Coming To A Head

Erupting,

  When societal change is suppressed for a long time, it comes very suddenly when the blocking measures finally fail. It looks to me like 2024 is shaping up as one of those years, a year like 1968. 1968 saw the paradigm shift of American attitudes from support to rejection of the Vietnam War, the assassinations of pacifists Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and the effective resignation of Lyndon Johnson from the US presidency, in the face of vast popular rejection of his war policies. 

  In the spring of 1968 French student revolt brought the French economy to a standstill and unseated the government. The wartime policies of WW-2, and remnants of colonialism, had been rejected as a mode of routine governance.

  Colonialism was progressively rejected in the post WW-2 era, and its successor, global financial neocolonialism is now being resisted in the world, as it also becomes weakened by its own erosive nature of value-extraction, which degrades economic productivity wherever it holds sway.

  The neoliberal, neocolonial global financial capitalist system, facilitated by covert regulatory-capture of governments, degrades the economic periphery first, and also degrades the core governments and economies, the seats of global empire. 

  Whatever regional economy  degrades to the point of crumbling or collapsing is then bankrupted and stripped of productive assets. Remaining local production centers are taken for pennies on the dollar as payment for loans in-arrears, by global capital-consortia. The global "capital" is conveniently created by global capital centers, such as in New York and London, not through actual creation of physical goods and services. This cycles productive enterprise into creating "shareholder value", which is stripped away, rather than being re-invested into productive infrastructure like factories, roads, railroads and powerplants.

  These same forms of financial asset-stripping, leave productive citizens and businesses destitute, and still in debt in the core economies, like the US, UK, Germany and France, after the periphery is looted. This process is already well advanced.

  Competing systems have arisen along the lines of nationally directed economies, such as that of the US in the early 20th century, Germany before and after the wars, and Japan. Russia and China have taken up economic nationalism in their own post-collapse periods, still ongoing. This model is very appealing to financially colonized countries in the "global south". India is notably struggling between forces of economic nationalism and global financial neoliberalism. Turkey is in a similar position, leaning towards nationalism, but embattled. Iran is eager to excel within the anti-colonialist BRICS+ consortium, as it becomes more active and assertive in global trade.

  International financiers still need to keep the productive citizens and businesses of the world in adversarial relations to each other, and compliant with global capital, in order to retain their control of their corrosive system of wealth extraction. Their "money is still good" at this moment in time, so bribes and dividends can be paid by the money-pool in their global Ponzi scheme. 

  How long before that financial bubble from 2008 pops for the final time? This year? How early in the year? Can you predict the trigger? I can't. Derivatives are part of it, though.

  Ellen Brown,  Fixing Derivatives Time Bomb The “protected class” is granted “safe harbor” only because their bets are so risky that to let them fail could crash the economy. But why let them bet at all? ​  This is a sequel to a Jan. 15 article titled "Could a Derivatives Crisis Trigger Another 2008-Like Banking Collapse?", discussing the threat of a 2024 “black swan” event that could pop the derivatives bubble. That bubble is now over ten times the GDP of the world and is so interconnected and fragile that an unanticipated crisis could trigger the collapse not just of the bubble but of the economy. To avoid that result, in the event of the bankruptcy of a major financial institution, derivative claimants are put first in line to grab the assets—not just the deposits of customers but their stocks and bonds. This is made possible by the Uniform Commercial Code, under which all assets held by brokers, banks and “central clearing parties” have been “dematerialized” into fungible pools and are held in “street name.”​ ...
..Why not just shut down the casino? Prof. Stout’s suggested solution is for Congress to return to the pre-2000 rule under which speculative derivative bets were not enforceable in court. That would include reversing the “superpriority” privileges in the Bankruptcy Act of 2005 and the Dodd-Frank Act. But it won’t be a quick fix, as Wall Street and our divided Congress can be expected to put up a protracted fight.... ,,(Professor Lubin's) proposed solution is for Congress to make legislative provision for nationalizing any bankrupt exchange, brokerage or Central Clearing Counterparty before it fails. This is something to which our gridlocked Congress might agree... ..Another alternative that not only could work but could fix Congress’s budget problems at the same time is to impose a 0.1% tax on all financial transactions... ..There are other possible solutions to customer title concerns. There is no longer a need for the archaic practice of holding all securitized assets in the street name of Cede & Co...​ The states of Delaware and Wyoming have explored maintaining corporate lists of stockholders on a state-run blockchain; but predictably, the measures were opposed. The practice of holding assets in street name has proven very lucrative for the DTCC’s member brokers and banks, as it facilitates short selling and the “rehypothecation” of collateral.​..
.."The good news is, this “great taking” can be stopped at the state level. Americans don’t need to count on a divided Congress to get the job done. Because the UCC is state law, state lawmakers can take concrete steps to restore the property rights of their constituents and protect them in the event of a financial crisis.
​  On Monday, South Dakota legislators introduced a bill that would do just that. The legislation would ensure that individual investors have priority over securities held by brokerage firms and other intermediaries.
​  It would also alter jurisdictional provisions so that cases are determined in the state of the individual investor, rather than the state of the broker, custodian or clearing corporation. This would ensure that individual investors are able to rely on the laws of their local state."
https://ellenbrown.com/2024/02/16/defusing-the-derivatives-time-bomb-some-proposed-solutions/

