on many social media platforms (the free coffee), exceeds the ability of the platform to generate revenue.  People are starting to understand that behind the scenes of the Big Tech consortium, there is something else, some other operational construct and mechanism, that subsidizes & facilitates their existence.

It is very revealing how the intelligence apparatus of the United States had no issue with Twitter data and influence, until the potential for private ownership, perhaps uncontrolled private ownership, surfaced.  Do not be naïve in pretending not to know how The Washington Post represents the interests of the intelligence apparatus.

In the long arc of history, I truly believe we will discover the inflection moment for the merge of U.S. Deep State (intel community) and U.S. Social Media, will be identified in the early moments of the Arab Spring of 2010/2011.  That was when Facebook and Twitter became tools for the State Dept operation in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Bahrain and beyond.  That was the beta-test of synergy.

“Arab Social Media Report by the Dubai School of Government give empirical heft to the conventional wisdom that Facebook and Twitter abetted if not enabled the historic region-wide uprisings of early 2011.” (LINK)

It was from that original, albeit misguided and manipulative partnership, when the actual details about how to create the social surveillance state was first tested.   Everything after those events more than a decade ago, has been this rapidly evolving blend of social media technology and the capacity of the U.S. intelligence apparatus to create and fund the underlying structures.

Daily, we see numerous examples of the ideological control that surfaces as a direct result of this public-private partnership, the closed-conversations between deep government interests (the Fourth Branch) and social media companies which are dependent on the subsidized technology for them to exist.

Perhaps 2022 represents the first time the commonsense of the American electorate begins to recognize the fallacy of the ‘free coffee’ business model.  Personally, I am very optimistic people will soon recognize what many have suspected for a long time.

Ultimately the question becomes, how far will the U.S. Fourth Branch of Government go to stop people from understanding?

Marc Andreessen believes Govt and Big Tech will double, triple and quadruple down to keep their public-private partnership, the backbone of the Free Coffee Shop, hidden.  I cannot say I disagree, because ultimately it is still only the minority of people who understand the stakes.  However, on the upside, the number of people who are starting to understand it, is growing almost exponentially thanks to Elon Musk.

(Source Link)

This is one of those situations where we should all welcome being called ‘conspiracy theorists’, because no matter how big the crowd is that refuses to believe it, ultimately the impossible business model of Jack’s Magic Coffee Shop will reveal everything.

That’s why the public-private partnership must stop Elon Musk.  As the Washington Post noted, this level of revelation “cannot be compared to anything that has ever existed.”

“Very shadowy” indeed.

CNN New Subscription Based Service Likely to Collapse, Spent $300 Million Only Gained 150k Subscribers


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

Put this in the tracking file for ratios and such.  Axios is reporting that CNN+ is likely to collapse as Warner Bros has suspended all external marketing and product development and fired the Chief Financial Officer.  The network has spent $300 million, and only generated 150,000 subscribers.  A major fail by any measure.

(Via Axios) Warner Bros. Discovery has suspended all external marketing spend for CNN+ and has laid off CNN’s longtime chief financial officer as it weighs what to do with the subscription streaming service moving forward, five sources tell Axios.

• Why it matters: Inside CNN, executives think the launch has been successful. Discovery executives disagree.

• CNN+ has roughly 150,000 subscribers so far.

• Warner Bros. Discovery wants to eventually build one giant service around HBO Max.

• New leadership has replaced CNN CFO Brad Ferrer with Neil Chugani, Discovery’s current CFO for streaming and international, as part of a broader finance team restructuring.

• Other high-level positions at WarnerMedia across different business functions are likely to be eliminated to cut costs and streamline leadership in coming weeks.

What to watch: Sources say a plan is being considered to replace Chris Cuomo’s 9:00pm EST primetime slot with a live newscast, instead of personality-driven perspective programming. (read more)

Big Pharma Turns An Entire Generation Into Lab Rats | Ep. 932


By Matt Walsh  originally Published on Rumble on April 18, 2022 

Today on the Matt Walsh Show, leftists are fighting passionately to defend the profit margins of the pharmaceutical industry, even as Big Pharma uses an entire generation of children as lab rats. Also, federal officials hunt for the murderer of a dolphin, while letting the murderer of five infant children off the hook. Plus an MSNBC analyst explains why it’s a threat to free speech to allow people to say whatever they want on social media. And a Democrat candidate for congress aborted her child to save the planet. Finally in our daily cancellation, Ilhan Omar is upset because Christians were singing on a plane. We’ll talk about all of that and more today on the Matt Walsh Show. 

