Tag Archives: Philosophy

May 27 2025

Intangible Art


Posted originally on May 27, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Artist

Art can be a tangible commodity, but what happens when that art exists only as a concept? Italian artist Salvatore Garau created a statue entitled, Io Sono (“I Am”) that sold for $18,300. The sculpture itself is invisible.

“You don’t see it, but it exists,” Garau stated. The artist focuses on “immaterial sculptures” that exist by thought alone. Still, he believes that Io Sono must be displayed in a private home with climate control and provided with 5 x 5 ft of space. This piece of art could rise in value if consumers believe it to be worth more and are willing to pay more. The coverage this concept has received in the news has certainly caused it to become a conversation piece, and therefore, someone out there may be willing to spend more to have an invisible statue that exists as a concept.

The fine art market has become one of the most effective, sophisticated tools for laundering money. Unlike real estate, stocks, or precious metals, the art market is unregulated, unstandardized, and cloaked in confidentiality. It is considered upscale and a tool utilized by those who already have wealth and need a place to park it. Unlike financial instruments, which must pass through reporting requirements, art often changes hands privately, across borders, and without disclosure of the buyer or seller. In this case, the art does not even need to exist, and yet it still was sold through an official fine art auction house.

Art is not valued like stocks. There are no earnings, dividends, or tangible utility. There is only perception. A Picasso, a Basquiat, or a Warhol are not just artworks; they are safe havens for capital, especially for oligarchs, cartel bosses, and political elites looking to move funds discreetly. A $15 million painting hung in a Zurich vault is more secure and less traceable than a Swiss bank account, which is no longer secure.

Mar-A-Lago was once valued beneath Hunter Biden’s “art.” Hunter Biden’s artwork is estimated to be worth up to $500,000. His personal friend, Kevin Morris, purchased a few pieces and also gave him a loan of $2 million to cover Hunter’s late tax payments. Most of his buyers remain anonymous, but the known art collectors are all associated with the DNC. Hirsh Naftali, for example, was appointed by Joe Biden to be the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad after he expressed interest in his son’s artwork.

Art as an asset is entirely subjective and based on confidence. It holds no inherent value but the public perceives its value and prices it accordingly. Art does not generate income nor does it create economic output. Art is purely speculative and becomes a bubble when confidence peaks.

We saw this in the late 1980s Japanese bubble when Japanese investors were buying Van Goghs and Monets at astronomical prices. That bubble burst along with their real estate and the Nikkei index. We saw it again leading up to 2007–2008, and now, as the sovereign debt crisis looms globally, we’re beginning to see the same flight again. Art can act as a temporary store of value unless you have some extremely rare piece from a renowned artist.

Governments are keen to tax everything, and one day, that could include art. The secrecy and mystery that once caused art to be a store of wealth could collapse if governments act. Since art is primarily used as a temporary asset by those who are already at the top, governments are not yet looking in that direction. Once capital gains taxes are implemented, it will be game over for much of the art world.

Mar 2 2021

Our National Faith Will Stand, Steadfast


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 1, 2021 by Sundance

A reminder for a friend…

Steadfast doesn’t mean when it’s easy; the term has no meaning when things are working according to our own convenient interests. Steadfast means standing strong when it’s challenging, difficult and unnerving. Just as courage is not the absence of fear, rather it is taking action despite being fearful; so too is steadfast a decision.

Often when things are disconcerting, we retreat to the place where we are comfortable. However, steadfast is unwavering despite the obstacles and difficulties. When we don’t hold the words to comfort the grieved, yet we show up and sit quietly just to eliminate loneliness, that is a steadfast commitment. When we see adversity on the face of another, and we choose to engage with our time and comfort, that is a steadfast decision.

When CTH was formed, it was a small assembly of misfits who were not fearless, but brave enough to be comfortable within our discomfort.  We knew we had to look deeply at the issues which face us. We remind ourselves that ‘truth has no agenda‘ & truth exists despite our feelings of the subject matter. The core elements of CTH are based on this principle of remaining steadfast amid the face of adversity, national, political or even personal.

The CTH armory is insightful, wise and often purposeful; but this assembly is foremost a fellowship. A steadfast decision to stand together and figure out how all of these intense subjects, issues and events interact, influence and ultimately impact our lives.

Right now our nation is facing a time of extreme trepidation. Nerves are frayed, emotions are raw and individually we find our compass spinning in a way that destabilizes us. Into this climate the originating value of our core assembly becomes critical. CTH remains steadfast & committed to the best hopes and solutions within us. We strive with purpose.

