Tucker Carlson Outlines the Farmers Protest, the Biggest Protests in German History


Posted originally on the CTH on January 11, 2024 | Sundance

Nice to see Tucker Carlson bringing attention to the biggest protests in modern German history.  Eva Vlaardingerbroek left the Netherlands to provide support for the farmers in Germany.   WATCH:

BIG STORY BACKGROUND HERE ]

MASSIVE PUSHBACK – German Railway Workers Join Farmer Protest – German and Polish Truckers Providing Additional Support


Posted originally on the CTH on January 10, 2024 | Sundance

Keep watching this story as much as possible folks. It might be difficult to find the details because Western corporate media do not want to cover the specifics, but the pushback deep inside the EU is well organized, planned and strong.

On day one, the German farmers began their protest, and began blocking transport hubs, main arteries and government buildings around the country.

On day #2, a large number of Polish truckers crossed the border to provide additional support and block the roads and border crossings.

Today, on day #3 of the protest, the German railway workers have joined.

You might remember the “solidarity” movement from the 1980s when the general working class in Poland took to the streets and triggered mass protests – eventually forcing the collapse of the governing structure. Well, here we are 40 years later, and a multi-nation force is aligned in the effort to duplicate the outcome. This is massive pushback against the globalist and WEF system.

The railway strike forces transport companies to use trucking.  The truckers are supporting the farmers.  The farmers are blocking the roads.  This is a multidimensional approach, well thought out and well planned.  Do not disregard what is taking place and understand there are many EU politicians watching closely. Germany is by far the largest economy in the EU.

[MEANA] – […] One of the key elements of the protests involves farmers organizing blockades on motorways and participating in slow-moving convoys. The discontent within the farming community was previously demonstrated in a mass protest held in Berlin in mid-December, prompting the government to make partial concessions. In response to the outcry, Berlin agreed to retain the preferential tax treatment of agricultural vehicles and postponed the cuts to diesel tax breaks until 2026.

Despite these concessions, farmers argue that the government’s measures are insufficient, leading to the announcement of an ‘Action Week’ featuring daily protests nationwide, scheduled from January 8. The farmers, represented by Joachim Rukwied, head of the farmers association DBV, insist on a complete reversal of the proposed cuts without any conditions.

Rukwied anticipates widespread participation, with tens of thousands of tractors converging at rallies across Germany. (more)

GERMANY – Nationwide strikes brought German transport to a near standstill Wednesday, with railway workers on a three-day stoppage and farmers on tractors blocking autobahns in a bitter protest over subsidy cuts.

The ill-tempered sector disputes mark the start of what is expected to be a challenging year for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unwieldy three-way government as it struggles with a weak economy and sinking popularity.

The GDL train drivers union called the strike on cargo as well as passenger routes after talks with public rail operator Deutsche Bahn hit an impasse. The company said 80 percent of its long-distance trains weren’t running.

Deutsche Bahn warned of “massive” disruptions to service until Friday evening, urging travellers to “avoid any unnecessary journeys” during the strike.

At Berlin’s eerily deserted central station, student Philipp Kolb, 22, said the strike had complicated his travel plans.  “I was supposed to take the train to Hamburg at 6 am,” he told AFP. “Now I have to push the trip back by three hours.” However passenger Piotr Bulej said he sympathised with striking drivers in the face of high inflation eating into real wages. “People work a lot more hours with less money. The prices rise every day, every week,” he said. “One has to protest, one has to say that.” ‘Continue the fight’. (more)

GERMANY – The nationwide blockade being launched by angry German farmers has received the support of Polish truckers, with some driving across the border to express their solidarity.

Farmers in Germany are taking their anger to the streets over the economic and agricultural policies announced by Olaf Scholz’s government.  […] The protests, expected to last for the whole week, are being supported also by truckers coming from neighboring Poland, clips and reports emerging from social media suggest. (more)

Misplaced corrective action, regardless of motivation, is neither prudent nor wise.  This approach by the blue collar and white collar middle class is EXACTLY THE RIGHT APPROACH.   This is the way to bring the elite ruling class to their knees.  This is what they fear:

We are the workforce.

