Posted originally on Dec 18, 2024 by Martin Armstrong
A lot of people are fixed on what money is and presume somehow that a return to precious metals will solve the problem. Precious metals are for personal use. They have never prevented any society from systemic economic collapse. Do not confuse hoarding gold to preserve wealth with a gold standard. We had one with Bretton Woods. Governments printed and never adjusted the conversion ratio because they had to admit what they had done. The problem is not WHAT is money, the problem is regardless what money might be, politicians always spend more than what they have. The only practical solution is to eliminate the ability to borrow.
Debt has destroyed every empire, state, and city since the dawn of time. Hammurabi’s Legal Code created legal limits on interest, so borrowing was a problem from the dawn of civilization. The only solution to be realistic must address the outstanding debt while eliminating the capacity to borrow. Changing to a gold standard means the outstanding debt would be due then in gold. The bankers will love that. If we default, all pension funds will go to waste, and we will be looking at massive civil unrest.
We have to be practical. If we are going to follow dogma, you better dig a hole and don’t come out until the mushroom cloud subsides. This is real shit we are talking about! This is not an idealized theory. Every act will have an equal and opposite reaction.
I have stated many times that unemployment hit 25% during the Great Depression because of the Dust Bowl, and 40% of the civil workforce was employed in agriculture. We are at a similar risk today, but the 40% is in government, producing nothing toward national wealth, and are public servants because we pay them to produce nothing.
It is the implosion of state and local government, their inability to print into oblivion, that is the check against hyperinflation as they raise taxes and try desperately to hold on to their chiefdoms. Gold is for personal survival. Switching to gold does not address the debt, growing employment in government, the pensions, and our long-term survival.
So gold may help you survive personally as the economy switches to underground, but it will not address the decades of abuse suffered under Marxism. The government is incapable of ever managing the economy. That is why communism collapsed. It is now socialism’s turn (just being a little pregnant with Marxism).
Posted originally on Dec 18, 2024 by Martin Armstrong
Schoolchildren in Poland are preparing for potential invasion with mandates for firearm lessons. Minister of Education and Science Przemyslaw Czarnek signed off on the new requirement and is considering expanding studies to include preparation for rescue operations and cyber attacks.
Children in primary schools will learn weapons safety and theoretical principles. Secondary school children, girls and boys, will learn how to properly shoot a firearm. Lessons may begin by using ball guns, air guns, or virtual laser shooting ranges before introducing live ammunition.
Poland had similar courses in place for previous generations, and given the nation’s history, it is understandable why they’d want to arm all civilians from a young age. Other Baltic states like Lithuania are considering implementing similar measures while places like Latvia already have this curriculum in place. Defensive training or przysposobienie obronne became less commonplace after the USSR was dissolved. Former generations were trained on the proper use of gas masks and the threats of the day.
Let us not forget that citizens were extremely restricted from owning firearms in Poland prior to the last invasion. The 1932 Act on Guns, Munitions and Explosive Materials made it extremely difficult for citizens to obtain a license, which they would need to acquire through a starosta or country governor. The public was nowhere near prepared for the Nazi invasion, but on September 12, 1939, the Germany army issued a ordinance requiring all Poles to surrender all firearms within 24 hours. Failure to comply resulted in execution without trial.
One would think that the government would permit the people to protect themselves after the Nazi occupation. Instead, Minister of Public Security Stanisław Radkiewicz invalidated all gun licenses on July 15, 1945. Strict regulations remained in place until 1961 when the government eagerly created a Citizens’ Militia and became a bit more lenient with permits. Still, regulations remain in place and Poland has a low rate of civilian gun ownership. There are only 2.5 firearms per 100 people in Poland, and less than 0.8% have a valid firearm permit. Harsh regulations on firearms result in a weakened populace who is unable to protect themselves against governments, whether foreign or their own.
