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For such a time as this: putting the Covid puzzle together  S3.1 It's information warfare

1/26/2021

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​For such a time as this: An investigation of Covid-19 and the war against humanity ©
 Calvin Mulligan, Futurescapes21C All rights reserved. 2021
 Posted January 26, 2021, Rev. Feb2, 3.
​
PART Three: Putting the Covid puzzle together
3.1 It’s information warfare; Covid-19 is a sophisticated and highly successful psy op designed to bring about our acceptance of the "vaccine solution" sales pitch in preparation for the next phase of the globalists' plan
 
“I was told in 1993 that there would be an information war in 2020, and I wondered, ‘an information war…what would that be?’ But we’re in the middle of that now.” – Dr. Elke F. De Klerk
 

A veteran pathologist and medical entrepreneur describes the Covid-19 project as the “biggest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public in human history.” One of the questions analysts and historians will be asking  for years to come regarding the Covid campaign is: “How”? How were the Powers That Be able to pull off a massive worldwide deception without alerting the public to its plans? 
 
A blogger who goes by the name Shoshoni put the question this way:
 
“How did the mainstream media, the intelligence agencies, the petty tyrants of State and local governments, the medical establishment and the elites turn the population of the of the planet into “obsessive compulsive neurotics” and create the “Mass Hysteria” that is now the world that we live in?”
 
The short answer is that they used a combination of powerful propaganda methods and tools to achieve mass mind control. Covid-19 is a sophisticated psychological operation. The majority of people are unknowing casualties of a powerful 24/7 propaganda machine. It’s world-inverting mind-warping assaults can leave you disoriented and doubting your sanity. Propaganda was the original term for the more euphemistic label, public relations. The man widely regarded as the founding father of the discipline is Edward L. Bernays. Bernays was quite  candid regarding the role of propaganda/PR in shaping human behaviour and modern society.
 
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. 
 
…....In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” (Propaganda)
 
Thus, “the news” is not what it appears to be. James F. Tracy, writing in Global Research in January of 2018 says: “Since the end of World War Two, the Central Intelligence Agency has been a major force in US and foreign news media exerting considerable influence over what the public sees, hears and reads on a regular basis.” That’s an understatement. A friend and long time student of deep politics asserts that by the end of the WWII, the Deep State (includes CIA) had pretty much finessed the art and science of mass mind control. If so, one can only try to imagine how much more advanced its tools and capabilities are today. UK MP, Lord Sumption flagged the overwhelming influence of PR in shaping policy regarding coronavirus management in his country stating: “PR has taken over from serious policy making.” Indeed and we are all paying the price..
 
The weaponizing of fear
Fear, as one sage described it, is the great "mind killer." Its use is integral to modern politics where it's applied in liberal quantities to manage the masses. Former Baltimore Sun editor, H. L. Mencken put it this way:
 
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.” (Goodreads) 

​Okay, but did you know that fear is also an acceptable marketing tool in the health care industry? Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist, has analyzed the science of pandemic fear mongering. He prefaces his analysis by pointing out that there’s “an entire school of research within the public health sector on how to frighten people known as the ‘fear appeal’.” Isn’t that inspiring? (sarcasm).
 
Briefly, here’s how unsuspecting citizens are reduced to a state of dependent desperation using the “fear appeal” tactic:
  • “Fear appeal is based on the premise that to successfully implement a public health measure, you must first highlight a threat. And, to work, the threat must be made personal, so that people fear for their personal safety.
 
  • Next, you give people something immediate to do that will set them on the path of cooperating with the plan in its entirety. Examples during the COVID-19 pandemic include not leaving your house, wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart, closing certain businesses and keeping children home from school. In the future, we can expect to be told we must get vaccinated and digitally tracked before we can resume life as normal.
 
  • By adding confusion to the mix, you can bring an individual from fear to anxiety — a state of confusion in which you can no longer think logically. In this state, you are more easily manipulated.
 
  • Eventually, when the fear and anxiety are great enough, desperation sets in, at which point people are willing to do just about anything to get relief.” (my italic)
 
It sounds like an apt description of what citizens have experienced over the past year. Trusting citizens have been assaulted non-stop with hyperbolic projections of mortality rates, distorted statistics, theatre and lies from the outset. The fear-making factories have been working overtime.
 
Professional fear mongers don’t hesitate to use dark imagery and theatrics to gain control of their subjects' minds. My guess is that we’ve only begun to plumb the depths of the  deceptions that have undergird the official Covid narrative. One of the more emotionally   charged deceptions is that of the media interviews with nurses solemnly telling the public their hospitals are overflowing with Covid patients. Unsuspecting citizens were supposed to believe that
a fall Covid surge, if unchecked, would push hospital capacity to the breaking point. The rationale for a December UK lockdown was based in part on such a premise.
 
Well, it wasn't really the case. A December 20, 2020 Daily Mail article reports that the new Nightingale Hospitals, presumably built for this purpose, remained empty as of that date. The article states that Nightingale hospitals built in London, Manchester, Exeter and Harrogate “are largely deserted.” (Daily Mail, December 20, 2020). For a citizen video tour of empty wings of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital see: Here’s the video that got the British Woman arrested for simply filming…hospital” (State of the Nation). Here’s a tour of the parking lot of another one of those allegedly overwhelmed hospital. This one is located in my home province in Steinbach, Manitoba. (CBC says this Manitoba Hospital is overwhelmed, Rebel News, November 20, 2020)
And, here's a citizen video tour of the empty emergency wing entrance of E.R. Sibley Hospital in  Washington D.C., another of the supposedly "overflowing" Covid hospitals. https://uncoverdc.com/2021/01/25/have-400000-americans-died-of-covid-19/


Lies, damned lies and statistical BS
The overflowing hospitals stories are just a taste of the Covid lies. Now, let's consider the statistics. Professor Neil Ferguson framed the hyperbolic threat of the Covid monster with his  now infamous March 16, 2020 Imperial College paper. The paper projected over 500,000 deaths in the UK and 2.2 million in the US if suppression measures were not introduced. Panic would become the order of the day and it went viral. 
 
Fraudulent statistics were then, and remain an essential feature of the Covid psy op. Ross Clark of The Daily Mail scrutinized some key UK Covid metrics in a November 20/20 Daily Mail article. In pretty much every case, the official numbers Covid fuelling public panic was overstated, sometimes by several orders of magnitude.
 
Some examples:
How accurate was the government’s grim prediction?
 
Answer: “Not very.” A July report commissioned by Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, estimated that there could be 119,000 deaths if a second spike coincided with a peak of winter flu. As of November 19, 2020, the actual figure was less than one half that.
 
What about…prophecies on death?
 
Answer: “Its warnings simply don't bear any relation to reality.”
 
Are hospitals close to capacity?
 
Answer: 'no' – “contrary to what the Government experts would have you think after they last month published a chart that gave the impression that hospitals were close to overflowing, when at least half didn't have a single Covid-19 patient.

Currently, only 13 per cent of NHS beds are occupied by patients with Covid-19.”
 
How does it compare with last year?
 
Answer: Remarkably, as the graph shows, the number of NHS England beds currently occupied is lower than last year's average.
 
So who is Covid killing?
 
Answer: To put it simply, the victims are overwhelmingly the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.

Of the 37,470 Covid-19 deaths recorded by NHS England up to November 18, 53.7 percent were of people aged over 80.

In comparison, there have been just 275 deaths (only 0.7 per cent of the total) in people under 40. And crucially, those who have died from Covid-19 are overwhelmingly likely to have suffered from a pre-existing condition.

Of those who have died from coronavirus, 35,806 people (95.6 per cent of the total) had at least one pre-existing serious medical condition.

In fact, there have been just 42 deaths of people aged under 40 without a pre-existing condition.
 
Question: Are more dying now that last year?
 
Answer: Despite what the fear-mongers would have you think, deaths are not far above average for this time of year as the graph above shows. 
 
See: Covid UK: Plain facts about the risks, the death rate, and the NHS capacity: You’ve been had
 
US Covid metrics don’t stand up to scrutiny either. Corey Diggs investigated the hospital and death numbers fuelling panic. As of November 17, the total cumulative Covid-positive hospitalizations in the US stood at 517,471
Then he added some perspective and filled in the gaps left by the MSM.
 
Over 70% of that number recovered;
 
The CDC has clarified that only 6% of death certificates indicate that people died from Covid and the remaining 94% had on average 2.6 co-morbidities, (49.49% of all Covid-related deaths included pneumonia)
 
40% of all Covid-related deaths took place in hospice, long-term care facilities and nursing homes due to other causes.
 
(Covid-19 hospitalizations: Reality check, Corey’s Digs, November 24, 2020)
 
As the UK prepared to go into a second lockdown, Professor Carl Henneghan, director of Oxford University's Center for Evidence-Based Medicine voiced his concern regarding the hyperbole. He publicly stated that out of date data was being used as justification for the decision. Henneghan claimed that the data being used could overstate the death rate by 400%.
 
Fellow Brit, Dr. Mike Yeadon, Pfizer’s former Chief Science Officer, offers an explanation for the slightly elevated death numbers in the UK. It’s not because of the coronavirus in any direct sense. It’s because the access to timely hospital care for those with heart conditions, cancer and other serious illnesses has been limited because of the top prioritization given Covid. So, perversely these are Covid deaths, but not in the sense one might think.
 
Johns Hopkins University, the organization that was Covid data central throughout the so-called pandemic, revealed the manipulated death figures (now scrubbed from its website). Dr. Genevieve Briand, assistant program director of the Applied Economics master's degree program at Hopkins, critically analyzed the effect of COVID-19 on U.S. deaths using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in her webinar titled "COVID-19 Deaths: A Look at U.S. Data."
 
Briand’s key findings are best understood in light of the fact that the CDC classified all deaths that are related to COVID-19 simply as COVID-19 deaths. Patients dying from other underlying diseases but infected with COVID-19 were counted as COVID-19 deaths. Briand found:
  • COVID-19 had no effect on the percentage of deaths of older people, nor did it increase the total number of deaths. Covid has had relatively no effect on deaths in the United States.
 
  • the total decrease in deaths by other causes almost exactly equals the increase in deaths by COVID-19,  suggesting the COVID-19 death toll is misleading. (deaths due to heart diseases, respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia were instead recategorized as being due to COVID-19.)
 
  • there’s no evidence Covid-19 created any excess deaths. Total deaths aren’t above normal death numbers.
 
  • the over-exaggeration of the COVID-19 death number may be due to the constant emphasis on COVID-19-related deaths and the habitual overlooking of deaths by other natural causes in society. (Yanni Gu, John Hopkins University, SOTT)
 
Independent journalist, Celia Farber examines the Democrat Party talking point/accusation that Donald Trump is responsible for 400,000 American Covid deaths. Her research demonstrates that the number is an extreme amplification of questionable statistics. She concludes the entire Covid narrative is a masterful psy op. One of her sources is doctor Kevin Corbett (Ph. D), one of the doctors who has challenged the Cormen-Drosten PCR test paper. Dr. Corbett states:

“This paper joins the ranks of academic works around the world, all pointing to the same conclusion: They’re lying. They’re doing it very deliberately, and we all know statistics are a convenient tool of the Big Lie. At this point, the actual statistical and epidemiological case for Covid-19 being a real pandemic is closed. To honest people, it’s closed. We’re done.”

Farber's description of a psy op is equally important if we are to understand what's really been going on. It's unlikely that the standard dictionary definition of one captures its diabolical  ability to crush dissent, divide people and destroy relationships. 

"A PSYOP is a most dangerous thing—a fusion of reality, simulation, and projection. A form of a storm—monsoon or typhoon—that moves in fast, breaks and soaks, changes everything, and kills in a variety of ways.

Its guilt grip is so powerful, you will also be stripped of the right to reject or even resent it.  Powerful and merciless, it splits people, weaponizes our thoughts and feelings about one another, tears apart families, old friendships, gets people fired, and above all, makes everybody miserable." ​(Have 400,000 Americans died of Covid?) 


In the midst of a psy  op such as this one is left wondering where exactly the ethical boundaries of communication are and when the referees (if there are any) will call a vaccine marketing campaign and its architects "out of bounds." Dr. Anthony Fauci, Head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, certainly isn't the one to help uninformed citizens in this regard. Fauci treats the facts as pliable -- like putty capable of being shaped to fit the occasion. Famous for his flip-flopping on recommended protective Covid practices, Fauci has been called out for lying regarding the threshold required to achieve herd or community immunity. The issue is the percentage of the population that must acquire resistance to the coronavirus (either through infection or vaccination) in order for the disease to disappear.
 
Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge quotes Fauci: "When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent," he said, adding "Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85.” (Did Fauci just admit…”, December 25, 2020).
 
It sounds like a case of tailoring the “facts” to suit the political messaging. Powerful people in influential positions typically justify such deception on the basis of their commitment to noble ends. ("the end justifies the means” rationale) Fauci's use of the tactic exposes his commitment not to human health and well-being but to selling Covid vaccines. What was that Kary Mullis said about Fauci’s ability to lie?
 
The magician’s left hand..
The statistical sleights of hand continue. We have now learned that the CDC has cancelled flu data collection for the coming flu season. No explanation was provided for the change.
 
“Due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, this system will suspend data collection for the 2020-21 Influenza season.”
 
In response, Dr. David Samadi tweeted:
“Last year, in the fortieth week of the year, there were 1, 251 cases of the flu. This year, in the same week of the year there were only 61 reported cases of the flu.
 
This is from the CDC. Draw your own conclusions.” 6:03 am Oct 24, 2020.
 
It’s January 2021 and I am reading that the seasonal flu has all but disappeared. You could call it a miracle, but there’s a more likely explanation? While we’re allegedly in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic, seasonal flu numbers have fallen to near zero in cities like Denver, San Diego and elsewhere. (The Flu has disappeared, Political Psychology Series, YouTube)
 
This isn’t a coincidence. It’s time for serious investigation of covid data. A requirement for standardization of testing procedures and data management and analysis and public  across  transparency in reporting should be givens. And after that, there must demand accountability on the part of those that have abused public trust. My first candidate is California’s governor, Gavin Newsom who has retreated on his promise to provide data transparency. The state’s health department is now claiming the data would be too complicated for citizens to understand.
 
Time tested torture methods
The non-stop Covid fear mongering and repetitive “be safe,” harangues have worked marvelously from the perspective of  Covid Project managers. Perversely, the impact of the campaign on social cohesiveness and mental health has been devastating. There is however, an even darker element to the psychological manipulation being used to reduce people to desperation. One citizen journalist has found a parallel in the methods used by torturers. They commonly include:
 
Isolation techniques: Quarantines, social distancing, isolation from loved ones and solitary confinement
 
Monopolization of perception: Monopolizing the 24/7 news cycle, censoring dissenting views and creating barren environments by closing bars, gyms and restaurants
 
Degradation techniques:  Berating, shaming people (or even physically attacking) those who refuse to wear masks or social distance, or generally choose freedom over fear.
 
Induced debility: Being forced to stay at home and not be able to exercise or socialize.
 
Threats: Threatening with the removal of your children, prolonged quarantine, closing of your business, fines for noncompliance with mask and social distancing rules, forced vaccination and so on.
 
Demonstrating omnipotence/omniscience: Shutting down the whole world, claiming scientific and medical authority.
 
Enforcing trivial demands: Examples include family members being forced to stand 6 feet apart at the bank even though they arrived together in the same car, having to wear a mask when you walk into a restaurant, even though you can remove it as soon as you sit down, or having to wear a mask when walking alone on the beach.
 
Occasional trivial indulgence: Reopening some stores and restaurants but only at a certain capacity, for example. Part of the coercion plan is that indulgences are always taken away again, though, and they’re already saying we may have to shut down the world again this fall. (“The Plandemic and the medical tyranny…”)
 
As big and powerful as the Big Pharma propaganda machine already is, some people in high places see a need to bolster its capacity even more.  I recently learned the UN and the World Economic Forum plan to enlist 110,000 volunteers to promote a new campaign to control Covid-19 related discussion on social media. The UN’s  “#PledgetoPause” initiative is billed as “the first global behaviour-change campaign on misinformation.” It’s part of a larger initiative called Verified which “which recruits participants to spread ‘verified content optimized for social sharing” produced by the UN communications department.’ Translation: to push the official Covid narrative and discount and deflect critical thought and dissent.
 
Let's decode the message: The UN will employ a small army to protect the official establishment pro-vaccine narrative and censor competing views and information. Remember, for the Powers That Be, All is fair in love and in information war.  


The tragic  outcome of endless Covid propaganda
The implications of this relentless propaganda campaign are playing out with devastating consequences in our communities. Los Angelos psychiatrist, Dr. Mark McDonald, says America is at risk because so many of its citizens suffer from a delusional psychosis. It’s grown out of entrenched fear to the point fear has become “a new virtue.” Thus people now believe that they are doing good by turning against and turning in each other.
 
“We don’t need a police force. We don’t need a secret Stasi to go after the neighbor that isn’t wearing his mask on a park bench. We have families who are willing to do that.” 
 
McDonald adds:
Most disturbingly, the pandemic “hysteria” has reached the stage of “going beyond fear, going beyond the crazy itself, to what I would call group control”.
 
As in communist China, the government has turned citizens into a “de facto police force.” (State of the Nation)
 
Again, from the standpoint of the Powers that Be, this would be considered a measure of the success of the psy op. Remarkably, even well educated professionals, including members of the medical profession have succumbed.
 
A Missouri doctor told colleagues in an on-line discussion group, that he viewed those who don’t wear masks as equivalent to “enemy combatants” confirms McDonald’s analysis. The fact that several other doctors in the on-line discussion group joined in the demeaning of those who exercise their right to choose. The author of the article, the wife of one of doctors who retained his balance concludes:
 
The difference between a patriot and an “enemy combatant” has now been defined for us by a piece of paper attached to our ears by stretchy string.
 
“Dear Lord,” she asks, “what has happened to us?”
 
Self-appointed political pundit, C.J. Hopkin would likely answer her question by saying the masses have been inducted the “Covidian Cult” as he calls it. He makes a good case.
 
“Their initiation into the Covidian Cult began in January, when the medical authorities turned on The Fear with projections of hundreds of millions of deaths and fake photos of people dropping dead in the streets. The psychological conditioning has continued for months.
 
The global masses have been subjected to a constant stream of propaganda, manufactured hysteria, wild speculation, conflicting directives, exaggerations, lies and tawdry theatrical effects. Lockdowns. Emergency field hospitals and morgues. The singing-dancing NHS staff. Death trucks. Overflowing ICUs. Dead Covid babies. Manipulated statistics. Goon squads. Masks. And all the rest of it.” (The Covidian Cult, OpEd News.com, October 17, 2020)
 
The ultimate forms of human control to which all tyrannies aspire is a system that is invisible and undetectable. Barbara Marciniak describes such a system in her Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings of the Pleiadians. Haven’t the authors of the Covid Project by this measure largely achieved the “ultimate tyranny”?
 
“The ultimate tyranny in a society is not control by martial law. It is control by psychological manipulation of consciousness, through which reality is defined so that those who exist within it do not even realize that they are in prison. They do not even realize that there is something outside of where they exist. You have been controlled like sheep in a pen by those who think they own you – from the government to the World Management Team to those in space.”
 
There appears to be an element Stockholm Syndrome at work. The latter is described as: “a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them.”  What is more perverse that diverting the energies of captives into support for their captors? 
 
This devious kind of identification with one’s captors would explain the phenomenon of Covid vigilantism. You may have seen, for example, masked individuals angrily confronting maskless shoppers or passers-by because the aggressors believe the unmasked are endangering others' lives. These unofficial Covid enforcers are convinced that governments pushing inhumane lockdowns and social distancing constraints are only doing so because it is somehow for the greater good. This is despite the fact that scientific research, epidemiological bast practices and even the WHO say otherwise. 
 
Shoshoni sees the same factors at work in the case of Covid hysteria as those causing other psychological disorders including OCD, anorexia and bulimia and dissociative identity disorder. The conclusion: 
 
“Obsessive Compulsive Neurosis is a direct result of psychological torture and betrayal by someone with more power who is trusted and looked up to for protection by their victim.” (“Covid is a MK ultra psychological operation…) 
 
So a combination of fear, lies, theatre, intimidation and common torture tactics applied non-stop for months have taken a heavy toll. Many of our fellow citizens are now psychologically damaged by the diabolical Covid psy op. They are fearful, suspicious and dependent on “authorities" to lead them to an elusive state of “safety.” Some strongly align themselves with their captors’ agenda. They may find perverse gratification in demonizing and persecuting fellow citizens who reject the official narrative, ironically, in the interests of their health. They may also obsessively cling to the rules to the point of imposing damaging control or "protective" measures like masking on their family members including seniors and dependent children. The physical, psychological and social damage is incalculable.
 
As the late night infomercial huckster would say, “But there’s more.” Yes, the globalists have much more in mind for us, having invested heavily in the information war psy op. They are determined that the masses accept their DNA altering "vaccine" as a precursor to the next phase of their grand plan. Only "certificate of vaccination I.D.'d (COVID) citizens can be welcomed into their Great Reset fascist Utopia, the next subject of my investigation.
 
Note: 1. For more insights into the deceptions: the double counting, the conflating of various causes of death, twisted statistics, definitional sleights of hand and outright lies that have bombarded us, see Sources provided at the end of the paper. 