We are the backbone of industry, the people who keep it all functioning, the farmers, truckers, builders, diggers and blue-collar workforce that keeps everything functioning.

We are the people they will never fully control. We speak in languages they do not understand, and we absorb targeted ridicule as fuel.

We are the movers of goods, the truckers, the farmers, the nameless people behind the skilled trades that keep what they call American society moving.

We are the people who grow the food, pick the food, transport the food, stock the food, cook the food and facilitate the life they live.

We are a visible, yet disregarded, insurgent force within their sphere of life that is never considered, yet we control the outcomes of every moment they value.

We pick up the trash, answer the phones, run cables to their devices, mow their lawns, solve their problems, control the flow of essential services and keep our heads below the radar.

We are the majority.

We are a self-reliant, freedom loving, normally peaceful and God-fearing assembly.

We drive them to their destination; we are comfortably out of mind until needed, and yet we are irreplaceable for the things they require.

We are armed with gloves, tractors, trucks, tools, hammers, pens, rulers, mice, pickup trucks, laptops, post-it notes, stickers and alternate forms of messaging that circumvent the control mechanisms deployed to create our silence.

We are inside every facility, every institution, every meeting, every moment of their existence – and we notice everything.

We have eyes of mice and ears of elephants. We are there when they do not expect, and we melt away before they notice our appearance.

We are smart, strategic, highly intelligent and carry a brutally obvious and pragmatic common sense that finds optimal solutions to everything.

We identify our tribe immediately and without conversation.

We see what they hide, we hear what they whisper, we decipher their codes, and we understand the complexity they create in their effort to conceal.

We control the physical world that operates around every element of society, and we value real and tangible assets.

We do not sit around pontificating eloquently about philosophic nuances; we get shit done.

We are the people who facilitate their ability to take us for granted, and we do so without issue, resentment or desire for recognition.

We are optimistic, affable, kind, generous, friendly, loyal, warm and quietly spiritual in purpose.

We are polite, considerate and slow to anger.

We prefer to be left alone. However, pushed entirely far enough, decisions are reached. Right now, we are tenuously staring with deepened gaze.

We are increasingly pissed off…. Big Time!

In every town, village and hamlet we are encountering the same conversation. On every porch, in every shop, at every event, the topic is the same.

Support every effort that begins!

The Major European Protest in Germany Tomorrow


Posted originally on Jan 7, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

2024 German Protest

COMMENT: Dear Mr Armstrong

Happy New Year to you and your team from Germany. Just in case you didn‘t already know, tomorrow at 11 am is a nationwide general strike supposed to be happening as a protest to the policy of the recent government. They set up a map on GoogleMaps showing all events and where they take place, accessible under this link:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/pzUHw5bMtiuZK2TX7?g_st=i

Thanks for speaking the truth

Erik

REPLY: Yes. It will be an important event. Feel free to send photos.

Mark Pittman & the Bankers


Posted originally on Jan 6, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

The late Mark Pittman was a journalist for Bloomberg when, once upon a time, there were still a few actual investigative reporters. Mark did a piece on my operation in Japan. He knew what we were doing, that the accounts were mine, not clients, and that I was buying distressed portfolios. Not one client ever signed a complaint, and there was NO DEFAULT. When they charged me. I met Mark at the Hyatt in NYC across from the Train Station. He knew it was a setup and said: “Marty, we are not going to allow them to do this to you.”

Trenton no Defaults 9 13 1999
HSBC Gag Cover

The law says that if you commit fraud, you MUST help the victims get their money back. Further proof of how New York City is a cesspool of corruption: when they realized I was helping my clients go after the bankers, they put a gag order on me to stop me from helping my clients against HSBC/Republic. They have been doing the same to Trump. The Special Prosecutor went as far as to demand a gag order on Trump so that he could not even criticize Biden while campaigning. You cannot make up this stuff. If you wrote a fiction novel with these maneuvers, they would say it is too far-fetched.