Posted originally on Dec 18, 2024 by Martin Armstrong
QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, Like so many others, I cannot express my gratitude for creating Socrates. You provide forecasting for the entire world. In Brazil, Socrates has been a light in the middle of darkness. Our central bank has had to intervene four times, desperately trying to prevent the collapse of our currency, as we see nothing but soaring budget deficits. We are witnessing the wholesale spread across assets. Our government dollar bonds are declining despite being denominated in the US dollar. Our hopeless president, who the West cheered, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, proposed new income tax breaks alongside a plan to cut over $11 billion in spending last month. Lula has no idea about the economy.
Could you please comment on Brazil as we go, so does South America?
Enzo
ANSWER: It is so important to look at the entire world. We are all connected. However, looking at the array for South America it does not suggest that everyone will follow Brazil. Nevertheless, the US dollar should continue its advance into 2025. I would be concerned about the May/June time period next year. We are looking at the collapse of socialism. The election of Lula da Silva was an act of economic suicide for Brazil. Silva was elected in 2022 to be the president of Brazil. That was a stunning comeback following a very tight run-off race that was not without controversy. His victory heralded a political about-face for Latin America’s largest country. You can see the economic consequences ever since the US dollar reversed direction and was projecting going into 2025 for a major high. Bolsonaro is ahead of da Silva in the polls for the next 2026 election. It certainly appears that the US dollar will rally into 2025, impacting your 2026 election.
A year-end closing above 5.98, which the market is trading above currently, should confirm a new high for the dollar into 2025. Looking into next year, the overhead resistance will stand at 6.31, 6.79, and 7.27. Brazil is a founding member of the BRICS. The collapse of their currency files in the face of propaganda about how the BRICS will kill the dollar. They lack the economy and certainly the financial capability. As you mentioned, they had to issue debt in dollars to raise money. As the dollar rallies, those emerging markets that issued dollar-denominated debt are being pushed closer and closer to default in 2025.
Posted originally on the CTH on December 18, 2024 | Sundance
As you contemplate the past few months, something very important to remember. Approximately 70 million people cast ballots to support Kamala Harris for President. Keep that in mind while watching this.
Kamala Harris speaks to an audience at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland. WATCH:
NEW: Kamala Harris shocks herself after thinking she said something smart while dropping her famous "context in which you exist" line.
I must say, this was impressive.
"And as we approach and I ask you to remember the context in which you exist."
How anyone can watch Kamala Harris assemble words out loud, and then pretend she is organizing thoughts into cognitive sequencing that makes any form of sense, is just literally silly. Harris is not a person of stable mindset, with commonly held definitions of intelligence or commonsense; she just isn’t.
Posted originally on the CTH on December 17, 2024 | Sundance
About a mile away from the Georgia Parliament building in Tbilisi, rests a simple sculpture of a large circle on a pedestal. Someone recently spray painted the graffiti message: “Your Empire Building Ends Here!” I can well imagine the Wolverine who put the message there.
It is a simple message aimed toward the European Parliament in Brussels, from the majority of the Georgian people represented by Georgian Dream, the party of nationalist pride who refuse to become the next Ukraine.
Between that sculpture and the Parliament building there is an upscale shopping district filled with high-end stores. However, the shop fronts are now covered in graffiti (“ACAB” and other international Antifa messages), many store windows are broken, and the visible scars of violent street protests are mixed in with festive Christmas decorations.
On the streets of Tbilisi protests take place almost every day, some pro-EU and some Pro-Georgia Dream. The ordinary citizens of the city and region are, well, quite frankly, sick of it. The CIA, USAID and EU groups tried and failed to install their puppet candidates and manipulate the people of Georgia into joining the EU. Brussels now hates Tbilisi. The street battle over influence continues.
