Tag Archives: Ethics

Apr 3 2022

The Fifth Sunday of Lent


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 3, 2022 | Menagerie 

Jn 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.

They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Mar 30 2022

An Easier Solution for Rupee-Ruble Payments


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Mar 30, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

India imported $3.3 billion in goods to Russia in 2021, and the finance ministry has no plans to slow that source of revenue. India has not placed sanctions on Russia. The Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) announced that India will now switch to a SWIFT alternative that permits rupee-ruble payments between the two nations. This renders removing Russia from the SWIFT system a moot point for India as exporters may continue business as usual with their Russian partners. Furthermore, this will permit India to continue purchasing Russian energy at a time when other countries are shunning the resources they need the most.

In fact, India is hoping to profit off of the West’s ban on Russian exports. “Export to Russia is not much, only in agriculture and pharmacy products. Now that the whole of the West is banning Russia, there will be a lot of opportunities for Indian firms to enter Russia,” a member of the FIEO stated. Indian Oil Corp has begun purchasing more oil from Russia and there are talks of purchasing highly sought-after fertilizer from both Russia and Belarus.

India, the largest oil importer in the world, was only purchasing around 2% to 5% of their crude from Russia in recent years, but with the prospect of seeing a heavy discount, they are likely to turn to Russia instead of the Middle East. “Countries with oil self-sufficiency or those importing themselves from Russia cannot credibly advocate restrictive trading,” an Indian government official cited weeks ago.

So if there is an easy solution for rupee-ruble payments, we should expect to see an easy solution for yuan-ruble payments. These nations are looking at finances rather than politics and will profit as a result.

Mar 27 2022

The Fourth Sunday of Lent


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 27,  2022 | Menagerie 

Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”

Mar 25 2022

Blackrock CEO Advances Proposal for Global Digital Payment System and Digital Currency


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 24, 2022

When CTH outlined the ‘Destination Handbasket’ framework {Go Deep}, we had no idea Blackrock CEO Larry Fink was essentially going to confirm the premise of our prediction.  Keep in mind, any digital currency can only work if there is a digital identity attributed to it – what some have called a digital passport which then creates a crypto wallet.

I have based the framework, of what appears to be over the horizon, on a set of inevitable geopolitical outcomes if the current path is continued.  The letter by Blackrock CEO Larry Fink [LINK] seems to affirm the strongest likelihood of a western-inspired digital currency eventually replacing the dollar.

NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc’s (BLK.N) chief executive, Larry Fink, said on Thursday that the Russia-Ukraine war could end up accelerating digital currencies as a tool to settle international transactions, as the conflict upends the globalization drive of the last three decades.

In a letter to the shareholders of the world’s largest asset manager, Fink said the war will push countries to reassess currency dependencies, and that BlackRock was studying digital currencies and stablecoins due to increased client interest.

“A global digital payment system, thoughtfully designed, can enhance the settlement of international transactions while reducing the risk of money laundering and corruption”, he said.

[…] In the letter on Thursday, the chairman and CEO of the $10 trillion asset manager said the Russia-Ukraine crisis had put an end to the globalization forces at work over the past 30 years.

[…] “While companies’ and consumers’ balance sheets are strong today, giving them more of a cushion to weather these difficulties, a large-scale reorientation of supply chains will inherently be inflationary,” said Fink.

He said central banks were dealing with a dilemma they had not faced in decades, having to choose between living with high inflation or slowing economic activity to contain price pressures.  (read more)

You see that problem, that “dilemma” Fink mentions in the last paragraph above.  That is what we have been talking about on these pages for more than two years.   It is a dilemma western government created when they all joined together and followed the exact same financial path during the pandemic.

When western governments used the justification of the global pandemic to shut down their economies, enforce lockdowns and all of the subsequent rules, restrictions and economic pains as a direct result of those decisions, they put us on a crisis path that was always going to bring us to this “dilemma.”  Quite frankly, I do not see that unity of action as accidental, nor do I see it as organic.