Note 2. Warfare, once limited to the cyber and physical dimensions, has now expanded its reach to include cognitive warfare. The newest battlefront or "operational dimension," Cognitive Warfare, is discussed at NATO's Innovation Hub website; https://www.innovationhub-act.org/

Sources:
3.0 Putting the puzzle pieces together
3.1 It’s information warfare; Covid-19 is a sophisticated psy op
 A psychiatrist exposes naked Covid scare-mongering, (Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola, State of the Nation, November 29, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=39089
 
H.L. Mencken quotes (Goodreads.com)
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/34764-the-whole-aim-of-practical-politics-is-to-keep-the
 
Propaganda (book) (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_(book)


Off the mark: Whitty and Vallance’s doomsday 4K daily Covid deaths versus what actually happened revealed (Mark Hodge, The Sun, December 1, 2020)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13343802/covid-daily-deaths-lower-government-predications/
 
SAGE Conflicts of Interest (Zoë Harcombe, zoeharcombe.com, SOTT, November 9, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444075-SAGE-conflicts-of-interest
 
Covid-19 Pt.1 – Hospitalizations – reality check (Corey’s Digs, November 24, 2020)
https://www.coreysdigs.com/health-science/covid-19-hospitalizations-reality-check/
 
Covid UK: Plain facts about the risks, the death rate, and the NHS capacity: You’ve been had
https://www.sott.net/article/444825-Covid-UK-Plain-facts-about-the-risks-the-death-rate-and-NHS-capacity-You-ve-been-had
 
Here’s the video that got a British woman arrested for simply filming inside of a Covid ‘overrun’ hospital (Simon Dolan #KBF, State of the Nation, December 31, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=44704
 
The Flu has disappeared, Political Psychology Series (YouTube November 24, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgL9DQ63LhU&feature=emb_logo
 
Mysterious disappearance of the flu in San Diego prompted call for audit of Covid records (21st Century Wire via Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge December 29, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/mysterious-disappearance-flu-san-diego-prompted-call-audit-covid-records?utm_campaign=&utm_content=Zerohedge%3A+The+Durden+Dispatch&utm_medium=email&utm_source=zh_newsletter
 
‘No evidence’ that asymptomatic Covid-19 cases were infectious, analysis of post-lockdown Wuhan concludes (RT, SOTT, November 21, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444654-No-evidence-that-asymptomatic-Covid-19-cases-were-infectious-analysis-of-post-lockdown-Wuhan-concludes
 
Britain’s deserted Nightingale hospitals. Doctors and Nurses at Facilities build to relieve strain on the NHS wait for patients to arrive as they still lie empty despite rising Covid cases amid new mutant strain (Henry Martin, Daily Mail, December 20, 2020) 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9072773/Britains-deserted-Nightingale-hospitals-Facilities-built-relieve-strain-empty.html
 
Did Fauci just admit he lied about herd immunity to trick Americans into vaccine? (Tyler Durden, December 25, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/did-fauci-just-admit-he-lied-about-herd-immunity-trick-americans-vaccine
 
UN enlists 110,000 volunteers to push ‘approved’ Covid-19 information online (Raymond Wolfe, Lifesite News, November 30, 2020)
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/un-enlists-110000-volunteers-to-push-approved-covid-19-information-online
 
A delusional psychosis is descending upon the American people (Leanne Laurence, State of the Nation, November 29, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=39092
 
The Covidian Cult (C.J. Hopkins, OpEd News, October 17, 2020)
https://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Covidian-Cult-by-CJ-Hopkins-Cult-201017-778.html
 
Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings of the Pleiadians (Barbara Marciniak, Amazon.ca, December 1, 1992)
https://www.amazon.ca/Bringers-Dawn-Pleiadians-Barbara-Marciniak/dp/093968098X
 
The American people have the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome (State of the Nation, December 31, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=44671
 
Corruption of scientific process, Dr. James Todaro MD, White Coat Summit 2., America’s Front Line Doctors,
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/summit2/#testing
 
We had the treatment from Day One (Dr. Richard Orso MD, America’s Front Line Doctors, White Coat Seminar 2.)
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/summit2/#testing
 
Covid testing: We’ve been duped (A. Castilito, American Thinker, November 4, 20202)
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/11/covid_testing_weve_been_duped.html
 
Dr. Mike Yeadon: Three Coronavirus facts No. 10’s experts got wrong, (The Daily Mail, SOTT, October 31-20)
https://www.sott.net/article/443657-Dr-Mike-Yeadon-Three-Coronavirus-facts-No-10s-experts-got-wrong
 
Fear-mongering: UK’ lockdown is based on old and stodgy data (SOTT, November 2, 2019
https://www.sott.net/article/443782-Fearmongering-UKs-lockdown-is-based-on-old-dodgy-data
 
How Covid deaths are over-counted (SOTT, Oct 27-20)
https://www.sott.net/article/443584-How-Covid-deaths-are-over-counted
 
John Hopkins University reveals manipulated Covid death figures (Yanni Gu, John Hopkins University, November 22, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444898-Johns-Hopkins-University-Reveals-Manipulated-Covid-Death-Figures
 
A Covid vaccine is not needed and is probably not possible (Paul Craig Roberts, November 2, 2020)
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2020/11/02/a-covid-vaccine-is-not-needed-and-is-probably-not-possible/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=a_covid_vaccine_is_not_needed_and_is_probably_not_possible&utm_term=2020-11-02
 
Covid case number scam reaches new heights; on eve of election, Trump is the target (the Rumour Mill News Reading Room, November 2, 2020)
https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=157169
 
Shady CDC cancels flu data collection for coming flu season, State of the Nation, October 31, 2020
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=34206
 
California refuses to disclose Covid-19 data used to drive lockdowns (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, SOTT, January 23, 2021)
https://www.sott.net/article/447718-California-refuses-to-disclose-Covid-19-data-used-to-drive-lockdowns
 
Edward L. Bernays Quotes from “Propaganda” (Goodreads)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/275170.Edward_L_Bernays
 
They call it “Number theatre” (Elon Musk, Robert Kyosaki, Donald Trump, YouTube, November 24, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkevdwlA8E8
 
British army spies wage ‘information war’ against anti-vaxx content on-line (RT, SOTT, November 29, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/445066-British-Army-spies-wage-information-war-against-anti-vaxx-content-online
 
World Economic Forum: Digit Davos 2021 to reveal ‘Great Reset Initiative’ (Simon Kent, Breitbart, December 21, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/12/21/world-economic-forum-digital-davos-2021-to-reveal-great-reset-initiative/
 
Whitty and Vallance’s doomsday 4K daily Covid deaths winter scenario versus what actually happened revealed (Mark Hodge, The Sun UK, December 1, 2020)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13343802/covid-daily-deaths-lower-government-predications/
 
Covid-19 Pt.1 Hospitalizations -- reality check (Corey’s Digs, November 24, 2020)
https://www.coreysdigs.com/health-science/covid-19-hospitalizations-reality-check/
 
CBC says this Manitoba Hospital is overwhelmed by Covid – is it really? (Keean Bexte, Rebel News, November 20, 2020)
https://www.rebelnews.com/cbc_says_this_manitoba_hospital_is_overwhelmed_by_covid_keean_bexte_investigates
 
Have 400,000 Americans died of Covid? (Celia Farber, Uncover DC, January 25, 2021)
https://uncoverdc.com/2021/01/25/have-400000-americans-died-of-covid-19/


The plandemic and the medical tyranny that (is) overseeing it (Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola, State of the Nation November 6, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=27535
 
See how Pfizer exploits children to sell us its coronavirus vaccine (Original tweet scrubbed, but responses remain) 
https://twitter.com/eileeniorio/status/1332739440368906244
 
The CIA and the Media: 50 facts the world needs to know (Professor James F. Tracy, Global Research, January 20, 2018)
https://ratical.org/ratville/JFK/CIA+Media-50Facts.html
 
Missouri doctor says people who don’t mask are like ‘enemy combatants” (Laura Martin, LakeExpo.com, The Federalist, November 30, 2020)
https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/30/missouri-doctor-says-people-who-dont-mask-are-like-enemy-combatants/  
 
We are being lied to – here is how (Spiro Skouras, Activist Post, October 3, 2020) 
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/10/we-are-being-lied-to-here-is-how.html

The coronavirus pandemic is pushing America into a mental-health crisis (William Wan Washington Post, May 4-20)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/04/mental-health-coronavirus/

Covid is a MK-Ultra psychological operation being instigated against the people of Planet Earth (Shoshoni, State of the Nation, January 5, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=45273

 
We’ve been plunged into a world of persistent fear by scheming elites who are committed to remaking society (Rumour Mill, Aug 19-20)
https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=152752
 
COVID: The invention of a false reality, the hypnotic persuader (Rumour Mill News, Aug 19-20) 
https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=152774



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For such a time as this: An investigation of Covid-19 and the war against humanity(c) Part 2.

12/26/2020

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​For such a time as this: An investigation of Covid-19 and the war against humanity (c) Calvin Mulligan, Futurescapes21C, Ottawa, Canada, All rights reserved
​Posted December 29, 2020, rev'd January 3,5,7,9,18, 2021
 
Introduction
I am a retired strategist with a specialization in foresight. I began researching and calling attention to the decline of democracy in the West in 2017 after it became apparent to me that it was crashing, or more accurately, actively being destroyed. When Covid-19 was announced, I focused my research on the subject and related developments as they appeared to be a continuation of troubling trends that I had observed earlier. Much of what I have uncovered in terms of a fairly complex picture puzzle, follows.

I know this isn't an easy read, so you might want to digest it in bite-sized pieces, sitting in a sunny spot, perhaps with uplifting music playing in the background. Cognitive dissonance can cause quite a headache and the content is pure "red pill." And while this research exposes a dark reality, it also sets the stage for a turn toward the light and what some call a Great Awakening. It's a reference to a long hoped for collective awakening of humanity to things that have been hidden behind the curtain for centuries and are now being revealed. 


This has been a "crucible" experience for me. I suspect we will be mining the hard lessons of 2020 for decades to come. What we've been given in return is the opportunity to come to terms with a harsh hidden reality. Those that honestly engage in this struggle, among other things, are likely to more profoundly appreciate both the depths of evil and the oxygenating effects of virtue. They may learn to discern between dark and light, truth and lies and good and evil like never before. And, they may arrive an a new understanding of their life's purpose. Along the way, there are important discoveries to be made regarding how deeply we care -- about truth, about each other and about the future of humanity. It's the stuff of epiphanies. 

One outcome may be some clarity as to what that proverbial "hill" is that one is prepared to die on (metaphorically or otherwise). I've found mine in the war being waged against humanity by the dark forces of a global transhumanist technocracy. Covid is just one battle front, albeit a pivotal one in a larger struggle.  We have been under constant bombardment from their propaganda machine for years, and there's been a lot of casualties. But I didn't sign up believing victory was assured in my lifetime or that it would come easily -- only that humanity is worth fighting for. Perhaps you, like me, will discover you were born for this struggle and such a time as this.


Next: Part Three: How we got here and where we may be headed, putting some missing puzzle pieces together

Part 2.0 Adventures in Upside Down Land 
I have been studying the Covid-19 phenomenon since "the pandemic" was announced. It’s not as if I experienced a vague impression that something was amiss -- akin to Hamlet’s “Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark.” No, the incongruities in the official Covid narrative were many, distinct and  obvious -- at least to some of us. Certainly, I’m not the only one who found things suspicious.
 
Billionaire Elon Musk, while experiencing the symptoms of a typical cold, took a series of antigen tests in quick succession. The results were two positive and two negative results. Musk commented:   “Something extremely bogus is going on.” Musk's alarm bells were ringing even before his little experiment, as earlier he had reportedly questioned the virality of the disease and  the accuracy of official fatality rates.
 
One doesn’t have to be much of a forensic investigator to spot the inconsistencies in the official Covid narrative. I’ve described six categories of anomalies, and that’s far from a complete list. So there is an abundance of things that should have people asking “what’s wrong with this picture?” And as readers will soon discover, there’s a whole lot wrong with the picture our leaders have presented.
 
2.1 The “Covid Pandemic” wasn’t a spontaneous development; it was a planned operation
 
One of the most obvious inconsistencies in the Covid story is the pretence the so called pandemic is the result of a spontaneous natural or biological occurrence. In reality there's a lot of evidence of foreknowledge and planning by powerful people and institutions. Any one of them should be enough to to set off alarm bells. Collectively, they constitute convincing proof thatt powerful people and institutions joined forces to plan, orchestrate and 'enforce" the Covid “pandemic” and its control measures, respectively. 
 
One of the first clues regarding its planning was the public comment by former US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo that “we’re in ‘live exercise’ here, to get this right.” It’s an interesting choice of words. And it struck many observers as the kind of language military people use to describe a planned operation. (“Mike Pompeo admits…”, Global Research, August 14-2020) 

Then there was the 2010 Rockefeller Foundation paper published in cooperation with Peter Schwartz’s Global Business Network entitled: “Scenarios for the future of technology and International Development.” “The first scenario, “Lock Step”, describes a world of total government control and authoritarian leadership and a future where a pandemic would allow national leaders to flex their authority and impose airtight rules and restrictions that would remain after the pandemic faded. It’s now December and Covid events including the so-called “second wave” are playing out in accordance with the scenario outlined in the paper.
 
Critics of the official Covid narrative also point to the Event 201 simulation held in New York on October 18, 2019 by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The event was further described as “a 3.5-hour multimedia pandemic simulation involving 16 leaders of global businesses, governments and public health…” The participants included A former board member of a national bank, a former senior director of health from the World Bank Group, a former deputy director of the CIA, a Vice President of NBC Universal Media, a vice president from Johnson and Johnson and the Director General of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (Media Advisory, Event 201) These attendees are representative of many of the stakeholder groups with vested interests in the current Covid-19 operation.

Astute researchers have uncovered a World Bank document entitled: Covid-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Program. This document refers to a project approval date of April 2, 2020 and an expected project closing date of March 31, 2025. (“World Bank document…March 2025”) (I will henceforth use the language of the World Bank and refer to the Covid-19 “Project” or "operation.")

Another (reportedly recently-edited) World Bank Document, entitled Covid-19 Diagnostic Test Instruments and Apparatus (902780) exports by country in 2018 is noteworthy. ” The document lists the top exporters of Covid-19 diagnostic test instruments and apparatus. So what am I missing? In 2018, there’s already a robust international trade in kits for diagnosing a condition that only appeared on the scene in late 2019. (World Integrated Trade Solution, Web Archive)
 
Joe and Jill Public likely aren’t aware of the fact that The World Economic Forum published a white paper entitled: Outbreak Readiness and Business Impact: Protecting lives and livelihoods across the Global Economy in January of 2019. Looking back it seems that it’s a very timely foreshadowing of the Covid events to follow.
 
But the evidence of foreknowledge and planning doesn’t end with these ominous harbingers. Ron Unz (Unz Review) states that in August of 2020, an ABC news story reported that as far back as November, “a medical intelligence unit within our Defense Intelligence Agency had produced a report warning that an out-of-control disease epidemic was occurring in the Wuhan area of China…” This report was widely distributed within the top ranks of the US government.
 
Patent filings can be helpful indicators of anticipated trends and developments. In 2015, Richard Rothschild patented a ‘System and Method for Testing for COVID-19’ with a Dutch government organisation.” (That’s four years before the illness existed.) A second filing occurred in 2017. Both were scheduled to be made public in September 2020. (Half a Pulitzer to the Wall Street Journal).
 
Moderna, one of the pharmaceutical companies participating in the vaccine sweepstakes, filed a patent amendment in March of 2019. The amendment reportedly reflected the company’s concern there could be a re-emergence or a “deliberate release” of coronavirus. I wonder what the folks at Moderna knew that members of the public didn’t.
 
In March of 2020, four US Senators sold millions of dollars of stocks on what could be called a "timely" basis. They subsequently faced calls to resign for engaging in the illegal practice of  “insider trading.” One of the four, Mr. Richard Burr, is Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The coincidences never end. (Coronavirus: US senators face calls…”)
 
True Pundit reported that two investigators allege that Bill Gates negotiated $100 billion contact tracing deal with a particular Democratic Congressman. Nine month later, this Illinois congressman, Bobby L. Rush, introduced the $100 BILLION H.R. 6666, the COVID-19 Testing, Reaching and Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act. It’s been denied, but any challenges to the most powerful members of the oligarchy are denied.
 
There are other indicators of foreknowledge including rather ominous “predictions” by Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci to the effect that a pandemic was coming our way. There is a saying in futurist circles that the surest way to predict the future is to shape it, or in other words, make it happen. As this paper will demonstrate, Bill Gates, Dr. Anthony Fauci and their friends in Big Pharma have the power to have created our pandemic future.

There’s another category of clues that could be called foreshadowings. C
onspiracy analysts  researching the machinations of the PTB/Cabal believe that they follow a longstanding practice of signalling future intentions. It does so by hiding its messages or clues regarding future events ‘in plain sight. This may take the form of what’s called “predictive programming.” Movies or ceremonies at large public events are ideal platforms for planting a conception of things to come in the public's subconscious. Some consider the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics in London a first class example of predictive programming. (“Opening ceremony of 2012 was predictive programming….” YouTube) These analysts point to the disconcerting scenes of rows upon rows of hospital beds and attending doctors and nurses. Movies such as Amazon’s “Utopia” series could fit into the predictive programming category. (Amazon’s “Utopia" series foreshadowed the current Covid dystopia). The movie, Contagion and Dead Plague would be other candidates in this category.
 
You can find other examples suggesting foreknowledge regarding the Covid-19 “pandemic” in the Sources section of this paper. (See: Ultimate Proof Covid-19 was planned.) Calling something a “pandemic” implies it has a spontaneously natural origin. Because the evidence suggests otherwise, Covid-19 has been appropriately labeled a “Plandemic” by numerous citizen analysts.
 
2.2 There’s no justification for the suspension of our democratic rights and freedoms and the imposition of police state style lockdowns 
 
In November, I learned that Halifax, Nova Scotia residents have been informed, “households with more than five people cannot go outside together and instead must go outside in separate groups.” About the same time, my sister, a resident of Manitoba, informed me that only her and her husband and service workers were allowed to go in and out of their home. Really?
 
A few minutes after encountering the Halifax story, I read an account of cops descending on Melbourne, Australia beachgoers and arresting a woman allegedly breaking Covid rules. One of the rules apparently being enforced by Victoria law enforcement was one prohibiting citizens from venturing beyond a five kilometre radius from their homes. It appears from here that the Victoria government’s need to micromanage citizens’ lives is insatiable. These aren’t isolated occurrences. Stories of this nature, including some of a more brutal nature, have been surfacing on a regular basis around the world since the outset of the Covid saga.
 
Totalitarian regimes infantilize their citizens. They treat adults like children. In November, citizens of Greece were informed they would have to text the government for permission to leave their homes for one of six permissible reasons under a new lockdown. Imagine the hypocritical outbursts we would have heard in the West if we’d learned China was imposing such demands on citizens.
 
There was nothing that could have prepared us for the devastating effect the Covid regime would have on our constitutional rights and freedoms. We were citizens of democracies were we not, blessed with freedoms envied by the rest of the world? But the enforcement of pandemic control measures throughout the West and beyond resembled what one would expect from a former  former Soviet block regime. The tactics may have varied by jurisdiction, but were uniformly intrusive and disproportionately harsh in relation to the purported threat.
 
In the UK, Derbyshire cops employed drone surveillance and on-line publication of videos in order to shame those who dared go for walks in rural areas.
 
Australia’s Covid controls enforcement sounds like something out of George Orwell’s novel, 1984. In September, a pregnant Melbourne woman was arrested in her home for making anti-lockdown posts on-line. And ABC News subsequently reported that three other Aussies were also arrested for this same “crime.”
 
Apparently, it’s not just ordinary citizens that consider Victoria’s restrictions over the top. Some health officials have described new mask requirements as “mad.” In September, Premier Daniel Andrews announced an indefinite crackdown on masks that banned face shields, scarves and bandanas and required a fitted mask that covered the nose and mouth. The requirement was expected to remain in place over summer.
 
Covid control measures enacted in New Zealand are also extreme. According to one report, “the state has already decided to remove people from their homes and place them in quarantine facilities (detention centres controlled by the military.)” It’s been pointed out that these measures bear no resemblance to the size of the country’s Covid problem. New Zealand has reported an alleged 22 deaths for its population of 5 million. This translates into a population mortality risk of just 0.0004%, and no deaths at all for nearly three months.
(Covid-19 Scamdemic, Part 1). 
 
The citizens of France and Spain have witnessed the same kind of police state surveillance and heavy-handed enforcement activities. In France, riot police were photographed invading a bar and violently removing patrons.  Spanish authorities meanwhile, used helicopter patrols to monitor the populace for violations of Covid directives. Again, such measures bear no resemblance to the size of the threat exceeding the recommendations of both epidemiologists and the World Heath Organization.
 
I wish it were so, but Canada wasn’t exempted from unreasonable state-enforced Covid control measures. The police state tone and heavy penalties for violations are described in a Global News Release.  
 
“The RCMP said it had been asked by the Public Health Agency of Canada to help with national coordination and enforcement of the March 25 Quarantine Act Order that requires everyone arriving in Canada to stay home for 14 days.”….The maximum fine for failing to comply with the quarantine is $750,000 and up to six months in prison, but those who put others at risk could face harsher penalties: up to a $1-million levy and three years imprisonment. (5)
 
These abuses haven’t gone unnoticed and folks at many  levels of society are speaking out regarding the abuse of constitutional and natural rights. The prospect that Covid restrictions could impinge on family Christmas celebrations prompted Lord Sumption to voice his outrage in the UK parliament.
 
“Our lives belong to us, not the state. It’s morally wrong for government control freaks to tell us what we can do at Christmas.” (Mail On-line)
 
And what are all the tortuous requirements for? The CDC has told us that those between the ages of 20 and 49 years have a .0002% risk of dying from a SARS-Cov-2 infection. 
 
The lack of proportion, perspective and reason uniformly characterizing government policies is stark and upsetting. The worldwide abuse of human rights and freedoms is like nothing we’ve seen before. We're victims of a cruel joke. Veteran Canadian pathologist and entrepreneur, Dr. Roger Hodkinson, describes what has transpired as: “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public in human history.”  
 
The World Doctors Alliance would agree. It described the situation this way: “There has been a catalogue of unscientific, non-sensical policies enacted which infringe our inalienable rights, such as – freedom of movement, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. These draconian totalitarian measures must never be repeated.” German lawyer. Reiner Fuellmich describes the Covid operation as: “Probably the greatest crime against humanity ever committed. In time, objective observers will come to regard the Covid project as both.  

2.3 The “treatment” for the Covid problem (mass lockdowns) is ineffectual and doing immensely more harm than good
 
Locking down the world, purportedly to control a pandemic, is unprecedented. It wasn’t attempted in wartime or during any other disease outbreak including small pox and Ebola outbreaks. Anyone who has looked beyond the 24/7 mainstream news vortex will soon realize that the “cure” for Covid is having devastating consequences worldwide. Ironically, the greatest threat to our well-being isn't the virus, it's the state-approved prescriptions for controlling and treating it. 
 
One would assume then, that before embarking on this extreme course of action, the matter would be diligently researched, the medical community and general public consulted, the issues weighted and a cost-benefit analysis generated. I don’t recall any such preliminaries, do you? That’s probably because there’s no evidence it ever was done.
 
When the lockdowns were imposed on March 11, it immediately stuck me as dangerous overkill. I had learned before the Covid-19 announcement that the 2009 financial crisis led to 10,000 suicides worldwide. So, it wasn’t difficult to imagine that farther-reaching and longer Covid control measures would have far more devastating human impacts. But reports of rising numbers of suicides and declining public mental health fell on deaf ears.  They were routinely treated as unfortunate but unavoidable collateral damage.
 
How much greater would the impact of the Covid lockdowns be than the impact of the virus itself?  One Alberta epidemiologist, Dr. Ari Joffe of the Stollery Children's Hospital and the University of Alberta, estimated the impact of lockdowns in human lives in Canada and worldwide.
 
The cost of lockdowns in Canada is at least 10 times higher than the benefit in terms of population health and well-being, he estimates, at least if you account for numerous variables such as economic recession, social isolation and impacts on life expectancy, education and the full gamut of health-care priorities.

If you look at the issue worldwide, lockdowns will cause at least five times and, more likely, as much as 50 times more harm than benefit. 
 
Dr. Joffe, initially a supporter of the lockdowns, explains why he changed his mind after the predicted high mortality rate didn’t materialize. (His paper is entitled: Covid-19: Rethinking the Lockdown Groupthink.) On the subject of cost-benefit analysis, Joffe states what should by now be apparent to all:

Medical and Public Health experts are not expert in this type of analysis. …To compare outcomes of policies, we need a common single metric of measurement to weigh the trade offs and to make rational decisions.
 
Researchers conducting a Revolver News study adopted the metric of “life years” to assess the cost-benefit of lockdowns. Their conclusion: Covid control measures would cost ten times more life years than they would save. And yet, nine months into lockdowns, the deadly control measures remain in place. And by this point in time, even the fear-mongering WHO had publicly stated lockdowns should not be adopted as a central feature of a control strategy.
 
Governments, in some instances have now (December) imposed even stricter lockdowns than those in place over the summer. As someone who has served as a strategist for much of his career, I can assure readers there is absolutely nothing strategic about the lockdown policies. A genuinely strategic public policy would give top priority to protecting the vulnerable and aged. This would be: a)  those with existing health conditions and b) those in nursing or retirement homes.  
 
Dr. Zoë Harcombe Ph.D. describes a study that measured the impact of lockdown measures on people and businesses in 131 countries and makes the following observations.
 
The harms of the eight NPIs (non pharmaceutical interventions) examined are substantial - from children's education and mental health... to suicide, loneliness and people with dementia feeling unloved and abandoned... to destruction of family businesses and livelihoods... to national and individual debt and poverty. 
 
Importantly, he concludes, “no medical intervention – pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical – should be undertaken without a harm-benefit analysis.” He adds the troubling fact that this analysis has not yet been conducted.
 
Here’s a brief list of some impacts of mass lockdowns gleaned from my reading. They should be viewed as a non-random sample, merely illustrative of many forms of damage caused by lockdowns.
  • US lockdowns cost and estimated 18.7 million “life years” while saving from one to three quarters of a million life years. As noted earlier, lockdowns are approx ten times more deadly than the virus. (Revolver News commissioned study)
 
  • (US) Federal debt tops $27 trillion for first time (Blacklisted News, Oct 4, 2020)
 
  • One in seven Canadians is experiencing food insecurity during COVID-19, and its toll is heavier than hunger: report (National Post, October 16, 2020)
 
  • Over a third of UK employees planning to make staff redundant, BOE predicts unemployment rate to double
 
  • Under the most positive of the UN’s World Tourism Organization scenarios, international tourist arrivals are expected to drop by 58 percent this year compared to 2019. (Activist Post, October 3, 2020)
 
  • Developing countries could see loses in excess of $220 billion according to United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
 
  • Without help, low income developing countries risk a lost decade (IMF Blog, August 27, 2020)
 
  • The Director of the CDC has … stated that there have been far more deaths from suicides and drug overdoses than from COVID-19 (Armstrong Economics, Blacklisted News, September 7, 2020)      
 
  • Opioid deaths skyrocket, mental health suffers due to pandemic restrictions, new federal report says (Yahoo News, October 28, 2020)
 
  • Suicide claimed more lives in October than ten months of Covid in Japan;
 
  • Pandemic disruptions indirectly killed 75,000 more Americans than reported, study says (20% increase for March to July 2020 period over previous years) (Miami Herald, SOTT, October 15, 2020)
 
  • UK’s lockdowns could cause 35,000 extra cancer deaths due to delayed diagnosis and treatment (BBC, SOTT, July 6, 2020)
 
  • Covid-19: Impact could cause equivalent of 195 million job losses…(UN New, April 8, 2020)
 
  • Job losses ramp up again as millions of Americans continue to slide into poverty (almost 8 million since May according to one study) (The Economic Collapse, October 15, 2020)
 
  • South Africa lost a decade of job growth in four months (while expanding its grants by the equivalent of a decade.) (Financial Mail, September 30, 2020)
 
  • 2085 preventable deaths in England and Wales have been caused by heart attacks, disease and stroke during the Covide-19 pandemic.
 