Within greater Europe this conflict represented within Georgia, specifically Tbilisi, is the context for reactive globalists and their World Economic Forum politicians to another election outcome of similar scope, this time in Romania. However, where Brussels had to let Georgia slip away, they are not going to allow Romania to escape their clutches. {GO DEEP}
The EU and Western Intelligence Services were called into action to force the Romanian courts to nullify the results of their election. They are now blaming social media platform TikTok for an election outcome that like Georgia, stunned Brussels.
(Via Politico) – Romanian authorities in the past two weeks accused TikTok of “irregularities” on its platform after a shock victory of ultranationalist, pro-Russia candidate Călin Georgescu in the first round of Romania’s presidential election in late November. Romania’s top court later annulled the election.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen weighed in on Tuesday: “Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential elections by using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act [DSA] by failing to tackle such risks,” she said, announcing a formal probe — a rare public comment from the EU chief on such an investigation.
The escalation comes after weeks of wrangling between European and Romanian officials and TikTok executives. At the heart of the saga are reports and research that Georgescu got a boost from a network of paid influencers and bots, and allegations that TikTok didn’t properly address these threats. Romanian authorities this month declassified a series of documents suggesting these campaigns were eerily similar to Russian influence operations in Ukraine and Moldova.
The Commission will specifically investigate TikTok’s recommendation systems for “coordinated inauthentic manipulation or automated exploitation of the service,” as well as the platform’s policies on political ads and paid political content, the Commission said in a statement.
The case on Tuesday flamed up tensions between Europe’s political groups over free speech and foreign interference, in a five-hour debate at the European Parliament on Tuesday. (read more)
Both the French and German governing coalitions have collapsed. The EU is bracing for more elections, where “bracing” means going to pull out all the stops to tamp down this rise of populism and nationalism that is sweeping the organized western world. Yes, the peasants are revolting!
The Hungarians and the Poles do not support this nonsense investigation by the EU into TikTok. Blaming the social media app for an election outcome in Romania is akin to blaming SpaceX for a broken 7-11 Slurpee machine Panama City. We are back to this ridiculous pretending again.
The EU needs to pretend TikTok had some form of seismic influence in the Romanian election, because the EU needs a justification to annul the Romanian results they don’t like; that’s it. It was the same playbook as blaming Russia for President Trump’s first 2016 election victory.
Romania is the new home for a massive NATO military base, currently under the preliminary construction phase, and the NATO/EU/WEF groups just cannot allow the election in Romania to carry an outcome against their interests.
Every election the World Economic Forum loses is caused by Russia, or some foreign activity now. The new democratic norms that followed the Build Back Better agenda, fundamentally destroying the energy system and making prices skyrocket, must ignore the economic consequences of the Build Back Better agenda and instead blame Russia.
Posted originally on the CTH on December 17, 2024 | Sundance
If President Trump could succeed in getting the Des Moines Register and Ann Selzer to the point of discovery in the lawsuit, he would win- BIG TIME. However, getting a judge to allow Trump as a plaintiff to advance a lawsuit to the level that would expose the fraud, is a very uphill battle.
Intellectually honest people know exactly what happened. Ideological political operatives in/around Ann Selzer’s polling operation, perhaps even Ann Selzer herself, manufactured, meaning completely fabricated, a polling outcome of Kamala Harris +3 in the final weekend before the November election.
It likely wasn’t an actual poll per se’, and no one is even sure if any voters were contacted; however, the assembled data analysis was sold as a genuine poll outcome. The poll was 16 points wrong. The claimed Kamala +3 poll was actually Trump +13 in the voter result in Iowa. Quit Pretending – Pollsters don’t miss by 16 points unless they are trying to miss by 16 points.
Selzer didn’t get it wrong or make a mistake. With malicious intent and malice of forethought, Selzer created a fraudulent narrative using a manufactured poll to push it.
If Trump could get to the emails, text messages and various communications from the people in/around Selzer’s polling operation, he would find the explosive planning and coordination in the background. But I doubt it’s going to get that far; a judge will likely try and stop it.
