Tag Archives: U. S. Regionalism

Jun 29 2022

Feminine Product Shortage Fuels War on Women


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ethics Re-Posted Jun 28, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Essential feminine products are in short supply. A few girls I know laughed and said that they could have told me this a year ago before the topic reached the headlines. One complained that she traveled to three different stores to find her preferred brand. A shortage of cotton and plastic items has led to a slowdown in tampon manufacturing. This is not a good time of the month to anger half of the population.

Both CVS and Walgreens acknowledged the shortages and promised to increase supply. A spokesperson for the tampon manufacturing company Tampax, owned by P&G, said that they are “producing tampons 24/7 to meet the increased demand for our products.” Instacart, a grocery and drugstore delivery service, noted that tampon orders dropped to 67% last week and panic buying of bulk orders rose 29% week over week.

Adding to the war on women, feminine product prices have risen 10% in the past year according to NielsenIQ. Let us not forget the “pink tax” – women’s products were already 42% higher than products marketed to men. Before the world fell apart, women paid $1,300 per year more on average for the same products as men. That amount is much higher now. Worsening matters, most states in the US add a “luxury tax” to tampons and other essential feminine products. Yet, numerous companies and universities are stocking men’s restrooms with tampons to appeal to the woke culture.

New York estimated that it lost $14 million in annual revenue after repealing the tampon tax in 2016. California voted to suspend the tampon and diaper tax for two years, with an estimated loss of $55 million. Governments should not be using women’s bodies for their budgets. Our newest Supreme Court justice refuses to define “woman,” but the government is taking advantage of our daughters, wives, and sisters with little pushback for what is blatant discrimination.

Jun 29 2022

The J6 Committee Went Full Jussie Smollett Today and It is Hilarious


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 29, 2022 | Sundance

Either J6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson is currently working for Donald Trump in a weird effort to make the J6 committee look absolutely silly, or Cassidy Hutchinson is the latest Jussie Smollett or Christine Blasey-Ford.   Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony was so outlandish only the most intellectually deficient left-wing loons could or would believe it.

Ms. Hutchinson claimed she heard a story from some unknown person that President Trump was so insistent on traveling to the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, that he assaulted his secret service detail and grabbed the steering wheel on the presidential limousine.   She heard it from someone, who heard it from someone, and so Ms. Hutchinson was pushed in front of the J6 cameras to proclaim it.

The claim is so silly, it was impossible to believe.  Yet the congressional committee media ran with it, and the media promoted the story, because Trump.

Within minutes of Cassidy Hutchinson’s unsubstantiated claims, the secret service was refuting it.  Even NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander was forced to refute it.  “A source close to the Secret Service tells me both Bobby Engel, the lead agent, and the presidential limousine/SUV driver are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted, and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel.” he tweeted.  Whoops.

Ms. Hutchinson also completely fabricated a story when she claimed she wrote a note with dictation from Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.  ABC reported, “At Tuesday’s Jan. 6 committee hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney displayed a handwritten note which Hutchinson testified she wrote after Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows handed her a note card and pen to take his dictation.”  Only there’s a problem, she never wrote it.

ABC News  – Former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann is claiming that a handwritten note regarding a potential statement for then-President Donald Trump to release during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was written by him during a meeting at the White House that afternoon, and not by White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. (more)

As John Cardillo noted on Twitter, “Junior nobody Hutchinson testified under oath that Tony Ornato told her that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limo. Ornato, a 23-year veteran of the USSS is stating unequivocally that it never happened.  Ornato is currently the Asst. Director of Training for the United States Secret Service.” 

I can say from first-hand experience dealing with the committee staff, they will believe any outlandish claim regardless of how ridiculous it is.  It appears everything they hear that could possibly be spun as anti-Trump, regardless of how outlandish it might seem, is accepted as congressional evidence and used to construct their narrative.

However, the problem the J6 committee has with this approach is the bizarro-world echo-chamber they work in.  There is no one in the room when these outlandish ideas are promoted that says, “wait, stop are you sure this is real?”  And because there’s no common sense being applied, the feeding frenzy of Moonbat foolishness just spreads throughout the committee agenda.