NBA star Jonathan Isaac has withstood immense pressure to conform to popular social issues. He’s now writing a book about his experience and is publishing with the Daily Wire. Pre-order your copy now: https://utm.io/ud96e.

City of Detroit Displaces 100,000 Residents After Tax Error


Armstrong economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Apr 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Government incompetence caused 100,000 people in the city of Detroit to lose their homes. The city recently admitted that it overtaxed homes by over $600 million between 2010 and 2016, resulting in thousands of foreclosures. In the state of Michigan, property cannot be assessed at over 50% of its market value. Yet, Detroit managed to assess properties at up to 85% of their market value, resulting in over half a billion in illegal taxation.

Neither the state nor the city of Detroit has done anything to compensate the people who were forced out of their homes. Mayor Mike Duggan insists that state law prohibits his administration from helping residents by providing tax credits or cash compensation. Duggan not so generously proposed allocating $6 million in resources to help overtaxed citizens, many of whose lives have been ruined, but that represents only 1% of what the city collected in illegal taxes.

The Coalition for Property Tax Justice is now helping those affected by involving Michigan’s Attorney General. The tax advocacy group believes victims should receive compensation in their preferred manner, but it is alarming that nothing has been done to compensate the people. Why were the properties over-assessed to such an extent for half a decade? How did the city not notice the dramatic uptick in taxes rolling in? It seems that this is deeper than a clerical error.

Laying Foundation for World War III


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted Apr 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The revelations pouring out from John Durham is very enlightening which has confirmed that the Democrats for four years led by Hillary Clinton, set in motion the strategy to constantly attack Trump an d thereby prevent him from carrying out his goal to drain the swamp. John Durham has revealed that the “A secret Trump server is communicating with a Russian bank” was a totally fic ticious claim put out their by Hillary which had no basis in fact whatsoever. It was just totally made up.

In a new filing, Durham revealed that the CIA concluded that cellphone data and Internet traffic provided by Clinton attorney Michael Sussmann was “not technically plausible” and “user created.” This proved to be deliberately fabricating evidence which was the same strategy behin the notorious Christopher Steele dossier, twhich they also fabricated facts. Of course, the CIA was against Trump as was the NSA because they were on the agenda of creating war with Russia. Despite all of this evidence which is surfacing, still those on the left continued to ignore these facts and will not relent when it comes to bashing Trump. Clinton’s team simply invented the entire story, forged evidence, and then presented it to the FBI and CIA as if it was something worth pursuing, derailing a presidency for years.

The Director of the CIA, John Brennan, a former aide and campaign advisor to President Obama, had stated that his agency believed the Russians were behind the hacking of the Democrat’ servers. The Democarts even blamed Wikileaks and pushed to imprison Julian Assange for life. WikiLeaks denied that Russian hackers were the source of the emails. But the Democrats were relentless. Trump disagreed with the CIA claim, tweeting that “these are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.” Now the Durham report demonstrates that the CIA lied and misled the nation.

There is a serious question is all of these characters have not engaged in treason against the United States. These people will be remembered by History and held in the same regard as Benedict Arnold by future generations when the dust settles. Their names will become synonymous with “traitor” after was the case with Benedict Arnold when his betrayal became public. Benjamin Franklin wrote that “Judas sold only one man, Arnold three millions.” However, these people have done far more damage than merely creating Russiagate.

Because of these people, in 2019, Gallup Poll showed that the Majority of Americans had considered Russia as a critical threat which is mandatory to justy waging war. The nonsense of imposing sanction of Russia under the theory that will force the people to overthrow Putin, are simply out of their minds. Now two-thirds of Russians see the United States as the enemy of Russia. The independent Levada Center published their poll confirming that 70 percent of respondents pointed to the United States as the greatest threat to Russia.

These attitudes have been the byproduct of Russiagate. This is HIGHLY dangerous for the Neocons will get what they dream of – World War III. These people have put out nothing but hatred and this is unfortunately what we the people of the world, Americans and Russians, are the victims of these hateful manipulations of society to press their desire for war.

Georgia Lawfare Leftists Attempting to Block Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene From Reelection Through Obscure Use of Insurrection Act


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 18, 2022 | Sundance 

A group of far-left Georgia voters, backed by a coalition of left-wing constitutional scholars, liberal activists and lawfare allies, filed a challenge against Marjorie Taylor Greene last month with state election officials. The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution prohibits officeholders from returning to elected positions if they supported an insurrection. The challengers claim that Greene can’t run for reelection because she “aided” the January 6 insurrection.

