Elon Musk Hires Ultra Woke Linda Yaccarino as CEO of Twitter – Former Head of NBCUniversal Advertising – WEF Board Member – Pioneer of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Wokeism


Posted originally on the CTH on May 11, 2023 | Sundance 

Elon Musk has reportedly hired Linda Yaccarino as the CEO of Twitter.  Unfortunately, this decision is the exact opposite of what everyone hoped about Musk’s intentions with the platform.

Ms. Yaccarino is the head of NBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships [Example Here], and she is the tip of the spear in the creation of DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) indexing and corporate scoring.  You might be familiar with ‘DEI’ as a result of the Bud Light woke advertising campaign to promote beer for transgenders.  Well, that’s DEI in action, and Ms. Yaccarino is one of the pioneers in the advertising industry.

Additionally, Linda Yaccarino is the Chairwoman of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Taskforce on Future of Work.  As she noted in her position, “every CEO and executive needs to look inward, and build workplaces that ensure our employees, current and future, can always succeed amid rapid transformation.” Overlaying the Diversity Equity and Inclusion mindset, you will note Yaccarino says, “long-term benefits for the unemployed, women, and communities of color.”

Why would Elon Musk bring the most woke NBC advertising executive to become the CEO of Twitter?  Obviously, he is focused on generating revenue, and Yaccarino can bring woke credentials to the platform luring corporate advertisers.  Unfortunately, in order to achieve that objective, the platform content will have to be modified.

That means the public square of Twitter needs to become a platform of non-controversial NPCs (Non Player Characters) which generally are identified in memes [SEE HERE].  The content on Twitter must fit an approved standard for advertising. Leading this effort to control platform content through the control of the monetization, is literally what Yaccarino has done in her work at NBCUniversal.  Thus, her efforts to promote DEI take on a new level of importance.

Ms. Yaccarino also supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and follows him and his fellow influencers through her Twitter account.  Politically this puts her in alignment with Elon Musk and the acceptable Republican group that promotes the Florida Governor.

Keep in mind, for DeSantis, the “woke issues” are political tools to achieve an objective; nothing more.  Ms. Yaccarino supporting Ron DeSantis is not a misnomer, it’s just politics.

Similarly, for Elon Musk, it appears Ms. Yaccarino brings a greater financial value to the table offsetting any contradictions in his belief system about wokeism as a danger to speech and culture.   Obviously, this hire says Musk is more concerned about revenue generation than actual free speech.

Regarding opposition or alignment with what is colloquially called “wokeism”, Ms. Yaccarino is somewhat of a touchstone.  Her bona fides on DEI make her a subject matter expert on the weaponization of advertising to advance a cultural objective.

Just accept things as they are and not as you might wish them to be.  That way you are not disappointed later.

Accept the Musk selection of Ms. Yaccarino as exactly what it says for the Twitter platform.  First, money is the most important issue right now; revenue generation for Musk is the #1 priority.  Second, the content of the platform will modify accordingly.

Yaccarino on Twitter ]

Epic – Congressman Byron Donalds Drops the Atomic Sledgehammer of Truth on CNN Panel


May 11, 2023 | Sundance 

Congressman Byron Donalds represents Southwest Florida CD-19; he comes from good stock.   After the CNN attack townhall in New Hampshire last night, Donalds appeared on a CNN panel to discuss.

Prior to Donalds joining the panel, the six other panelists were echo-chambering their narrative talking points without rebuttal. Donalds put that nonsense to rest. However, beyond the epic pushback, notice how the panel reacts to having their narrative challenged; this should be very familiar to people.

Notice how when confronted by an opposing viewpoint the panel uses a familiar tactic. Instead of discussing the policy points, the issues at the heart of the policy positions, the panel instead begins to question the person confronting them.  “Do you want Ukraine to win,” is one question. “Do you accept the results of the 2020 election” is another.

The CNN panel approach is to make the person pushing back become the issue, because the points raised are antithetical to their belief system.  This method of distraction is straight from the Alinsky rulebook about debating opposition.  Byron Donalds succeeds because he doesn’t engage the nonsense. WATCH:

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Ron DeSantis Spent $500,000,000.00 For This


Posted originally on the CTH on May 11, 2023 | Sundance 

The SuperPac supporting Ron DeSantis, called Never Back Down, has taken hundreds of millions of dollars from the Wall Street, billionaire, Sea Island, multinational corporation and hedge fund donors.  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is injecting another $85 million from his leadership pac in Florida.  All told, it is the largest single assembly of political cash in the history of presidential campaigning – estimated value well north of $500 million.