For the most part, the J6 narrative engineers genuinely are nuts selling foolishness to their anti-Trump sheeple followers as reality.

The only counter narrative approach these J6 idiots deserve is strong mockery.

Jun 29 2022

San Antonio Human Smuggling Death Toll Rises to 51 as White House Says the Border is Closed


Posted originally on the conservative tree house June 28, 2022 | Sundance 


The death toll in the human smuggling operation involving a tractor trailer filled with illegal aliens has risen to 51 people. Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon said on Twitter that among the victims were 22 Mexican nationals, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans.

TEXAS – […] Bexar County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores said the death toll has risen to 51 people during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Initially, 46 people were found dead in the trailer Monday and 16 people were hospitalized, authorities said.

The death count was the highest ever from a smuggling incident in the United States, according to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio.

“This is a horror that surpasses anything we’ve experienced before,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “And it’s sadly a preventable tragedy.”

The Baptist Health System in San Antonio received five patients and two have since died, spokesperson Natalie Gutierrez told USA TODAY. She said three remained in critical condition.

Two people were taken to University Hospital in San Antonio, including an adolescent male and a 23-year-old woman, the University Health System said on Twitter. Both were in critical condition. (read more)

Press Conference:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=eFmCQJ6I_fo%3Ffeature%3Doembed

The White House released the following statement:

The tragic loss of life in San Antonio, Texas that took place yesterday is horrifying and heartbreaking.  Our prayers are with those who lost their lives, their loved ones, as well as those still fighting for their lives. As always, I am grateful for the swift work of all of the Federal, state, and local first responders.

While we are still learning all the facts about what happened and the Department of Homeland Security has the lead for the investigation, initial reports are that this tragedy was caused by smugglers or human traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit to make a profit.

This incident underscores the need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths. In Los Angeles two weeks ago, I announced that the United States has launched a first-of-its kind anti-smuggling campaign with our regional partners.  In the first three months, we have made over 2,400 arrests, and that work will only intensify in the months ahead.  

Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my Administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry. (link)

White House Spokesperson Karine Jeane-Pierre was questioned about the events and delivered a weird response claiming the border is closed:

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, 46 people died — right? — in the state of Texas, and so — and others, as I just mentioned, are still fighting for their lives.

So we’re still learning their names.  Their families are still learning they lost loved ones, as when a tragic situation normally happens.  We’re focused on them, on the facts, and holding the human strugglers [smugglers] who endangered vulnerable individual — individuals for profits accountable.

And we’re — and we’re focused on continuing our historic actions to disrupt dangerous smuggling networks, including through a new anti-smuggling campaign that just in the first two months resulted in over 1,800 arrests.  But the fact of the matter is the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks. (read more) 

Jun 29 2022

Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years for Her Role in Epstein Sex Abuse Operation


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 28, 2022 | Sundance 

In December of last year Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of conspiracy, sex trafficking and transporting a minor to engage in illegal sex acts.  Today, six months later, she received her sentence, 240 months’ imprisonment.

New York – Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite who was convicted late last year of helping financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison.

“A sentence of 240 months is sufficient and no graver than necessary,” U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan said while issuing the verdict.

Nathan addressed those gathered inside the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, including Maxwell and some of her victims.

“Ms. Maxwell directly and repeatedly and over the course of many years participated in a horrific scheme,” Nathan said. “Ms. Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable.”

The judge said that Maxwell, 60, played a “pivotal” role facilitating “heinous and predatory” abuse. Nathan also imposed a $750,000 fine, the maximum amount possible under the law.  Outside the courthouse, Maxwell’s lawyer told reporters she plans to appeal.  (read more)

The question remains… Who were the clients?

Jun 29 2022

U.S. and Canada Tell G7 That Climate Change Policy is More Important Than Feeding People


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 28, 2022 | Sundance

Say what you will about Boris Johnson, but he does proffer pragmatic solutions to problems.

With a pending global food shortage only looking worse by the day British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed to use biofuel farmland to grow food that can be consumed by people.