No one has been charged with “insurrection”, and the entire effort seems like a leftist political maneuver to avoid being crushed in the 2022 midterms. However, there’s a never-ending source of funding for these Lawfare schemes, so these efforts continue. An activist Federal Judge, Amy Totenberg (Obama appointee), from the Northern District of Georgia is anticipated to rule this week on whether the challenge can move forward.

MTG appeared on Tucker Carlson to discuss. {Direct Rumble LinkWATCH:

Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of the few congressional representatives who actually channels the appropriate anger and opinion of her constituents.  That makes her a target for the Lawfare leftists.

We need to watch these types of schemes.  This crap is what the Lawfare crew do when people are distracted.

The Madness Is Over – Following TSA Response, Airlines Begin Announcing They Are Dropping Mask Mandates


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 18, 2022 | Sundance

Following a federal judge vacating the federal mask mandate on transportation, the TSA responded, “TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will not enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs at this time.”

Within hours, various airlines began notifying customers the mask mandate is gone:

♦ American Airlines – “In accordance with the Transportation Security Administration no longer enforcing the federal face mask mandate, face masks will no longer be required for our customers and team members at U.S. airports and on domestic flights.” (link)

♦ Southwest Airlines – “As a result of this development, effectively immediately, Southwest Employees and Customers will be able to choose whether they would like to wear a mask, and we encourage individuals to make the best decision to support their personal wellbeing.” (link)

♦ Delta Airlines – “Effective immediately, masks are optional for all airport employees, crew members and customers inside U.S. airports and on board all aircraft domestically, as well as on most international flights.” (link)

♦ Alaska Airlines – “Effective immediately, all Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air guests and employees have the option to wear a mask while traveling in the U.S. and at work. Masks are no longer required for travel and will be optional.” (link)

♦ United Airlines – No press release. “Masks are no longer required on domestic flights, select international flights (dependent upon the arrival country’s requirements) or at U.S. airports. More comfortable keeping yours on? Go right ahead… the choice is yours (you look dino-mite either way)!” ~Twitter

Various videos show airline employees in a state of jubilation cheering the announcements.

The professional political left is very sad, apoplectic and filled with anxiety.  However, the overwhelming majority are happy.  This example again reflects how small that minority of rabid maskers was.  Easily a 4:1 ratio.

Additionally, with all the major carriers and the TSA making official statements, it would be almost impossible to reinstate the mask mandate now.

It’s over.

White House Responds to Immediate Questions About Current Status of Mask Mandate for Air Travel


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 18, 2022 | Sundance

Moments after a Florida federal judge vacated the CDC federal mask mandate for transportation, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked the obvious question about airline travelers right now.  What does this mean for passengers in the immediate future?

Psaki noted she was unsure about what steps could be or would be taken, and she deferred to the FAA and Dept of Homeland Security who will need to make immediate decisions. The most substantive aspect at 11:49 of video, prompted:

The White House is very committed to all their mandates around COVID-19, the mask mandate is no different.  From the perspective of the professional political left, the theater of forced mask wearing represents the visible power and authority of government to rule the lives of the irrelevant proles.

Any pesky legal rulings, that seek to reduce or remove the power of government, are viewed by the left as arbitrary and insignificant efforts to block their almighty power of government.  They can choose to wear a mask if they want, but that’s not really the issue behind the mask mandate.  The true power of the left is in the ability to force everyone to comply to their whims regardless of individual freedom.

The collective is based on an inability to be comfortable with self.  To mitigate their instability, they project.

The people relentlessly committed to winning will always defeat the people who just want to be left alone…. until those who want to be left alone have finally reached the point of saying “no more’, and that’s when things get ugly.  However, as soon as things get ugly, the leftists are ideologically trained to cry victimhood. That’s when they need the media most.

Every abuser has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, then the abuser cries ‘victim’.  Until the leftists are destroyed, we must all become numb to mercy and comfortable with punishment and brutal ridicule.  If we really want to avoid violence, we need to make shame hurt again.

If we want to stop accepting things, we need to stop accepting things.

Control is a reaction to fear. Think in terms or politics and society – the fear behind leftism is the fear that someone might withhold things (opportunities, money, whatever) from me. A fear that if you live your life in a way I dislike that it might affect my life.  A fear that if you get that job, there will be nothing left for me. A fear that if you make tons of money, it’s means there’s less money out there for me.