With all of that in mind, this is the best the communications team can come up with:

Now, please do not misconstrue what I am saying. I am not saying these people are just bad at their jobs. I am saying these are fundamentally stupid people.

This is the skillset of the professional Republican Party. This is what they are taught to do, study to do, sit around and spend millions in consultancy fees to come up with.

These are professional Republican operations…. They are also just idiots!  This is why some of the billionaire funders have also paused, reevaluated and stepped back from the DeSantis nonsense.  The DeSantis crew are sending out Instagram selfie-pics of their lunches while cheering for their team.

This is like the General Cornwallis version of political warfare.  They sit around in their echo-chambered rooms and might as well put a powdered wig on their candidate.  Everything is fake, pretense, manufactured and sold by the brightest consultants in the world as the stuff that “should work.”   It’s genuinely hilarious!

Meanwhile, MAGA is an insurgency running circles around them, ducking and weaving through their ranks, and they are totally oblivious to it.

This image right here is almost literally who the people behind Ron DeSantis are.  Not all of them, but overwhelmingly the majority of them are just like this disconnected insufferable bunch pictured above.

If that’s who they are, then WHO ARE WE?

We are scruffy, working class patriots engaged in the battle against them!

We are the workforce.

We are digital warriors, meme creators, artists, researchers, autists and ordinarily invisible people now considered dissidents in our own country.

We are the backbone of industry, the people who keep it all working, the 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 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 eagles 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.

Right now, we are taking this fury to the platforms of visibility where we hope to influence outcomes.  But if that effort fails, and/or if the command-and-control authorities make the mistake of thinking they can shut down our visibility and therefore control the dissent, there will be no quarter provided in the aftermath.

The two biggest mistakes they can make right now is not understanding why we have begun to bow our heads.

First, our heads are not bowed because we are subservient, cowering or accepting the current effort to control us….

….We are praying!

Their second mistake would be to ignore that we are not praying for us

….We are praying for those who trespass against us!

They may not like what follows, “Amen!

We are resolute and of common purpose.

We are MAGA!

Medical Schools Eliminating MCAT in Favor of Diversity


Armstrong Economics Blog/WOKE Re-Posted May 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is “a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess your problem-solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine.” Students wishing to study medicine needed to pass this examination to determine if they were suitable for the profession. Now, in the name of diversity, some medical schools no longer require potential doctors to pass this exam because it is seen as racist.

A watchdog group called Do No Harm stated that this is a “dangerous trend.” “The MCAT has been shown to predict who has the best chance to be successful in medical school,” Do No Harm Program Manager Laura Morgan told the DCNF. “Eliminating it removes a proven standard for schools to consider when admitting students who demonstrate the aptitude to be good doctors.” Around 40 medical schools across the US are abandoning the MCAT already.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the same agency that developed the MCAT, is pivoting away from the old model to test future doctors on holistic measures. They cannot mandate that medical schools require students to take or pass this examination. Some schools, like CUNY, have stated their goals clearly. CUNY wishes to “increase the number of physicians of African-American, Hispanic and other ethnic backgrounds who have been historically under-represented in the medical profession and whose communities have been historically underserved by primary care practitioners.” I don’t know about you, but I do not care about my doctor’s ethnic background, sexual orientation, or gender. I simply want to speak to the most qualified individual. If they wanted to attract more bright minds, they could eliminate the costs of admission to enter the profession in the first place. Medical students are strapped with hundreds of thousands in debt and arguably underpaid as residents.

Medical deaths are the third-leading cause of death in the USAround 251,000 people die every year in the US as a result of medical malpractice. Diminishing qualifications for doctors who are expected to make life and death decisions is a major threat to public health.

This is happening in important roles across every sector as the woke agenda destroys our culture from within. Biden boasted how he managed to appoint numerous LBGTQ members to his cabinet, more than any other president. Does anyone care? Most of us want the most qualified individuals in positions of power.

The 14th Amendment & the Destruction of the United States


Armstrong Economics Blog/Sovereign Debt Crisis Re-Posted May 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Interpretation of the Constitution is often caught up in controversy. What is beautiful to one person is average or ugly to another. The best construction regarding law was the cornerstone of Justice Scalia who I regard as probably one of the most brilliant minds that ever sat on the bench. Of course, the left will send me hate mail on that one because they did not like the outcome. But Scalia held to what is known as Strict Construction which requires a judge to apply the text only as it is written. Once the court has a clear meaning of the text, no further investigation is required.