  Pepe Escobar, Axis of Resistance: from Donbass to Gaza
The resistance in Donbas and Gaza share an essential common vision: overthrowing the unipolar hegemon that has quashed their national aspirations. ​  NATO’s cosmic humiliation-in-progress in the steppes of Novorossiya is mirrored by the Anglo–American–Zionist combo sleepwalking into a larger conflagration throughout West Asia – frantically insisting they don’t want war while bombing every Axis of Resistance vector except Iran (they can’t, because the Pentagon gamed all scenarios, and they all spell out doom).
​  Scratch the veneer of who’s in power in Kiev and Tel Aviv, and who pulls their strings, and you will find the same puppet masters controlling Ukraine, Israel, the US, the UK, and nearly all NATO members.​.. ..The Axis of Resistance “swarm” in West Asia has barely started and still carries a slew of military and economic cards yet to come into play. The Slavic Axis of Resistance has been fighting nonstop for two years – and only now are they starting to glimpse a possible light, linked to the fall of Avdeevka, at the end of the (muddy) tunnel.
​  The resistance war is a global one, played out – so far – in only two battlefields. But their state supporters are formidable players on today's global chessboard and are slowly racking up victories in their respective domains. All while the enemy, the Hegemon, is in economic free-fall, lacks domestic mandates for its wars, and offers zero solutions. https://thecradle.co/articles/axis-of-resistance-from-donbass-to-gaza

​  The "United" States are being divided in every possible way, before being asset-stripped. It is not that hard to comprehend.  How Progressive Policies Are Designed For Civilizational Suicide https://www.zerohedge.com/political/how-progressive-policies-are-designed-civilizational-suicide

  Farmers are smarter than lawyers think. Farmers do winter chores before spring planting.   Spain and France: Farmers' protests continue In Spain, highways, ports and the border with France were blocked - French farmers carried out coordinated actions in front of government buildings - and took down the EU flag. https://transition--news-org.translate.goog/spanien-und-frankreich-bauernproteste-halten-an?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

​  Russian Media Thrilled By Biden's LNG "Gift" To Putin​ , This week, President Vladimir Putin praised President Joe Biden as a more experienced and predictable president than Donald Trump, hoping the 81yo president "with a poor memory" wins a second term. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-media-thrilled-bidens-lng-gift-putin

  (​Pravda is having fun f---ing with the American political machine.)   Putin wants Biden to stay in power to cause US empire to fall  Putin prefers Biden because he is ruining America from within https://english.pravda.ru/world/158969-putin_biden_trump/

  Charles Hugh Smith looks at an important aspect of the global rent-extracting economic system. The U.S. Housing Market: Rent-Serfs and Artificial Scarcity
Unleash the powers of unlimited credit and excess capital on a limited, essential resource such as shelter and this is what we end up with: artificial scarcity, rent-serfs and half-vacant neighborhoods owned by absentee landlords.
https://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-us-housing-market-rent-serfs-and.html

Teachers Sue Gavin Newsom Over Policy Forcing Them to Lie About Student’s Transgender Status to Parents https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/16/teachers-sue-gavin-newsom-being-forced-hide-students-transgender-status-parents/

​  Texas To Build Military "Base Camp" On Mexico Border To House 1,800 Soldiers ​  Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday announced that the Lone Star State will build a military base along the Rio Grand at the border city of Eagle Pass.
Spanning 80-acres, "Forward Operating Base Eagle" will house upwards of 1,800 Texas National Guard soldiers supporting Operation Lone Star, and will be expandable to house 2,300. Texas Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer said the camp will have 300 beds by mid-April, and will add another 300 beds every month after that. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/texas-build-military-base-camp-near-mexico-border-house-1800-soldiers

