Priest Has Seen More Deaths from Suicide than COVID


Armstrong Economics Blog/Australia & Oceania Re-Posted Aug 5, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Alberta Drops COVID Restrictions


Armstrong Economics Blog/Canada Re-Posted Aug 5, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

In Alberta, Canada, Patrick King represented himself in court after being fined $1200 dollars for protesting against the Covid restrictions. He issued a subpoena to the Provincial Health Minister for proof that the Covid-19 Virus exists. The government was UNABLE to provide that proof and were therefore forced to admit that they had no such evidence. Since the virus has never been isolated, without proof that there is a virus the government had no legal grounds to impose any such restrictions.

Alberta has subsequently rescinded all Covid-Restrictions and now officially treats Covid-19 as nothing more than the mild flu. Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the changes on July 28 as part of the province’s move to treat the virus as part of life in Alberta and treat it in the same way Albertans treat other respiratory viruses.

An Honest Explanation About Joe Biden Inflation, and It Has Nothing to do With COVID


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 4, 2021 | Sundance | 43 Comments

Repost from June by Request – Several people have written to CTH for an economic review of our current status. Below this post are two primary precursor articles [Primary One and Primary Two] which outline the economic dynamic in play, and how we can look forward with accuracy to what is likely to happen. Despite the deflective talking points by the professional financial pundits, this massive spike in inflation is entirely predictable due to Biden economic policy and Biden monetary policy.

Keep in mind, the FED already said in April they would “support inflation”, that’s because – while they will not say it openly, they know there’s no way to stop it. The massive inflation is a direct result of the multinational agenda of the Biden administration; it’s a feature not a flaw, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with COVID. Also keep in mind the first group to admit what is to come are banks, specifically Bank of America, because the monetary policy is the cause.

There’s no way around this. Despite the pundit and financial class selling a counter-narrative, home prices will crash and unemployment will go up. I know this is directly against the current talking points, but the statistical reality is clear. CTH was the first place that said months ago that new home sales will plummet, that is starting to happen right now. There’s no way for it not to happen, the big picture tells us why.

You might remember, when President Trump initiated tariffs against China (steel, aluminum and more), Southeast Asia (product specific), Europe (steel, aluminum and direct products), Canada (steel, aluminum, lumber and dairy specifics), the financial pundits screamed at the top of their lungs that consumer prices were going to skyrocket. They didn’t. CTH knew they wouldn’t because essentially those trading partners responded in the exact same way the U.S. did decades ago when the import/export dynamic was reversed.

Trump’s massive, and in some instances targeted, import tariffs against China, SE Asia, Canada and the EU not only did not increase prices, the prices of the goods in the U.S. actually dropped. Trump’s policies led the largest deflation in consumer prices in decades. At the same time, Trump’s domestic economic policies drove employment and wages higher than any time in the past forty years. With Trump’s policies we were in an era where job growth was strong, wages were rising and consumer prices were falling.  The net result was more disposable income for the middle class, more demand for stuff, and ultimately that’s why the U.S. economy was so strong.

Going Deep – To retain their position, China and the EU responded to U.S. tariffs by devaluing their currency as an offset to higher prices. It started with China, because their economy is so dependent on exports to the U.S.

China first started subsidizing the targeted sectors hit by tariffs. However, as the Chinese economy was under pressure, they stopped purchasing industrial products from the EU, that slowed the EU economy and made the impact of U.S. tariffs, later targeted in the EU direction, more impactful.

When China (total communist control over their banking system) devalued their currency to avoid Tariff price increase, it had an unusual effect. The cost of all Chinese imports dropped, not just on the tariff goods. Imported stuff from China dropped in price at the same time the U.S. dollar was strong. This meant it took less dollars to import the same amount of Chinese goods; and those goods were at a lower price. As a result, we were importing deflation…. the exact opposite of what the financial pundits claimed would happen.