I will give you an example of the “liberal” wing and how they want to interpret the Constitution. They cannot even define what is a WOMAN anymore. I am waiting for them to declare the LGBQT have been so disadvantaged, that they will be exempt from also paying taxes since they are exempt from all social regulations. Since I like women, then I should “identify” as a Lesbian and enjoy all sorts of protection and be exempt from taxation.

This entire WOKE agenda has gone nuts. Just because some guy has a sex change does not justify changing all the definitions of everything and changing all social norms. Women’s sports have been completely destroyed.  What about the girls that hoped to break records and win scholarships? Nothing works anymore. Just because a guy changes his sex does not make him a woman who can have biological children which is different from carrying a child because they now have a uterus. There is still a difference! Why must a woman surrender her identity? The simple solution was there are males and females, and in Thailand, the transgenders simply identify as a ladyboy.

This is precisely the same irrational interpretation they are using to justify the 14th Amendment which will destroy everything and this is far more serious than just suspending debt payments. By invoking this 14th Amendment, there will never be a debt ceiling and then you will have runaway inflation, taxation, and a complete breakdown in all liberty. The executive can then use executive orders to deny Congress even the opportunity to vote on any spending. The head of the EU did that to buy 3 times the number of vaccines from Pfizer than the population of Europe. And Ukraine put out the propaganda that they are fighting to preserve democracy yet refuse to honor the Minsk Agreement to allow the Donbas to vote! Our Western governments have killed democracy long ago and executive order circumvents everything – it is the tool of choice for dictators.

To illustrate the constitutional crisis, Garrett Epps, who was a professor of law at the University of Baltimore until his retirement in June 2020, wrote back on November 22, 2022, claiming that the Constitution’s text bars the federal government from defaulting on the debt  “even a little, even for a short while.” Epps claims that “[t]here’s a case to be made that if Congress decides to default on the debt, the president has the power and the obligation to pay it without congressional permission, even if that requires borrowing more money to do so.” I tried really hard to follow his legal argument and I could not with any Strict  Construction InterpretationQuite frankly, he also probably cannot define what is a woman either.

The “Intent” behind the 14th Amendment has nothing to do with this argument of default. Britain suspended the gold standard and declared a moratorium on debt during the Great Depression – they resumed. The City of Detroit suspended its debt payments in 1937 and resumed in 1963. Yet people insist there was no default. What is the definition of “default”? That traditionally means the abandonment of all obligations on a permanent basis. There is NOTHING in the statutory construction nor in the Constitution that would bar a “suspension” of debt payments. Ukraine suspended its debt until the US paid everything for them so they did not default.

Looking at the 14th Amendment, Section 4 provides that “the validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.” The “intent” of that was that the debt incurred by the North was to be the national debt and the Confederate States would not question having to pay those debts. But it continued and made it clear that it would not honor any debts incurred by the Confederate States to fund their side of the war.

In order to understand what this means, we must turn to Statutory Construction which begins by FIRST looking at the plain language of the Amendment to determine its original intent. We must look at the words to determine the original intent and apply their usual and ordinary meanings. If after looking at the language and the meaning remains unclear, then we must attempt to ascertain what was the intent of the legislature by looking at legislative history and other related sources. Normally, a court must not create an interpretation that would create an absurd result that would be counter to the original Legislature’s intent.

Epps claims that “Shall not be questioned” doesn’t mean “shall be paid most of the time unless you can score political points against the other party by not paying it.” That is creating an absurd result and opening the door to the total collapse of the United States. Article I, Section 8 is pretty clear that borrowing and repaying indebtedness are congressional, not executive, powers! Article I would be nullified if the 14th Amendment granted the power to the president to spend as he wants and to pay all debts when that is expressly the power of Congress.

Now we turn to 31 USC §3101 which some try to claim is UNCONSTITUTIONAL and therefore there should be no debt limit. Up to now, this statute has proved to be a good tool for forcing budgetary reform aimed at debt reduction.

The statute was passed in 1982 and became law. The ORIGINAL intent was to do precisely what it has been used for. The only grounds for it to be unconstitutional is if Congress did not have the power to limit the debt. Looking at Article I, this entire argument that Biden can just pay debt and spend without the approval of Congress is the death knell to the Constitution. This is a direct assault upon the separation of powers between the President (Executive branch) and Congress. Since Article I delegates all questions of debt to Congress, I cannot rationally see where Congress lacked the power to curtail the debt when that was the original intent as well.