I think it is absolutely critical as Trump is put on trial in New York City. I was granted bail in New Jersey. Not a single NY journalist ever reported the Truth no less the courts. I was interviewed by a journalist who asked about the bank illegally trading in my accounts. She asked if they were using my accounts to “launder money for the Russian Mafia as they were doing in Madof?” The banks claimed in Madoff’s case not to have known. That is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE, for you have to know your client rules. They verified every account and the corporate documents behind each one. Madoff pled guilty to an information quickly. He was not indicted and could have defended for a few years. The only reason he did so was clearly to protect his family. Just as in my case, the bank claimed it had no idea where the money was. It is impossible to get $1 billion out of a bank, and nobody knows where it went. There is NO SUCH thing as a fair trial in New York City. Trump is doomed there, and this is all about interfering in the 2024 election.

Pittman Mark

Mark understood the bankers very well. Bloomberg removed Mark from covering my case and replaced him with David Glovin, who could never praise the government more. It was Mark at Bloomberg who battled in court for years to get the details of those bailouts released to the public. Mark was probably the most professional journalist I ever met. I was told after my case began that Bloomberg purged all the reports Mark had previously written about our firm from their terminals and certainly Japan. It was as if Bloomberg was in on the whole scam.

Mark’s wife, Laura, wrote to me about Mark’s death. It was a sad day, for there was NEVER anyone at Bloomberg I ever met who had the integrity of Mark Pittman.

Pittman lAURA lETTER

The Truth About Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies – An Unpopular Analysis


Posted originally on Jan 5, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Bitcoin and Gold

“Could governments seize bitcoin?” That is a common question, and much to the dismay of many, my opinion does not match the typical analysis. I have lost clients due to my honesty regarding crypto. I understand many firmly believe that Bitcoin will one day become the alternative to the USD, but it is unwise to believe that it is a safe haven to park money. I will not sugar-coat the truth, as feelings must be removed from trading. The answer is an astounding YES – governments can seize Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies.

To begin, there is much speculation around the founder(s) — Satoshi Nakamoto – who created Bitcoin (BTC) on  June 3, 2009. The mystery person or group (or government agency) has been MIA since 2011. Yet 1 million Bitcoins remain in their original account, untouched. His wallet is estimated to be up to $73 billion, and if this is indeed an individual, he or she is one of the top 15 richest people in the world. They have never moved a fraction of a BTC from their account. So, one wallet contains 5% of all mined bitcoin. Will this person or entity perpetually hold?

Only 2.3% of Bitcoin owners own a full Bitcoin, while 74% own less than 0.01 BTC. Bitcoin was initially a way to remain under the government’s radar, with people using cash to fund their anonymous accounts. The majority no longer use this method and favor platforms that are required by governments to collect and verify all user data.

Bitcoin’s price is akin to the problem that existed when the bubble burst in 1966 with mutual funds because they were listed back then. The value can change at a volatility rate of 10x that of the dollar, making it a highly dangerous instrument as a store of wealth. It is solely a trading vehicle until they weigh it and the value is changed.

1966Crash D

In 1966, investors bid the mutual funds up beyond net asset value so during the crash, people lost everything when they thought it was a secure investment. The net underlying assets may have dropped 20%, but they paid 20% over the net asset value and then sold at 50% of the net asset value. Many mutual funds crashed 70-90%, whereas the Dow drop was 26.5%. Ever since, mutual funds have no longer been allowed to be listed. You go in and out at net asset value. Bitcoin must change its structure, or it will never become a valid currency with a stable store of value, which is supposed to be the whole point. It is just an asset class of high volatility.

Countries with strong currencies do not want bitcoin in existence. There are numerous ongoing efforts to regulate all cryptocurrencies, as politicians claim people are using it to either bypass taxes or commit crimes. Governments have reached the end of their rope and are actively on the hunt for additional taxes. They will default on all their debts, and the new monetary system they are planning will give them total control.