  • The cost of lockdowns in Canada is at least 10 times higher than the benefit in terms of population health and well-being, (considering the economic recession, social isolation and impacts on life expectancy, education and the full gamut of health-care priorities) and at least 5 times and probably closer to 50 times more harm than benefit world wide.
 
The prospects looking forward are grim.
  • World Bank: Lockdown’s may push 150 million people into extreme poverty (Reuters, SOTT, October 7, 2020)
         
  • It is being projected that there could be an “eight billion meal shortage” at America’s Food Banks over the next 12 months. (Michael Snyder, SOTT)
 
  • Children’s long-term mental health at risk from Covid-19-related stress, experts warn (Children’s Health Defense, The Defender, October 16, 2020)
 
  • Food shortage simulation predicts 400% increase in food prices by 2030 (Robert Wheeler, Activist Post, October 12, 2020)
 
  • 55 million people face famine as Covid-ravaged economies fail to meet funding goals (according to Oxfam report, Mint Press, Blacklisted News, October 15, 2020)
 
There are ecological impacts to consider, also. It’s estimated that half a million sharks could be killed to make vaccine (Robert F. Kennedy, Children’s Health Defense, October 1, 2020)
 
There’s a brutal irony that lockdown advocates claiming they are “following the science” should ponder. It’s that no lockdown, even one enforced by the military, can stop the virus. We read that studies by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) show no gain in virus management from lockdowns. The largest global study of lockdowns compared with deaths (published in The Lancet) found no association between coercive stringencies and deaths per million. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai conducted a study in cooperation with the Naval Medical Research Center. It found that despite a strict lockdown “the virus still spread, though 90% of those who tested positive were without symptoms.” 
 
Dr. Michael Chossudovsky (Economics) has provided a summary of the devastating human and economic consequences arising from Covid management measures. See: “The Covid “pandemic”: destroying people’s lives. Engineered economic depression. Global “coup d’Etat.” (Global Research, November 12, 2020)
 
Freelance writer, Zachery Yost, in an article entitled: Lockdowns destroy what makes us human makes an interesting point about the differences between how materialists versus those with a traditional spiritual outlook may assess the cost of lockdowns to humanity. In contrast to the materialist who see ours as a temporal existence: “…those who retain a more traditional conception of human nature, no matter the specific religion or creed to which they belong, can easily see an entire world of costs to lockdowns that those with a purely materialist perspective are not even capable of understanding. (State of the Nation)
 
This arises from the fact that we are social beings and spiritual beings. Importantly, our identities and our existence is, to a large degree, defined in group settings. Consider for a moment how the various Covid control measures imposed around the world serve to thwart our instinctive social impulses in the big and small moments of our lives. This instinct plays out every day in myriad ways. It could be informal encounters with strangers or acquaintance in a grocery store or our celebrations of life and its milestones in family gatherings and large groups. Now we attend no more concerts or theatrical productions, church services and family reunions. In some cases, large families are prohibited from exercising outdoors together. And it’s destroying us. The elevated suicide numbers make that clear.  
 
To learn more about the devastation resulting from Covid control measures being employed worldwide, visit The Price of Panic website. A poignant quote from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables on its home page reads: Those who do not weep, do not see. Unfortunately, too many in positions of leadership are averting their eyes so as not to see. I certainly don’t see them weeping.
 
To sum it up in the words of epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist, Professor Mark Woolhouse: “…lockdown was a monumental disaster on a global scale. The cure was far worse than the disease.” 
 
As of this date, our political leaders appear unmoved by the obvious devastation caused by their lockdown policies. None speak of the need to address the skewed lockdown cost-benefit equation. They have chosen instead to ride herd on a worldwide disaster of unprecedented proportions. Calling the conduct criminal is a serious understatement.
 
2.4 The Covid management model is neither based on “science” nor aligned with recommended medical or epidemiological practices. It’s anti-medicine and anti-health. 
 
I have an easy question for you.
 
“Would governments and health officials genuinely committed to our health be intent on shutting down gymnasiums and fining their owners?” Would they confine people seeking exercise and fresh air to their homes and back yards and curtail access to parks and beaches?” Would they ignore the many ways people can bolster their immunity and health with supplements, social interaction and other naturopathic means?  
 
Answer: “No,” “no” and “no.” A sound public health policy would be supportive of the operation of health facilities and encourage people to get outdoors and engage in daily exercise in fresh air and sunshine. It would encourage social interaction as a means of spreading natural immunity. It would recommend use of supplements and naturopathic health boosters. And it would encourage social activities as it is widely accepted that social interaction is a natural immune booster. People confined to nursing homes are dying of loneliness. 
 
You see, it doesn’t take a medical degree or years of training to realize that the official government Covid control policy runs counter to both the preservation of human health and sound science. It is anti-health. It takes only a modicum of common sense to see the perversity of current policy.
 
Let’s consider the definition of “health” advanced by the WHO in 1948 as a reference point. 
 
‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or other physical impairment’.”…”Health, therefore, is a broad concept that goes beyond the physical and also relates to the emotional and social well-being of the individual.” https://stateofthenation.co/?p=29208
 
With this holistic definition in mind, I have outlined a list of prescribed Covid measures which, in my assessment, run counter to sound health practices and basic standards of professional medical conduct.
  • imposing health emergency lockdowns around the world after the pandemic peaked thwarting the development of herd immunity;  
​​
  • engaging in expensive and invasive contact tracing campaigns when it’s been demonstrated such efforts don’t contain an infection;
 
  • quarantining individuals and families at significant personal cost on the basis of a positive test using a lab process (RT-PCR) “test” incapable of establishing if an individual is sick or infectious or not; 
​
  • subjecting the public to what amounts to an on-going fear campaign undermining the mental health of the population and contributing to depression and suicides:
 
  • fixating on a single “microbe” to the exclusion of myriad other health conditions of a more serious nature; 
 
  • inappropriately installing ventilators in situations where their use was not indicated  contributing to needless deaths in the process; (New York)
 
  • transferring Covid-infected hospital patients to nursing homes and thus spreading infections throughout the latter; (reported in Italy and four US states)
 
  • confining healthy people wanting and needing fresh air and exercise to their homes, yards or within fixed hours of the day thus weakening immune systems and increasing risk of infection; (Dr. Zoë Harcombe Ph.D states that there’s evidence that “we knew as early as mid-March that locking people in their homes would increase the risk of virus transmission.” (Dr. Zoë Harcombe Ph.D., The Untold Impact of Lockdowns, (SOTT)
   
  • ignoring the lessons and learnings from other jurisdictions where people were alternative strategies and treatments were used thus allowing needless deaths. (see Sources: Effective treatment and prevention is available for Covid-19)
 
  • requiring quarantining, social distancing and face masks in spite of a body of research showing that none of these measure work (and in the case of face masks predisposed wearers to rashes, bacterial pneumonia, hypoxia and permanent neurological damage);  
 
  • denying doctors access to HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) even as their patients were dying of Covid; (and falsifying information regarding its effectiveness);
 
  • threatening to suspend the licenses of doctors who spoke out about and used alternative therapies found to be effective in treating Covid-19 (like Zn, Azithromycin, HCQ and Ivermectin); 
 
  • conducting and publishing in major journals fake medical trials aimed at discrediting alternative (non-vaccine) therapies; (One study has found for example that over 80 per cent of Covid patients have a vitamin D deficiency);
 
  • perversely generalizing the Covid control strategy to an entire population, when it was clear it should have been focused on the vulnerable -- residents of nursing homes and those with underlying medical conditions. The waste of medical resources is criminal. 
 
For some time now, courageous medical professionals have been calling out dysfunctional Covid control measures. Martin Kulldorff, epidemiologist and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said this about the current Covid quarantine model:
 
“It’s a unique experiment, and it’s a terrible experiment. I’m amazed – as are many of my colleagues – at the total focus on this disease. In a short time, we are throwing all the principles of public health out the window. Most countries in Europe had a pandemic-preparedness plan which did not recommend lockdowns, but instead proposed a risk-based strategy to protect those at high risk.
 
“The media suggests there is a scientific consensus in favour of lockdown, but that is not the case.
 
Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi, former head of the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene in Germany sent an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, describing the impact of government Covid control measures as “grotesque, absurd and very dangerous.” He explained:
 
The life expectancy of millions is being shortened. The horrifying impact on the world economy threatens the existence of countless people. The consequences on medical care are profound. Already services to patients in need are reduced, operations cancelled, practices empty, hospital personnel dwindling. All this will impact profoundly on our whole society. (Open letter from Professor Sucharit Bhakdi to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, March 26, 2020)
 
Recently, a WHO doctor, experiencing an apparent change of mind stated:
 
Historically, standard epidemiological practice including instances involving much more serious epidemiological threats is to quarantine the sick, not the healthy. So what is so different about Covid-19 that it justified a lockdown of the healthy population? Given that Covid posed the greatest threat to the elderly and those in particular with existing health conditions, why wouldn’t the logical approach be to protect the vulnerable and allow the healthy to go about their lives? Why impose what has amounted to house arrest on so many? 
 
Dr. Kulldoff also challenges the lack of medical logic in the singular narrow fixation on Covid.
 
One of the basic principles of public health is that you do not just look at one disease – you have to look at health as a whole, including all kinds of diseases, over a long period. That is not what has been done with Covid-19. As a public-health scientist, it is stunning to see how focused people are on this one disease and on the short term. The collateral damage is very tragic: cardiovascular disease outcomes are worse, cancer screenings are down, and there are mental-health issues, for example…
 
The key to minimising mortality in the long term is to do what we, in the declaration, call ‘focused protection’: focusing efforts on high-risk individuals, and letting young people live their lives normally.”  
 
The mass lockdowns of course are the opposite of a strategic policy of focused protection for vulnerable groups while allowing other to go about their business.
 
The problem honest medicine faces is the triad of Government, Big Pharma and corporate media has been censoring and undermining their message. Dissent is not allowed it would seem, even when lives are at stake. Could it be because the dark Covid triad has a pact to sell the world a “vaccine solution”? The dirty information war being conducted against honest medicine goes further. The MSM, in collaboration with Big Pharma has engaged in smearing and demonizing critics. The consequences are enormous.
 
Independent media and citizen journalists have provided the platform for honest medicine and its practitioners to reach the public. The World Doctors Alliance is an independent non-profit alliance of doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and staff around the world who have united in the wake of the dysfunctional Covid-19 response. Its mission is to:
 
“…share experiences with a view to ending all lockdowns and related damaging measures and to re-establish universal health determinance of psychological and physical wellbeing for all humanity.”
 
Its website further states:
 
The WDA has attempted to set the record straight regarding the faulty PCR test fiasco and basis of pandemic “cases.” It has published an open letter to citizens and governments of the world on its website regarding the flaws in the RT-PCR and antigen tests. Two important facts regarding the test:
  •  a positive PCR test does not mean that an individual is infected nor infective  
 
  •   ..approximately 90% of the PCR positive ‘cases’ are false positives. We therefore have no second wave and no pandemic.   
 
Note: The WHO has finally acknowledged this fatal flaw in the PCR test. (See: Who finally admits PCR tests create false positives, Blacklisted News)
  • The government’s report estimates a false positive rate of between 0.8 to 4.0 % using data from other viral infections – not from Covid.  

Can you see the incoherence in public health policy? The WHO recommended governments “test,” "test,” "test," and most jurisdictions obediently got on the test bandwagon. Given the PCR test’s propensity for generating false positives, however, the exhortation to “test” “test” “test” makes no sense. It only serves to amplify an erroneous measure of Covid infection and threat level. This in turn forms the deeply flawed basis for costly management policies. It makes absolutely no scientific or epidemiological sense.

The WDA spells out the absurd bottom line: The crisis will never end if we are waiting for zero positive tests. Everyone has probably had a cold caused by a coronavirus and will likely have a few viral fragments matching those of the cousin SARS-CoV-2 virus. 
 
So, what the WHO and our glorious political leaders have imposed is a perverse  medical perpetual motion machine. The cycle consists of more tests, resulting in more inaccurate  test outcomes, driving stricter lockdowns and producing more real negative health problems, including suicides and infections from confinement. If the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome, then certainly our political leaders and health authorities are insane. And, they appear intent on infecting the rest of us with their condition.
 
Some of those in charge of managing the Covid response may plead incompetence (insanity would be more credible). But it won’t stand in the face of the evidence. The fact is their anti-health, anti-science and anti-people measures were imposed in spite of countervailing knowledge. This takes their behaviour to the level of criminal conduct. Ethical medical practice begins with First, do no harm. The prolonged lockdowns of 2020 equal genocide.
 
Note: For more on what the professionals in the field of science and medicine have to say about upside down medicine, see the list of Sources at the back of the paper.
 
2.5 There's little reason to trust the narrative or the prescriptions being pushed by Big Pharma and friends; the industry is riddled with corruption and conflicts of interest
 
Quick question: What’s one good reason for ordinary citizens to believe that Big Pharma has their best health interests at heart and will prioritize their health and safety over profits?
 
Hmmmm…. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of one. Long before the advent of Covid, the CDC and Big Pharma sector had well-established reputations for corruption. In February of 2018, I wrote and published on my website a brief analysis of the dysfunctional influences animating Corporatocracy. It’s entitled: Confronting Godzilla Part B. Let’s start with my definition of Corporatocracy. I see it as:
 
An illegitimate hybrid organism resulting from an unsanctioned marriage of the interests of government and big business rendering both incapable of serving the interests of the public and consumers, respectively.
 
Readers with a bit of background in political science will recognize that this is the defining relationship at the heart of fascism. Corporatocracy is the foundation of fascism.
 
I dedicated part of my earlier-mentioned research paper to “nominations” to a fictitious Corporate Wall of Shame. Guess who earned one of the more prominent spots on the wall? (Big Pharma) The dubious honour was well earned, and the Covid-19 project confirms the distinction. Years earlier, the CDC’s own researchers, united under the acronym SPIDER, published an open letter protesting the CDC’s sell out to political and corporate interests. Appropriately, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Head of Children’s Health Defense has described the CDC as a vaccine manufacturer.
 
My paper cited a lengthy list of the charges leveled by former clinical psychologist and mental health therapist, Joachim Hagopian. (Look for parallels in the conduct of Big PHarma and friends relative to the Covid saga.) Hagopian finds Big Pharma guilty of the following:
  • suppressing promising cures for cancer, AIDS and other terminal illnesses;
  • squelching knowledge regarding low cost natural treatments or medications;
  • marketing of medications with severe side effects that injure and kill;
  • turning millions of its customers/patients into addicted hard core drug users;
  • making medical errors that kill nearly a quarter million annually;
  • recklessly endangering children and pregnant women with toxic levels of mercury contributing to brain damage and death;
  • dictating what is being taught in North American medical schools (several years ago, medical students and faculty at Harvard revolted.)
  • buying off US politicians;
  • targeting vulnerable segments of the population with “invented” health conditions (“disease mongering”);
  • repackaging and rebranding old meds at higher prices (e.g rebranding Prozac as Serafem);
  • taking over the FDA.
 
My 2018 paper merely skimmed the surface of the problem. In reality, the scope and depth of industry corruption and conflicts of interest is far greater. It’s here that the old Latin dictum of “Qui bono?” and the tactic “Follow the money” are useful forensic tools in helping us illuminate the motives and methods of powerful Covid string pullers. Let’s be clear about just how big the prize money is. Vaccine manufacturers will make trillions (yes, trillions with a “T”). The track and trace manufacturers and pharmaceutical industry will be similarly well-rewarded from Covid testing (World Doctors Alliance).
 
Their motives aren’t limited to money; it’s also a matter of control. And Big Pharma appears to be pursuing “full spectrum” control, extending even to the science itself. Moreover, its corrupting influence extends far beyond the industry’s border. Kamran Abassi, a doctor, journalist and broadcaster describes the reality in a November 25 issue of The Defender, a publication of Children’s Health Defense. Brace for cognitive dissonance.
 
“Science is being suppressed for political and financial gain. COVID-19 has unleashed state corruption on a grand scale, and it is harmful to public health. Politicians and industry are responsible for this opportunistic embezzlement.” 
 
There could hardly be a better example of suppression than the aggressive campaign waged by Big Pharma and its collaborators in government and the media to demonize and suppress access to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Clearly, the industry cabal was determined to not let the public discover that an effective, low cost treatment and prophylactic medication was readily available. It would of course undercut the entire vaccine imperative being sold to the public. How criminally desperate does an industry have to be to deny doctors access to a lifesaving medications and treatment?
 
Big Pharma’s instinct for corruption was on display again as recently as November 2020. The US government felt it necessary to issue what was described by one source as a “rare” fraud alert. It was issued in response to the industry’s alleged practice of rewarding particular doctors with generous “speaking fees”. The fees were attached in some cases, to an agreement that the signatory would write a minimum number of prescriptions for the company’s products in a year. Something’s rotten in the world of Big Pharma.
 
It’s time to peel back the covers and investigate the conflicts of interest characterizing the industry. The World Doctor’s Alliance describes some existing and potential Covid conflicts of interest inherent in SAGE. The acronym stands for Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and it’s an advisory committee to the UK government regarding Covid strategy.

Chief Scientific Officer Sir Patrick Vallance has £600,000 worth of shares in GSK Glaxo Smith Klein. He has in recent years sold £5 million of shares in GSK which he ‘earned’ whilst chief of GSK 


  • Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer UK, accepted over £30 million in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to study malaria vaccines.
 
  • It has become clear that members of SAGE, Public Health England (PHE), World Health Organisation (WHO), Centre for Disease Control (CDC), National institute for Health (NIH) etc have many conflicts of interests. They all accept very large ‘donations’ from the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry. These conflicts of interests may well have effectively corrupted their integrity. 
 
  • It is also clear that governments are heavily lobbied by the pharmaceutical industry and the vaccine industry, again this may have compromised their integrity. (WDA website)
 
Dr Zoë Harcombe probes the interests of SAGE’s key influencers further. She points out that 11 out of 20 work for the government. And twelve of 20 key influencers work for or have received funding from organizations involved with the Covid-19 vaccine. That should set off alarm bells.
 
Harcombe also offered some insights into the thrust of SAGE recommendations and work. She makes the ominous observation that the number of modeler/statisticians and experts in behaviour manipulation on the committee is four times greater than the number of virologists. Also, there are no immunologists. What then is SAGE’s real role? Is it making sound scientific recommendations or engaging in public persuasion? Or is it both with an emphasis weighted in favour of the latter? It’s also less than reassuring to know that Neil Ferguson, the author of the now infamous Imperial College paper predicting half a million UK Covid deaths, once sat on this committee. Footnote: Ferguson resigned after breaking his own Covid quarantine rules.
Update: he’s back leading the Covid fear-mongering again in the UK.
 
Dr. James Todaro, a member of America’s Front Line Doctors, contends that Covid-19 has exposed an abundance of corruption and conflicts of interest in the health sciences and medical fields. Todaro points out that it’s not just key players in the medical/pharma game that are corrupt. It’s also the gatekeepers or “referees”, a role played by the academic journals.
 
The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine have already been exposed for publishing what Todaro described as “openly fraudulent studies” in order to benefit Big Pharma. Specifically: The Lancet did their study that dismissed hydroxychloroquine as dangerous which was retracted just two weeks later. The New England Journal of Medicine put out a study that benefitted cardiovascular drugs, pharmaceuticals. That was also retracted.”
 
Dr. Todara describes the revolving door career paths of health industry career opportunists. Such individuals may be serving for example in positions of authority in major health agencies like the CDC while strategically planning a move to lucrative positions on boards or in consultancy roles with major pharmaceutical companies. Clearly, such individuals have an opportunity to cultivate favour with their prospective employers by making decisions benefitting potential future employers. History reveals that some yield to the temptation.
 
The case of Dr. Scott Gottlieb may be illustrative. Todaro points out that within months of leaving his position as an FDA commissioner as recently as 2019, he had landed board seats with four or five pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer. The question is, “Would any of Mr. Gottlieb’s decisions during his term with the FDA have been influenced by the prospect of future employment with impacted pharma companies”?
 
Dr. Todaro explains that too often, the WHO pushes the non-science of fear and panic – “a new normal” as it did with Swine Flu. As recently as “last week” (October 4-10, 2020) they announced that 10% of the world was infected by COVID quoting a .6% death rate when it’s really a .13% infection mortality rate. And you thought sex sells. You haven’t seen anything until you see what fear sells.
 
Todaro went on to discuss the NIH Covid-19 Task force panel – something he examined during peak Remdesivor hype. This is the panel that decides on and recommends medications for treatment of Covid-19. He found that at the time, 20% of the panel members had a conflict of interest in relation to Gilead.
 
“So you literally had the people making the decisions, making the recommendations for these therapies, that have a direct incentive for these to get passed ‘cause they’re going to profit off those medications”  (Corruption of the Scientific Process, White Coat Summit II, YouTube, October 16, 2020)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases,  (NIAID) exerts an outsized influence on national and international Covid policies and thus our lives and health futures. Political analyst, F. William Engdahl, examined Fauci’s career record and found he rode to acclaim on the basis of his fraudulent claims regarding the cause, transmission and treatment of AIDS. As head of NIAID, Fauci received millions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation and “tens of billions from US taxpayers for his bogus research.”  

Dr. Kary Mullis won the Nobel Prize for inventing the PCR test. He offered this assessment of the competence and the character of Dr. Anthony Fauci and his colleagues at NIAID. It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.

“…guys like Fauci get up there and start talking …and he doesn’t know anything about anything, and I’d say that to his face. …Nothing!...He doesn’t understand electron microscopy and he doesn’t understand anything about medicine. And he shouldn’t be in the position that he’s in.  
Most of those guys up there on the top are just total administrative people and they don’t know anything about what’s going on the bottom…..Those guys have got an agenda… which is not what we would like them to have, being that we pay for them to take care of our health in some way. 

They’ve got a personal kind of agenda. They make up their own rules as they go, they change them when they want to, and they smugly…like Tony Fauci doe not mind going on television in front of the people that pay his salary, and lie directly into the camera.  (“PCR test creator…”, State of the Nation) 

Fauci used his high profile position to amplify Covid fears by significantly overstating the projected mortalities and severity of an infection. He was asked at one point how long the shutdown of the US economy should last. His response was logic free and demonstrated no appreciation of the cost-benefit equation. His answer: only when there is zero new covid19 positive tested cases. Engdahl points out that this is impossible given the defective testing/diagnostic procedure. It seems that Fauci would thus condemned us to a permanent test-lockdown prison. His response also exposes him as a complicit criminal behind the Covid fraud. (Fort-Russ)

It’s not difficult to make out the dirty fingerprints of the pharmaceutical industry on public policy. The Children’s Health Defense outlined five major concerns regarding corruption and conflicts of interest at the CDC, the WHO and the NIH and in some instances, the enabling role of government. They further reinforce my assessment of the dangers of corporatocracy.
1.   Big pharma has influence and power over the interpretation of the outcomes/science and the related safety of vaccines. 
2.   Specific vaccines are unequivocally not safe. Yet government officials – with well-documented conflicts of interest with the $50 billion vaccine industry – systematically obscure the risks while exaggerating the benefits of vaccines.
3.   The government has quietly admitted culpability by paying out over $4 billion for thousands of injuries and deaths caused by vaccines underscoring that vaccine injuries can and do happen, including autism. And, an HHS-funded study concluded that fewer than 1% of vaccine injuries are even reported.
4.   Big Pharma is exerting influence over WHO, FDA and CDC to fast track and short cut safety studies in order to gain more profits faster. Big Pharma has zero financial risk when children get vaccine injured because the government prevents victims from suing big pharma.
5.   State initiatives mandating vaccines regardless of family pre-conditions and/or religious beliefs, if left unchecked, will mentally impair an even greater percentage of our child population resulting in one of the greatest human biological experiments in modern history.
 