In response to a lessening of overall economic activity, the EU then followed the same approach as China. The EU was already facing pressure from the exit of the U.K. from the EU system; so when the EU central banks started pumping money into their economy and offsetting with subsidies, they essentially devalued the euro. The outcome for U.S. importers was the same as the outcome for U.S-China importers. We began importing deflation from the EU side.

In the middle of this there was a downside for U.S. exporters. With China and the EU devaluing their currency the value of the dollar increased. This made purchases from the U.S. more expensive. U.S. companies who relied on exports (lots of agricultural industries and raw materials) took a hit from higher export prices. However, and this part is really interesting, it only made those companies more dependent on domestic sales for income. With less being exported, there was more product available in the U.S for domestic purchase…. this dynamic led to another predictable outcome, even lower prices for U.S. consumers.

From 2017 through early 2020 U.S. consumer prices were dropping. We were in a rare place where deflation was happening. Combine lower prices with higher wages, and you can easily see the strength within the U.S. economy. For the rest of the world this seemed unfair, and indeed they cried foul – especially Canada.

However, this was America First in action. Middle-class Americans were benefiting from a Trump reversal of 40 years of economic policies like those that created the rust belt.

Industries were investing in the U.S., and that provided leverage for Trump’s trade policies to have stronger influence. If you wanted access to this expanding market, those foreign companies needed to put their investment money into the U.S. and create even more U.S. jobs. This was an expanding economic spiral where Trump was creating more and more economic pies. Every sector of the U.S. economy was benefiting more, but the blue-collar working class was gaining the most benefit of all.

♦ REVERSE THIS… and you now understand where we are with inflation. The Joebama economic policies are exactly the reverse. The monetary policy that pumps money into into the U.S. economy via COVID bailouts and ever-increasing federal spending drops the value of the dollar and makes the dependency state worse.

With the FED pumping money into the U.S. system, the dollar value plummets. At the same time,  JoeBama dropped tariff enforcement to please the Wall Street multinational corporations and banks that funded his campaign. Now the value of the Chinese and EU currency increases. This means it costs more to import products, and that is the primary driver of price increases in consumer goods.

Simultaneously, a lower dollar means cheaper exports for the multinationals (Big AG and raw materials). China, SE Asia and even the EU purchase U.S. raw materials at a lower price. That means less raw material in the U.S. which drives up prices for U.S. consumers. It is a perfect storm.  Higher costs for imported goods and higher costs for domestic goods (food). Combine this dynamic with massive increases in energy costs from ideological policy, and that’s fuel on a fire of inflation.

Annualized inflation is now estimated to be around 8 percent, and it will likely keep increasing. This is terrible for wage earners in the U.S. who are now seeing no wage growth and higher prices. Real wages are decreasing by the fastest rate in decades. We are now in a downward spiral where your paycheck buys less. As a result, consumer middle-class spending contracts. Eventually, this means housing prices drop because people cannot afford higher mortgage payments.

Gasoline costs more (+50%), food costs more (+10% at a minimum) and as a result, real wages drop; disposable income is lost. Ultimately this is the cause of Stagflation. A stagnant economy and inflation. None of this is caused by COVID-19. All of this is caused by economic policy and monetary policy sold under the guise of COVID-19.

This inflationary period will not stall out until the U.S. economy can recover from the massive amount of federal spending. If the spending continues, the dollar continues to be weak, as a result the inflationary period continues. It is a spiral that can only be stopped if the policies are reversed…. and the only way to stop these insane policies is to get rid of the Wall Street democrats and republicans who are constructing them.

Hope that makes sense, and love to all.

~ Sundance

Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts: “If The Government Can Decide Who is Free and Who is Not, There is No Freedom Only Tyranny”


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 4, 2021 | Sundance | 187 Comments

Many people have looked at what is taking place in Australia with jaws agape.  Indeed, if there exists any system of western democracy that has taken more stronger totalitarian measures during covid than Australia, they are not easily identified.

There were reports in early 2020 of the United Nations organizing 5-stages of COVID lock-down plans, with “stage-5” being the most restrictive; and the Australian government agreeing to be the beta-test for the fifth stage; the ultimate police state.  If true, that explains the incredibly undemocratic and authoritarian controls triggered by the government down under.