Governments in Europe and the Middle East prohibited my company from selling their clients REPORTS on bitcoin. We spoke with the regulators and explained we were merely selling a report and not currency, but they threw it all in the same bin. The same exact thing happens when we ship ancient coins as governments consider them currency despite them not being in circulation for numerous lifetimes.

1933 FDR exec order gold

Those who call Bitcoin “digital gold” are onto something, as governments have seized gold in recent history. Herbert Hoover admitted in his “Memoirs” that the investigation that led to the creation of the SEC was on the back of a phone call where he was told it was a conspiracy against his administration to create the stock market crash.

Governments will impose capital controls as they always do. That will mean that they will have no intention of allowing people to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. They will most likely do that as well when it comes to gold and silver. A black market in precious metals may exist with a supply that cannot be increased. They might even seize gold mines.

Governments are allowing cryptos like Bitcoin to exist because they can trace the transactions far better than paper currency. Bitcoin is a trading vehicle and nothing more. Just follow Socrates. That gives at least an unbiased viewpoint. What goes up comes down, and what goes down eventually goes up. That is just the law of the market.

Every major central bank has said they plan to move to CBDC. The entire purpose of the CBDC is to impose COMPLETE capital controls. So, how will you buy and sell anything that they deem to be a threat to their totalitarian world?

What Will the Fed do in 2024?


Posted originally on Jan 3, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Powell_Unsustainable_12 1 23

Everyone wants to know what the Federal Reserve will do in 2024. Of course, people want to believe that the Fed will slash interest rates in the New Year. The pundits cling to every word except when, at the start of the month of December, Powell boldly criticized the Biden Administration, saying that his outrageous spending is “unsustainable” and central banks do not criticize their governments. They certainly do not criticize each other. I have met with the boards of central banks worldwide because I understand their predicament. Unless you have been behind those closed doors, you will never comprehend the intricacies that are taking place.

Federal Reserve Bank

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) held rates at the 5.25% to 5.5% range at their last meeting in December 2023. Additionally, the committee indicated the possibility of at least three rate cuts in 2024, as their favored gauges for inflation appear to be easing. The “dot plot,” which reflects individual members’ expectations, suggests the potential for four rate cuts in 2025 and three more in 2026, bringing the rate down to between 2% and 2.25%. Now, that is simply what the public has been led to believe.

The Fed’s last decision reflects a cautious approach to policy tightening, considering multiple factors unknown to the public before any further adjustments. The committee’s PUBLIC decision and future outlook are based on the evolving economic conditions in relation to inflation and the labor market.

The Federal Open Market Committee will meet in 2024 as follows:

  • Jan. 30-31
  • Mar. 19-20
  • Apr. 30 – May 1
  • Jun. 11-12
  • Jul. 30-31
  • Sept. 17-18
  • Nov. 6-7
  •  Dec.  17-18
2023 Year End Report

There are simply things I cannot publish on the public blog. I have posted articles on the Socrates private blog that explain the Fed’s direction for 2024 in further detail. Now, consider the dates above and consider what events align with them. Further details will be provided in the Year-End Report, which should be out by the end of this week.

Federal Reserve 1951 Accord

The Federal Reserve cannot criticize the federal government. The most significant issues facing our economy are simply out of the Fed’s hands: war, taxation, and government spending. Chairman Jerome Powell surprised everyone when he called current government spending “unsustainable.” While not a direct criticism, Powell issued a stark warning that aligns with our Revolution Cycle of 72 years. In 1951, the central bank defied the US government by refusing to purchase debt to prevent rate hikes amid the Korean War.

So, there is bad news for the perpetual bulls who insist rates must decline. There is a HUGE divergence unfolding between short and long-term rates. Institutions are buying up government debt without considering the potential that rates may not fall. Absolutely no one is factoring in the largest driver of inflation – WAR – nor are they factoring in the three main pillars of government debauchery (war, taxation, government spending) that the Fed cannot control.