The Children’s Health Defense describes the nature of the health agency – Big Pharma relationship and the latter’s grip on the agencies. Again the “follow the money” tactic is revealing.
 
“The pharmaceutical industry enforces policy discipline through agency budgets. The World Health Organization (WHO) gets roughly half its budget from private sources, including Pharma and its allied foundations.  
 
And CDC, frankly, is a vaccine company; it owns 56 vaccine patents and buys and distributes $4.6 billion in vaccines annually through the Vaccines for Children program, which is over 40% of its total budget. Further, Pharma directly funds, populates and controls dozens of CDC programs through the CDC foundation.” (Children’s Health Defense)
 
One of the more troubling aspects of Big Pharma corruption is the control it’s acquired over the policing of and approval of its trials. One would expect the board overseeing vaccine clinical trials to be independent of pharmaceutical companies. ICAN has investigated the composition of these boards and found conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies.
 
Lance D. Johnson of Corruption News takes a cursory look at the WHO’s relationship with Big Pharma and reaches a sobering conclusion. Understanding the pro-pharma bent of the organization explains much regarding the WHO’s conduct throughout the so called Covid pandemic including its role as one of many “crisis amplifiers.” (Fear sells.)
 
An agency that was intended to safeguard public health has been weaponized into a totalitarian dictatorship that not only promotes Big Pharma, but also seeks to eliminate any information or health solutions not patented and profited on by Big Pharma. The WHO has been weaponized and is involved in crimes against humanity. 
 
Crimes against humanity is a serious charge --- about as bad as it gets.
 
Covid ca$h
But it’s not just the central agencies and the vaccine manufacturers that have dirty hands. Corrupting influences run through the US health care system. And Covid money is being used to enrich and enforce the Covid narrative and the lockdowns. Some call it bribery. And there are a lot of beneficiaries of the Covid gravy train. Here are just a few examples:
 
National Governments
National governments may be under the influence of the Global Powers That Be when it comes to their response to Covid. Belarus’s president, Alexandr Lukashenko claims the World Bank and IMF offered him $940 million USD in “Covid Relief Aid.” In exchange, Lukashenko would have to:
• impose an “extreme lockdown on his people”
• force citizens to wear face masks
• impose very strict curfews
• impose a police state
• crash the economy
Lukashenko states he refused the offer as it would amount to putting the needs of Belarus’s citizens beneath those of the World Bank and IMF.
 
More recently, the leader of the largest political party in Curaçao announced that The Netherlands was forcing his government to take “far-reaching” measures regarding corona policy. This member of the Partido Alternative Real said he had no choice but to vote for an unpopular emergency law. Coercion anyone?
 
“Otherwise we will get code orange or red. Then there will be no more tourists and we will lose the financial support from the Netherlands. That leaves a hole in the budget of one billion euros. The treasury has been empty since the first shutdown. We have no more strength and are in an impossible situation. We are forced to compromise the living conditions of our population. We are being blackmailed by the world and the Netherlands”.
 
Under the new law, the administration could restrict or suspend:
  • freedom of movement;
  • freedom of expression
  • the right of association;
  • the right to demonstrate, and it could expropriate both
movable and immovable property.
 
I wonder how many other countries are being coerced by offers of carrots or threats of the stick” into imposing oppressive Covid control measures on the citizens. (2020 News)
 
US States and hospitals
Individual US states are eligible to receive emergency hospital grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES ) Act.
 
US hospitals are paid $13,000 for every Covid diagnosis and $39,000 for every Covid patient placed on a respirator
US Hospitals getting paid more to label cause of death as "Coronavirus." (Global Research, Aug 14-20)

For a look at how Covid cash is being used to buy the complicity of hospital administrators, doctors and nurses in the US health care system, see this interview with Dr. Annie Buracek: Covid-19 Hush Money: $2.2 trillion CARES Act coercion. (Our Greater Destiny, State of the Nation.) 

Vaccine Manufacturers
Matt Taibbi’s article “Big Pharma’s Covid-19 profiteers” (August 2020) describes Covid-19 as an “unprecedented profiteering opportunity,” something he described in August as in the “larval stage.” The article describes how pharmaceutical manufacturers are the beneficiaries of government development grants, billions of dollars in upfront purchase commitments and massive margins on drugs and vaccines of unknown efficacy.
 
Between March 30 and end of July, the US government announced the following expenditures toward vaccine development programs and vaccine purchases benefitting a handful of companies participating in Trump’s Operation Warp Speed:
 
Johnson and Johnson vaccine program: $456 million
 
Moderna:  (a company that has never successfully brought a drug to market): $483 million
 
AstraZeneca: vaccine program: $1.2 billion for its vaccine program
 
Emergent BioSolutions: $628 million to provide manufacturing for vaccines.
 
Novavax : $1.6 billion for vaccine development.
 
Pfizer and BioNTech: $2 billion on 100 million doses of a vaccine.
 
The Swine Flu fiasco is illustrative of Big Pharma’s ability to shift the burden of risk to the public while privatizing profit.
 
Ultimately, the swine flu vaccine was a fiasco, resulting in a number of horrible side effects, including as many as 450 cases of the degenerative nerve disease Guillain-Barré. The taxpayer ended up paying for the swine flu vaccine coming and going, through guaranteed profits at the front and outlays for piles of lawsuits from victims on the other side.
 
Unfortunately, the same public-private distribution of the cost and risk burden applies in the case of Covid. Covid-19 could require generations of vaccines and booster shots and thus the promise of the “ultimate cash cow” for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Can any one suggest why a long drawn out pandemic might be of interest?
 
One could add to the list of corporate Covid beneficiaries a host of companies manufacturing disinfectants and disinfectant wipes, face masks, face shields and an array of other products.
 
Vaccine peddlers
It appears that the nurses hired to give the vaccines are making big money for their services. The New York Post is reporting that travel nurses hired on a temp basis are being paid as much as $11,000 a week. A local RN said she was being paid $70 an hour for a 40-hour week plus a stipend of $2,200 for a total of $5,000 a week. She added that she had met other nurses at an orientation session who said they would be earning $11,000 a week. (Melissa Klein, New York Post, State of the Nation)
 
Big Pharma’s best friend, Bill Gates
If there’s one person at the centre of the Covid saga, it’s Bill Gates. While he travels under the flag of “Philanthropist,” his motives aren’t as altruistic as they may appear. Gates is an investor. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes the Gate’s approach as one of  ‘strategic philanthropy’ that feeds his many vaccine-related businesses (including Microsoft’s ambition to control a global vac ID enterprise) and give him dictatorial control over global health policy—the spear tip of corporate neo-imperialism.” 
 
Philanthropy is a powerful persuader. Critics accuse Gates of using it to control agencies like WHO, UNISEF, GAVI and PATH. The Gate’s touch extends to private vaccine manufacturers and a “massive network of pharmaceutical front groups.” (Coronavirus Impacts, April 29, 2020)
 
The Gates’ have developed a powerful media strategy for crushing criticism and burnishing their image. Dr. Joseph Mercola points out that The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds and influences mainstream media companies.
 
Through its grants to the Leo Burnett Company, an ad agency owned by Publicis, the Gates Foundation is also financially linked to NewsGuard and HealthGuard, as both of these "fact-checking" sites are funded by Publicis. As such, Gates already has the power to pull strings and censor content he doesn’t like.
 
The Gates Foundation also has a history of funding disreputable and flawed projects to the point of being fraudulent science. What they call "disinformation" and "conspiracy theories" are to a large extent merely information exposing the Gates Foundation's own disinformation campaigns.
 
The recipients Gates “gold” include MCR, “a leading organization advising world governments and the CDC a the leading body advising world governments and the World Health Organization about infectious disease outbreaks.” (the Co-founder of MCR is Neil Ferguson, the man famous for his track record of hyperbolic infectious disease projections that don’t materialize.)
 
Dr. Mercola describes the Gates worldview and the approach that derives from it. It sounds like the classic dialectical: Problem-Reaction-Solution employed by the Deep State actors intent on guiding national health policies.
 
“Gates has created global alliances to impose top-down analysis and prescriptions for health problems.

He gives money to define the problems, and then he uses his influence and money to impose the solutions. And in the process, he gets richer. His 'funding' results in an erasure of democracy and biodiversity, of nature and culture. His 'philanthropy' is not just philanthrocapitalism. It is philanthroimperialism (Mercola, SOTT, September 29, 2020)
 
Gates’ influence over journalism is described in an August 2020 article in Columbia Journalism Review that highlights the connections between the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation and a number of newsrooms including NPR. Time Schwab, the author reviewed the recipients of nearly 20,000 Gates Foundation grants. He found more than $250 million had been awarded to a list of major media companies. The recipients include: BBC, NBC, Al Jazeera, ProPublica, National Journal, The Guardian, Univision, Medium, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, the Texas Tribune, Gannett, Washington Monthly, Le Monde, PBS NewsHour and the Center for Investigative Reporting.
 
There’s solid evidence that corruption and conflicts of interest are endemic within the medical-pharma- research complex. The Covid-19 bonanza will highlight this pathology. This is the real pandemic, the one that should be the focus of the concern of regulators, lawmakers and every citizen.
 
2.6 The precautionary principle has been abandoned with regard to the development, approval and marketing of vaccines, including Covid-19 vaccines in particular. This leaves unsuspecting members of the public at grave risk
 
“The precautionary principle asserts that the burden of proof for potentially harmful actions by industry or government rests on the assurance of safety and that when there are threats of serious damage, scientific uncertainty must be resolved in favour of prevention.” (Pubmed)
 
In a September, 2001 article in the American Journal of Public Health, Bernard D. Goldstein (MD) states that while the principle applies to public health, “we in public health are sometimes guilty of not adhering to this principle.” I would argue that the “sometimes” referenced by Dr. Goldstein applies to the development and approval of vaccines in general and the Covd-19 vaccines in particular. The consequences, as past failures to adhere to the precautionary principle demonstrate, could be disastrous. 
 
All the clever advertising and powerful PR messaging Big Pharma can muster cannot paper over vaccine risks. Big Pharma would have us think that vaccinations are somewhere on par with motherhood and apple pie – that accepting vaccines prescribed by the state, is the “normal,” necessary and safe course of action. And to ensure the impression is maintained, it spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on PR campaigns and on lobbying government decision-makers. (Reportedly, the industry is the biggest lobbyist in terms of dollar expenditures on Capital Hill.) But, It’s not all about slick advertising and political glad-handing however. 
 
There’s a dark side to this industry. It also invests a good deal in suppressing inquiry, competing product information and critique perceived to threaten profits. The suppression tactic can take the form of outright censorship by pharma and friends. For a recent example, see: “Twitter to remove ‘harmful, misleading or false information’ on Covid-19 vaccinations.” Thanks Big Brother. It’s just that in this case, “harmful, misleading or false” is likely to be information or analysis that challenges the official industry narrative. (Covid bad, vaccines good.)
 
In an era of citizen journalism, there’s always a chance however that minority views and voices will reach a segment of the public. And that’s where pharma’s smear machine kicks in. The next time you encounter a citizen activist, scientist or independent journalist working in this field who has been branded a “conspiracy theorist,” “nut case,” “anti-vaxxer,” or “quack” via a “debunking” site or a so-called “fact-checker,” you can be fairly certain the critic has hit a nerve. Consider for a moment that fact that something called, “vaccine hesitancy” has been conveniently been labeled a serious threat to public health. This is how dissent is criminalized. The smearing ploy takes various forms. One of the more repugnant is loudly claiming that critics are “endangering lives.” It’s a strategic “double” play. First, the industry accuser gets virtue points for presumably being concerned about public health. Second, the accuser manages to smear and thus ostracize an opponent while turning triggered members of the public on the dissenter. Machiavelli would be proud.
 
The expression, “If you’re taking flak, it’s a sign you are over the target” is seldom more apropos. Those demonized and smeared by Big Pharma are often the people with something pertinent to say and worthy of our attention. Whistleblowers and truth-tellers that challenge the pharmaceutical status quo do so at great risk to their careers, their reputations and, as history suggests, their lives. This individual clearly understood her life was in danger and went so far as to write in late 2019: If something were to happen to me, it’s foul play and you know exactly who and why.' (“Founder of vaccine Safety website, ex pharma insider found dead,”) Emily Mangiaracina, LifeSite News, December 15, 2020)
 
The industry has adopted an intimidating take-no-prisoners policy that leaves many afraid to speak up and ask the pointed questions. It’s a predatory policy that denies the industry and the public the benefit of timely research and honest scientific debate – the very thing we’re told is essential to scientific and medical progress. 
 
The average person is largely unaware of the track record of vaccine use around the world. How many people know for example, that the WHO has admitted that “a new polio outbreak in the Sudan is linked to an on-going vaccine sparked epidemic in Chad – a week after the UN Health agency declared the African continent free of the wild polio virus.”  (UN says new polio outbreak in Sudan caused by oral vaccine, AP, September 2, 2020)
 
This isn’t the first time a vaccination project in Africa has resulted in injuries or lingering suspicion that a vaccination program had a covert sinister objective. See: HCG Found in WHO Tetanus Vaccine in Kenya Raises Concern in the Developing World (on-line OALibJ Volume 4, No. 10 journal article, October 2017). The authors conclude: “our opinion is that the Kenya “anti-tetanus” campaign was reasonably called into question by the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association as a front for population growth reduction.”
 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Children’s Health Defense describes multiple instances in which Gates Foundation funded projects in Africa left vaccine injuries and deaths in their wake. One case concerned tests of an HPV vaccine and another concerned a trial involving an experimental malarial vaccine. (Martin Berger, Global Research, Blacklisted News)
 
We tend to assume that vaccines are subject to lengthy rigorous safety trials before they are put on the market. John F. Kennedy Jr. won a court case that established they are not. Vaccines are exempt from the standards that apply to other medications because they are considered biologicals.
 
It’s becoming clearer that Big Pharma’s simplistic vaccines equal health and more vaccines equals better health paradigm is threatened.  A recent US study conducted by Dr. James Lyons-Weiler and Dr. Paul Thomas (Pediatrician, Oregon) comparing the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children could shake Big Pharma’s empire. Within a week of the study’s publication in The Journal of Environment Research and Public Health (November 22, 2020), Dr. Thomas’s license was suspended. Were the researchers “over the target”? Among other things, results indicate that in general for Dr. Thomas’ practice, children that had more vaccinations have to make more visits to the doctor. In short they aren’t as healthy as those who had fewer or no vaccinations. See: Vaccinated versus unvaccinated: The Study the CDA refused to do – Interview with Doctor Weiler, Activist Post, December 13, 2020)
 
We now have now characterized some key features of the PR -marketing game as it's played in the Big Pharma league, providing a suitable background for weighing Covid vaccine concerns. 
 
The Covid-19 Vaccine – Reasons for concern
Members of the public have several good reasons to be concerned with the Covid narrative and specifically, the proposed “vaccine solution” being pushed by Gates and Big Pharma, national governments and corporate media. Some of them are related to the history and reputation of the industry. And others are specific to vaccine development, approval and marketing, particularly as it relates to Covid-19 vaccines. Here’s a brief summary of the more obvious concerns.
 
1. (As described in Section 2.5) the pharmaceutical industry and its allies are untrustworthy. I have previously referenced the industry’s corruption and many conflicts of interest. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes US vaccine producers Glaxo, Sanofi, Pfizer and Merck as “serial felons “. In just the last decade these companies have paid $35 billion in criminal penalties, damages, fines, for lying to doctors, for defrauding science, for falsifying science, for killing hundreds of thousands of Americans knowingly.” Martin Berger, Blacklisted News, via Global Research)
 
2. (As described in Section 2.5) Covid-19 vaccination test boards are not independent of the vaccine industry. Del Bigtree’s Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) investigated and found that at least two persons sitting on the test boards were industry “friendlies.” Yet, Fauci disingenuously insists board members are beholden to no one. (Paul Craig Roberts, October 12, 2020)
 
3. The vaccine trials were rushed. (Operation Warp Speed).
It’s impossible to reconcile accelerated vaccine development of the nature of Operation Warp Speed with the precautionary principal. There’s an old expression to the effect that haste makes waste. The race to get Covid-19 vaccines to market has already confirmed the maxim.  Australia has abruptly halted clinical trials being conducted on a candidate coronavirus vaccine after trial participants began producing false positive test results for HIV (WIO News, December 11, 2020). In this case the cost of the rush to produce a vaccine is economic in nature. The cost of the rush in the larger schemed of things however, is likely to involve injury to human health and lives.
 
To develop the average vaccine from the preclinical stage it normally requires 10.71 years and the probability of market entry is 6%. (PMC, US National Laboratory of Medicine) The previous record was four years for mumps. The Covid vaccines were developed in a period of 7-8 months. And in the cases of Moderna, a first time vaccine producer, animal trails were skipped altogether, prompting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to issue are warning to Americans in July of this year.
 
On December 3, 2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci was reported as telling Fox News that UK regulators hadn't scrutinized the Pfizer trial data as "carefully" as the FDA has.
 
"I love the Brits, they're great, they're good scientists, but they just took the data from the Pfizer company and instead of scrutinizing it really, really carefully, they said, 'OK, let's approve it, that's it.' And they went with it."
 
A Zero Hedge headline states: The American public has a right to be skeptical and a large majority of them are. Two thirds of Americans say they won’t get COVID-19 vaccine when it’s first available, USA Today/Suffolk poll shows (USA Today, September 4, 2020)
 
For some insights into how Operation Warp Speed operated and who the Big Tech companies participating in the project are, see: From T-Map to Warp Speed: How Big Pharma algorithms Fast Track unapproved drugs and vaccines. The article explains how Big Pharma is collaborating with Big Tech companies (IBM, Amazon, Dell, Google, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, and Intel) to accelerate vaccine development. (John Klyzcek, NaturalBlaze, State of the Nation, December 12, 2020). Can you recall who stands astride these two powerful behemoths? His name starts with “Bill Gates.” Gates’ influence in itself is immense; Imagine the combined lobby power of these Big Pharma and Big Tech and friends in high places.
 
4. An array of serious “adverse reactions,” including death, have been reported in the trial phase with many more possible with public uptake. The vaccines carry with them the risk of several serious side effects including death. The deaths of volunteer trial participants have been reported. Some of the side effects reported by volunteer participants in “Phase II” vaccine trials conducted by Pfizer, Moderna and others are “fevers, sweats, migraines and muscle aches that last for days.” (See: Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, October 22, 2020 Meeting Presentation)
 
As recently as December 5, two participants in the Pfizer trials were reported dead as a result of “serious adverse events.” The Jerusalem Post reports: “[O]ne experienced a cardiac arrest 62 days after vaccination #2 and died 3 days later, and the other died from arteriosclerosis 3 days after vaccination #1.” The Post’s sister publication reported that on Tuesday, December 8, the FDA announced that there currently is “not enough research to guarantee the vaccine’s safety for immunocompromised groups, pregnant women and children.”
 
The Post adds: “The FDA’s own public discussion and documents about the COVID-19 vaccines acknowledge that deaths and 21 other conditions, many of which are life-threatening, may result as adverse outcomes from these vaccines.”  The Daily Mail has reported that four volunteers of Pfizer’s experimental coronavirus vaccine have developed Bell’s palsy. Regulators have warned those with allergies not to take it. (State of the Nation/Jerusalem Post, December 8, 2020) Imagine how many people have allergies and the extent to which allergies are undiagnosed.
 
Next day post-vaccine reactions aren’t minor. Dr. Sandra Fryhofer of the American Medical Association is concerned that the next day impact are such that they might deter many of her patients from returning for the follow-up shot. To quote a Zero Hedge headline: “Doctors warn Covid-19 vaccine ‘won’t be a walk in the park.’” (November 25, 2020). First person accounts of some trial volunteers confirm the warning.
 
James Lyons Weiler and Robert Kennedy Jr., have raised further concerns regarding Pfizer’s Covid vaccine trials. They cite a briefing document on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which suggests the possibility of pathogenic priming, especially in older adults. The term “enhanced immune response” is misleading as it’s really “disease enhancement.” The net result is that vaccinated people still develop the disease, get sicker and die. (The Defender, December 10, 2020)
 
Today (December 15, 2020), I read, “FDA analysis of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine finds it effective and safe.” This finding supports the authorization of Moderna’s vaccine for emergency use. According to the analysis, serious reactions were rare and the most common side effects are fever, headaches and muscle and joint pain. The FDA found an efficacy rate of 94.1%. It sounds reassuring doesn't it. On the other hand, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reported that when the Moderna vaccine was given to high, medium and low dose groups of 15 people each, one member of the low dose group became so sick, the individual had to be hospitalized. Three people (20%) of the high dose group had to be hospitalized. An additional concern is that vaccine is only tested on a selected group of healthy people and not people suffering from certain conditions. I recall it has been reported that a 70 year-old Philadelphia priest participating in Phase 3 Moderna trials died. The cause of death had not been determined.  
 

One unreported potential side effect of the Moderna Covid vaccine is a disease called Monsterism. This is an extremely rare and potentially lethal degenerative disease resulting in physical and mental deformities. An anonymous Moderna whistleblower has reported that "3 of the 30,000 trial candidates began showing symptoms ....after receiving the second dose of the two-part vaccination." It seems Moderna was concerned that if this information became public, stock prices could take a big hit, so it has hid this information from both the FDA and volunteers awaiting their second inoculation. ("Moderna Covid-19 vaccine causes 'monsterism,'" RealRawNews, December 30, 2020) 

A vaccine launch PR campaign in Tennessee featured a testimonial by a Chattanooga hospital’s head nurse. The nurse, Tiffany Dover had just received the vaccine 17 minutes before appearing on for a TV interview.  It didn’t go as planned. Dover became unconsciousness in mid-speech and there’s speculation she may have died due to her lack of a public appearances and oddities in her social media activity. Some theorize that the adjuvant may have been responsible for her obvious distress. (See: Nurse collapses minutes after receiving Covid vaccine, December 21, 2020.) Right now, it's a case of stay tuned until it can be confirmed if it's a case of theatre or vaccine injury. 
 
Elsewhere, a significant percentage of hospital workers are taking a pass on the vaccine. At Howard University in Washington DC, reportedly only about 600 out of a total of 1,900 hospital employees had signed up for the shots as of December 18, 2020) (Hospital Workers Turn down COVID vaccine: “There too much mistrust.” Zero Hedge, State of the Nation)
 
As of December 18, 2020, the CDC is reporting more than 3,000 vaccine recipients are in the category of “unable to perform daily activities, unable to work or required care from doctor or health care professional.” (CDC: 3000 struck down by vaccine, unable to do daily duties, State of the Nation, December 21, 2020) This has prompted the CDC to issue new vaccine guidelines and launch a probe into the matter. (CDC issues new guidelines…following Covid-19 vaccination, Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, December 20, 2020)
 
Coronavirus vaccine history could prove instructive. Kennedy’s historical assessment of coronavirus vaccine performance in general, is noteworthy:
 
“What we know about coronavirus from 30 years of experience is that a coronavirus has a unique peculiarity, which is any attempt at making the vaccine has resulted in the creation of a class of antibodies that actually make vaccinated people sicker when they ultimately suffer exposure to the wild virus.” (The Unz Review).
 
The World Doctors Alliance reports that Dr. Michael Yeadon (ex-Pfizer head of research) and the Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg (German physician) have requested an immediate suspension of all SARS-Cov 2 vaccine studies with the European Medical Agency. The agency is responsible for EU- wide drug approval. The request relates in particular to BioNtech/Pfizer study on BNT162B (EudraCT no. 2020-002641-42). The two are demanding the halt in order to protect life and health of volunteers until a study can address a number of concerns regarding the vaccine and the study design. This Facebook page provides some insight into the experiences of vaccine trial participants. https://www.facebook.com/groups/348335966422985/
 
The marketing hype flies in the face of the Precautionary Principle. The UK Medical Freedom Alliance took up the issue of marketing hype versus risk in a letter to the joint committee on vaccination and immunization stating:
 
It is worrying that recent Parliamentary discussions seem to not attach proper weight to any concern about vaccine risks and the right to informed consent, while focusing solely on strategies to increase the uptake of vaccines in the general population. 
 