The Australian army is patrolling the streets; all businesses are forcibly shut down; formerly free citizens now locked inside their homes; sky-marshals patrolling from the air and warning via loudspeakers to disperse; concentric rings of physical checkpoints around major metropolitan areas; dissidents and non-conformists identified, targeted and arrested by violent Australian police.  Yes, this sounds like a dystopian science-fiction novel; however, it is all the current reality in Australia…. and the government is claiming they are only in “stage 4“!

One Senator, Malcolm Roberts, warns the Australian government they are on the wrong side of history….  WATCH:

[Transcript] – “As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I speak tonight on freedom. On many occasions in the last year I have addressed the Senate in regard to freedom as a counterbalance to medical tyranny. And I recently addressed the Canberra Freedom Rally, remotely. The side that is locking people up for the crime of being healthy, arresting protesters, pepper spraying kids, beating up grannies, banning books and electronic messages, censoring social media, sending threatening letters, forcing small businesses to close, urging people to dob in dissenters and banning safe drugs that have worked for 60 years are all on the wrong side of history.”

“In a frightening development, New South Wales has called in the troops to keep innocent, healthy citizens locked in their homes in what can only be called martial law.

Recent freedom marches showed what happens to citizens who exercise their democratic right to protest. People are demonized, hunted down; the media vilifies them to discourage others from questioning the control state. If the government can decide who is free and who is not, then that is not freedom and no-one is free. A crisis will always be found to justify measures designed to protect the government, not the public—a crisis that is as is easy to create as turning up the PCR test from 24 cycles to 42, where a false positive is the most likely outcome, as has occurred.

Actions such as these have created a crisis of confidence in government, and that, fellow citizens, is on the Senate. We are the house of review. We’re tasked with a duty to ensure honesty, transparency and accountability in the government of the day. We have failed in that solemn duty, our duty to our constituents. We have failed those who are yet to vote, our children, who are now being injected with a substance that has not undergone meaningful safety testing. The Liberal, National and Labor parties have colluded to waive these measures through this place, reducing the Senate to the status of a dystopian echo chamber.

Each new restriction, although met with rightful public opposition, has not led to a re-evaluation but, rather, has led the government to crack down even further. The Morrison government is behaving like a gambling addict who loses a hand but doubles down instead of admitting error and walking away. With troops now on the streets, it’s frightening to contemplate where this will end.

Everyday Australians are being deliberately demoralized to extract a higher degree of compliance. When COVID first arrived, there were few masks, and the experts and authorities told us masks were not necessary. Now, those same medically ineffective masks are used to condition people to fear and obedience. Crushing resistance crushes hope, and without hope we have no future.

Is it any wonder that small businesses are closing permanently? Every small business that closes is a family that was being provided for through hard work and enterprise. Who will look after those families now—the government? With whose money? The Reserve Bank, using electronic journal entries, can only create fiat money out of thin air for so long before it runs down our country. The government can only sell bonds until buyers stop coming forward. Then what happens? We will have no tax base left to pay government stipends to people who were once able to pay their own way.

Since when has the Liberal Party, the supposedly party of Menzies, been dedicated to making huge sections of the population totally reliant on the government for survival? The bad joke here is that the excuse used to justify the sudden rush to Marxism—public health—is moot. Death from all sources, including coronavirus and the flu, are at historic lows. Australia’s death rate in 2020 was less than in 2019, and 2021’s death rate is lower again. We’re strangling Australia’s economic life and future for no reason. Power has gone to the heads of our elected leaders and unelected bureaucrats, who are exercising powers yet do not feel the consequences themselves.

Never in history has Lord Acton’s famous quote rung more true: ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ It’s been calculated that the civil disobedience tipping point—which is the maximum capacity of the police to arrest people, of the jails to hold people and of the courts to process people—is in Australia around 100,000 people. Anything more than that and the system comes crashing down. Attendance at the freedom rallies last month shows we’re almost there.