12.30.23: LT w/ Dr. Elliott: Allocate into STRENGTH, Silver/Gold, Phantom Debt, UBI in Canada, Banks, Pray!


Posted originally on Rumble By And We Know on Dec 30 12:00 EST

Deep Dive Radio Interview Pt IV Trailer


Posted originally on Dec 30, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 

The full interview will be available around January 7.

Crazy Stuff – Details of Results from Western Oil Sanctions Against Russia


Posted originally on the CTH on December 29, 2023 | Sundance

I’m very serious when I share with people that almost everything we understand about the geopolitical purposes and impacts of sanctions against Russian economic interests is entirely fabricated.  However, because the scale of the propaganda against us is so effective, breaking the mental/cognitive barrier is almost impossible.

It’s not that situations are ‘shaped’ or information is ‘manipulated,’ like would be the definition of the term “disinformation.”  But rather that the entire construct of reality regarding the economic issues -as presented- is fabricated, created by massive financial interests, and flat-out lies; I mean, total unadulterated nonsense. Complete fiction.

This latest article from Reuters, and the accompanying graphic from ZeroHedge, only scratches the surface.

[SOURCE]

We are through the looking glass folks.  Literally captive to the narrative as sold by our Western government officials, and there’s a huge one-way mirror; beyond which, massive segments of the grey zone are looking at us as if we are pathetic victims of professional propaganda.

The worst part of this dynamic is how the USA looks insufferably weak, because we are playing this massive game of pretending that only the Yellow Zone is participating in.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) – Almost all of Russia’s oil exports this year have been shipped to China and India, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday, after Moscow responded to Western economic sanctions by quickly rerouting supplies away from Europe.

Russia has successfully circumvented sanctions on its oil and diverted flows from Europe to China and India, which together accounted for around 90% of its crude exports, Novak, who is in charge of the country’s energy sector, told Rossiya-24 state TV.

He said that Russia had already started to forge ties with Asia-Pacific countries before the West introduced sanctions against Moscow following the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.

“As for those restrictions and embargoes on supplies to Europe and the U.S. that were introduced… this only accelerated the process of reorienting our energy flows,” Novak said.

He said that Europe’s share of Russia’s crude exports has fallen to only about 4-5% from about 40-45%. (read more)

What Alexander Novak shares is stunningly accurate, only the ramifications are far more serious.  This is why I am spending so much time trying to break the issue down into digestible portions.

Russia and Iran are now trading oil (and other things) in their own national currencies, not the petrodollar.  This is the epicenter of a process initially triggered by the BRICS economic alliance and is now taking place in real time while the proverbial WEST pretends it is not happening.   Now, it might sound esoteric, as if it is a disconnected or academic issue that doesn’t have real substantive ramifications, but that’s not true.

I can literally see how global trade is now cost-shifting as the dollar starts to weaken (become less used) as a trade currency.  Again, like our domestic social issues, this de-dollarization process is “slowly at first,” but eventually this is going to come all at once.

As USA consumers we cannot see it yet, because we are inside an economic system that is entirely dependent on dollars.  However, as the devaluation of the dollar continues slowly to happen, outside our dollar-based economy, the cost of goods, products and stuff in the ordinary life of people within the GREY ZONE is now stunningly less.  It’s not showing up in currency markets (dollar -vs- fill_in_blank), because the currency trades are not part of the trade/cost dynamic outside the YELLOW ZONE.

Go into the grey zone and compare the price of “product X” to what you would pay in the United States for “product X”, and you will see the difference in the end consumer price is starting to widen faster.   Identical goods in the USA cost much more than goods outside the “west.”

As the de-dollarization continues (mostly driven by the lessening of oil sold using the petrodollar), the disparity in price will get even more stark.   As a result of this dynamic, wages in the USA (or the “west”) must necessarily rise faster; however, that’s only part of the issue.