The letter cited some possible risks that could follow from a vaccine rush to market absent thorough and adequate safety and efficacy testing:
 
“Adverse effects like Subacute Sclerosing Pan Encephalitis, Ascending Polyneuritis, Myopathies, Autoimmune Diseases, and rarer chance of triggering development of malignancies are most dreaded possibilities.“...(See letter for more symptoms) “Open Letter From: UK Medical Freedom Alliance To: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization… for COVID-19 in the UK.”
 
"Even though the media and politicians are currently trivializing the problem and even foolishly calling for a new type of vaccine to return to normality, this vaccination is problematic in terms of health, morality and ethics, but also in terms of genetic damage," (Distributed New, December 10-2020)
 
Another risk has been identified for those in particular who get the flu vaccine. While correlation does not equal causation, Niall McCrae and David Kurten have described what they call “a curious and emphatic correlation” between the flu jab and Covid-19 mortality”. Comparing data from across Europe, the pair found that countries with high influenza vaccination coverage among the elderly also reported the highest mortalities from the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Christian Wehenkel has also reported this phenomenon, in the journal PeerJ (1 October 2020). The two postulate that the flu jab may reduce immunity to other respiratory tract infections, as suggested by pediatrician Alan Cunningham. (Study: flu vaccine raises risk of COVID death – correlation confirmed by scientific analysis, State of the Nation)
 
The government-industry-media hype surrounding Covid vaccines and their trivializing vaccine safety concerns is irresponsible at best and highly dangerous at worst. Some may argue that pushing what are essentially experimental vaccines to an under-informed public is actually criminal conduct. The guiding principle of informed consent warrants much more attention.
 
More sources:

Norwegian nursing home patients dead after receiving first dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine (Zero Hedge, January 7, 2021)

Miami doctor dies after Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from autoimmune disorder (TLB Staff, The Liberty Beacon, State of the Nation, January 8, 2021)

Hundreds sent to emergency room after getting Covid-19 vaccines (Rumour Mill News Reading Room, January 5, 2021)

Portuguese nurse dies suddenly after receiving Covid-19 vaccine (Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, January 5, 2021)

Nursing home with zero COVID death reports residents dying after new outbreak, vaccine (Life Site News, January 14, 2021) 

Why people will start dying a few months after the first MRNA "vaccinations" (explains "cytokine storm") (Professor Delores Cahill, Ireland YouTube, 2020) 

Look what happened to a 33 year old male nurse in excellent health who took the Covid-19 vaccine, develops a severe reaction (video) (JI, Sayer, GreenMedInfo,, State of the Nation, January 18, 2021)

A cautionary note regarding Covid-19 test kit swabs 
Some critics, including medical personnel have cautioned the unwary regarding that Covid test kit sampling swabs. The gist of their caution is that the swabs may be impregnated with nano particles capable of penetrating the blood brain barrier and their use may amount to a vaccination. The home saliva kit does not require use of swabs. See Sources for further information. 

See:
A must watch Covid test living and moves (Destiny of the Divine, Instagram, January 5, 2021.)

Covid test swabs used to vaccinate us, target the brain (The Contrail, State of the Nation, January 19, 2021)


6.The injection of mRNA technology means this is not a vaccine 
Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a GP in England’s National Health Service, is the author of Doctoring Data – How to Sort Out Medical Advice from Medical Nonsense’. He states that the type of vaccine under development against Covid-19 has never been used before apart from Ebola. He explains the difference.
 
Traditional vaccine
Up until now, a vaccination involves the injection of a dead virus (or bacteria), or a weakened one that can only poorly replicate. Then the immune system spots this ‘alien’ material, and creates a response against it, ideally one that remains for years.
 
Covid “vaccine” (a medical devise)
The Covid-19 vaccine employs something called a messenger RNA vaccine (mRNA). RNA is, effectively, a single strand of DNA – the double helix that sits within our cells and makes up our genetic code. Many viruses are comprised of a single strand of RNA, surrounded by a protein sphere. They enter the cell, take over the replication systems, make thousands of copies of themselves, then exit the cell. Sometimes killing the cell as they do so, sometimes exiting more gently. Covid19 (Sars-Cov2) is an RNA virus.
 
This approach was adopted given that the traditional process of developing a weakened virus (a fragile process that can take years), vaccine researchers opted to “use Sars-Cov2’s RNA against itself.” 
 
Kendrick says the vaccine could be safe, but at this point, no one knows what could go wrong and it could (for example) trigger an immune cascade. He notes the time lines are short amounting to weeks versus a traditional process of many years. And the human safety trials are sequenced very tightly together.
 
Kendrick recommends healthy individuals under 60 wait until the safety risks are more clearly known. He isn’t alone in urging caution. Fast-tracked track development was cited by 67 of the healthcare workers surveyed in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as the reason they plan to take a wait and see approach before getting the vaccine.

In this video, two scientists (Dr. Dave Morton and Dr.  Judy Mikovits Ph.D.) explain to Canadian constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati why the injection of mRNA technology makes it a "chemical pathogen device," or a "medical device" and not a "vaccine." The manufacturers have deliberately (and illegally) adopted the misnomer in order by pass definitional implications that would apply to "treatments" and gain the acceptance of public health officials and presumably members of the public.  ("If you say this is a vaccine, you have already lost the battle" Before It's News)

The hurried vaccine drive doesn’t sit right with Pfizer’s former VP and Chief Scientist for Allergy and Respiratory Disease, Dr. Mike Yeadon. Yeadon says: ”You also don’t set about planning to vaccinate millions of fit and healthy people with a vaccine that hasn’t been extensively tested on human subjects.” (The Unz Review)
 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advice with respect to the Covid19 vaccine in particular is straightforward: Don’t take it under any circumstances as it alters your genetics.
 
7. The manufacturers’ claim of 70-95% effective for the Covid-19 vaccine isn’t credible in light of the history of flu vaccines. 
 
Manufacturers would have us believe that the Covid-19 vaccine is 94% effective. According to the CDC, historically, the flu vaccine has an effective protection rate of 40-60% annually. (CDC, Influenza (Flu)) There’s also the likelihood of rapid and regular mutation, which raises the question of how long the vaccine benefit will be sustained. Mike Whitney touches on the matter of what the efficacy claim really means below in number 11, pages 60-61. 
 
Whitney’s comments align with those of the WHO’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan. The latter has been reported on line as saying: “At the moment, I don’t believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines to be confident that it’s going to prevent people from getting the infection and passing it on.” Thus vaccinated people will still be expected to wear masks and practice social distancing. (WHO Chief scientist warns…)
 
The question that haunts the matter of vaccine efficacy and entire vaccine project is: “How can a vaccine be developed to combat a virus that hasn’t yet been isolated?”

8. There’s evidence some Covid vaccines have been augmented to covertly inject: a) chemicals  b) electronic tracking devices/chips or c) both into the bodies of unsuspecting people. (Again for this reason, serious critics contend that such injections should no longer be described as "vaccines.")
 
In short, some suspect the vaccine will contain chemical compounds that promote sterility or predispose long-term illnesses while others suspect it will insert an electronic technology designed to interact with 5G telecommunications. Neither suspicion comes out of the blue. Bill Gates Jr., the super salesman of vaccines, appears to have inherited his father’s interest in population control. Thus, Mike Whitney asks: “Is the goal immunity or depopulation?” 

Regarding the possibility that the vaccine campaign has ulterior motives associated with the desire of the Powers-That-Be to surveil, track and control the population, Moderna's own website may offer a clue. It reads in part: 
 
"Recognizing the broad potential of mRNA science, we set out to create an mRNA technology platform that functions very much like an operating system on a computer. It is designed so that it can plug and play interchangeably with different programs. In our case, the "program” or “app” is our mRNA drug - the unique mRNA sequence that codes for a protein." 

One blogger has raised an intriguing question regarding the injection of what some might consider a pharmaceutical company's technology into a person. Specifically, does accepting the vaccine confer on Moderna in this case, a future legal "property" right claim on the individual?


Two on-line whistleblowers at Moderna, may have spilled the beans in terms of unauthorized vaccine contents and their intended effects. The two, one an industrial engineer and the other a process development engineer, describe the highly secretive nature of vaccine production and what they believe is the intended action and outcome. They add that they are certain the same thing is happening with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. 
 
In their analysis, the liver and the gonads are the destinations of the two proteins (?) created and the resulting outcomes are: “mildly oncogenic effects” (showing up many years later in vaccine recipients) and next generation ovarian failure in females, respectively. The two whistleblowers suggest how such a vaccine is consistent with a transhumanist future where AI and robotics will replace many humans. They also acknowledge that they fear for their safety. (State of the Nation, December 10, 2020)
 
Kerry Lynn Cassidy of Project Camelot reports:
 
“I am told by a deep source that they (Globalists?) need people to accept (and even request) a vaccine, which will inject them with the nano AI particles piercing their sovereign bodies by permission in a series of jabs…”  (Project Camelot)
 
Bill Gates is more than simply promoting vaccinations. And he’s more than a promoter of population reduction via vaccination. He promotes the tracking of vaccinations. 
See: Bill Gates Funds invisible quantum tattoo hidden in coronavirus vaccine for storing vaccination history. (Great Game India)
 
“This technology could enable the rapid and anonymous detection of patient vaccination history to ensure that every child is vaccinated.”
 
As to the origin of such a vaccine, The Public Intelligence Blog (former CIA officer, Robert David Steele) reports:
 
“The vaccine created by the Institut Pasteur called Chadox1-nCov-19 was manufactured in 2019. It included nanoparticles or chips patented by Bill Gates and had to work with 5G. This vaccine has been sold to several countries for billions of dollars. 
 
Steele adds: Scientists, who are suing the Institut Pasteur for crimes against humanity, have all the evidence.” (Public Intelligence Blog, December 6, 2020)

9. The illness that appears be causing problems doesn’t resemble a coronavirus. So, the actual illness is likely being mis-diagnosed and the wrong treatment (a vaccine) is being applied.
 
Dr. Zach Bush has been telling the world that the symptoms that he has been seeing aren't indicative of a respiratory illness. He described his patients’ bloodstreams as resembling those of people suffering from altitude sickness. They were breathing freely but starving for oxygen. 
Dr Bush explains how the medical profession is misdiagnosing the condition and based on faulty diagnosis contributing, in some instances, to unnecessary deaths. This is not a condition involving respiratory failure event. This is a hypoxic injury, not a viral infection and it must be treated accordingly. We need to treat this as an hypoxic injury similar to cyanide poisoning, something the profession knows how to do. People aren't dying of Covid. They are not dying of a virus, they are dying of bacterial pneumonias that are secondary in nature, and some are dying of hypoxic organ failure. 

​
And, it should be noted, inappropriately placing Covid patients on ventilators has actually contributed to the deaths of hospital patients as the experience of New York hospitals demonstrates. (Dr. Zach Bush)


Dr. Larry Palevsky theorizes that Covid-19 may be a parasite/ bacteria combination. This would explain why he and others report immediate positive patient responses to treatments comprised of HCQ plus Zinc plus azithromycin or alternatively, Ivermectin. It would also explain why globalist plotters intent on selling governments a “vaccine solution” for billions have done everything they could to suppress knowledge of the effectiveness of these treatments. (State of the Nation, December 11, 2020). 
 
When Covid erupted in France for example, its minister of health signed a decree banning over-the-counter sales of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in France in January 2020. It turns out the minister’s husband is Yves Lévy, co-president of the steering committee that oversaw French participation in helping China built its Wuhan P4 lab. (There’s more to this story. See “Acclaimed pharma professor thrown in psychiatric hospital for questioning official Covid narrative, Jeanne Smits, Life Site News, SOTT, December 11, 2020)
 
The obstacles aside, courtesy of independent or alternative media, the story of the effectiveness of these treatments is being shared and discussed ever more widely. For example, see: Ivermectin saved lives in Toronto nursing home after Covid outbreak (Video) State of the Nation, December 14, 2020) 
 
10. 
Some claim that the vaccine cell lines used in the vaccines were derived from the tissue of aborted fetuses, creating an ethical issue.
 
Some Christians have long been concerned that some vaccines contain material from a fetus. (And it’s often been denied by manufacturers via their ‘debunkers.”) An anonymous individual, allegedly a nurse according to the title of piece, examined the packaging of the AstraZeneca vaccine in an online video and does a search to determine what one of the contents listed on the package (MRC-5) really is.

Wikipedia states: “originally developed from research deriving lung tissue of a 14 week old aborted Caucasian male fetus.” Her colleague can be heard in the background adding, “it’s been replicated over and over and over again for a long time.”

11. Coercion and intimidation are being used to get people to accept the Covid vaccine
There is no raging pandemic. Public health officials have inappropriately conflated any number of health conditions with Covid including the flu. (See: the flu has become Covid so we can have a pandemic and a lockdown) The majority of people have a survivability rate of 99% plus from the so-called “novel” coronavirus. And there are effective low cost treatments like Ivermectin, HCQ and naturopathic methods of boosting resistance to the coronavirus including Vitamin D. Add the fact that the vaccine coming on stream is experimental, presenting serious risks to those who take it. 
 
And yet, governments, public health officials and the mainstream media and more recently large corporation have joined the campaign to hype the vaccines and shame and coerce those who hesitate. Consider how inappropriate and meaningless this vaccine "solution" is given: a) the survival rate from Covid (99% plus for most of the population), b) the likely misdiagnosis of the condition described above; c) the fact the vaccine is probably only capable of ameliorating symptoms (see Whitney below), and d) the historic rates at which coronaviruses mutate at the best of times. 
 
And why the bullying? Why are some suggesting the vaccine should become a requirement in order to travel or work? You can find a list of countries and airlines that have indicated they will adopt "vaccine passports."  (Barrage of countries and airlines to adopt vaccine passports, State of the Nation, January 20, 2021) The coercive tactics sound like something from Orwell’s 1984. Coerced compliance is unethical at best, apart from any consideration of one’s rights under natural law. Forced vaccination would be a violation of the Nuremberg Code, which holds that medical treatments require the voluntary consent of the subject. (Nuremburg Code, Wikipedia) Cognizant of these unethical pressures on citizens, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed a timely appeal to government leaders this past May.
 
“We also ask government leaders to ensure that forms of control over people, whether through tracking systems or any other form of location-finding, are rigorously avoided. The fight against Covid-19, however serious, must not be the pretext for supporting the hidden intentions of supranational bodies that have very strong commercial and political interests in this plan. 
 
In particular, citizens must be given the opportunity to refuse these restrictions on personal freedom, without any penalty whatsoever being imposed on those who do not wish to use vaccines, contact tracking or any other similar tool.”
 
At times when unprincipled actors threaten the sovereignty of mind and body, we would be well advised to ponder the wisdom of Nikola Tesla.
 
“Everyone should consider his body as a priceless gift from one whom he loves above all, a marvelous work of art, of indescribable beauty, and mystery beyond human conception, and so delicate that a word, a breath, a look, nay, a thought may injure it.” 
 
Vaccine manufacturers would have us believe that their products have passed the safety trials that other medications are subject to. They have never been.  (It took a lawsuit by Robert F. Kenney Jr. , head of Children’s Health Defense, to make this little known fact clear to the public.)  If manufacturers were confident of the safety of their products one wonders if they would be so quick to shift the risk to government and members of the public by securing exemptions from liability.
 
Mike Whitney explains why people may have false (inflated) expectations for the Covid-19 vaccine. Peter Doshi is the Associate editor of the British Medical Journal and assistant professor of pharmaceutical health services research at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Doshi warns that the vaccine trials might not answer the questions we think they will.

 
Here’s what the much-lauded vaccines won’t do according to Whitney’s article:
1.   The vaccines will not cure Covid 
2.   The vaccines will not prevent people from contracting Covid
3.   The vaccines will not prevent Covid-related hospitalizations
4.   The vaccines will not prevent Covid-caused deaths
 
So what does it mean when a vaccine manufacturer claims that its product is “95% effective”? Whitney explains:
 
“All it means is that the vaccine reduced the symptoms of some of the people in the trials who tested positive.”
 
So considering the foregoing list of risks and concerns – all for a potential moderation of symptoms Mike Whitney’s question looms larger than ever: Why get the vaccine? As he says, don’t – it makes no sense. Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s warning is even more pointed: Don’t get the vaccine under any circumstances. I second the motion.
 
I'll wrap up section 2.6 by saying that we are not Big Phama’s guinea pigs. Nor are we the property of globalists intent on ushering in their totalitarian technocracy under the rubric of The Great Reset*. We are human beings, divinely endowed by our Creator with personal and bodily sovereignty. As such, we expect governments and the medical/scientific community, including Big Pharma to conform to the Precautionary Principle and uphold the principles of Informed Consent and natural law.

 Part II...in conclusion 
I have described in some detail six major anomalies in the official Covid narrative, or more correctly, the Covid Project and its implementation. The list is far from complete. Collectively they characterize an upside down reality --  a "surreality." The inconsistencies are staggering, and they should be more than enough to tip citizens off to the fact that Covid-19 isn't "as advertised." And it should be sufficient to awaken the skeptics to the fact that Covid-19 is a massive fraud.

Those who have spotted the many holes in the pandemic narrative now refer to it variously as a "Plandemic," a "Panic-demic," a "Case-demic," a "The Fear-demic" and a "Scam-demic."  It's all of the above and more. By whichever term you choose to describe it, Covid-19 will certainly achieve Guinness Book history-making status. Veteran pathologist, Dr. Roger Hodkinson describes it as, "The greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public in human history." Citizens then, have every right to be equally outraged at their betrayal and demand transparency, truth and accountability from their leaders. 


Too few people realize they are captives of a massive deception. They painstakingly contort their daily activities in order to conform to "the rules" at untold expense and in some instances, danger to themselves and their families. There are several reasons for this which I explain in Part III. One very basic reason is vanity.  Mark Twain points out that it's easier to fool people than convince them they are being fooled. We all have been conned of course at one time or another, so let's admit it. British computer scientist, Martin Geddes took the lesson in humility farther:

"In a maze of deception, you also need to be able to unlearn, and recognise you have been fooled. This is an emotional skill, as it means dealing with a hurt ego and the loss of the 'feeling of knowing'".

There's more to it of course, much of it having to do with the weaponizing of psychology. Our minds have been hacked and we've been enmeshed in a maze of deception for a long time. Escaping that maze means cultivating and exercising a default skepticism. It means we will need to become more observant and better at spotting sleazy scam artists and propagandists. It's especially challenging when the scam is perpetrated by an entire industry, complicit government leaders and corporate media. Until we do develop the ability to decode their propaganda however, we are destined to play the unbecoming role of admirers of the Emperor's New Clothes (as in the Hans Christian Anderson fable.) 

On the other hand, a brave minority are rebelling against Covid regimes around the world and their numbers are growing. They have become skilled at decoding disinformation and exposing the magician's tricks. These folks see things in the Covid story that others don't -- apart from the lies and the devastation. They see a larger dystopian agenda being advanced by the World Economic Forum, World Bank and their allies as described in The Great Reset*. I'll describe this Resistance
in Part III and why its members have rejected The Great Reset. I'll also examine the prospects for a different, freer and more uplifting future within the possibilities a Great Awakening. Finally, I'll explain how awakening readers can join the struggle of the centuries for a more hopeful future. 

Stay with me; as many of my colleagues are suggesting, "things are about to get biblical."
 
* Examined in Part Three

 
Sources

2.0 Adventures in Upside Down Land
Elon Musk tests positive for Covid-19…and negative (Stephan Nicola and Tim Loh, Bloomberg News, National Post, November 13, 2020)
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/elon-musk-tests-positive-for-covid-19-and-negative?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1605275037
 
2.1 The Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t a spontaneous development; it was planned 
 
Mike Pompeo Admits COVID-19 Is a “Live Exercise,” Trump Retorts “I Wish You Would Have Told Us” (Shepherd Ambellas, Global Research via Intellihub, August 14, 2020) https://www.globalresearch.ca/secretary-state-mike-pompeo-admits-covid-19-live-exercise-president-trump-comments-i-wish-you-would-have-told-us/5707223

Rockefeller Foundation paper published in 2010 predicted how a pandemic can be used as an excuse to establish a global authoritarian power (William Engdahl, Need to know News, March 16, 2020)https://needtoknow.news/2020/03/rockefeller-foundation-paper-published-in-2010-predicted-how-a-pandemic-can-be-used-as-an-excuse-to-establish-global-authoritarian-power/ 
Media Advisory, Event 201 (Carol Miller, Center for Health Security)
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/media-advisory.html

World Bank documents lists Covid-19 program ending March 2025 (Patrick Howley, National File, September 6, 2020)
https://nationalfile.com/world-bank-document-lists-covid-19-program-ending-in-march-2025/

Covid-19 diagnostic test instruments and apparatus by country in 2018 (902780) (World Integrated Trade Solution, Web archive)
https://web.archive.org/web/20200905143751/https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/comtrade/en/country/ALL/year/2018/tradeflow/Exports/partner/WLD/nomen/h5/product/902780
 
Outbreak readiness and business impact: Protecting lives and livelihoods across the global economy in collaboration with Harvard Global Health Institute (World Economic Forum White Paper, January 2019)
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF%20HGHI_Outbreak_Readiness_Business_Impact.pdf
 
Half a Pulitzer Prize to the Wall Street Journal (Ron Unz, Unz Review, August 23, 2020)
https://www.unz.com/announcement/half-a-pulitzer-prize-to-the-wall-street-journal/
 
Atomic Bombshell: Richard Rothschild patented
Covid-19 Biometric tests in 2015. And in 2017 (Silviu “Silview” Constinescu, State of the Nation, October 29, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=33959
 
Exclusive: Covid vaccine patent warned of “Deliberate Coronavirus release” nine months before Covid-19 (ISE. Media, YouTube, September 7, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msykwjpwG6Q

Coronavirus: US senators face calls to resign over ‘insider trading’ (BBC News, March 20, 2020)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51976484

Bill Gates negotiated $100 billion contact tracing deal with Democratic Congressman sponsor of bill six months before coronavirus pandemic (True Pundit, SOTT, June 16, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/436508-Bill-Gates-negotiated-100-billion-contact-tracing-deal-with-Democratic-Congressman-sponsor-of-bill-six-months-BEFORE-coronavirus-pandemic

Opening ceremony of 2012 was predictive programming for Coronavirus (Risk Heskey, YouTube, April 19, 2020)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Q06VXFR8mhee/
 
Amazon’s “Utopia” series foreshadowed the current COVID dystopia (JediShaman, The Rumor Mill Reading Room, November 8, 2020)
https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=157641https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=157641
 
Ultimate Proof: Covid-19 was planned to usher in the New World Order (Humans are Free, State of the Nation, October 1, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=30117
 
2.2 There is no justifiable basis for the suspension of constitutional rights and freedom and imposition of police state style lockdowns
 
New restrictions to reduce spread of Covid-19 (Province of (Nova Scotia website, Health and Wellness, Covid-19, November 20, 2020)
https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20201120003

Australian mask crackdown "mad", health experts warn (Patrick Durken and Natasha Boddy, Australian Financial Review, SOTT, Sept 28-20)
https://www.sott.net/article/442149-Australian-mask-crackdown-mad-health-experts-warn
 
Greece will require people to text government for permission to leave their homes under new lockdown (The Activist Post, November 13, 2020)
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/11/greece-will-require-people-to-text-government-for-permission-to-leave-home-under-new-lockdown.html
 
Covid-19 -- Scamdemic Part 1 (Iain, In This Together, August 25, 2020)
https://in-this-together.com/covid-19-scamdemic-part-1/
 
Fed up police will take more extreme measures to ensure the public follow lockdown rules (The Telegraph, March 26, 2020)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/26/fed-up-police-take-extreme-measures-ensure-public-follow-lockdown/
 