All of the western leaders followed the same monetary and financial policy that was being advanced by the World Economic Forum.  They all spent like crazy, and provided tens-of-trillions in bailouts, subsidies and cash payments to cover the economic losses created by their COVID lockdowns.  They all did exactly the same thing, and that collective action is why we have ‘global inflation.’

Perversely, while inflation crushes the working class, global inflation works to their benefit by lowering the cost of the debt the politicians created, which the central bands and federal reserve facilitated.  We the citizens are suffering under inflation, but the governments that created the inflation actually benefit from it.

I will say with great deliberateness, these western governments want inflation.  Sure, it provides a political challenge for those who need to get reelected by voters, but in the bigger of big pictures, they need inflation.  Think about it in very simple terms.  If they did not want inflation, those same central banks and federal reserve policy makers would have raised interest rates six to eight months ago.

None of what is happening in supply chains and inflation is a surprise to them; they might pretend not to know, but these are not stupid people.  This is by design.  Media covers for them because, well, I’ll accept the PR firms for the regimes are idiots. However, the people who constructed these policies to take advantage of COVID-19 are not dummies.  They knew what all that intervention, manipulation and govt spending would lead to.

Where we are going now is a self-fulfilling prophecy, a destination that is a result of specific action the guided policymakers have taken.

Yes, in hindsight, all of it does seem planned to a long-term eventual conclusion.  However, I’m not going to make that specific affirmation just yet; there are still strong elements of ‘not letting a crisis go to waste’ as the leading driver.  Did these governing bodies create the underlying crisis?  We can debate that, but the point is essentially moot.  We are where we are.

The vaccination protocol created the Vax-Passport.  That has opened the door to the digital identity, “digital id.”   Any government created digital currency is going to need a digital id from the outset.

There are a lot of people asking where this is going, and what can be done to stop it.  I’m pretty certain we have accurately identified “Where This is Going,” and I’m a lot more confident now about that aspect than I was even just 24 hours ago.  However, knowing that, now we need to look closer at what they would do to stop us from disrupting it.

Mar 20 2022

Ukraine & 911


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Aug 7, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: I have the deepest and highest respect for your work and your sources.If it was not the CIA orchestrating the Ukraine events who could all the Billions Obama and Nuland spent there have been going to and being used for??Nuland stating USA behind regime change on camera. Chevron Oil sign indicative?

UD

ANSWER: The Ukraine Revolution and 911 have a common thread. In both cases, they were instigated by non-CIA type parties. Yanukovich himself inspired the revolution when he passed a bill in parliament with a quick show of hands by his communist loyal MPs contrary to the usual system of electronic voting.

Yanukovich outlawed unauthorized tents in public areas as well as erecting stages or amplifiers in public places. Those who violate the law now face a hefty fine or detention. In addition, he outlawed more than five vehicles in “Automaidan” motorcades which prompted people to display signs I am the 5th car – do not follow.

He then outlawed free speech making it a criminal act to slander any government official, including himself. The penalty was one year of hard labor in prison.

This is what caused the uprising. The Western powers could not have pulled that off. Then Yanukovich brought in Russians for his police from the East and that resulted in the Western Ukrainian police supporting the people.

The US THREATENED the people who were NOT satisfied over the politicians who then stepped up to seize power for they were still part of the same system who claimed to see the light. Without those punitive actions by Yanukovich, the people would not have risen up in such mass. The CIA was not capable of getting Yanukovich to act so irrationally.

In the case of 911, the first World Trade Center bombers drew the twin towers with planes flying into them on the wall of their cell in Manhattan’s MCC.

In both cases, the government did not instigate the events, but they stepped in a used them for political advantage. I really do not care what they may think they did, I was actually advising the people in Ukraine, not the government politicians.