The motive for the poll was simple. In the final days of the Kamala campaign, they were pushing the abortion message as hard as possible to get out the votes. The Iowa +3 poll was the launch vehicle where Selzer proclaimed that a “MASSIVE UPSWING” in Iowa women suddenly shifted the entire race as the women were showing up inside the data to support Kamala.
The corporate media ran with that shock polling narrative on Saturday, Sunday and Monday before election day on Tuesday. It was all nonsense, and Ann Selzer knew it. That’s why Trump is suing her.
(Via Politico) – President-elect Donald Trump is suing retired Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer over her pre-election survey that showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading in the state, calling it “brazen election interference.”
The shock poll, which drew national attention given Selzer’s record of success in Iowa, proved incorrect: Trump won the state by more than 13 points. But that has not stopped the president-elect from claiming the poll was intended to manipulate the results of the election.
“While Selzer is not the only pollster to engage in this corrupt practice, she had a huge platform and following and, thus, a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also represents an escalation of Trump’s pledge to more aggressively pursue litigation against media he views as unfair to him. The case against Selzer comes just after Trump settled another media lawsuit with ABC News and its political anchor George Stephanopoulos for $15 million. (read more)
Just like the ABC case, if President Trump can get to the discovery phase, he wins.
The Des Moines Register will never permit Ann Selzer to sit for a deposition where she likely describes the people who did everything for her, under her name, and claims she had no idea what they were doing. Nor will anyone associated with the plan allow their emails and text messages, which clearly evidence the structure of the fraud, being reviewed in discovery.
If President Trump’s lawyers got close to discovery where depositions and communications were going to be revealed, the DMR and Selzer would throw massive money at him to settle the lawsuit, just like ABC did…. for exactly the same reason.
Posted originally on the CTH on December 17, 2024 | Sundance
Interesting discussion between Tucker Carlson and Jeffrey Sachs on the current state of geopolitical fluctuations and seemingly chaotic changes.
Mr. Sachs points to Israel and AIPAC as the originating control mechanism for U.S. foreign policy. Here I must insert my prior metaphor for the U.S State Dept and the CIA [The DC Restuarant]. According to Sachs much of the activity from within the State Dept is in alignment with the objectives of those who dine in the kitchen.
I do not necessarily disagree…. However, once you understand this dynamic; I mean really understand the complexity of the dynamic and how it represents a challenge to anyone who would seek to change policy direction; then you can find context for how President Donald Trump is organizing his foreign policy mission.
President Trump is circumventing the control mechanisms of the U.S. State Department –SEE HERE– And with that context, things take on an entire new perspective about the issues Sachs is describing.
While he accurately defines the problem, I’m not sure Sachs is seeing what President Trump is doing to cut the gordian knot {I’ll reexplain below}.
Chapters:
0:00 The Regime Change in Syria 8:48 What Is Greater Israel? 21:45 Were Americans Involved in the Overthrowing of Assad? 34:26 War With China by 2027 40:22 Biden’s Attempt to Sabotage Trump
46:10 The Attempted Coup of South Korea 51:20 Jeffrey Sachs’ Warning to Trump of Potential Nuclear War 55:18 Will We See the Declassification of the 9/11 Documents? 1:07:11 Will Trump Pardon Snowden and Assange? 1:16:43 The Most Important Appointment of Trump’s Cabinet 1:26:29 Biden’s Attempt to Kill Putin 1:35:58 Can Trump Bring Peace? 1:45:44 Is War With Iran Inevitable? 1:51:21 Why Corporate Media Hates Jeffrey Sachs
Only a small number of Americans understand the relationship between the U.S. State Dept (DoS) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). However, as more people understand how these two agencies operate, then people have a much more accurate context for how both agencies are viewed by the rest of the world.
Almost every deployed CIA operative has a cover profile within the State Dept. The foreign service missions of the DoS and CIA are so enmeshed there is literally no way to separate the functions of their agencies. [Go back to the Benghazi Attack for an operational reference] CIA/DoS have to be viewed through the prism of connection.