More Melbourne insanity: Mom arrested at beach for traveling ‘Outside her permitted 5 km radius’ (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, October 5, 2020)  https://www.zerohedge.com/political/more-melbourne-insanity-mom-arrested-beach-traveling-outside-her-permitted-5km-radius?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=miximedia&utm_campaign=zerohedge
 
Three more Australians arrested for making anti-lockdown posts (John Vibes, Activist Post, September 6, 2020)
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/09/three-more-arrested-in-australia-for-making-anti-lockdown-posts-online.html
 
Anti-riot police storm Paris bar during Champions league final (YouTube, August 23, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE5QTsaOsGk
 
Airborne Spanish police berate beachgoers over Covid-19 triggering bleak comparisons online: “Hitler would be proud.”
(RT, SOTT, September 7, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/441022-Airborne-Spanish-police-berate-beachgoers-over-Covid-19-triggering-bleak-comparisons-online-Hitler-would-be-proud
 
Coronavirus: Police to verify Canadians complying with quarantine order, RCMP says (Stewart Bell land Andrew Russell, Global News, April 14, 2020)
https://globalnews.ca/news/6804626/coronavirus-police-verifying-quarantine-order/
 
Lord Sumption: Our lives belong to us, not the state. It’s morally wrong for government control freaks to tell us what we can do at Christmas (Lord Sumption, The Mail On-line, November 21, 2020)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-8973529/LORD-SUMPTION-morally-wrong-government-control-freaks-tell-Christmas.html
 
The CDC estimates that people between 20 and 49 years have a .0002% of dying from a SARS-Cov-2 infection (ERBN, November 21, 2020)
https://erbn.online/864
 
Dr. Roger Hodkinson on how governments responded to Covid (YouTube, November 19, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LbD1rWkF-Q
 
World Doctors Alliance: Open Letter to UK Government, World governments and citizens of the world (Global Research, October 23, 2020)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/world-doctors-alliance-open-letter-uk-government-world-governments-citizens-world/5727390
 
“Probably the greatest crime against humanity ever committed,” Dr. Reiner Fuellmich (YouTube, October 8, 2020) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EII2lV3t6Jc
  
2.3 The treatment for the Covid problem (mass lockdowns) is ineffectual and doing immensely more harm than good (at least ten times more)
 
Lockdowns will cause ten times more harm to human health than Covid-19 itself (David Staples, Edmonton Journal, SOTT, October 21, 2020) https://www.sott.net/article/443284-Lockdowns-will-cause-10-times-more-harm-to-human-health-than-COVID-19-itself-says-infectious-disease-expert
 
Covid-19: Rethinking the lockdown groupthink, Reprints (October 15, 2020)
file:///Users/calvinmulligan/Downloads/preprints202010.0330.v1.pdf
 
(US) Federal debt tops $27 trillion for first time (Blacklisted News, Oct 4, 2020) https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78162/federal-debt-tops-27-trillion-for-first.html
 
One in seven Canadians is experiencing food insecurity during COVID-19, and its toll is heavier than hunger: report (National Post, October 16, 2020)
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/one-in-seven-canadians-is-experiencing-food-insecurity-during-covid-19-and-its-toll-is-heavier-than-hunger-report
 
Over a third of UK employees planning to make staff redundant, BOE predicts unemployment rate to double (The Guardian, October 1, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/442361-Over-a-third-of-UK-employers-planning-to-make-staff-redundant-BoE-predicts-unemployment-rate-to-DOUBLE
 
Mapping Covid-19’s crushing impact on International Tourism (Activist Post, October 3, 2020)
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/10/mapping-covid-19s-crushing-impact-on-international-tourism.html
 
Covid-19: The impact on developing economies (Business Because, June 25, 2020)

Covid-19: Without help, low-income developing countries risk a lost decade (IMF Blog, August 27, 2020)
https://blogs.imf.org/2020/08/27/covid-19-without-help-low-income-developing-countries-risk-a-lost-decade/
 
CDC said there have been more suicides than death by Covid-19 (Blacklisted News, September 11, 2020)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77945/cdc-said-there-have-been-more-suicides-than-death-by.html
 
Suicide claimed more lives in October than ten months of Covid in Japan, report shows (Blacklisted News, November 24, 2020)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78613/suicide-claimed-more-lives-in-october-than-10-months-of-covid19-in-japan-report.html
 
Opioid deaths skyrocket, mental health suffers due to pandemic restrictions, new federal report says (Yahoo News, October 28, 2020)
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/opioid-deaths-skyrocket-mental-health-164432564.html
 
Pandemic disruptions indirectly killed 75,000 more Americans than reported, study says (20% increase for March to July 2020 period over previous years) (Miami Herald, SOTT, October 15, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/443022-Pandemic-disruptions-indirectly-killed-75000-more-Americans-than-reported-study-says
 
UK’s lockdowns could cause 35,000 extra cancer deaths due to delayed diagnosis and treatment (BBC, SOTT, July 6, 2020)

Study identifies thousands of preventable deaths caused by heart attack and stroke during Covid-19 pandemic (Emily Henderson, News Medical, SOTT, September 29, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/445527-Study-identifies-thousands-of-preventable-deaths-caused-by-heart-disease-and-stroke-during-COVID-19-pandemic
 
Covid-19: Impact could cause equivalent of 195 million job losses…(UN New, April 8, 2020) https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061322
 
Job losses ramp up again as millions of Americans continue to slide into poverty (almost 8 million since May according to one study) (The Economic Collapse, October 15, 2020)
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-economic-implosion-of-2020-job-losses-ramp-up-again-as-millions-of-americans-continue-to-slide-into-poverty
 
How South Africa lost a decade of job growth in four months  (Financial Mail, September 30, 2020)
https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/features/cover-story/2020-09-30-sas-surreal-lost-decade/
 
World Bank: Lockdowns may push 150 million people into extreme poverty (Reuters, SOTT, October 7, 2020          https://www.sott.net/article/442681-Lockdowns-may-push-150-
million-people-into-extreme-poverty-World-Bank
 
It is being projected that there could be an “eight billion meal shortage” at America’s Food Banks over the next 12 months (Michael Snyder, SOTT) https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78209/it-is-being-projected-that-there-could-be-an-eight-billion-meal-shortage-at-americas-food-banks.html
 
Children’s long-term mental health at risk from Covid-19-related stress, experts warn (Children’s Health Defense, The Defender, October 16, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/children-mental-health-risk-covid-19/?utm_source=salsa&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=4832cb80-fe38-4dc2-882d-3029e4f9e259
 
Charity demands tougher laws as on-line child grooming and child abuse in Scotland soars during lockdown (The Herald, SOTT, November 12, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444304-Charity-demands-tougher-laws-as-online-child-grooming-and-child-abuse-in-Scotland-soars-during-lockdown
 
Food shortage simulation predicts 400% increase in food prices by 2030 (Robert Wheeler, Activist Post, October 12, 2020)
 
55 million people face famine as Covid-ravaged economies fail to meet funding goals (according to Oxfam report) (Mint Press, Blacklisted News, October 15-2020) https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78259/55-million-people-face-famine-as-covidravaged-economies-fail-to-meet-funding.html
 
Half a million sharks could be killed to make vaccine (Robert F. Kennedy, Children’s Health Defense, October 1, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/sharks-killed-glaxo-vaccine/?utm_source=salsa&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=353fee49-38e3-4580-afce-1b186880d49a
 
The untold impact of lockdowns (Dr. Zoë Harcombe Ph.D., SOTT, November 2, 2020) https://www.sott.net/article/443894-The-untold-impact-of-lockdowns
 
The Covid “pandemic”: Destroying people’s lives. Engineered economic depression. Global “coup d’Etat”? (Dr. Michael Chossudovsky, Global Research, November 12, 2020)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-second-wave-destroying-peoples-lives-global-coup-detat/5728207
 
Lockdowns destroy what makes us human: This is how the lockdowns are destroying humanity (Zachary Yost, November 27, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=38704
 
The price of panic (Website)
http://thepriceofpanic.com/
 
Even a military enforced quarantine can’t stop the virus, study reveals (Zero Hedge, November 16, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/even-military-enforced-quarantine-cant-stop-virus-study-reveals
 
Open letter to all citizens of the world and all governments of the world (World Doctors Alliance website) 
https://worlddoctorsalliance.com/
 
Kids have regressed due to Covid-19 with some potty- trained kids going back to diapers, experts say (CBS News, November 10, 2020)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-pandemic-kid-regression/
 
Death by lockdown, Jeffrey A. Tucker, American Institute for Economic Research, SOTT, Nov 2, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/443769-Death-by-lockdown
 
The hidden Covid-19 health crisis: Elderly people are dying from isolation (NBC News, October 27, 2020)/
 
Elderly woman euthanized to avoid anguish of lockdown loneliness (Wesley J. Smith, National Review, November 26, 2020)
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/elderly-woman-euthanized-to-avoid-anguish-of-lockdown-loneliness/
  
2.4 The Covid-19 Public Health management model is neither based on “science” nor is it aligned with recommended medical or epidemiological practices
 
Firearms officers descend on gym for staying open despite lockdown orders in Merseyyside, UK (LADbible, SOTT, October 15, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/442921-Firearms-officers-descend-on-gym-for-staying-open-despite-lockdown-orders-in-Merseyside-UK
 
Effective treatment and prevention is available for Covid-19 (Paul Craig Roberts, November 23, 2020) 
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2020/11/23/effective-treatment-and-prevention-is-available-for-covid-19/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=effective_treatment_and_prevention_is_available_for_covid_19&utm_term=2020-11-25
 
Michigan State Rep: Impeach ‘mean Karen’ Gretchen Whitmer for nursing home coronavirus policy (Breitbart, November 22, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/11/22/michigan-state-rep-impeach-mean-karen-gretchen-whitmer-nursing-home-coronavirus-policy/
 
Masks
Science is conclusive: Masks and respirators do not prevent transmission of viruses (Dr. Denis G. Rancourt, Global Research, January 3, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=46065


Masks are neither effective nor safe: A summery of the evidence (Carol Huber, NMD, PrimaryDoctor.Org, July 6, 2020)
https://www.primarydoctor.org/masks-not-effect
 
German neurologists warns against wearing face masks
https://www.sott.net/article/442455-German-Neurologist-Warns-Against-Wearing-Facemasks-Oxygen-Deprivation-Causes-Permanent-Neurological-Damage
 
Masks:  The science and myths (Dr. Lee Merritt, America’s Front Line Doctors
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/summit2/#testing
 
Four year old almost dies due to infection caused by prolonged mask wearing –doctor rants ‘how many children must die?’ (Brian Shilhavy, Health impact News, SOTT, November 20, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444707-4-year-old-almost-dies-due-to-lung-infection-caused-by-prolonged-mask-wearing-doctor-rants-how-many-children-must-die
 
Women in France recount trauma of wearing a masks during childbirth (RFI France, October 17, 2020)
https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20201017-women-in-france-recount-trauma-of-wearing-masks-during-childbirth
 
Masks, false safety and real dangers, Part 2 Microbial challenges from masks
https://pdmj.org/Mask_Risks_Part2.pdf
 
Group of doctors: Masks are ‘completely irrelevant’ to blocking Covid-10 (Patrick Delaney, FourWinds10.com, October 29, 20202)
 
These 12 graphs show masks mandates do nothing to stop covid, Yinon Weiss, The Federalist, October 29, 2020)
https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/29/these-12-graphs-show-mask-mandates-do-nothing-to-stop-covid/
 
This mom has had enough (Strong language warning) (Youtube, November 8, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=-muTWXVmqug&feature=emb_logo
 
Lockdowns
The untold impact of lockdowns, Dr. Zoë Harcombe Ph.D. (SOTT, November 2, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/443894-The-untold-impact-of-lockdowns

‘Lockdown is a terrible experiment’, (Interview with Dr. Martin Kulldorff) (Spiked, October 9, 2020)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/10/09/lockdown-is-a-terrible-experiment/
 
Death by lockdown, American Institute for Economic Research, November 2, 2020)
https://www.aier.org/article/death-by-lockdown/
 
Dr. Sucharit Bahdti (Selected Quote, Facebook page)
https://www.facebook.com/ThriveEstonia/posts/exactly-the-governments-anti-covid19-measures-are-grotesque-absurd-and-very-dang/1523747594459246/
 
Open letter from Professor Sucharit Bhakdi to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, March 26, 2020, (Sucharit Bhakdi, SWPRS) https://swprs.org/open-letter-from-professor-sucharit-bhakdi-to-german-chancellor-dr-angela-merkel/
 
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)
Fauci versus Frontline Doctors and science: Pandemic malpractice (The Unz Review, November 6, 2020)
https://www.unz.com/article/fauci-versus-frontline-doctors-and-science-pandemic-malpractice/
 
Practicing medicine upside down, Dr. Geoff Mitchell,  America’s Front Line Doctors,
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/summit2/#testing
 
Over 80 percent of Covid patients had vitamin D deficiency (Newsmax, October 27, 2020)
https://www.newsmax.com/scitech/vitamin-d-covid-19-pandemic-sunshine/2020/10/27/id/994021/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=mixi&utm_campaign=newsmax
 
Hydroxychloroquine: A summary of the evidence, Dr. Richard Urso, America’s Front Line Doctors, https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/summit2/#testing
 
PCR “test”
A must watch Covid test living and moves (Destiny of the Divine, Instagram, January 5, 2021.)
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJ7Z9NYgh2S/?utm_source=ig_embe

Austrian lawmaker tests Coca Cola for Covid infection before his colleagues and drink tests positive (Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit, December 28, 2020)
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/12/austrian-lawmaker-tests-coca-cola-covid-infection-colleagues-drink-tests-positive/


Coronavirus PCR test primer sequence is found in all human DNA (Derek Coons, Deplorable Inc, August 23, 2020)
https://deplorableinc.com/bombshell-coronavirus-pcr-test-primer-sequence-is-found-in-all-human-dna/
 
International experts suggest that up to 90% of Covid cases could be false positives – Updated (references Canada) (Marie Oakes, Westphalian Times, September 25, 2020) 
https://westphaliantimes.com/international-experts-suggest-that-up-to-90-of-canadian-covid-cases-could-be-false-positives/
 
Former Pfizer science officer expose Covid Scam
https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/former-pfizer-science-officer-reveals-great-covid-19-scam
 
Ten major scientific flaws of the PCR test to detect SARS-CoV-2 (Pieter Borger, Bobby Rajesh Malhotra, and et al., Global Research, Corman-Drosten Review Report, State of the Nation, December 2, 2020) https://stateofthenation.co/?p=39590

The COVID-19 RT-PCR test: How to mislead all humanity using a “test” to lockdown society (Dr. Pascal Sacré, Global Research, November 5, 2020) https://www.globalresearch.ca/covid-19-rt-pcr-how-to-mislead-all-humanity-using-a-test-to-lock-down-society/5728483
 
Testing- False positives, Open letter to all citizens of the world and all governments of the world (World Doctors Alliance website) 
https://worlddoctorsalliance.com/
 
Correlation between 3790 quantitative polymerase Chain reaction – positive samples and positive cell cultures, including 1941 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Islolates, (Rita Jaafar, Sarah Aherfi, Nathalie Wurtz, Clio Grimaldier, Thuan Van Hoang, Phillipe Colson, Didier Raoult, Bernard La Scola, Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa 1491, Oxford Academic, September 28, 2020) 
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa1491/5912603
 
‘The scientific evidence does not exist for a second lockdown’ (Matthew Bell, Mattbell, September 22, 2020)
https://mattbell.org/the-scientific-evidence-does-not-exist-for-a-second-lockdown
 
“Dead” virus cells frequently trigger false positives in most common Covid test, new study finds (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, September 5, 2020) 
https://mattbell.org/the-scientific-evidence-does-not-exist-for-a-second-lockdown
 
Landmark ruling finds Covid tests are not fit for purpose. So what does MSM do? They ignore it (Peter Andrews, RT.com, State of the Nation, November 27, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=38678
 
Lies, damned lies and health statistics – the deadly danger of false positives (Dr. Mike Yeadon, former Chief Science Officer, Pfizer (Lockdown Sceptics, September 20, 2020)
https://lockdownsceptics.org/lies-damned-lies-and-health-statistics-the-deadly-danger-of-false-positives/
 
Fauci states Covid test has fatal flaw; confession from the “beloved” expert or experts (Jon Rappoport’s Blog, November 6, 2020)
https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/11/06/smoking-gun-fauci-states-covid-test-has-fatal-flaw/
 
We are being lied to. Here is how…(PCR test) (Spiro Skouras, Activist Post, October 3, 2020)
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/10/we-are-being-lied-to-here-is-how.html
 
Crimes against humanity: Fraudulent PCR tests taken to court – Interview with Reiner Fuellmich (video) (Humans are Free, November 15, 2020)
https://humansarefree.com/2020/11/crimes-against-humanity-fraudulent-pcr-tests-taken-to-court-interview-with-lawyer-reiner-fullmich.html
 
Covid testing: We’ve been duped (Zero Hedge, November 4, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/covid-testing-weve-been-duped
 
In newly surfaced July interview, Fauci warns that widely used COVID tests may pick up “dead” virus (Just the News, November 8, 2020)
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/newly-surfaced-video-july-fauci-tests-dead-virus
 
CDC report: Officials knew coronavirus test was flawed but released it anyway (NPR, November 6, 2020)
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/06/929078678/cdc-report-officials-knew-coronavirus-test-was-flawed-but-released-it-anyway
 
Elon Musk tests positive for COVID-19…and negative (National Post, November 13, 2020)
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/elon-musk-tests-positive-for-covid-19-and-negative?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1605275037
 
Was the COVID-19 test meant to detect a virus? (Celia Farber DCUndercover, SOTT) 
https://www.sott.net/article/434439-Was-the-COVID-19-test-meant-to-detect-a-virus
 
Could most positive Covid-19 tests be wrong? (David Mackie, Lockdown Skeptics, SOTT, October 19-20)
https://www.sott.net/article/443147-Could-most-positive-COVID-19-tests-be-wrong
 
Your coronavirus test is positive. Maybe it shouldn’t be (New York Times, August 30, 2020)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/coronavirus-testing.html
 
James Fetzer
https://jamesfetzer.org/2020/10/ny-times-up-to-90-whove-tested-covid-positive-wrongly-diagnosed-truth-a-whole-lot-worse/
 
COVID diagnostic test: worst test every devised? (Jon Rappoport’s Blog, September 10, 2020)
https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/09/10/covid-diagnostic-test-worst-test-ever-devised/
 
The Corona virus panic is just that, an irrational panic, based on an unproven RNA test (David Crowe, State of the Nation, October 7, 2020) https://stateofthenation.co/?p=30867
 
The PCR test for Covid-19 is highly inaccurate as is the antibody test (Makia Freeman, Global Research, State of the Nation, October 7, 2020) https://stateofthenation.co/?p=30894
 
Covid-19 PCR tests are scientifically meaningless (Bulgarian Pathology Association, July 1-20)
https://bpa-pathology.com/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/
 
The Covid-19 RT-PCR test: How to mislead all humanity. using a “test” to lock down society (Dr. Pascal Sacre, Global Research, November 5, 2020) 
https://www.globalresearch.ca/covid-19-rt-pcr-how-to-mislead-all-humanity-using-a-test-to-lock-down-society/5728483
 
The WHO (finally) admits the PCR test creates false positives (Off-Guardian, December 18, 2020)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78794/who-finally-admits-pcr-tests-create-false.html
 
Vaccine development and use
Former Pfizer and Chief Scientist Claims Covid-19 pandemic effectively over, no need for any vaccine (Preshasti Awasthi, Business Line, November 28, 2020)
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/former-pfizer-chief-claims-covid-19-pandemic-effectively-over-no-need-for-any-vaccine/article33198549.ece/amp/
 
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold millions in stock on the same day of vaccine reveal (New York Post, November 11, 2020)
https://nypost.com/2020/11/11/pfizer-ceo-sold-5-5m-in-stock-amid-covid-19-vaccine-reveal/
 
A British doctor speaks candidly about the dangers and risks associated with the Covid-19 vaccine (Malcolm Kendrick MD. RT.com, State of the Nation, November 24, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=38364
 
Operation Warp Speed – A technocratic chess piece? (Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola, November 1, 2020)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/11/01/operation-warp-speed.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20201101Z1&mid=DM699746&rid=1001139661
 
Ben Swann interviews RFK, Jr. on what we know --- and what we don’t know – about Covid vaccine safety (The Defender, Children’s Health Defense, November 24, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/ben-swann-interviews-rfk-jr-covid-vaccine-safety/?itm_term=home
 
Covid vaccine hesitancy widespread, even among medical professionals (Jeremy Loffredo. The Defender, November 25, 2020) 
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-widespread-medical-professionals/
 
Two thirds of Americans say they won’t get COVID-19 vaccine when it’s first available, USA Today/Suffolk poll shows (USA Today, September 4, 2020)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/04/covid-19-two-thirds-us-wont-take-vaccine-right-away-poll-shows/5696982002/
 
2.5 There's little reason to trust the narrative or the prescriptions being pushed by Big Pharma and friends; the industry is riddled with corruption and conflicts of interest
 
The CDC is being influenced by corporate and political interests, (Carey Gillam, The Hill October 17, 2016) https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/301432-the-cdc-is-being-being-influenced-by-corporate-and-political

Confronting Godzilla: Corporatocracy Part B, (Futurescapes21C, February 5, 2018)http://www.futurescapes21c, com/blog/confronting-godzilla-corporatocracy-part-b

Docs for sale: US government issues rare fraud alert as Big Pharma spends billions bribing medics to prescribe their drugs (RT., November 20, 2020)https://www.rt.com/op-ed/507355-big-pharma-dhs-fraud/

SAGE Conflicts of interest (Dr Zoë Harcombe, SOTT, November 9, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444075-SAGE-conflicts-of-interest

(UK) Vaccine taskforce chief may benefit from £49m UK investment, (The Guardian, SOTT, November 10, 2020)https://www.sott.net/article/444173-Vaccine-taskforce-chief-may-benefit-from-49m-UK-investment
 
So this is their plan to vaccinate as many Americans as possible (Melissa Klein, New York Post, State of the Nation, December 20, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42716
 
Corruption of scientific process, (Dr. James Todaro MD, White Coat Summit II. America’s Front Line Doctors, YouTube, October 16, 2020) 
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/summit2/#testing
 
Also: Dr. James Todaro, White Coat Summit II. America’s Front Line Doctors, (YouTube October 16, 2020)
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/custom_videos/corruption-of-the-scientific-process/
 
PCR test creator reveals raw truth about its testing deficiency and Fauci’s corruption at NIAID (Undated video interview, State of the Nation, November 11, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=41050
 
Pandemic exposes how science is suppressed for political, financial gain (Dr. Kamran Abassi, The Defender, November 25, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/pandemic-exposes-science-suppressed-political-financial-gain/
 
Shedding light on the dishonorable record of Dr. Fauci --  a real Dr. Mengele (F. William Engdahl, New Eastern Outlook, Fort Russ, April 23, 2020)
https://fort-russ.com/2020/04/shedding-light-on-the-dishonorable-record-of-dr-fauci-a-real-mengele/ 
DOJ charges hundreds of doctors and nurses in massive $6 billion ‘Healthcare fraud’ bust (The Free Thought Project, October 3, 2020)
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/doj-arrests-hundreds-doctors-nurses-fraud
 
Big Pharma is policing approval of is own vaccines (Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (Economics) Institute for Political Economy, October 12, 2020)
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2020/10/12/big-pharma-is-policing-the-approval-of-its-own-vaccines/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=big_pharma_is_policing_the_approval_of_its_own_vaccines&utm_term=2020-10-12
 
CDC and Who Corrupt financial entanglements with the vaccine industry (Children’s Health Defense, September?, 2019)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/cdc-who/

The World Health Organization has morphed into a drug-pushing pimp (Lance D. Johnson, Corruption. News, State of the Nation, October 11, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=31555
 
US hospitals getting paid more to label cause of death as "Coronavirus"  (Senator Scott Jensen and Wayne  Dupree, Subterranean Homesick News, Global Research, December 30, 2020) 
https://www.globalresearch.ca/hospitals-getting-paid-more-label-cause-death-coronavirus/5709720

Covid-19 Hush Money: $2.2 trillion CARES Act Coercion (Our Greater Destiny, State of the Nation, January 3, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=45297