If I took $200 into a Russian supermarket, buying only consumable food products, I would end up with about 3 shopping carts full of food.  Take that same $200 into the average USA supermarket and you get one shopping cart or less.  This is the scale of what is likely to happen in durable goods.  The “cleaving” is underway.

Let me say that again, the “cleaving” of dollar-based price/value is underway.

Starbucks pulled out of Russia.  The building still exists, the furniture still there, the equipment still there, just a different name, “Star Coffee” lolol.   Starbucks is roughly $6 for whatever, the StarCoffee is $1.  Same stuff.   A cab/uber ride in USA might be $25, or in EU might be €30, but outside the yellow zone around $6 to $10/max.  It’s getting crazy how big the difference is.

Now, the price disparity is not in everything, only in the products that do not originate from inside the yellow zone.  The increased price of the yellow zone goods transfers into the grey zone when the product is moved.  However, if the yellow zone and grey zone both produce an identical product (or service), that’s when you see the massive difference in price.  [And no, this is not a lower cost labor issue]

Conversely, prices of goods originating from the grey zone shipped to the yellow zone will be far less than the comparable product created from within the yellow zone.

What is going to happen?

I suspect we are going to import even more products from the grey zone at a greater rate, because there’s a lower origination price and greater opportunity for profit.  Wait and see.

China needs energy, Russia needs computer chips and tech.  They are trading thusly.  Now watch… if the sanctions are ever lifted, we will start importing Russian made electronic goods, because less expensive.  It’s nuts.

Remember, our ‘western’ government is doing this to us on purpose.

Biden Dept of Energy Continues War on Consumers – New Fridge/Freezer and Fans Regulations Enacted


Posted originally on the CTH on December 29, 2023 | Sundance

We all know the routine. Water-saving toilets that don’t flush (flush twice), water/energy-saving dishwashers and clothes washers that don’t clean (run two cycles), lightbulbs that don’t light, dryers that don’t dry (run twice), and all the ancillary nonsense that comes from the intervention of the regulatory state.

What Biden and the progressive movement call the “green new deal” effort toward “sustainability,” including the ban on gas stoves and internal combustion engines, simply results in a diminished quality of life, a loss in lifestyle productivity, and the exact opposite outcome from their expressed/intended purpose.  It’s an abject mess of stupidity, pushed under the guise of environmentalism.

Today the Biden Dept of Energy (DOE) takes it one step further with rules and regulations on fridges, freezers and fans. {DOE LINK}

Residential Refrigerators and Freezers – The efficiency standards being adopted today for residential refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers, which have not been updated in over a decade, align with recommendations from a diverse set of stakeholders, including manufacturers, the manufacturing trade association, energy, environmental, and consumer advocacy groups, states, and utilities. Compliance will be required either January 31, 2029, or January 31, 2030, depending on the configuration of the refrigerator or freezer. The energy savings over 30 years of shipments is 5.6 quadrillion British thermal units, which represents a savings of 11% relative to the energy use of products currently on the market. DOE estimates that the standards would save consumers $36.4 billion over 30 years of shipments and result in cumulative emission reductions of nearly 101 million metric tons of carbon dioxide—an amount roughly equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 12.7 million homes. 

Commercial Fans and Blowers – DOE also released a proposed rulemaking for commercial fans and blowers that would reduce energy costs for American businesses by $3.3 billion annually. This proposal—the first federal standard for this product—follows the lead of efficiency standards already established by the state of California for general fans, extending savings to consumers nationwide and providing clarity for manufacturers. If adopted within DOE’s proposed timeframe, the new rule will come into effect in 2029. DOE estimates the new rule will reduce utility costs for American businesses by nearly $56 billion over 30 years of shipments, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 318 million metric tons—an amount roughly equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 40 million homes.  (MORE)

Now we will see air conditioning units that don’t cool, fridges that don’t chill, freezers that don’t keep things frozen and fans that do not move air.

Eventually, the compliant generations still to come will be sitting around a campfire eating sustainable algae cakes and bugs, while picking parasites off each other, because progress, environmental justice – or ESG something.