The ONLY person who wants those provisions to be UNCONSTITUTIONAL so they can spend whatever is left-wing and they have ZERO intention of EVER paying off the national debt. This is really a fraud on their part because you borrow with only the intent to repay the debt. Lacking that, their actions are totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL and a fraud upon the people of the United States and the world.

The Largest Landlord in the US


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted May 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Anyone familiar with the housing market conditions post-pandemic knows that cash buyers and institutions consistently outbid the average buyer. I know a realtor who has spoken primarily to consultants working on behalf of companies, and they’re willing to purchase properties over-market on a consistent basis. They know they can buy these properties and rent them out for a fraction of what they paid because they have the liquidity to do so. Currently, BlackRock is the largest landlord in America, with over $120 billion in residential real estate.

BlackRock has invested significantly in mortgage securities since the pandemic. The company insists that they are not purchasing single-family homes, meaning they’re not flipping homes to resell. “Our focus is on building single-family rental housing that can be managed and operated similar to multifamily properties with dedicated property management, leasing and amenities,” the company’s website states. “Additionally, BlackRock invests in multifamily properties, apartment complexes, and other residential real estate.”

The goal is to own as much land as possible so that the people can become perpetual renters. BlackRock also is part of the World Economic Forum and promises “sustainability” and “ESG integration,” and is a member of GRESB (formerly the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark). GRESB is the global standard for providing and acquiring real estate and infrastructure in a sustainable way.

BlackRock noted that “displacement” from the pandemic and other economic downturns will provide a great investment opportunity. “In the near-term, we expect dislocation and opportunity, yet there is greater dispersion between markets and sectors with logistics of storage, high-quality residential, and data centers having emerged as clear winners, while hotel, retail, and student housing will likely face a longer road to recovery.” They’ve been on top of the downturn in real estate since the beginning. This is not limited to the US as they have investments and branches worldwide.

BlackRock is one of many institutions purchasing land and real estate at a rapid pace. Invitation Homes, a BlackRock investor, owns over 80,000 single-family rentals in the US alone. Again, the goal is to profit off of rental income. This is another reason inventory is at a historic low and will remain tight since most institutions do not plan to sell the real estate they have acquired.

US City to Roll Out Guaranteed Basic Income


Armstrong Economics Blog/USA Current Events Re-Posted May 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The “Rise Up Cambridge: Cash Payments for Families with Kids” will provide low-income households with a monthly check for $500 to test guaranteed basic income. Those eligible are families with children who earn under 250% of the federal poverty level ($75K for a family of four). The 18-month program will not be based on a lottery like other guaranteed basic income rollouts, and anyone eligible may apply. The city has allotted $22 million for the initiative and expects around 2,000 families to apply.

The money to fund the program will primarily come from the American Rescue Plan, distributing our Federal tax dollars to others, and some independent donors will pitch in too. This program is only eligible for people with children under 21 and will not make a noticeable dent in the homeless population, nor will it help the elderly who live alone. That said, families with children already receive the most in Federal funds and if they’re living in high-cost Cambridge, chances are they’re receiving income elsewhere. The cost of living in Cambridge is 73% higher than the national average. The median rental price is around $4,277 per month, and the median home price is over $1.4 million.

“We want to stabilize as many households as possible and make sure that they have a chance to continue to stay in our city that, you know, is not easy to stay in,” Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui stated. A $500 payment in a high-cost city will never financially stabilize families. Instead, it will increase inflation and bypasses the middle class. Unlike traditional welfare programs, those eligible will receive direct deposit payments that they may spend as they see fit.

The American Rescue plan was not marketed as a guaranteed basic income initiative. Siddiqui is buying votes with Federal funds. The city is pricing out the middle class by providing handouts to those who cannot afford to live in an expensive city. Free money becomes like a drug and the people become hooked on receiving that monthly direct deposit. But, as with all drug, they will become dependent and will need more and more as the cost of living increases. This will only incentivize people to not work and vote for politicians who promise handouts at the expense of responsible taxpayers.

How the Woke Agenda Ruined Nicola Sturgeon


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted May 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Former Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon resigned in February due to the “brutality” she faced for her controversial rulings. She hoped her successor would be “someone who is not subject to the same polarized opinions, fair or unfair, as I now am.” The demise of Sturgeon was at her own hand. She put her career and reputation on the line for an agenda that was so absurd that the UK government was forced to invoke Section 35 of the Scotland Act of 1998 for the first time in history to prevent her ruling from passing.