Belarusian president claims IMF and World Bank offered him a bribe to impose Covid restrictions (Armstrong Economics, Blacklisted News, Sept 7-20)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77943/belarusian-president-claims-imf--world-bank-offered-him-a-bribe-to-impose-covid.html


Politician from Curaçao blows the whistle (2020 News, December 5, 2020)
https://2020news.de/en/politician-from-curacao-blows-the-whistle/
(UK) Vaccine taskforce chief may benefit from £49m UK investment, (The Guardian, SOTT, November 10, 2020)https://www.sott.net/article/444173-Vaccine-taskforce-chief-may-benefit-from-49m-UK-investment
 
State by State breakdown of federal aid per Covid-19 case
(Ayla Ellison (twitter) Beckers Hospital Review, April 14, 2020)
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/state-by-state-breakdown-of-federal-aid-per-covid-19-case.html
 
US hospitals getting paid more to label cause of death as ‘Coronavirus’ (Senator Scott Jensen and Wayne Dupree, Global Research December 2, 2020, via Subterranean Homesick News, April 10, 2020)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/hospitals-getting-paid-more-label-cause-death-coronavirus/5709720
 
Bill Gates gave hundreds of millions in bribes to MSN newspapers, TV news companies to bury negative stories about Gates Foundation
https://www.pandemic.news/2020-08-27-bill-gates-gave-millions-bribes-to-msm.html
 
Bill Gates controls the message by buying media for spreading ‘disinfo’
https://humansarefree.com/2020/09/press-in-his-pocket-bill-gates-buys-media-to-control-the-messaging.html
 
Press in his pocket: Bill Gates buys media to control the messaging (Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Children's Health Defence, September 3, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/press-in-his-pocket-bill-gates-buys-media-to-control-the-messaging/
 
Gates’ keepers: Bill Gates’ control over journalism (Dr. Joseph Mercola, SOTT, September 7, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/440982-Gates-keepers-Bill-Gates-control-over-journalism
 
CDC has over 50 vaccine patents, earns $5 billion annually, one side effect is death (Video) (DR TommyJohn, IGTV, State of the Nation, September 20, 2020) 
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=28880
 
Big Pharma’s Covid-19 profiteers (Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone, Aug 13-20)
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/big-pharma-covid-19-profits-1041185/
 
Melinda Gates slams social media (Mercola.com, SOTT, September 29, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/442148-Melinda-Gates-slams-social-media-for-spreading-disinfo
 
Vaccines, for Bill Gates, are a strategic philanthropy that feed his many vaccine-related businesses (From Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s post on Instagram, Coronavirus Impacts, April 29, 2020)
https://coronavirusimpacts.com/blogs/news/vaccines-for-bill-gates-are-a-strategic-philanthropy-that-feed-his-many-vaccine-related-businesses
https://coronavirusimpacts.com/blogs/news/vaccines-for-bill-gates-are-a-strategic-philanthropy-that-feed-his-many-vaccine-related-businesses
 
Bill Gates negotiated $100 billion contact tracing deal with Democratic Congressman (True Pundit, SOTT, June 16, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/436508-Bill-Gates-negotiated-100-billion-contact-tracing-deal-with-Democratic-Congressman-sponsor-of-bill-six-months-BEFORE-coronavirus-pandemic
 
2.6 When it comes to vaccine development, approval and marketing, regulators have abandoned the precautionary principle, putting the public at grave risk  
 
The precautionary principle applies to public health actions, (Bernard D. Goldstein, MD, American Journal of Public Health, 2001, September 91 (9) 1358-1361)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446778
 
Twitter to remove ‘harmful, misleading or false information’ on Covid-19 vaccinations (Zero Hedge, Blacklisted News, December 16, 2020)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78767/twitter-to-remove-harmful-misleading-or-false-information-on-covid19.html
 
Founder of vaccine Safety website, ex pharma insider found dead (Emily Mangiaracina, LifeSite News, December 15, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42047
 
UN says new polio outbreak in Sudan caused by oral vaccine (Maria Cheng, AP, September 2, 2020) https://apnews.com/619efb65b9eeec5650f011b960a152e9
 
HCG found in WHO tetanus vaccine in Kenya raises concern in the developing world, John W. Oller, Christopher A. Shaw, Lucija Tomljenovic, Stephen K. Karanja, Wahome Ngare, Felicia M. Clement, Jamie Ryan Pillette,
OALibJ Vol 4, No., 10, October 2017, Scientific Research, mScirp.org https://m.scirp.org/papers/81838
 
Vaccinated versus unvaccinated: The Study the CDA refused to do – Interview with Doctor Weiler (Spiro Skouras Activist Post, December 13, 2020)
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/12/vaccinated-vs-unvaccinated-the-study-the-cdc-refused-to-do-interview-with-dr-weiler.html
 
Australia ends Covid-19 vaccine trials after participants develop antibodies for HIV (WIO News Melbourne, December 11, 2020)
https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-ends-covid-19-vaccine-trials-after-participants-develop-antibodies-for-hiv-349006
 
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, October 22, 2020 Meeting Presentation (FDA government media) https://www.fda.gov/media/143557/download
 
Four volunteers of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine developed Bell’s palsy. Regulators warn those with allergies not to take it (Natalie Rahhal, Daily Mail, SOTT, December 8, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/445522-Four-volunteers-of-Pfizers-experimental-coronavirus-vaccine-developed-Bells-palsy-regulator-warns-those-with-allergies-to-NOT-take-it
 
Pfizer vaccine Covid trial shows alarming evidence of pathogenic priming in order adults (Dr. James Lyons Wieler, PhD, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, The Defender, December 10, 2020)  
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/pfizer-covid-vaccine-trial-pathogenic-priming/?utm_source=salsa&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=8fc80363-cace-4de1-bcd2-9e309b779ac5
 
mRNA Platform: Enabling Drug Discovery and Development (Moderna website) https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/mrna-platform-enabling-drug-discovery-development

Robert Kennedy Jr. warns parents about danger of using largely-untested vaccines on kids (Martin Berger, Global Research, Blacklisted News, July 29-2020)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77606/kennedy-jr-warns-parents-about-danger-of-using-largelyuntested-covid-vaccines-on.html
 
Yes, Bill Gates said that. Here’s the proof (Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Lifesite News, December 12, 2020)
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/yes-bill-gates-said-that-heres-the-proof?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=standard
 
The vaccines have trackers (Bitchute, December 3, 2020)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/GDXxxe5BlE20/
 
Philadelphia priest dies after participating in Moderna Covid vaccine trial 
(Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, December 3, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/philadelphia-priest-dies-after-participating-moderna-covid-vaccine-trial
 
Moderna Covid-19 vaccine causes "Monsterism" (RealRawNews, December 30, 2020)
https://realrawnews.com/2020/12/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-causes-monsterism/


A British doctor speaks candidly about the dangers and risks associated with the Covid-19 vaccine (State of the Nation, November 24, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=38364
 
Study: flu vaccine raises risk of COVID death – correlation confirmed by scientific analysis (Niall McCrae and David Kurten, State of the Nation, December 18, 2020))
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42352

WHO chief scientist warns “no evidence Covid Vaccine prevents viral transmission” (Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, December 29, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=44295

Vaccines, for Bill Gates, are a strategic philanthropy that feed his many vaccine-related businesses (From Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s post on Instagram, Coronavirus Impacts, April 29, 2020)
https://coronavirusimpacts.com/blogs/news/vaccines-for-bill-gates-are-a-strategic-philanthropy-that-feed-his-many-vaccine-related-businesses
https://coronavirusimpacts.com/blogs/news/vaccines-for-bill-gates-are-a-strategic-philanthropy-that-feed-his-many-vaccine-related-businesses
 
Risk in vaccine research and development quantified (Esther S. Pronker, Tamar C. Weenen, Harry Commandeur, Eric H.J. H.M. Claassen, Albertus D. M.E. Osterhaus,
PLoS One. 2013; 8(3): e57755., 2013 Mar 20. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057755)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603987/ 
 
Vaccine effectiveness: How well do the flu vaccines work? (Influenze (flu), Centers for disease control and prevention CDC) 
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm
 
Exclusive: Two-thirds of Americans say they won’t get Covid-19, when it’s first available, USA/Suffolk poll shows (Sarah Elbeshbishi, Ledyard King, USA Today, September 4, 2020)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/04/covid-19-two-thirds-us-wont-take-vaccine-right-away-poll-shows/5696982002/
 
Dr. Fauci walks back claim UK “rushed” covid vaccine approval, citing “misunderstanding” (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, December 4, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/dr-fauci-says-media-twisted-his-words-after-repeatedly-claiming-uk-rushed-covid
 
From TMAP to Warp Speed: How Big Pharma Algorithms Fast-Track Unapproved Drugs and Vaccines (John Klyzcek, NaturalBlaze, State of the Nation, December 12, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=41248
 
"If you say this is a vaccine, you have already lost the battle" (Before It's News, January 14, 2021)
https://beforeitsnews.com/eu/2021/01/if-you-say-its-a-vaccine-you-have-already-lost-the-battle-2666688.html


Here’s why you should skip the Covid vaccine (Mike Whitney, Unz Review, SOTT, November 28, 2020) 
https://www.sott.net/article/444977-Heres-why-you-should-skip-the-COVID-vaccine
 
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine volunteer ‘develops grievous sores on both her feet’, (State of the Nation, November 23, 2020)
 
Did nurse Tiffany Dover who fainted live on TV after her Covid vaccine really die? (video) (State of the Nation, December 21, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42881
 
Nurse collapses on TV minutes after receiving Covid vaccine (Video) (State of the Nation, December 21, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42872
 
Hospital workers turn down the COVID vaccine: “There’s too much mistrust” (Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, December 22, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=43077
 
CDC: 3000 struck down by vaccine, unable to do daily duties (V-Safe active surveillance for Covid-19 Vaccines, State of the Nation, December 21, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42870
 
Hundreds sent to emergency room after getting Covid-19 vaccines (Zachary Stieber, Rumour Mill News Reading Room, Januar 5, 2021)
http://fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/health/vaccinations/news.php?q=1609951990


Portuguese nurse dies suddenly after receiving Covid-19 vaccine (Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, January 5, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=45625
​
CDC issues new guidelines, launches probe after 1000s negatively-affected following Covid-19 vaccination (Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, December 20, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=42695
 
Norwegian nursing home patients dead after receiving first dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine (Zero Hedge, State of the Nation, January 7, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=46073

Miami doctor dies after Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from autoimmune disorder (TLB Staff, The Liberty Beacon, State of the Nation, January 8, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=46223

Why people will start dying a few months after the first MRNA "vaccinations" (explains "cytokine storm") (Professor Delores Cahill, Ireland YouTube, 2020) 
https://video.wakkeren.nl/videos/watch/9bd9f602-e5e9-47e0-b35d-8f1bfd78f0f4?fbclid=IwAR3iuCCvWjirWFZVI3pUrsCq1SW0s9l_sm8hrJHeUOvql0o4FXdCu66yk0I


Look what happened to a 33 year old male nurse in excellent health who took the Covid-19 vaccine, develops a severe reaction (video) (JI, Sayer, GreenMedInfo,, State of the Nation, January 18, 2021)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=48334

Jim Stone #2: BioNTechs Covid Vax files were hacked, revealing that this shot contains two ingredients never approved for human use (Jim Stone, Natural Wisdom, Rumour Mill News Reading Room, January 13, 2021) 
https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=163359


Nursing home with zero COVID death reports residents dying after new outbreak, vaccine (Life Site News, January 14, 2021) 
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/nursing-home-with-zero-covid-deaths-reports-residents-dying-after-new-outbreak-vaccine?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=standard

Covid test swabs used to vaccinate us, target the brain (The Contrail, State of the Nation, January 19, 2021) 
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=48576

​Breaking: FDA announces two deaths of Pfizer vaccine trial participants from “serious adverse events.” (The Jerusalem Post, State of the Nation, December 8, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=40566
 
Nurse shows AstraZeneca ‘Vaccine’ contents (Republic Broadcasting, December 10, 2020)
http://republicbroadcasting.org/news/nurse-shows-astrazeneca-vaccine-contents/
 
At least three shipments of Covid vaccine have spoiled on their way to Texas (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, December 30, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/least-3-shipments-covid-vaccine-have-spoiled-their-way-texas


Dr. Wodarg and Dr. Yeadon request a stop of all corona vaccination studies Call to Sign Petition (World Doctors Alliance, December 3, 2020.)
https://worlddoctorsalliance.com/blog/dr-wodarg-and-dr-yeadon-request-a-stop-of-all-corona-vaccination-studies-call-to-sign-the-petition/
 
John F. Kennedy Jr. warns: Don’t take a Covid-19 vaccine under any circumstances (Ethanh, Distributed News, December 10, 20202)
https://www.distributednews.com/481516.html
 
Vaccines are inserting nanobots in your DNA, (“may be inserting..?”) (Interview with Celeste Solum, State of the Nation, December 11, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=40949
 
Dr. Zach Bush (interview with Del Bigtree)  (Vimeo, December?, 2020)
https://vimeo.com/482674477?fbclid=IwAR3CdBZGPUXhRukbwA10OKq7Esx8krhZ6StXzdbkwDvt78wmbI8TGDJaoWE

Dr. Lawrence Palevsky: Covid-19 gain in function “parasite infection” (State of the Nation, December 11, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=40974

 
“Acclaimed pharma professor thrown in psychiatric hospital for questioning official Covid narrative, Jeanne Smits, Life Site News, SOTT, December 11, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/445756-Acclaimed-pharma-professor-thrown-in-psychiatric-hospital-for-questioning-official-COVID-narrative
 
Yoda: Covid-19 Plus is a crime against humanity (Public Intelligence Blog, December 6, 2020)
https://phibetaiota.net/2020/12/yoda-covid-19-plus-is-a-crime-against-humanity/
 
AstraZeneca trial participant had serious neurological symptoms, but could be discharged today, AstraZeneca CEO says (Adam Feuerstein, STAT, State of the Nation, September 10, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=27877
  
The vaccines are worse than Dr. Mikovits thought (Horse237, Video Rebel's Blog, November 19, 2020)
https://vidrebel.wordpress.com/2020/11/19/the-vaccines-are-worse-than-dr-mikovits-thought/
 

Virginians must ask: Is it ethical to mandate a vaccine that promises only to suppress symptoms (Virginians for CHD, The Defender, December 3, 2020) 
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/virginia-pfizer-moderna-vaccines-wont-prevent-disease-or-transmission/
 
Nuremberg Code (Wikipedia) 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Code
 
Objective: Health -- The Nuremberg Code and Mandatory Vaccinations (State of the Nation, November 29, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=44273
 
The faulty PCR test and flawed Covid vaccine approval process (State of the Nation, November 29, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=39104
 
Doctors warn of side effects from Covid-19 “Vaccine won’t be a walk in the Park” (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, SOTT, November 25, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=38501
 
Ben Swann interviews RFK, Jr. on what we know --- and what we don’t know – about Covid vaccine safety (The Defender, Children’s Health Defense, November 24, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/ben-swann-interviews-rfk-jr-covid-vaccine-safety/?itm_term=home
 
Edelstein confirms: Coronavirus ‘green passports’ are on their way (Hannah Brown, The Jerusalem Post, SOTT, December 18, 2020) 
https://www.sott.net/article/445964-Edelstein-confirms-Coronavirus-green-passports-on-their-way
 
Barrage of countries and airlines to adopt vaccine passports (Steve Summit News, State of the Nation, January 20, 2020) 
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=48981


Actual headline: “Covid-19 vaccine may have unpleasant side effects: That will mean it’s working” (Blacklisted News, November 13, 2020)
 
Safety, effectiveness, transparency: What we still don’t know about Pfizer vaccine (SOTT, November 10, 2020)
https://www.sott.net/article/444184-Safety-effectiveness-transparency-What-we-still-dont-know-about-Pfizer-vaccine 
 
#Occupy Pfizer: Immediate action required to interrupt production and distribution of potentially dangerous ‘COVID-19’ vaccine (ERBN Online, November 12-2020)
 
Bill Gates says that AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Novavax Covid Vaccines all likely to prove ‘very efficacious and safe’ by February (Shivdeep Dhaliwal, Yahoo Finance News, November 23, 2020) 
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bill-gates-says-astrazeneca-johnson-074414684.html
 
Bill Gates Funds invisible quantum tattoo hidden in coronavirus vaccine for storing vaccination history (Great Game India, Blacklisted News, September 7, 2020)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77949/bill-gates-funds-invisible-quantum-tattoo-hidden-in-coronavirus-vaccine-for-storing-vaccination.html
 
Whitehouse petition to investigate Bill Gates for crimes against humanity to hit half a million signatures – 5 times the number to qualify (Joaquin Flores, Fort Russ, SOTT, April 20, 2020) 
https://www.sott.net/article/432884-White-House-petition-to-investigate-Bill-Gates-for-crimes-against-humanity-to-hit-half-a-million-signatures-5-times-the-number-to-qualify
 
The flu has become a pandemic so we call can have a pandemic and a lockdown (Paul Craig Roberts, Institute for Political Economy, December 28, 2020)
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2020/12/28/the-flu-has-become-covid-so-we-can-have-a-pandamic-and-a-lockdown/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_flu_has_become_covid_so_we_can_have_a_pandamic_and_a_lockdown&utm_term=2020-12-28

A guide to the Ronovax -- understanding the experimental coronavirus vaccines (Activist Post, Sept 26-20)
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78087/a-guide-to-the-ronavax--understanding-the-experimental-coronavirus-vaccines--activist.html
 
Here’s why you should skip the Covid vaccine (Mike Whitney, Principia Scientific International, December 4, 2020)
https://principia-scientific.com/heres-why-you-should-skip-the-covid-vaccine/
 
Why are we listening to Bill Gates? (Children’s Health Defense, The Defender, November 25, 2020)
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/why-are-we-listening-to-bill-gates/
 
Covid-19 vaccines pave the way for a new frontier in surveillance (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, December 2, 2020)
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/covid-19-vaccines-pave-way-new-frontier-surveillance
 
The Covid-19 vaccine: Is the goal immunity or depopulation? (Mike Whitney, The Unz Review, December 4, 2020)
 https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/the-covid-19-vaccine-is-the-goal-immunity-or-depopulation/
 
Vax Bombshell: Moderna Whistleblowers confirm Covid jab is oncogenic and causes infertility (Anonymous, December 10, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=40885
 
Transhumanist agenda: Next stage vaxes (Kerry Lynn, Kassidy, December 3, 2020)
https://projectcamelotportal.com/2020/12/03/transhumanist-agenda-next-stage-vaxes/
 
Epidemiologist: ‘No fundamental difference’ between influenza and COVID-19 (Dr. Dan Erickson, Principia Scientific, December 3, 2020)
https://principia-scientific.com/epidemiologist-no-fundamental-difference-between-influenza-covid-19/
 
Covid vaccine hesitancy widespread, even among medical professionals (Jeremy Loffredo. The Defender, November 25, 2020) 
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-widespread-medical-professionals/
 
Nurses suffer ‘extreme reaction’ to Pfizer Covid vaccine despite no history of allergic reactions (Magda Ibrahim, Vanessa Chalmers, The Sun Co UK, December 17, 2020)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13499208/nurses-extreme-reaction-pfizer-covid-vaccine-no-history-allergies/
 
Covid Trial Participants (Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/348335966422985/

Big Pharma is policing approval of its own vaccines
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2020/10/12/big-pharma-is-policing-the-approval-of-its-own-vaccines/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=big_pharma_is_policing_the_approval_of_its_own_vaccines&utm_term=2020-10-12
 
Ivermectin saved lives in Toronto nursing home after Covid outbreak (Video) State of the Nation, December 14, 2020)
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=41580

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Tactic #15: Shaming and blaming

7/6/2020

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Tactic #15: Shaming and blaming
Futurescapes21C ©, Posted July 6, 2020
 

Tactic #15: Shaming and blaming
​
Shaming defined
“…the act or activity of subjecting someone to shame, disgrace, humiliation, or disrepute especially by public exposure or criticism.” (Merriam Webster) (1)
 
Many of us, around the tender age of five or six years old, were introduced to shaming as a means of persuasion. Call it the child-parent-finish-your-supper stand-off. Parents often told kids refusing to finish their meal that millions of hungry kids elsewhere in the world would be happy to do so. In most cases, the reluctant eater would have been more than happy to oblige those hungry kids if it were possible. Suffice to say most children of six haven’t yet developed a moral compas on the subject of food waste.
 
I was introduced to a more sophisticated form of this genre of persuasion that I'll call commercial shaming as a teen riding to town with my dad one day. When the farm pick-up truck ahead of us stopped at an intersection, I was able to read the message on the blue sticker on the back bumper. The gist of it: Consumers shouldn’t complain about their food with their mouths full. A pesticide manufacturer was delivering a snarky rebuke to any well-fed consumers tempted to complain about how their food is produced. In short, they should be ashamed of themselves. At least that's what I thought at the time. 
 
For years, I smugly assumed that ungrateful consumers were the primary targets of the bumper sticker message. Ultimately, I realized the primary target was members of the farming community; people like my Dad and other agricultural producers. The apparent shaming of ungrateful consumers was really  a backhand love note to us: your friendly agribusiness supplier is looking out for you, so you should stick with us. I recall my warm fuzzy reaction to the message. It played perfectly into our collective sense of farmer victimhood. Thanks for caring Big Agribusiness. Cue the violin music.
 
I completed an agriculture degree in 1971, majoring in animal science and graduating to a lengthy career in the agriculture industry. That led to many years of service in a variety of roles from a livestock reproductive specialist to a corporate strategist with a specialty in foresight. As a strategist, I often turned my analytic lens on my own industry. The agriculture and agrifood sectors’ propensity for shaming PR campaigns was odd and drearisome. How does one explain its incurable martyr complex? But that’s a subject for another day.
 
Flash forward to today where shaming and blaming is a standard tactic of political aggressors waging an ideological war. The tactic can simultaneously serve two purposes. An effective shaming assault can cast a reputational shadow on an opponent while also accruing virtue points and applause from allies. Effective shaming ostracizes while it ingratiates the aggressor to followers and fans. (Ostracize is:
to exclude, by general consent, from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc.) (2) 
 
To be clear, I’m not condemning legitimate criticisms of unethical or immoral behaviour. Shaming has its place. A small business owner in the US reopened his ice cream parlour following the COVID-19 shut down and immediately re-closed it. The reason; among other things, unruly customers were  were verbally abusing his teenage employees. He commented:
 
‘"But the words she was called and the language, you wouldn't even say in a men's locker room. And to say it to a 17-year-old kid, they should be ashamed of themselves." (3) Fair enough!
 
It seems most of society agrees that people who drink and drive, beat their spouses and prey on children should also be shamed or at least their behaviour should be. Jesus shamed those who turned the temple, a place of worship, into a “den of thieves” (4). The use of pillories or public shaming posts was common in the 17th to 19th centuries for a variety of offences (5).
 
Politically motivated shaming is distinctly different. It’s the tactic of casting aspersions on the moral character of an opponent simply because they hold a different point of view. It’s disingenuous and manipulative. Metaphorically, once the political prey is singled out and separated from the herd by this tactic, it can be easily brought down and eaten by media jackals. Effective shaming campaigns can leave a political partisan and his or her cause terminally shattered. 
 
Shaming is a means of accusing, convicting and punishing someone without the messy inconvenience of granting the  accused due process. Sometimes, it can be achieved by mere inference -- a wink. This is war after all, and in war, our opponents largely believe that the end justifies the means.
 
Justin Trudeau Liberals are fond of shaming. They frequently attempted to shame former Conservative leader, Andrew Scheer for the grievous sin of failing to regularly attend LGBT+ parades (6). Seemingly, in the inverted world of Canadian politics, it’s not a matter of how one manages in the realms of fiscal management, foreign policy, economic development, education and health care that defines leadership. No, it’s faithfulness in pandering to members of the protected classes. It's not coincidental that Rule Number 10 in Matt Taibbi’s Ten Rules of Hate is “Feeling Superior” (7).
 
Group shaming offers an appealing economy of effort. Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” bomb was crudely aimed at a "one half” of Trump’s supporters. It was a multi-pronged, pillorying of the entire group as “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.” In short, a group comprised of millions of US citizens was to be written off as contemptible -- morally beyond the pale (8).
 