Each day for over a decade we begin with a simple prayer. We host a candle for those who need prayers and support, and we engage purposefully with the intent to cherish the value, wisdom and skills that each unique person brings to the subject matter being discussed.

My personal commitment toward that end has been to remain steadfast and unwavering in defense of this little corner of the internet. To maintain a place where facts can be discovered, truth can be unearthed and honest discussion/opinion can be afforded.

In July of this past year, it was our CTH mission to ensure that people within the institutions of our government were aware of: (a) evidence of specific corruption; and (b) our knowledge about it. It was during one of those briefing trips to DC when I recognized a serious disconnect between what the people within those institutions of government viewed as their role, and what We The People expected of them.

It was also the first time when I realized that internal corrective action was unlikely to succeed because the scale of corrupt activity was not simply based on intent, but also present because the absence of morality was metastatic throughout the system.

I’m certain there are good people in DC, but the systems surrounding them have lost their originating purpose. The central function of U.S. government is now so corrupt the institutions regard ‘We The People‘ as the problem the people within the system must protect themselves from.

I quickly recognized the solutions to our national issues were never going to come from our requests to those who operate within the institutions. However, even worse was the impact we were having on each-other due to our national frustration. It was evident within our frustration – as a nation we are losing a sense of identity, unity and fellowship.

The only people who can change that dynamic is us.

We are ‘The People’ we have been waiting for; yet, the professional political class, purposefully walled-off within this corrupt system, are also purposefully blind to our assembly. In order for the DC politicians to continue operating corrupt levers within a corrupt machine they must ignore the will of the same people they are supposed to represent.

President Trump represents ‘We The People‘, and as a consequence those within this corrupt system view his appearances with the same dismissive outlook they carry toward those who voted for him.

They want to destroy us, so they need to destroy him. They want to destroy our faith, so they need to destroy hope.  They will fail so long as we remain steadfast.

CTH (The Last Refuge) was founded upon this acceptance long before Donald Trump became president in 2016; and the actions by both wings of the UniParty congress over the past six weeks have been clear evidence of what we always knew was present.

Our current national challenge is to figure out a way to confront this dynamic and then deal with it. However, we must deal with it in a way that does not destroy the founding principles of our constitutional republic. There are many disappointments around us, but we must remain strong and purposeful with any chosen direction. Misplaced corrective action regardless of intent is neither prudent nor wise.

Above all, those who understand the larger issues must remain united and hold a sense of fellowship toward each-other if we are to overcome the challenges. The purpose of using COVID fear as a strategic weapon to achieve division is evident. Unilateral fiats can be an effective strategy deployed by those who benefit from division; we must counter this effort.

The fraud within the phrase “social distancing” not only creates distance between us but also creates a void of loneliness within the soul. Into this void of isolation, fear takes hold and becomes toxic. Thus the true value of fellowship is more important than ever.

Right now everything around us seems less focused on the pursuit of happiness and more focused on what happiness we are missing. At the heart of that anxiety is this sense of foreboding. A choking sense of fear and worry; a sense of trepidation. Faith in a loving and purposeful God is now more important than ever, embrace it – share it.

This moment in history is where each person of strength holds a higher level of influence, and we should engage in the lives of others to show that strength. Right now people around you are looking for courage, optimism and hope. If you do not provide that to your family, friends and community, you allow the alternative, despair, to take root.

Despair is the foreboding outcome of the same evil systems that create it. Recognize despair when you see it, intercept it and eliminate it when you can… AND you always can. Tend to the flickering flame of liberty & teach others, especially our youth, the skills to defend it.

Do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. We are a majority nation of liberty loving independent and free-thinking people; born under a compact to allow each to live their lives according to their own purpose. Do not abdicate the duty to protect individual liberty to anyone except yourself. Your dreams are unique to you.

Stay strong for your family…

Stay strong for your community….

Stay strong for our nation… We need each-other.

Steadfast,

~ Sundance

Dear Treehouse,

[…] I have been saying for some time that America is at a tipping point. Regardless of who is in apparent control of the Government (Executive, Legislative or Judiciary), there are forces at work that truly do lead to the creation of a “Uni-party.” As the underbelly of the Uni-party has been exposed, those in control have become vulnerable.

The real prospect that God-fearing, hard-working, honest Americans are beginning to see how the system has been rigged to manipulate them is upon us. Your dogged determination to lay bare the ugliness of what Washington has become is to be greatly admired.