ICC prosecutor threatens Israel with more LEGAL ACTION if it does not stop killing Palestinians in Rafah https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-02-16-icc-prosecutor-threatens-israel-action-rafah-killing-civilians.html

'Israel' committed 2,503 massacres in Gaza since Oct. 7: Media Office The Government Media Office in Gaza says the number of Gazans martyred or missing in the Israeli aggression has reached 35,775. https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--committed-2-503-massacres-in-gaza-since-oct--7--med

South Africa: “Israel” violates decisions of International Court of Justice https://en.ypagency.net/319083

Top UN court rejects South Africa request for more Gaza measures The UN’s top court Friday rejected South Africa’s request to put more legal pressure on Israel to halt a threatened offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah, saying it was “bound to comply with existing measures.”​  More than half of Gaza’s 2.4 million population have sought shelter there from Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip​. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2461431/world

War on Gaza: Patients die at hospital as France warns Israel against 'catastrophic' Rafah attack
Israel's foreign minister says it is coordinating with Egypt over fears of a refugee influx into Sinai https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-crisis-nasser-hospital-france-warns-israel-against-catastrophic-rafah-operation

Netanyahu Defiant After Biden Phone Call, Rejects Push For Palestinian State Following a Thursday phone call with US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is again pushing back against the intensifying international pressure ahead of Israel's planned ground assault on Rafah, which contains over a million refugees with nowhere to go. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/netanyahu-defiant-after-biden-phone-call-rejects-push-palestinian-state

Netanyahu rejects international pressure for Palestinian state Israel will not be pressured into accepting a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, following a Washington Post report that Israel’s main ally the United States was moving plans to establish a Palestinian state.
“Israel categorically rejects international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians,” said Netanyahu, in a statement published following a call with US President Joe Biden. “Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.” https://www.arabnews.com/node/2461101/middle-east

  ​Big Serge quote from yesterday: "Ultimately, foreign observers must understand that the Israeli-Arab conflict is practically predestined by the peculiar nature of the Israeli state. As both an Eschatological Garrison state and a Settler-Colonial enterprise, Israel is unable to relate normally with the Palestinians (who do not have a state at all), and the only way out of the jam is either an Israeli strategic defeat or the shattering of Gaza."

The Age of Zugzwang

  They are posturing. They don't want to be in Bibi's shoes, where they would have to take the blame for ordering the same unsuccessful war crimes Bib is now ordering. Gantz, Eisenkot threaten Netanyahu to dissolve Israeli War Cabinet ​  Israeli War Cabinet members former Security Minister Benny Gantz and former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the dissolution of the War Cabinet on Friday evening.
​  According to public Israeli broadcaster KAN, Gantz and Eisenkot issued their threat during a meeting held on Thursday, where they informed Netanyahu of their stance if he continues to make significant decisions without consulting them regarding the Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip.
​  They expressed their displeasure with Netanyahu's decision not to send another delegation to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for the prisoner swap negotiations, emphasizing that in this case, "the War Cabinet is becoming unnecessary." https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gantz--eisenkot-threaten-netanyahu-to-dissolve-israeli-war-c

'Israel' behind attack on Iranian gas pipelines, NYT claims One Western official tells The New York Times the strikes were major and symbolic, but their damage was relatively easy for Iran to repair and caused minimal harm to civilians. https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--behind-attack-on-iranian-gas-pipelines--nyt-claims

​  On Wednesday, the House passed a bill that prohibits the US from opening diplomatic relations with the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad and expands harsh sanctions on Syria to prevent other countries from normalizing with Syria.​   [Just confiscate all of Saudi Arabia's dollars! Show 'em who's boss!​]
​  The Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act passed in a vote of 389-32, demonstrating broad bipartisan support for the economic war against Syria.Only 28 Democrats and four Republicans voted against the bill. The legislation now heads to the Senate.
The bill was introduced asa reaction to Arab countries repairing relations with the Assad government and Syria being brought back into the Arab league. https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/15/house-passes-bill-to-work-against-countries-normalizing-with-syria/

​  (Hey,​Who remember​s French Indochina?) Lavrov calls for ending colonial dependence of 17 territories ​  Moscow is hosting the first Forum of Supporters for the Fight against Modern Neo-Colonialist Practices, which was organized by Russia’s ruling United Russia party. The forum is being attended by around 400 delegates representing leading political forces from African, Asian, CIS, Middle East, Latin American, and European countries, who will discuss ways to counter interference into sovereign affairs of states, destructive neocolonial practices, as well as issues of independence in political, financial, economic, information and other spheres.​    https://tass.com/politics/1747555