Mar 20 2022

Ukraine the Key to WWIII


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Mar 20, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, I remember you had a Ukrainian girlfriend who attended the WEC in Berlin back in 2015. Obviously, you have ties to Ukraine and have an inside view of their feelings and culture. Is this why you have little respect for Zelensky when the world calls him a hero?

HS

ANSWER: Thanks for the picture. I have known a number of Ukrainians on both sides from Kyiv and Donestk. Nevertheless, back in 2013, I warned that our model had highlighted Ukraine as the region to focus on for war. So yes, when our computer had targeted Ukraine, I naturally sought to understand its history and culture. Even learning the spoken language gives you tremendous insight into the thinking process.

My father was a colonel under General Patton from North Africa into Berlin. He told me how Patton read Romel’s book on tactical warfare and beat him. It is NEVER what you think, it is always what your opponent thinks. This nonsense that Ukraine can defeat Putin is propaganda and it seems to cheer every death of a Ukrainian to justify hating Putin and all Russians even more. This is not just reckless, but highly dangerous for the world. It ensures that you will lose. Read Putin’s biography, “Vladimir Putin. Life History” where he states: “I just understood that if you want to win, then you have to fight to the finish in every fight, as if it was the last and decisive battle…you need to assume that there is no retreat.”

Zelensky is a fool who is too caught up in his own celebrity to make rational decisions for his own people. This has become a media blitz for him and you can see he is enjoying it. This is not the quality you want in a leader. But we seem to be plagued with the worst crop of world leaders in human history.

There was much hope when he was elected that the inherent corruption would come to an end. The leadership was either the puppet of Russia or the United States and both sides had an interest in playing. The people did not share this entrenched idea that the Donbas had to remain Ukrainian. There was a deep resentment toward Russia from the days of Stalin who starved Ukraine to pretend Communism was succeeding. I suggest you watch the film, Mr. Jones.

Most Ukrainian were raised and knew how to speak Russian as well as Ukrainian. When Yanukovich became President, he was corrupt and his sons were running protection rackets. But he was Russian ethnically and could only speak Ukrainian with an accent. He pushed the language law to make the official language both Russian and Ukrainian. Zelensky push the opposite view and passed the Ukrainian ONLY law which was a slap in the face to Donbas.

Zelensky is a puppet. He has done NOTHING to avoid war. All he has done is poke the bear intentionally. He knew well that the Belgrade Agreement required Ukraine was to remain neutral. It gave up its nuclear weapons when it was the 3rd most powerful nuclear power for it had more nukes than even China. The deal was that it would neither join NATO and for the first time, it would become an independent nation free of Russia. By pushing to join NATO Zelensky KNEW that it was breaking the Belgrade agreement of 1991 and he was refusing to allow the Donbas to vote to seek its own independence since that region was Russian. So Zelensky was playing empire claiming to hold that territory which was created by Kruchev in the first place along with Crimea which was always Russian territory.

Clearly, Zelensky has not done what he was elected for and he has constantly been trying to create World War III demanding NATO action. He is more concerned about his image than his people. Some feel that if enough Ukrainian blood is spilled, then perhaps NATO will respond and all of this for what purpose? To keep the Donbas when he has even outlawed Russian as an official language? He is either a puppet taking orders or a complete egotistical fool enjoying the world stage and not thinking about the end game. There is no defeating Putin. Putin does not believe in retreat. If he retreats it is only leading to a trap. There must be negotiation and the surrender of Donbas and Crimea and the Belgrade Agreement must be maintained – UKRAINIAN NEUTRALITY.

Many in Ukraine feel that he is taking orders from some master. Is it the World Economic Forum, the EU, NATO, or the CIA? There are plenty of rumors flying around. In the end, the truth will surface. Until then, all we are left with are our opinions. We must be careful that we are not driven to conclusions that are being fed to us by the media to achieve a particular goal determine those who pull the strings behind the curtail. What I can say is this demonizing Putin is highly dangerous and it is a physiological war tactic that is necessary to get the people hating the opposition so they will rush in to kill them without remorse.