We have lacked true leadership for too many years. This of course creates a vacuum and vacuums are dangerous because they allow false prophets to arise. People are desperate for someone to lead and say that they can restore the values that we once held dear as a nation.

Perhaps this is why your banner with the redhead staring at the gathering storm calls to me. The storm is just off the shore, building energy, waiting to crash over all of us. Yet, in the gathering darkness you have provided a light. A beacon of hope in a dismal world. A beacon which illuminates an alternative to the false choices of the Hegelian dialectic that is forced upon us all.

May God keep and protect you as you gather and collate the evidence to lay bare the ugliness that has become government, as it is now practiced, and reclaim all that makes America truly great. May the Holy Spirit guide you in your words and actions. Know that there are many that believe in what you are doing and stand ready to do their part. Remember that the darkness is always greatest before the dawn. I am confident that a new dawn is about to break.

~ A Patriot

Feb 14 2021

A Reminder About The Importance of Fellowship


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on February 13, 2021 by Sundance

We assemble upon a great digital battlefield in the fight for our republic. It is critical to reflect upon the values that form the foundation of our national assembly…. “Isolation starts with a rebellion against God“, we must be conscious about the need to connect.

It’s hard to believe this image was originally shared on these pages and discussed almost a decade ago.

There was just something about the shift in messaging from the totalitarian left that sounded an internal alarm amid those who were focused on the open dismissal of liberty and freedom that resounded from the drumbeat of the Obama era.

“Fundamental change” was a looming catch phrase many just seemed to ignore.

And here we are… divided by a network of seemingly intoxicating systems; many purposefully driven by the modern dynamic of social media, steering a tribal outcome we are only now just beginning to fathom.

Ultimately the collective weight of progressive leftism is putting us is isolation. There are many historic references to this disconcerting sentiment to review with hindsight.

We saw this coming…. we just didn’t know the entry vector that would be used to accomplish the final stages of diminished freedom and individual liberty. As we look at the current COVID-19 mandates, dictates and controls one cannot easily dismiss the weaponized use of a virus to attain division under the guise of “social distancing.”

When we initially asked the question: “where would you choose to live“, we had no idea a virus would be purposeful to enhance the objectives of social engineering, isolation and ultimately, painfully, oppression. Oblivious to the grand design, we allowed a seemingly disparate network of big tech companies to control communication. The COVID aspect now generates in the physical world exactly the same distance created in the digital world.

It might, heck, -check that- it does seem overwhelming at times.  But that is the nature of this collectivist strategy.  That is the purpose of this bombardment.  We must hold strong and push back against their lies and manipulations.  If you look closely at their attack, it is weak and much of it is psychological bait.  Do not fall into the trap of despair.

When I share the message “live your best life”, it is not without purpose.  Every moment that we allow the onslaught to deter us from living our dreams, is a moment those who oppose our nation view as us taking a knee.  Do not allow this effort to succeed.

You might ask yourself how can I, one person, a flea looking into a furnace, retain an optimistic disposition while all around me seems chaotic and mad.

That’s the point; it ‘seems’ chaotic and mad because it has been created to appear that way.  There are more of us than them; they just control the systems that allow us to connect, share messages and recognize the scale of our assembly.

In/around July 2020 it was obvious in my travels we were on the precipice of a disconnect from human interaction that would numb our psyche to what ultimately matters, fellowship.

Not only are various governmental agencies forcing the separation of people from their community networks, we are also seeing faith-based organizations, churches, buying into the fear. Even in areas where churches are not forcibly shut down, many are seeing a structural shift where some faith leaders are willingly ostracizing their community under the guise of various COVID alarms. This is not good…. not good at all.

Fellowship is the essential ingredient to a purposeful life. How and why we interact with each-other is how and why we recharge our core humanity. To see faith leaders willing to separate from the function of fellowship is alarming. However, as individuals we must not allow this foreboding sense to become the normal expectation.

Throughout history large armies have been defeated through the process of division. It is not a leap to see the same strategic objectives being deployed against social assemblies including congregations. It is puzzling how many in leadership cannot see the danger in social and spiritual distance when the bond of fellowship is needed more than ever.

Each of us has a different connection to our community. Each of us has a different level of internal strength… such is the nature of living. However, the distance between people is manifestly not a good outcome when combined with the lack of food for the soul.

The influence of social media is already troublesome, physically distancing from human engagement only worsens the impact. There is no digital replacement for the true fellowship of humanity on a personal level.