German Chancellor Olaf Schulz is also supporting the plan. However, Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau have denounced the effort to expand food production in the U.S. and Canada and blocked the framework from G7 policy.

WASHINGTON – […] Mr Johnson will address G7 leaders at a summit in Germany and ask them to repurpose land currently used for crop-based biofuels to grow more food.

The Prime Minister believes using less green fuel would dampen soaring food prices and help avert famines in poorer countries that rely heavily on Ukrainian grain blockaded in ports by Russia.

However, Mr Biden’s officials made it clear on Sunday that Washington will attempt to block the plans in a bid to protect US farmers and avoid jeopardising climate commitments.

Downing Street sources admitted that Mr Johnson’s plan would fail without the support of all G7 nations. The Telegraph understands Germany is backing the plan, but it has been rebuffed by the US and Canada. (read more).

North American farmers, experts in crop efficiency and production, could easily fill the gap on any missing food products from Ukraine.  Unlike Europe North America has more than one annual crop cycle each year.  We are fortunate in our abundance.  However, the multinational corporations, Big Ag, would need to see support from U.S. and Canadian agriculture policy before expanding production for food.

The Biden administration has already increased the mandate for biofuel ethanol and is charging gasoline refineries more money if they do not use 15% ethanol (E15) year-round. This Biden administration E15 mandate, or pay a fee, is part of what has driven up the price of gasoline.

The EPA enforces the biofuel standard by requiring refineries to submit purchase credits (known as Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proving they purchased ethanol or biofuel to mix with refined gasoline. {Go Deep}

This enforcement requirement sets up a system where the RIN credits are bought and sold by small refineries who do not have or want the infrastructure to do E15 blending.  Those refineries purchase second-hand RIN credits from parties that blended or imported biofuels directly. This sets up a secondary income stream, a trading market for the larger oil companies, refineries and importers.

[NOTE: The RIN credit trading platform is similar to what we might expect to see if the ‘Carbon Trading’ scheme was ever put into place.]   However, now that the summer biofuel requirements for blended gasoline have gone from 10% to 15%, the price of the RIN credits has increased.  This costs refineries billions in additional expenses,…. which means the cost of non E15 gasoline from the refineries has increased…. which means the price of non E15 gasoline at the pump has increased.

If the U.S. and Canada were really concerned about food insecurity and the potential for famine, Joe Biden would drop the E15 requirement (the term “waiver” is a misnomer in this policy that actually means government requirement) then less biofuel would be needed and less RIN credits would need to be purchased.  This would allow North American farmers to produce food crops for people and would simultaneously drop the price of gasoline (no RIN credits needed).

However, the U.S. (Biden) and Canada (Trudeau) will not generate more food for people because that would undercut the effort for climate change.

Maintaining the climate change agenda is more important than feeding people, according to Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden.

Jun 29 2022

French President Macron Tells Joe Biden That Begging Saudi Arabia for More Oil Won’t Help, The Saudis are at Maximum Production – Video


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 28, 2022 | Sundance

Video has surfaced showing French President Emmanuel Macron informing Joe Biden that asking Saudi Arabia for more oil will not help the current situation and the global energy crisis Joe Biden has created.

The video is from an impromptu conversation at the G7 Summit in Germany.  After a minute, Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan steps in and tells the group they need to go inside and have this conversation because the media can hear and see what they are discussing.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=H4SMTgeiLwo%3Ffeature%3Doembed

The larger issue comes down to a catastrophic energy agenda by Joe Biden made worse by U.S. foreign policy.  Biden has killed the U.S. oil and gas industry driving up the price of energy which is having horrific consequences as consumer prices skyrocket.  Simultaneous to this bad domestic energy policy, Biden has placed sanctions against Russian oil and gas with the backdrop of preexisting sanctions against Iran and Venezuela.

No oil/gas from Russia, no oil/gas from Iran, no oil/gas from Venezuela and now less oil/gas from the United States.  The western alliance is trying to push the climate change agenda while cutting off their own access to cheap energy supplies.   THIS is the primary source of what has been called “global inflation,” it is a self-inflicted wound against the citizens in the western nations.