No wonder the Morrison government has been scared into resorting to the refuge of tyrants—using the military to intimidate civilians into compliance and to mandating injections and threatening to rip away people’s livelihoods.

Everyday Australians are seeing through the smokescreens of fear and intimidation. People now see that the costs of the restrictions to family and community exceed the medical cost of the virus. Everyday Australians have spoken. We will not be divided, we are united, we are one community, we are one nation.”

Malcolm Roberts (August 3, 2021)

This video is from 2020:

Think About This, Joe Biden Openly Admits He is Attempting to Subvert The U.S. Constitution Regarding Private Property Ownership


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 4, 2021 | Sundance | 340 Comments

During the question and answer session following his remarks yesterday, Joe Biden said something out loud the media are desperately trying to hide.

In this video segment listen carefully to what he says.  As the Supreme Court and lower courts have determined, the CDC has no legal authority to block the rights of property owners from rental income from their tenants.  This is a basic issue in the Constitution about private property rights and the limits of federal government to intervene.

However, think about Joe Biden taking an oath of office “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” and contrast that oath against these public statements.  In his remarks Biden readily admits that all constitutional scholars have advised the White House that a regulatory eviction moratorium will *NOT* pass constitutional scrutiny.  He openly admits that….

….Then, in the very next sentence, after admitting any effort to initiate or extend a federal eviction moratorium violates the U.S. Constitution, he says he is intentionally directing federal agencies to trigger unconstitutional legal action in an effort to “buy time” and create a de-facto unlawful eviction moratorium.

In essence:…  ‘I know this is unconstitutional; and I know we will lose the constitutional legal argument; but we will do this anyway, because ideology’.  WATCH:

Put aside the sympathetic elements for a moment; and think BIG PICTURE.   Think beyond the issue at hand with evictions.  If the installed occupant of the White House can intentionally, and with willful and open intent, violate the United States Constitution; while admitting publicly he is violating the United States Constitution; then what makes you think they will stop at the issue of ‘evictions’.

Either we have a Constitution, or we do not.

Tell me how the willful violation of the Constitution -that is outlined in these public remarks- is not an impeachable offense?

Governor DeSantis Brings Heavy Timber – Florida Will Not Be a Biomedical Surveillance State, The Free State of Florida Will Remain Free


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 4, 2021 | Sundance | 236 Comments

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis directly responded to the attacks from Joe Biden and the White House over DeSantis’ decision to block forced vaccinations, forced mask mandates, block CDC demanded shut-downs and keep schools open and mask-free for in-person teaching.

Earlier today, Governor DeSantis took direct aim at the manipulative control effort from the federal bureaucracy, and said Florida will not be a biomedical surveillance state on his watch.  The remarks were deliberate, resolute and unwavering in defense of the constitutional freedoms and protection from obtrusive government.  The visibly determined governor told Joe Biden the federal demands would not be happening “on my watch.”

“If you are coming after the rights of parents in Florida, I’m standing in your way – and not letting you get away with it.  If you are trying to deny kids a proper in-person education, I’m standing in your way” … “If you are trying to restrict people and impose mandates; if you are trying to lock people down; I am standing in your way and standing for the rights of the people in Florida” … “Why don’t you do your job, why don’t you secure the border, and until you do that – I don’t want to hear a blip about COVID from you.”

NOTE: Ron DeSantis did not kill himself….

Deep Inside the Intelligence Rabbit Hole – Was China Behind Pegasus?


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on August 4, 2021 | Sundance | 199 Comments

A very odd sequence of events (more on that later) created a need for me to pause the ongoing “Fourth Branch of Government” series.  A rather important discovery connected to Israeli intelligence and China came into view.  I am still evaluating, and researching deeper than comfortable in this rabbit hole. It is very time consuming and more than a little complex to unravel.