Ultimately it is the currency of human connection that is the true value in our lives.

We have each felt how our positive influence upon the lives of others nourishes our own sense of purpose and fulfillment… Do not lose that. Do not think you can compensate for that through other arbitrary measures; you cannot.

With local, state and federal leaders moving beyond the workplace distance; and beyond the community distance; and beyond the church distance; and now entering your home to tell you the importance of separating yourself from your family we must evaluate these arbitrary decrees very deliberately.

Evaluate very closely what we are willing to give up. Perhaps we are in this position today because we didn’t sit still enough and contemplate the real priorities in our lives.

Our liberty is inherent.

Our freedom is inherent.

The removal of both requires consent.

I choose not to disconnect.

I choose purpose.

I choose my own humanity.

Love to all,

~ Sundance

Photo of the Constitution of the United States of America. A feather quill is included in the photo.The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and is the oldest codified written national constitution still in force. It was completed on September 17, 1787.

[…] I asked a gentleman for the location to a convenience store to purchase some mints to chew throughout the day. I was directed to a specific store.

When I made my purchase, the mask on the other side of the counter was as sad as many that day, but I felt compelled to ask how she was doing. The typical “been better” was the return. However, as I started to walk away… I turned back: “what’s wrong”?

For the next few minutes I listened as I met a mom of four kids who was 15 days from a COVID-based eviction. There was really no-one to blame; and worse, for her no-where to turn. She was looking for housing grants to avoid the most painful decision in her short 30-year-life.

You see, there was a reason why I went into that store that afternoon, at least that’s what I told her; and there was a reason why she was there. In part with your support, and after putting all other tasks in the appropriately unimportant place they deserved, WE (yes, you and me) together found a solution and provided the resources she needed. Starfish dude strikes again… this time with His help and your help.

It would have been very easy to walk out and accept that simple: “been better”. Heck, I think of all the times I have done that before…. but not this time. This time something nagged about it…. and so I turned around and found tears, fellowship – and mints.

The next day another stroll, a little lost, and a veteran on the street… I can’t tell you his story because that’s for another day… but it is just as important and just as profound. As I walked away from him many minutes later he yelled at me: “HEY DUDE”. I turned my unmasked smile back in his direction only to have him say: “we need more people like you in charge”… Thumbs up, and I continued my travels.

Which is really the point of writing all this. Our nation needs more people like you, right now. Don’t wait… engage life, get optimistic however you need to do it. Then let that part of you shine right now… This is how we fight. Hold up that flag; give the starter smile… rally to the standard you create and spread fellowship again.

….God knows we need it.

Jan 12 2021

Ray Charles – America the Beautiful – We Should Not Forget


Armstrong Economics Blog/Opinion Re-Posted Jan 12, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=HlHMQEegpFs%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque

Our greatest hope is that there are conservative Democrats who would also defend the Constitution if the extreme left-wing tries to drastically change everything. We need to place our hope in the bottom-line as they will have some resistance to Klaus Schwab and his insane movement to take over the world with the help of Bill Gates and George Soros.

Dec 20 2020

Fourth Sunday of Advent


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on December 20, 2020 by Menagerie

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Dec 14 2020

Third Sunday of Advent (late again)


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on December 13, 2020 by Menagerie

JN 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

Nov 27 2020

UNCERTAINTY & The Future


Armstrong Economics Blog/Forecasts Re-Posted Nov 27, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: I would imagine that if Trump is able to prevail in the courts and earn a second term social unrest would be profound but what would be the effects on the markets?

RM

ANSWER: There is still a shot that Trump can prevail if he can stop Biden from reaching 270 votes and that would throw it into the House of Representatives where each state would get one vote and Trump would win in that scenario as took place during the election of 1824. But PA has certified Biden as the winner and then a state judge ruled against the governor. Then lawsuits against Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin raise the stakes of perhaps preventing Biden from getting 270 sending it into the House of Representatives.

What is clear from Socrates is that civil unrest will rise no matter what. If Trump can prevail or the Republicans can keep the Senate, then the Great Reset agenda will be stalled. But Biden can still use executive orders if he takes the White House to try to impose lockdowns etc overriding Congress. In Theory, Trump could have used executive orders ordering the State to end lockdowns but that would have been used against him and the Democrats argued he lacked that power. With Biden, they would say he has it.