French President Emmanuel Macron telling the installed occupant of the White House that Saudi Arabia cannot produce more oil for at least six months.

Jun 28 2022

Kremlin: NATO Preparing for War with Russia


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Jun 28, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

(Footage from Operation Barbarossa, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War)

I have warned that Russia has felt as if it were on the defensive. They feel that the West and NATO have aligned against them and infringed on their sovereignty. Pope Francis made similar comments when he said that Russia was perhaps “provoked” and invaded Ukraine once they felt backed into a corner from which there was no escape.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently stated that he fears NATO and the West are planning to eventually wage war with Russia. The European Union (EU) recently granted candidacy status to Ukraine after denying them entry for years. They know Ukraine’s debt will be unpayable after the war without Russian reparations which will likely cripple the Russian economy. The war would have ended months ago if Western powers did not intervene and continually provide billions in funding. They are not simply doing a good deed – there is a reason behind their involvement.

Lavrov compared the situation to June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was surprised by the attack, but Germany was not alone. Troops from Romania and Finland helped Germany invade, and later forces from Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia were brought in to fight all the way to the outer areas of Moscow.

“Hitler rallied a significant part, if not most, of the European nations under his banner for a war against the Soviet Union,” Lavrov said. “[N]ow, the EU together with NATO are forming another—modern—coalition for a standoff and, ultimately, war with the Russian Federation.” Everyone disregards these remarks simply because they cannot fathom comparing a Jewish identifying leader (Zelensky) to Hitler despite the fact that Zelensky has been seen alongside modern-day Nazi coalitions.

Jun 28 2022

Global Energy Cleaving Continues, Iran and Argentina Apply to Join BRICS Economic Partnership


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 27, 2022 | Sundance

Jun 27 2022

A Pink Insurrection


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Jun 27, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Abortionists stormed the Wisconsin state capitol building. They interrupted an ongoing special session and demanded that lawmakers overturn their rulings, interrupting a democratic process with screams and chants. There will be no news of this in the mainstream media. There will not be a January 6 manhunt for anyone who “stormed” the capitol.

Anyone who entered or even attended the January 6 protest has been tracked down and arrested. They claimed that the protestors on January 6 were violent, which could not be farther from the truth. This group backed by Planned Parenthood has a violent past. One supporter already tried to kill a Supreme Court justice, while others have burned down churches and businesses that do not support their beliefs. Will the lawmakers at the capitol cry on television like AOC and Pelosi and claim they feared for their lives? No. Did anyone care when a man with zip ties, a knife, and a gun attempted to enter the home of Justice Kavanaugh? No.

The left is permitted to commit crimes and terrorize the country with zero repercussions.

Jun 27 2022

Who is Leading America?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Jun 27, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

This picture circulating the internet is a clear indicator that President Joe Biden is NOT leading America. We already knew he was a puppet, but the simple commands on this notecard lead me to believe that he may be in the early stages of dementia.

In 2020, I was invited to Mar-a-Lago to watch former President Trump speak to a small audience. He walked on stage and said that although they would prefer he read from the script, he would speak candidly to the audience. He touched on hot-topic issues and was completely alert and open to answering questions that were not pre-screened. They would have physically removed Joe Biden from the stage if he attempted such a stunt.

I have never been asked to read from a script when meeting with clients, nor have I seen anyone come to the table or podium with such a detailed outline for basic human interaction. It is completely absurd. Throughout all my years, I have never seen such incompetence, and this latest example actually makes me pity the president.

The commands on this “Offshore Wind Drop-By Sequence of Events” are frightening. Joe Biden needs to be directed to complete simple tasks such as taking his seat, asking a question, and departing. YOU should not have raised this card in a room filled with reporters! This is why even the leftist media is questioning his mental health. The ship is sinking, and no one is behind the helm. If he cannot complete simple mundane tasks, he cannot rule the world’s leading economy. He probably shouldn’t even be left home alone. Anyone who still believes that Joe Biden is fit for the presidency is simply unwilling to admit they were wrong.