Egypt ditching US dollar – diplomats​, The North African nation has announced plans to use national currencies for trade with BRICS partners https://www.rt.com/africa/592558-egypt-dedollarization-trade-brics/

​Yesterday: Withdrawal had to be ordered because disorderly retreats and surrenders, including by Azov battalion were already underway. Major Victory For Russian Army As Ukraine Forces Flee Eastern City https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/major-victory-russian-army-ukraine-forces-flee-eastern-city

Today, Russia is blowing past Avd​iivka​, leaving a mass Ukrainian army grave. The fortunate Ukrainians are now Russian POWs. Zelensky is signing-treaties OUTSIDE Ukraine. Russian Victory In Avdiivka | The Orikhiv Offensive Started. Military Summary 2024.02.17

​  The Wuhan Cover-Up by RFK, Jr.: Review and Analysis​, Debbie Lerman Here’s how RFK, Jr. summarizes those effects:
​  Everyone has now seen that pandemics are another way for the military, intelligence, and public health services to expand their budgets and their power. In 2020, public health, defense, and intelligence agencies weaponized a [Covid-19] pandemic, resulting in unprecedented profits to Big Pharma and the dramatic expansion of the security/surveillance state, including a systemic abandonment of constitutional rights—effectively a coup d’état against liberal democracy globally. https://brownstone.org/articles/the-wuhan-cover-up-by-rfk-jr-review-and-analysis/

​  Study Finds 80% Of Americans Exposed To Fertility-Lowering Chemicals In Cheerios, Quaker Oats ​  According to a recent study, four in five Americans tested positive for an agricultural chemical found in several wheat and oat products, including brands like Cheerios and Quaker Oats.
​  The peer-reviewed study, published in the JESEE journal on Feb. 15, looked at urine samples from American citizens to determine their exposure to chlormequat chloride—a plant growth chemical. Exposure to the chemical can result in lower fertility and harm developing fetuses even at doses below acceptable levels set by regulators. Researchers detected chlormequat in 80 percent of urine samples collected between 2017 and 2023, with “a significant increase in concentrations for samples from 2023.”​  The chemical was detected in “92 percent of oat-based foods purchased in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios,” https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/study-finds-80-americans-exposed-fertility-lowering-chemicals-cheerios-quaker-oats

Caffeine: Blood-Brain Barrier Protection and SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic Properties
Caffeine's ability to protect the Blood-Brain Barrier also offers protection against neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Friday Hope: Caffeine: Blood-Brain Barrier Protection and SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic Properties

  ​A Midwestern Doctor, What Can a Multiple Sclerosis Charity Teach Us About Medical Propaganda?

Reviewing their recent unjust firing of a lifelong 90-year old volunteer in the name of "diversity, equality and inclusion." ​  Briefly, this video focuses on Fran, a 90 year-old woman who had spent 60 years of her life continually volunteering for the national Multiple Sclerosis Society and multiple MS supports groups because her (now deceased) husband had MS and had received numerous accolades over the years for her exemplary service. Recently this 90-year-old noticed people were starting to put pronouns after their names, didn’t understand why this was being done and then asked someone to explain it to her (but was confused by the explanation​). A few days later she was notified that she needed to leave the organization because she was “not inclusive” and therefore she was violating the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) standards of the organization.

What Can a Multiple Sclerosis Charity Teach Us About Medical Propaganda?

​  Meryl Nass MD thinks laughter might be the best medicine... Petite, delicate, grandmotherly Dr. Nass unsheathes her rapier-wit upon the Massachusetts Medical Board, which is attacking her for her prescriptions of "unapproved" antivirals for COVID, though she's had no license in that state for 25 years, because she might renew it some day.   Meryl's Pre-Crime in Massachusetts. ​  It seems there are no coincidences.  The universe has an impeccable sense of humor.  The part-time ER doctor who was the Maine Board's expert witness against me was named Dr. Faust.  I wondered what the French word "bouton" meant, and the answer was very surprising.  Hard to believe.  But the Cambridge dictionary insists it is so.  It means "zit" in French.  If I had a name like that, I'd be a mean son of a gun too.
​  So, now my lawyers have a fourth "matter" to address.  Mr. Bouton spins his wheels.  And the citizens of Massachusetts are paying to be protected from a rogue ex-doctor in her seventies who might someday wish to come back to the Commonwealth to prey on them, especially if another pandemic happened and patients seeking care needed to be protected from themselves, since, you know, medicines can kill you!

Meryl's Pre-Crime in Massachusetts.

​Addressing Blemishes (pictured last week with pile of pruned branches)