My OPINION is just an OPINION. This year has been off the charts and it is still not over. Socrates just follows the markets and that is the only tool we have that is not subject to personal opinion which I seriously doubt anyone will be correct in this mess other than sheer luck. Nobody has lived through this type of market. The press attributes the rally to the vaccine. Let’s be honest here, that is propaganda. The Dow took the lead only because of international capital flows.

All next summer we have Directional Changes and a Panic Cycle in August 2021 when the German elections may be postponed. Because the Great Reset is going full-steam-ahead in Europe and the USA is lagging behind, the capital flows can still come to the US under Biden only because Europe is worse. But this does not look like it will end well come 2022.

For now, equities appear OK. But Schwab’s “STAKEHOLDER” economics combined with his “you will own nothing and be happy“, that is a lethal combination that would imply the end of free markets and even shares. Socrates clearly shows they will not be successful and in the process of destroying our Western economies with these lockdowns. This is an invitation to international war. The only thing that has created peace is not nuclear weapons. It has been our consumer-based economies that have benefited China and Russia. Destroy our economies trying to “build back better” is an invitation to war for then China and Russia have nothing to lose but to respond with violence given these people trying to subject them as well to this Great Reset.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce yesterday said the Australian flag carrier would implement the measure once a coronavirus vaccine was made available to the public. He predicted the rule would become standard practice around the world as governments and airlines consider introducing electronic vaccination passports for a bogus virus with a 99% survival rate like the common cold which is also a coronavirus. World trade will be coming to an abrupt shock. These people are really changing the world and it will not be anything that we would expect. Worse still, they NEVER made this an issue for the people to ever approve. This is tyranny in its worse form.

Nov 27 2020

Experience is the teacher of all things


Armstrong Economics Blog/Opinion Re-Posted Nov 27, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: You frequently explain that economic understanding can only come from personal experience, not a degree. In his book, Memories of Summer, the baseball writer Roger Kahn interviews the great Willie Mays in the 1950s, and Mays explains his success: “… nobody can teach you nothing like you can learn yourself… nobody can write a book that will teach you… you got to learn for yourself and you go do it your way.”
SH

REPLY: Yes. I can write and point out the connections. But you have to see them yourself. I have also pointed out that your trading LOSSES are more valuable than your wins. The reason is we all learn from our mistakes unless you are a politician or a leftist who prefers to blame others. The wins we just pat ourselves on the back and never question was it skill or just luck.

One of my favorite people in history was Julius Caesar (100-44BC). He has been the victim of fake news which called him a dictator when he was a man who defended the people against a corrupt oligarchy (see Anatomy of a Debt Crisis). Ut est rerum omnium magister usus (“Experience is the teacher of all things” or more generally “experience is the best teacher“) is a quote attributed to Julius Caesar in De Bello Civile, the war commentaries of the Civil War.

I was impressed by his writings as a young student as was the case with Marcus Aurelius and his Meditations along with Aristotle and Plato.

Oct 5 2020

Marty is OK


Armstrong Economics Blog Posted Oct 4, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT:  Mr. Armstrong,
I missed your writings this weekend 😊. I hope all is well with you. I am saying this because you have posted only videos and the last time this occurred, you were held hostage  in the hospital for corona virus testing. Thus, I trust that this is not the case this time and both your health and mood – yes ,your mood 😉 – are sound at this time. We are at a moment where we are all trying to keep a sound mind. It is becoming too much! Every time I read the news it is depressing and I guess we all feel the same. There is this vibe of despair and restlessness in the air that is very overpowering. We all need a respite from all this madness and subjugation over our lives; it is pure chaos and never ending really. I hope you find a way in your everyday to mitigate the anxiety you might have, if any. If I may say, you have picturesque surroundings to wake up to everyday, such as a beautiful, calming sea that can bring serenity just by looking at it and can also provide a tranquil walk by the water. These are simple things that nature provides us with to connect to her and alleviate our well-being.
As always Mr. Armstrong, I wish you good health and many blessings to you and your loved ones.
AG

REPLY: No, I am OK. Just finished writing a special report on Gold & Silver. Sent it off for editing. Today, I am working on the next on about Climate Change, Pole Flips, and 2032. I have so much to get done. I have been working every day for at least 15 hours.

I ended up getting a French Bulldog I suppose because traveling has become impossible. I also take walks on the beach to remind me how spectacular nature really is. Of course, these people would blame that on something humans did. They just do not believe in nature or God.Categories:Economics

Sep 20 2020

Never Give Up


Armstrong Economics Blog/Human Rights

Posted Sep 20, 2020 by Martin Armstrong