To better understand this concept, I use the following metaphor:
♦ The U.S State Dept and CIA operation is like a restaurant. The Dept of State is the front of the restaurant, with the Secretary as the Maitre D’. The CIA is the back of the restaurant, the kitchen. The Director is the Chef. The consulates are the wait staff. USAID are the food runners. The Dept of Defense are the bus boys.
The tables and chairs are assigned by the Maitre D’ according to their value. Countries viewed as more important get the best tables. The menus offered to each nation are completely different. Israel has a table in the kitchen. To get the best experience, tips (bribes) are required for everyone, from the parking valets outside, to the sommelier, to the server. Currently, Ukraine is the biggest tipper.
On the oversight aspect the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is the control mechanism to approve/install the Secretary of State. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is the control mechanism to approve/install the CIA Director. Everything therein and thereafter is a system of pretending it is something else.
The Dept of State (DoS) is so large there’s no way of addressing the inherent institutional corruption. The Secretary of State can control a small portion of DoS operations, but that’s usually only the geopolitical stuff we see discussed on television, in print media or in press conferences. The business functions of the DoS take place within a network of carefully guarded silos.
Perhaps, the first step in advancing an American-First policy, is to just stop the various administrative offices within the Dept of State from doing anything, literally anything. The challenge within DoS is massive, complex and complicated. I’m genuinely not sure what the Executive Branch mechanism is to do it, but we need to close the restaurant for a few months and do a deep cleaning.
On the back of the operation is the kitchen, the CIA.
It is a popular DC sentiment to say the CIA Director is the most powerful person within the intelligence apparatus. As the viewpoint is shared, it is the established secrecy within the mandate of the institution that gives them power.
Essentially, the CIA was created to be a place where dark arts (lying, spying, manipulation, tradecraft) would be approved and used at the discretion of the institutional leadership. As a consequence, there is no check on the CIA operational agenda. They are permitted by function and mandate, to lie to everyone about what they are doing; this includes the Office of the President.
Because they are essentially an unchecked intelligence silo within a government that has allowed the institution to hold unilateral power and self-policing, the CIA has a power within the apparatus unlike any other member. Inside the business model of foreign policy as a restaurant, the CIA are in control of the kitchen.
Together the DoS/CIA operate a shadow government, looking out for their best interest while generating power through large multinational institutions (corporations), spy agencies (5-eyes), banks, non-governmental agencies (NGAs) and various influence operations.
♦ The activity of the CIA/DoS construct takes place regardless of who is president. Any hope of busting up this corrupt system is going to take a lot of strategic pounding while confronting the supportive element within the Senate at the same time. [Note this is why repealing the 17th amendment would make the work infinitely easier – and also why the 17th amendment was created by banking interests.]
When you stand back and look at the challenge of confronting the DoS and CIA, you can easily see why the Emissary was the first most important person I noted. If you are going to confront the domestic corruption within the DoS, you need the Emissary as a contact for specific foreign government leaders.
Under my sketch, the foreign policy of the USA shifts away from Foggy Bottom [Rubio] and directly back to the White House [Trump]. This provides space to destroy the system through domestic confrontation.
Marco Rubio as Secretary of State would normally to have to push intensely and forcefully to support the goals of President Trump while simultaneously trying to shift control away from the kitchen diners. Literally impossible in one four-year term; so, what is the optimal solution?
Enter President Trump, building the parallel system. A new foreign policy construct that does not need support from the State Dept., Trump works around the issue.
Rubio doesn’t have Ukraine/Russia in his portfolio, nor does he have diplomatic or policy control over the Middle East. President Trump has neutered the State Department, and the cherry on the proverbial cake is Ric Grenell.
The CIA is replaced with a Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board. The Dept of State is replaced as above. Both operate as parallel systems.
We should all give him major credit. President Trump is actually doing it.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