Mar 20 2022

The Third Sunday of Lent


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 20, 2022 | Menagerie

Lk 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them—
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”

Mar 20 2022

Lara Logan Gives a Brutally Honest Assessment of Ukraine and U.S. Politics


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 20, 2022 | Sundance

Lara Logan is not the type of journalist who will pull punches when she shares insight and information.  Logan cuts to the chase and avoids pretending the issues are something other than what reality exists.

In this short interview segment, Lara Logan outlines her brutally honest perspective on why Ukraine is ultimately so important to people in power within the DC system. {Direct Rumble Link Here}  WATCH:

Mar 20 2022

Russia Appears To Be Using Hypersonic Missiles in Ukraine


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 19, 2022 | Sundance

Russia is reportedly now using hypersonic missiles to reach underground weapons storage bunkers Western Ukraine {BBC Report}.

Additionally, as a result of a missile attack on the location of the Ukrainian 79th Airborne Assault Brigade in Nikolaev (aka Mykolaiv), at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers were killed.

Western media, including Fox News, continue claiming that innocent civilian populations are being intentionally targeted by the Russian military.  However, there is scant evidence to support the claim of civilians being intentionally targeted.  That narrative appears to be part of the unfortunate western media propaganda campaign to keep support for Ukraine in the headlines.  The currently confirmed facilities targeted by Russia all appear to be military targets.

Warning graphic image below of Mykolaiv aftermath:

Mar 20 2022

Bloomberg Has Inflation Advice for Proles Making Less Than $300k a Year – Shut Up, Eat Lentils, Ride the Bus and Kill Your Pets


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 19, 2022 | Sundance

You might wonder what the ruling class thinks of how inflation is hitting middle America.   For insight into their perspective, Bloomberg News just published some suggestions for all the unwashed masses – as defined as those who don’t earn $300,000 per year.

The advice includes, shut up about the price of food, and eat lentils instead of meat. Quit bitching about gasoline prices, and just ride the bus, and the coup de grâce, “If you’re one of the many Americans who became a new pet owner during the pandemic, you might want to rethink those costly pet medical needs.”

Yeah, they said that.  Us pesky proles and our pets are just mucking up the planet for the rest of them.

[ Tweet Source Link – Article Link ]

The ‘inflation sucks, but that’s your issue, not ours’ article is authored by Teresa Ghilarducci.  According to her self-described bio, she “is the Schwartz Professor of Economics at the New School for Social Research. She’s the co-author of “Rescuing Retirement” and a member of the board of directors of the Economic Policy Institute.”

So, the think-tank economists who shape policy have a solution for all the complaining scrubs earning less than $300,000/yr who are now dealing with the inflation that leftist policy has created.  The elitist arrogance, in the “no one said this would be fun” approach, is quite remarkable.  However, it does show the snob-set no longer feel the need to filter their elitism.

The class gap has always existed, and whenever leftist policies are in place, that gap gets wider every second.

It would appear that somewhere in the recesses of Ms. Ghilarducci’s frontal cortex, she has snuffed out the glowing ember of the common sense particle given by her parents.  In the brain of the Bloomberg author, the synapse for the common sense particle was pinched between the ‘Smarter than thou tumor‘ and the expanding grey brain matter of moral relativity needed to sit and type this bulls**t.

Within her diatribe, you can see the author is lacking a guilt hypothalamus, which removes any feeling of being uncomfortable in her elitist pontifications. She types away, without a clue, as the party groupthink metastasizes in her brain.

The working class really, I mean REALLY, needs to stop servicing the group who hold this mentality.  I’ve said this before and I’ll repeat it again. Don’t do their shopping, don’t make them coffee, don’t pick up their trash, don’t clean their pools, cook their meals, accept their laundry or dry cleaning, or facilitate any process in their lives.

Don’t serve them, don’t wait on them, don’t deliver to them; instead, make them do everything themselves, and you know what will happen – they’ll collapse.