People who believe in leftist ideologies seek control as a means of trying to create guarantees and safeguards against those circumstances they fear.

Modern “liberals”, leftists, try to control the world and people to enable their comfort and happiness. Which, as we know, is an endless quest. Trying to control others does nothing in the way of making oneself happy.  Trying to control others is a key attribute of narcissism.

By extension, voting in this mindset, so that government can try to control others, will also – shocking – not lead to a happier, more comfortable life.

The leftist believes the system must be perfected in order to enable success. Therefore, disappointment is channeled as anger and blame at the system. Voids are left to be filled by faith in the govt, which they surely then want to come in and “fix” things.

And therein lies the roots of love and fear respectively.

For the conservative, when life presents great struggles, he knows he has the power to surmount them. Happiness stems from internal strength and perseverance.

For the modern leftist, when life presents great struggles, the system failed, therefore they were at the mercy of a faulty system, and they believe that only when the system is fixed can their life improve. Happiness is built on systemic contingencies, which they will then seek to control or expect someone else to.

One blames himself. The other blames anyone and everyone but himself.

And there it is. There’s where the meanness comes from. The leftist ideology causes that person to cast anger at the world when things go wrong or appear “unfair.” He constantly chooses only to see the “injustices” – and that makes for a very miserable, mean, blame-casting existence.

Their need for COVID is a mental disorder.

Federal Judge Rules Biden Mask Mandate Unlawful, CDC Transportation Mask Mandate Vacated


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 18, 2022 | Sundance

A federal judge in Tampa, Florida has vacated the federal transportation mask mandate for planes, trains, buses and public Transporation.  [PDF Ruling Available Here]

In essence, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle found the CDC exceeded its statutory authority with the mask mandate and violated the rules that guide CDC regulations.   After Joe Biden arbitrarily announced the federal transportation mandate, the CDC triggered enforcement of the mask mandate without any required time for public feedback on a new regulation.

(SEE FULL RULING HERE)

Within the ruling, one of the commonsense arguments against the federal mandate was noted.  Prior to Joe Biden taking office there was no mask mandate.  At the time Joe Biden took office and invoked the mask mandate, there was nothing substantively different in/around the spread of COVID-19 and the mitigation efforts underway.

The federal mask mandate was arbitrary and capricious with no justification from the CDC and no required time for the public to provide feedback.  The government’s legal argument was that public feedback, comments on rulemaking, was irrelevant because the mandate was going to be enforced regardless of public opinion. That argument was summarily dispatched by the judge saying, just because the government has a pre-determined outcome in mind does not relinquish them from the obligation to follow the rules.

Sensing they were going to lose the case, remarkably the government lawyers argued that only the original plaintiffs in the lawsuit should be granted relief.   Meaning, only the two people who filed the lawsuit should be exempt from the federal mask mandate.  That didn’t work.

The federal transportation mask mandate is vacated.

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index Marks New High


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted Apr 18, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Home prices were up 19.2% in January according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index. It is extremely difficult for Millennials and Gen Z to enter the housing market, as homes today cost 75% more than they did in 1987 – and that’s just when the index first began tracking prices. The agency addressed the problem the youth are facing:

“While the re-acceleration of home price gains may be concerning and likely discouraging for first-time and younger buyers, it is nevertheless unsurprising considering the dire inventory of for-sale homes, which continues to decline and continually record new lows. Additionally, with mortgage rates jumping to three-year highs, existing homeowners now have little incentive to sell and buy a new, more expensive home with a higher mortgage rate. As a result, homebuyers that remain in the market are once again faced with a very competitive buying environment.”

The pandemic, coupled with extremely low rates, spurred this buying frenzy. Cumulatively, home prices across the US rocketed 31% since March 2020. Although rates are rising and mortgages hit nearly 5% last week, there is no indication of demand declining significantly. The age of remote work has allowed people earning New York-level salaries to relocate to areas with lower tax rates and less crime. It has become a new form of gentrification in the age of corona.

Home prices are soaring everywhere as the supply cannot meet the demand. Some areas have far surpassed 19.2% increases. The 10-city composite is 33% higher than during the peak in 2006, and the 20-city composite rose an astounding 40%. America is looking at a housing crisis if inflation does not wane and risks a generation becoming reliant on rentals and more likely to delay having families.