Nicola Sturgeon attempted to pass the Gender Recognition Reform Bill to allow anyone to change their gender after a three-month “reflection period.” The bill would have provided teens as young as 16 with the ability to bypass the medical system and obtain legal documents stating their biology suddenly changed. All-girls schools would likely be prohibited, and there were concerns “trans tourism” would spike with people coming to Scotland to bypass their own nation’s laws. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack invoked section 35 because it did not align with the values of the UK. Sturgeon double-downed and called it a “full-frontal attack” on Scotland.

As Nigel Farage commented during his interview with Donald Trump, the final straw for the people was the case of Isla Bryson. Bryson, a man with male genitals, brutally raped two women in their own homes in 2016 and 2019. While awaiting trial, this man decided to buy women’s clothes, a blond wig, and declare himself a female. The High Court in Edinburgh sentenced Bryson to 8 years, and to appease the woke crowd, placed this dangerous rapist in an all-women’s prison. The public outcry made international headlines, and Bryson was later moved to a prison for men.

The case happened shortly after the Gender Recognition Reform Bill was vetoed. This was the final straw and the end of Sturgeon’s career. Everyone has a breaking point. Trump stated that he receives enormous applause when he discusses women’s rights in sports. Perhaps the human rights abuses at this level are easier for the public to understand than some of the financial abuses we are experiencing. But this woke agenda is beginning to backfire in a big way as the masses are unwilling to change their reality to appease the wishes of a few.

Powell on Bank Acquisitions


Armstrong Economics Blog/Banking Crisis Re-Posted May 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

After the FOMC decision, Jerome Powell stated during his Q&A that the Federal Reserve does not have a plan to consolidate banks. “I personally felt that having small, medium, and large were a great part of our banking system,” Powell stated, noting that they all serve different customers. Powell said it could have been a good outcome had one of the regional banks bought failed First Republic instead of JPMorgan Chase. However, the chairman noted that the FDIC mandates that banks be acquired using the least costly resolution option.

The FDIC says it does not give preference to bidders. How can a bank qualify? According to the FDIC website: “Bid lists are created for each acquisition opportunity based on potential acquirer’s qualifications and interests and characteristics of the failing bank such as capital ratios, regulatory ratings, assets and core deposits as reported on the most recent Call Report and geographic location of the bank. Each bid list is developed using several criteria sets to identify approved potential bidders for an acquisition opportunity, while considering factors that match likely approved bidders to an acquisition opportunity.”

Due to the recent banking failures, the FDIC has also created guidelines specifically for failed bank acquisitions:

“The FDIC markets troubled institutions to healthy insured depository institutions. The FDIC is statutorily required to resolve failed institutions using the least costly resolution option minimizing losses to the Deposit Insurance Fund. The FDIC's primary objective is to maintain financial system stability and public confidence. Returning assets to the private sector in an orderly manner at the best price is another key objective. The FDIC also tries to reduce the impact on the community.

Recapitalization before failure is the preferred method to resolve open troubled financial institutions. FDIC markets institutions in case a failing institution is not able to resolve its issues on its own. If an insured depository institution is unable to resolve its issues, the FDIC will implement its resolution process by which qualified bidders may seek to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of the failing institution.”

Obviously, smaller banks will not have the ability to compete. All banks are struggling with liquidity issues, and mid-sized institutions will likely be unable to offer the “least costly resolution option.” Ideally, they want failing banks to be attained prior to failure, and only large institutions can provide that cushion. Nothing in the FDIC guidelines at the time of this writing currently limits what a large institution could acquire. The computer states that we will see more banking failures across the globe. Based on these guidelines in the US, it is reasonable to assume that large banks like JPMorgan Chase will benefit from future acquisitions and continue to grow. It is unclear whether banking monopolies are permitted under the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act, but it remains to be seen what alternatives the system will have as more banks go under.

CBDC – The Real Target


Armstrong Economics Blog/Central Banks Re-Posted May 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

A lot of people somehow think that the move to Digital Currency is a completely new monetary system, It is targeted to eliminate cash transactions so everything is taxable and nothing can be hidden from our overlords. If we look at commerce in the United States during 2022, 82% of all transactions were digital – Debit cards (20 percent), credit cards (30 percent), and digital wallets 32 percent. That was e-commerce.

They are hunting down what they believe is 30% of all commerce and cash and lick their lips at the thought of having their hand in your pocket. Make no mistake about it. They know major upheaval threatens their power. Like Trudeau seizing accounts of anyone who donated to the Truckers, that is the agenda. Control all transactions and turn off anyone who they see as a threat.