If you read the article about the “Pegasus Project”, spyware created to infect cell phones that was marketed by Israeli intelligence through a company called NSO {Go Deep Here}, then you essentially know the background.  However, a very serious connection and discovery has been made that changes the dynamic of that story completely.

It has been identified that the actual code that created the malware behind Pegasus was not, in actuality, code generated from within the network of the Israeli company that sells the software/spyware.

There is a very strong indication the actual spyware was created by the Chinese.

Yes, that would make the “Pegasus spyware” Chinese spyware distributed to western governments and agents (outside 5-eyes) through the false front of the Israeli government.

Obviously, if we can verify this evidence, the entire dynamic behind the story changes dramatically.  The Israelis, specifically the NSO company that markets Pegasus, would have to know the origin was China.  Questions: (1) Why would Israel act as the front for Chinese spyware to infect phones of western targets? (2) If the Israelis did not know the origin of the software/spyware was China, well, that’s an even bigger issue by itself – but the baseline there is doubtful.

The original Guardian Article explained Pegasus like this:

NSO creates tech software, spyware, that allows governments to spy on cell phones.

As the Guardian notes, [NSO] “sells surveillance technology to governments worldwide. Its flagship product is Pegasus, spying software – or spyware – that targets iPhones and Android devices. Once a phone is infected, a Pegasus operator can secretly extract chats, photos, emails and location data, or activate microphones and cameras without a user knowing.”

Due to the nature of the product they sell, NSO works with the Israeli government to vet the purchaser of the spyware they sell.

Returning to the Guardian report, “Claudio Guarnieri, who runs Amnesty International’s Security Lab, said once a phone was infected with Pegasus, a client of NSO could in effect take control of a phone, enabling them to extract a person’s messages, calls, photos and emails, secretly activate cameras or microphones, and read the contents of encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal.”

Pegasus has been deployed to target tens-of-thousands of cell phones by the people who Israel sold the spyware to.  The Guardian, and a group of allied leftists in media, has been granted access to a leaked massive batch of 50,000 phone numbers that the Pegasus software was operating in.

If the Chinese origin is accurate; and it looks to me like it is; then the real benefactor of all that spyware data extraction was actually the Communist Party of China.  The people, and western governments who deployed the spyware, would have access to the phone data of the target.  However, unbeknownst to the originating entity, the CCP would end up with access to the results of the spyware the Western government launched.

If this turns out to be correct, that is one super stealthy intelligence operation by the Communist Chinese with a myriad of downstream consequences.

Instead of infiltrating the databases of western enemies, the Chinese may have just provided a trojan horse to their enemy (Western governments) who then unwittingly (?) deployed spyware on their behalf, thinking the Western agents were conducting cell-phone surveillance on their own targets….. and while doing so they were unwittingly feeding the intelligence result to Chinese intelligence services.

More later….

Initial thoughts?

Italy Denying the Right to Vote if Unvaccinated


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Aug 4, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

I have been warning that the end goal here is the pure authoritarian rule. My critics have called me just a Trump supporter and call any notion that this COVID scam is just a conspiracy theory. I have tried to point out that there is a far bigger agenda here and Trump simply had to be removed at all costs.

They prefer rigging the elections rather than assassinating Trump. They might have to look at his face on a $100 bill forever when they take their bribes. That would have also led to another endless investigation that nobody would believe like Kennedy any more than the magic bullet theory of Arlen Spector at the time.

In case you did know that theory, the Warren Commission staffer Arlen Specter (later a United States Senator from Pennsylvania), said that a single bullet, known as “Warren Commission Exhibit 399” (or “CE 399”) caused all the wounds to the governor and the non-fatal wounds to the president, which totals up to seven entry/exit wounds in both men. They have often called me the man who knew too much or the Forest Gump of finance. I also knew Arlen, he had a house 3 doors away from me on the beach.

Point #8 of the World Economic Forum was all about ending democracy with flowery words of retaining checks and balances for human rights. Here we have Mario Draghi showing the world what the real agenda is all about with these COVID restrictions that they are imposing gradually step by step.

IL Tempo.IT in Italy has reported that the Green Pass/COVID Passport is now firmly established by law in Europe. Prime Minister Mario Draghi then took the next tiny step for tyranny. You not only need the COVID Passport to access restaurants and shows, but phase two was also to require it to get on long-distance trains, planes, and ferries. Then phase three is to require a COVID Passport to access the polling stations.

Draghi has already got partial approval from the secretary of the Democratic Party Enrico Letta, who wants ONLY vaccinated candidates on the list. Therefore, nobody can run for office without a COVID Passport and nobody will be allowed to VOTE.

People may lack guns, but they can fight back by other means. The people will not simply lay down and allow their entire lives to be taken away. These leaders are so deranged and detached because they can no longer maintain the image of being in control. They cannot fund their debts and they cannot envision stopping spending – ever.

These COVID Tyrants will have to resort to simply massacring the people and have the media report that they were armed as the Democrats called the January 6th protest an “armed insurrection” over which at least 4 officers there that day have been so ashamed of how people were treated that they have committed suicide.

Phase four will be to end national elections and at best you will be restricted to simply local municipal elections. The Roman Imperial era has allowed us to date the coins to a specific year because the emperors pretended to be elected to office as CONSUL  every year as if there was still the Republic. People were not allowed to vote and this is what led to numerous emperors being overthrown. The people had only one tool – violence. Eliminate democracy and you will cause revolutions and violence. The police are becoming the agents of tyranny. They should realize that when they too reject this tyranny, then the powerful will be stripped naked before the mob as it has always been throughout history.

Biden – America’s Commodus?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Economics Re-Posted Aug 4, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Commodus (177-192AD), the notorious Roman emperor with whom history has drawn the line for the start of the decline & fall of the Roman Empire, issued this coin of which only two are known to have survived.  The reverse is supposed to symbolize prosperity moving forward, which reminds me of Biden. Here a Youthful Dionysos, nude but for a wreath around his head, seated upright to left, but with his head to the right, on a panther walking to right; Dionysos’ legs are on either side of the panther, he holds a thyrsos in his right hand and rests his left hand on the panther’s neck.

When Commodus was assassinated, the Praetorian Guards were so corrupt that they auctioned off the office of emperor to the highest bidder. That was Didus Julianus who managed to rule for less than five months before he was taken out.

The thyrsos is typically associated with the Greek god Dionysus, or his Roman counterpart Bacchus, and represents a symbol of prosperity, fertility, and hedonism. This reminds me of Biden trying to look youthful, also pretending that he is creating prosperity while sniffing your girls, and moving forward with strength sitting on the back of a panther. It didn’t work out well for Rome with Commodus, and Biden’s insane infrastructure bill is not something that will create prosperity but end up as the tipping point for the decline and fall.

Interestingly, there was a period of conservatism that also preceded Commodus, which included tax reductions. The curious aspect about history is that the very same patterns unfold over and over again, even in the same sequence. From the assassination of Commodus, the nation was plunged into a civil war that lasted for two years.

Influence is More Powerful than Money


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Aug 4, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Within the world of the most powerful, are Gates, Schwab the most powerful? I have the impression that the Owners of Blackrock and Vanguard are the ones that pull the strings of the world. Where are the Rothschilds and Rockefellers in the world of power?
Greetings and thanks for your impressive work.

MR

REPLY: Gates has far more power than BlackRock or Vanguard. Schwab has influence; Gates buys influence. That is why they always attacked me. When they were wrong, they blamed me, not because the model was correct, but claiming I was manipulating the world because I had too much influence. Money alone cannot rule the day. It is all about influence, which is a precious commodity to these people.

I have told the story before, I was invited by Edmon Safra to the IMF dinner in Washington, which he rented the entire National Gallery to host this dinner. Every politician was there including central bankers. I was invited to SHOW ME the “influence” he had, and he kept trying to get me to invest in Russia. They had the IMF on a short-leash.

It is always the influence they seek. Money helps, but it cannot buy everything.