The blowback generated by her condemnation was likely unanticipated. Mrs. Clinton didn’t abandon the tactic, however. She later employed the same ploy to try and herd American women as a block into voting for her (9). Today's Democrats have decided to make  identity politics warfare, their specialty it seems.
 
Governments have adopted shaming as a convenient, low cost means of behaviour management. And this one, like many of the other rhetorical devices, can be employed in a wide variety of circumstances. National governments have found it to be a particularly effective tool in managing the populace throughout the current COVID-19 “live exercise” as US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, described it (10).
 
Western governments publicly shame dissidents in order to secure uniform compliance with stay-at-home and social distancing directives prescribed by so-called medical “authorities.” In the UK, police survielled citizens from the sky with drones and publicly shamed those guilty of taking “non-essential” walks by publishing the video on line (11).
 
Compliant political partisans quickly take up the tactic on behalf of their political masters. Some members of the UK's liberal left have been accusing any who call for an easing of the COVID lockdown of being ‘callous, ‘selfish,' ‘psychopaths’ and  guilty of putting ‘profits before people.’ The catchy little 'profits before people' meme carries a stinging moral judgment that infers: “you are inhumane -- shame on you.” The OffGuaridan calls this a ‘lazy ad hominem,’ -- one intended to paint subjects as morally deficient (12).
 
“Roberta Pollack was running down a deserted road in Delevan, Wisconsin, when a driver took her to task. ‘They yelled that exercising wasn't a necessary thing, and I shouldn't be outside, and that I should get back inside before I get sick,’” Pollock recalled.
 
Those who are genuinely politically awake are repulsed by the socially toxic, Orwellian nature of such campaigns. One independent thinking journalist’s headline complains: Stop shaming us about going outdoors, the risks are generally low… (13). Another satirical headline asks: What’s next…A train to Dachau? 
 
The same article points out that social shaming isn’t without a cost. Sonja Diya, from IQ Solutions, specialists in public health communication, says:
 
"…there is a cost that should be acknowledged -- casualties who are taken down by this unfairly, and the normalization of neighborhood surveillance," (14).
 
It's unlikely that concern for the social or human costs will bring an end to the mainstream media's habit of COVID shaming. Now, those who reject invasive contact tracing or everyday face mask wearing in public spaces are fair game for shame-smearing.
 
Like delusional conspiracy theorists, they appear to believe that the government’s COVIDSafe app is some Big Brother-style super surveillance system” (15).
 
The smear oozes the kind of "nothing to see here -- we know better" arrogance that now characterizes the cancel culture politics of the left. It's an attitude that ultimately could eat its media benefactors and host. Author and journalist, Matt Taibbi, asserts that the venomous and vindictive nature of leftist liberal politics is now consuming the media: 
 
“The leaders of this new movement are replacing traditional liberal beliefs about tolerance, free inquiry, and even racial harmony with ideas so toxic and unattractive that they eschew debate, moving straight to shaming, threats, and intimidation” (16).
 
Shame and blame attacks on dissenters have been a feature of the information war for decades. And the subjects, not always aware they are now the "enemy," or fully comprehending why, are easy targets. But in fairness, who could have imagined that speech freedoms celebrated by the majority a couple years ago would have so soon become crimes? Who would have imagined that posing logical questions would mark someone a heretic according to the tenets a strange, new religious cult? 
 
Climate change skeptics:
You might not be convinced that humans are the chief contributor to global warming climate change or even that the planet is headed into a period of increased atmospheric temperatures. In the judgment of the climate change righteous, you are “anti science” or a climate change “denier.”
 
Perhaps you’ve withheld your applause at Greta Thunberg performances. You may doubt that the supposed 15 year old climate change wunderkind could lead the world to environmental salvation. You may be suspicious that some big money puppet masters lurk behind the curtain.
 
If you voiced such concerns or challenged her assertions, rest assured her neoliberal devotees have already branded you and like-minded individuals "dinosaurs" and “bullies.” The name calling aside, it shouldn't go unnoticed that political ideologues have a habit of using children as human shields when advancing their logic-defying no-questions-asked assaults on reason. 
 
Meat Eaters
Suppose you’re someone who considers meat an essential part of your diet. You have already been tried and convicted of a crime by vegan activists. Your accusers believe that meat is murder, so by implication that makes you a murderer deserving of shaming. I've recently learned that in a UK context, the pejorative term for white, meat eating conservative middle aged supporters of Brexit is “gammon” a type said to be visibly aligned with "a certain kind of conservative alpha-masculinity" (17).
 
The vaccine cautious
Big Pharma’s condemnation of the vaccine cautious has become militant and uncompromising in recent years. Doubters have recently been coming under intense fire for questioning the motives of Big Pharma. You may question the biological wisdom of imposing an ever expanding regimen of vaccines on babies and young children. Perhaps you consider the principles of bodily sovereignty and informed choice worthy of defence in the face of Big Pharma’s pursuit of vaccine mandates. Will “my body, my choice” be as effective a defense for the vaccine-cautious as it has been for abortionists? 
 
If you identify with these positions, you are portrayed as a threat -- the enemy. You are a disgusting "antivaxxer.” The fact that vaccines do, on some occasions, result in what can be life long injuries and untold medical expense for parents and victims shouldn’t be glossed over. The US government’s vaccine damages program has awarded some $4 billion dollars to victims. And that’s with some critics arguing that the burden of proof on injured families is exceptionally high (18).
 
National sovereigntists
Those calling for respect for national borders are shame targets. Are you someone who believes that a porous national border isn’t in your country’s best interests? Perhaps you consider enforcement of border security to be an integral feature of national security, “irregular migrants” notwithstanding.

As reasonable or pragmatic as this may sound, UN-aligned globalist elites and their minions are quick to brand you “racist,” “xenophobic,” “anti-migrant” or some other equally derogatory term.  It's the usual shaming and blaming harangue. But it also confirms something about our accusers in that who but dedicated globalists could be offended by expressions of unabashed patriotism.  
 
Transgender theory skeptics
Perhaps you oppose gender theory, its inclusion in school sex ed curricula or the promotion of gender transitioning to children. You may be among those who believe that men aspiring to become woman via surgery and hormone injections shouldn’t be competing with biological women in school, amateur or professional sports. Or perhaps you’re opposed to the promotion of the drag queen life style to young kids via “Drag Queen story hour" in public libraries. If so, rest assured the shamers and blamers have branded you a ‘hater” or a “transphobe.” It’s truly amazing how quickly those who once called for “tolerance” for their cause have become intolerant of those who dare question, isn't it? 
 
Peace advocates  
Neocons also seize the shame-thrower when it suits their purposes. It’s particularly popular with the servants of the UK-Amero-Zionist military complex. They use shaming to herd the masses into supporting their calls for regime-change wars. Here is an excerpt from an MSM article:
 
The world’s silence today — as hundreds of civilians are slaughtered; hospitals destroyed in precision strikes; elderly men shot dead and burned on the street; and hundreds of thousands of people are forced to flee, some on foot — risks gifting HTS with a narrative win on the revolutionary street (19).
 
The journalist that authored the piece would like us to believe that our silence (and inaction) in the face of his portrayal of Syrian President Assad is shameful. The questionable authenticity of his sources and accuracy of his claims aside, what would he prefer? It’s a humanitarian intervention of course, starting perhaps with Western imposition of a rather innocent sounding play called a “no-fly zone,” a “buffer zone” or a “humanitarian corridor” (20).
 
The standard rationales for foreign invasions like delivering democracy to the oppressed or conducting an humanitarian intervention are merely pretexts for launching illegal regime change campaigns against a foreign nations. They have resulted in incalculable chaos, death and destruction for the last 18 years across in the Middle East. 
 
The current list of shame targets is lengthy. It also includes categories like: White people, white males (just for being white), Christians, men, conservatives, traditional liberals, national founding fathers and those described as "cisgender." We must include of course anyone who doesn’t fall to their knees in response to the carefully-crafted Black Lives Matter  narrative regarding the death of George Floyd. Shame on the non-believers.
 
The mainstream media (MSM) echo chamber has played an essential role in the culture war. It seeds and amplifies   vengeful social justice narratives. I'm hard pressed to recall any occasion on which the MSM has expressed remorse for aiding in the shame maligning of dissenters. I do see a track record of success in
ridiculing people into silence as it is described by conservative thinker, George Janek. And the ominous silence on the part of cowed conservatives regarding many vital political issues is a powerful testament to the effectiveness of the tactic. 
 
Taken to extreme, intense shaming campaigns can progress into the realm of dehumanizing. Futurist, Alvin Toffler, identified demonization and dehumanization as one of six methods for persuading a reluctant public to consent to going to war. In short, demonization is achieved by:
  • Comparing them (targets) with known 'demons' such as Hitler or Pol Pot.
  • Describing their actions as disgusting and abhorrent. (22) 
 
Demonization legitimizes an assault against alleged foreign enemies. It confers a mandate to kill, employing such measures as targeted assassinations. And it legitimizes, in the minds of some, the use of torture to extract information from enemy combatants. Similarly, the demonization of culture war targets also legitimizes  the use of "deadly" force in an all out attempt to destroy the enemy. In a social media context, it's called digital assassination. 
 
Defending oneself
Shaming and blaming is a manipulative, disingenuous and highly effective weapon used by culture war aggressors to stigmatize, suppress and silence opposition. Politically naïve and inexperienced victims of this tactic naturally tend toward either “duck and retreat” or impulsive angry reaction. Neither is effective.  
 
Duck and retreat amounts to silence, which in turn amounts to surrender. This has been the goal of your adversary from the outset. And an impulsive angry retort is seldom sufficiently thought through to be effective.  Shouting back, "no, I’m not a racist" in many contexts, for example is no more helpful than Richard Nixon’s “Well, I am not a crook” defense (23).
 
The discipline and principles of the martial arts can be an  effective antidote to both the above natural reactions. And, as in most matters, practice makes perfect. There are occasions of course when no response is required. The attack may be so egregious, or its manipulative intent so apparent, it blows up in the face of the attacker like a hand grenade.

There are also times when a light or gentle response is sufficient. Christian scriptures say that a “soft answer turns away wrath.” The balance of that verse reads, "but grievous words stir up anger” (24). De-escalation is the goal, so if a gentle response disarms, so much the better. Your counter  could be as simple as the rhetorical question:


Are you sure you want to go down this path, Mr. Jones? Or perhaps, I respect you far too much to respond to that in kind, John.
 

Sometimes your intent is simply to expose the nature of the attack to the audience or your followers. For example:
 
Really Janice? I don’t think it’s helpful for us to go the shaming and blaming route. We’re both bigger than that. (an invitation to take the high road.)
 
Or more explicitly:
 
So, let’s be clear. Are you really suggesting that simply because I hold a different point of view than you, that I should be disqualified from (fill in the blank)? Is that what you’re implying? Is that your understanding of how democracy in Canada works?
 
In short, recognizing the nature of the attack and adopting the appropriate rhetorical stance is essential. It means exercising presence of mind in the heat of the moment. It means being deliberate. And if you are capable of that, your response is likely going to be much more powerful and persuasive.
 
The response of Trump supporters to Hilary Clinton’s  “deplorables” strike lends itself to the martial arts comparison. Her opponents didn’t cower nor act contrite. They didn’t furtively toss out red herrings or ad hominems  They took what Clinton gave them and turned it back on her. Trump supporters, individually and collectively, adopted the label as a badge of honour. Perhaps they understood that the public wasn’t entirely unaware of Hillary’s political baggage. It was the equivalent of a well-executed judo hip throw.
 
Conservatives can counter neoliberal climate change Greta shaming in several ways. One way is by pulling back the curtain on her stage-managed performances. Greta is a puppet, so it’s useful to expose the "strings" in the form of the PR campaign and the backers supporting her (25).
 
A common sense counter would question the logic of “panic like your house is on fire.” Has anyone with a basic understanding of human physiology and cognitive processes ever suggested that humans are most capable of clear thinking and strategic action on any front while in a state of panic?  Think about it, Greta.
 
Sometimes, others have already addressed the assault. And, they may have done so in more eloquent or persuasive terms than you ever could have. So, if you agree with their position, you can quote or re-tweet their remarks. Former author, educator, journalist and Seattle radio news director George Ure, for example, has candidly addressed the ga ga glorification of Greta T.
 
“That’s the whole secret of hype, though: Making it seem like something matters when it doesn’t. Anyone who would follow a 16-year old’s admonishments on climate not only should have their head examined, but they should lose their right to vote since their mental acuity is demonstrably deficient…”  (26.)
 
Satire remains one of the best approaches to countering verbal assaults and rhetorical bullying. Well-crafted satire playfully exposes absurdities in what is presented as sound arguments. It exposes naked emperors and their enablers. It slices through political hubris, pomposity and pretense like a hot knife through butter. The satirists at Babylon Bee regularly gift their readers with potent satirical counters to the neoliberal absurdity du jour. Their treatment of Greta gushing in: 
MasterClass replaces all instructors with Greta Thunberg, is incisive, humorous and right on target  (27). 
 
Neocon warmongers push relentlessly for wars of one kind or another, from the economic to the military variety. And they often wage information war as a precursor to or in parallel with both these forms of warfare. The objective of their  disinformation campaigns is to secure public consent for regime change dressed up as an “humanitarian” imperative. 
   
One counter to US-UK-Neocon war shaming is calling out its  fake compassion and predilection for "rescuing" oppressed peoples and nations. It’s disingenuous and imaginary. Counter by calling attention to its recent track record in the Middle East and Nothern Africa (MENA) region. Consider for example how all that compassion played out in Iraq and Libya, two countries now enduring the dark dystopia of failed states.  
 
Sometimes an opponent’s attack is an attempt to distract you or their audience from their own failures before they hit the news. Consider it a desperate, “Hey, look over there!” It may resemble what our grandparents described as the pot calling the kettle black. Or, it may be plain old psychological projection. Your counter can be summed up in a line from an Eric Clapton blues-rock song: Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself (28).
 
Remember, shaming is intended to ostracize – to separate you from the common cause of your community, or humanity in general. This may also be your opportunity to re-affirm your solidarity with or respect for core values of your community or country. Why apologize for your support for Canadian sovereignty at a time when it really matters? Why hide you love of country just because the PTB have decided to demonize patriotism? In the process of standing up for your country (a good thing until recently it seems) you are likely to strike a  chord with silent traditionalists in the audience and rally them to the cause.
 
Developing powerful short hand phrases and memorable  memes is an integral feature of information warfare. For example, many believe there’s something darkly Orwellian about the heavy-handed authoritarian management of the coronavirus. The COVID-1984 meme is a shorthand counter. It says: “I'm not buying the official narrative.” It speaks volumes. It's still true; a picture, or a powerful meme in this case, is worth 1000 words.
 
The endless LGBT+ marketing and promotion on the one hand and the shaming of “non-believers” is relentless. The original grievances of the homosexual lobby were addressed some time ago. Now it’s transformed into a demand for subservience and adoration. Those who fail to salute the LGBT+ flag or dance to its "pride" tune are demonized. My response to such demands on occasion includes sharing the views of courageous LGBT+ members who also find the movement’s politics repugnant.
 
The LGBT+ movement’s revisionist history, bullying and narcissism also repulses some conservatives within its ranks. Some don’t equate Drag Queen story hour offered at the local library for audiences of five and six year olds with motherhood and apple pie. Not all think gay pride parades are wholesome fun for the whole family like their neoliberal promoters. And some, no doubt, are just tired of being used as political pawns.
 
Sometimes the best response to the flaming shame arrow is to redirect it back to its origin. Shelly Luther, a Dallas Texas hairdresser was fined and threatened with jail time when she reopened her shop in order to generate needed income. The judge tried to shame her by asking if her decision to go to work wasn’t being selfish. While she attracted supporters, she was also targeted by neoliberals, the most famous perhaps being US Democrat, Maxine Waters who declared that Shelley should be ashamed of herself.
 
Luther was unrepentant and unbowed when asked about the Congresswoman’s sharply critical comments. Luther replied that it was Waters who should be ashamed of herself given that she was collecting a paycheck while telling other people (who badly needed one) not to work“ (29). 
 
Sometimes, the shamers are institutions and corporations that  launch wholesale shaming campaigns against ordinary people. The Covid project has surfaced many new candidates for posting to a metaphorical Wall of Shame I created a few years earlier. New nominees are:
Governments, which by their directives, and in the name of protecting us, callously destroy the businesses and livelihoods of millions of citizens who grew them.
 

Governments and their public health "authorities" that adopt the tactics of the infamous STASI – like installing snitch lines and encouraging citizens to turn in fellow citizens (30).
 
Petty individuals and mobs who are easily propagandized to do the bidding of Big Brother and obediently attack their neighbour as the enemy.
 
Government authorities who ban church services while applauding mass protests in the public square and work to ensure the wheels of the abortion machine keep running (you have discredited yourself).
 
COVID cops whose idea of serving and protecting is fining kids playing in empty parking lots and playgrounds.

 
Big Pharma whose criminal campaigns and manipulative abuse of science are aimed at generating windfall corporate profits from the sale of expensive treatments (vaccine or otherwise).


Sometimes, an honest self-assessment suggests a mea culpa is in order. Perhaps our own well-intentioned actions had unintended negative consequences. Humility is still a virtue. Our consolation lies in the mercy extended to the woman caught in adultery: Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her (31).
 
In conclusion, the shaming and blaming ploy is a potent information war tactic. It is used daily to ostracize those who don’t buy into official narratives. And it can quickly crush those whose only crime is thinking critically or thinking differently. But, only those capable of recognizing the tactic for what it is can adequately defend themselves against its toxic barbs.
 
We can take hope in the fact that the methods of the armies of virtue mongers and social justice warriors unleashed by our universities are, ultimately counterproductive. Their campaigns of angry intimidation sow the seeds of rebellion. Blogger, Mark Jeftovic offers this explanation for the 2016 election of Donald Trump.
 
“People were shame-fatigued, so sick of being called racist, immoral, deplorable, misogynistic, privileged, intolerant or were accused of dog whistling every time they disputed the prevailing narrative. Fearing reprisals for not fully embracing toxic virtue-ism they simply toed the line of virtue-mongers in public, then turned around and walked into the voting booth and pulled the other lever.” (32)
 
I suspect that renewed rebellion is bubbling beneath the surface. It's hard to gauge its potency, however, as so many have succumbed to the intimidating effect of shaming and blaming. Political analyst, Paul Craig Roberts recently described the neutering of white people. 
 
"White people are intellectually disarmed and at the mercy of Critical Race Theory which instills guilt and shame into them." (36)
 
An honest assessment tells us that the information war has produced a lot of casualties and devastated the landscape once reserved for robust political discourse. Many are now held captive under threat of shaming. This extends beyond the white population of course to any and all those who dare question cultural Marxist revolutionaries or their doctrine.

The first step toward liberation is understanding the nature of the information war that engulfs us. The second is understanding the use and potential impact of the (rhetorical) weapons directed at us. It seems clear that shaming and blaming is one of the most powerful, and for that reason, most popular in the arsenal of those intent on our destruction. Again, forewarned is forearmed. -- Rod

 
Sources:
1. Shaming: Merriam Webster on-line dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shaming
 
2. Ostracize: Dictionary.com, 
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ostracize

3. One day after opening, an ice cream shop was forced temporarily because customers didn’t follow social distancing rules, CNN, May11, 2022 https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/10/us/ice-cream-shop-closes-employee-harassment-trnd/index.html
 
4. BibleHub, Matthew 21:13, https://biblehub.com/matthew/21-13.htm
 
5. Pillory, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillory
 
6. Trudeau blasts Scheer for not marching in Canadian Pride parades for third straight year, Global News, August 4, 2019,
https://globalnews.ca/news/5726434/trudeau-scheer-pride-parades/
 
7. Matt Taibbi’s Ten Rules of Hate, Dangerous Intersection, Nov 4, 2018,
https://dangerousintersection.org/2018/11/04/matt-taibbis-ten-rules-of-hate/
 
8.Read Hillary Clinton’s ‘Basket of Deplorables’ remarks about Donald Trump supporters, Time, September 10, 2016
https://time.com/4486502/hillary-clinton-basket-of-deplorables-transcript/
 
9. Shaming women who vote right, National Review, November 14, 2018
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/11/left-shames-conservative-women-as-racist-misled/
 
10. Share virus details with the “whole world”: Mike Pompeo to China https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-outbreak-us-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-urges-china-to-share-virus-details-with-whole-2198242
 
11. UK government shames couple with drone footage for going on “non-essential” walks,
https://www.sott.net/article/431407-Dystopia-UK-police-using-drones-to-shame-people-for-going-on-non-essential-walks
 
12. Opposing lockdown is not ‘profits before people’, Sign of the times, May 12, 2020,
https://www.sott.net/article/434347-Opposing-lockdown-is-NOT-profits-before-people
 
13. Stop shaming people for going outside, the risks are generally low, and the benefits are endless, Sign of the  times, April 20, 2020.
https://www.sott.net/article/433399-Stop-shaming-people-for-going-outside-The-risks-are-generally-low-and-the-benefits-are-endless
 
14. What’s next… a train to Dachua?” – Snitching on social-distance denier sparks outrage across America, Zero Hedge, April 18-2020,
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/whats-next-train-dachau-snitching-social-distance-deniers-sparks-outrage-across-america
 
15. MSM article shames those who refuse contact tracing app, COVIDSAFE, The Freedom articles, May 13, 2020.
https://thefreedomarticles.com/msm-article-shames-those-refuse-surveillance-app-covidsafe/
 
16. Matt Taibbi: The American press is destroying itself, June 12, 2020,
https://taibbi.substack.com/p/the-news-media-is-destroying-itself
 
17. Unashamedly intolerant: Veganism promotes a religion of hate, attempt to guilt-trip and ridicule meat eaters, Signs of the Times, October 28, 2019,https://www.sott.net/article/422784-Unashamedly-intolerant-Veganism-promotes-a-religion-of-hate-attempts-to-guilt-trip-ridicule-meat-eaters
 
18. $4 billion and growing; US payouts for vaccine injuries and deaths keep climbing, Children’s Health Defense, November 19, 2018.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/4-billion-and-growing-u-s-payouts-for-vaccine-injuries-and-deaths-keep-climbing/
 
19. The world will pay for its silent indifference to the slaughter in Syria, Terry Gavin, National Post, February 6, 2020, https://nationalpost.com/opinion/terry-glavin-the-world-will-pay-for-its-silent-indifference-to-the-slaughter-in-syria
 
20. The “no fly zone”, “buffer zone” and “humanitarian corridor” scams, Global Research, September 8, 2016,
https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-no-fly-zone-buffer-zone-and-humanitarian-corridor-scams/5544609
 
21. The mainstream media’s great trick: ridiculing people into silence, Sign of the Times, May 18, 2020, https://www.sott.net/article/435045-The-mainstream-medias-great-trick-Ridiculing-people-into-silence
 
22 Six tools for managing perception, Changing Minds, from War and Anti-War, by Alvin and Heidi Toffler, http://changingminds.org/techniques/propaganda/six_tools_perception_management.htm
 
23. Richard Nixon – I’m not a crook, YouTube, July 15, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh163n1lJ4M
 
24. Medium.com, Keith McGivern, Proverbs 15:1, https://medium.com/@keithmcgivern/a-soft-answer-turneth-away-wrath-but-grievous-words-stir-up-anger-proverbs-15-1-3d0994b0e6de
 
25. The manufacturing of Greta Thunberg – for consent: The political economy of the non-profit industrial complex, Wrong kind of green, Corey Morningstar, January 17, 2019, http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/2019/01/17/the-manufacturing-of-greta-thunberg-for-consent-the-political-economy-of-the-non-profit-industrial-complex/
 
26. Is ethical journalism dead?, Strategic Living, April 2020, https://strategiclivingblog.com/is-ethical-journalism-dead-2/
 
27. MasterClass replaces all instructors with Greta Thunberg, Signs of the Times, May 13, 2020, https://www.sott.net/article/434665-MasterClass-replaces-all-instructors-with-Greta-Thunberg
 
28. Before you accuse me, AZlyrics.com, https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ericclapton/beforeyouaccuseme108913.html
 
29. Dallas salon owner has sharp message for Maxime Waters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQF2JT9O3aA
 
30. New York governor, Andrew Cuomo wants to fine people not wearing COVID-19 masks because they could ‘literally kill someone,’ Signs of the Times, May 4, 2020, https://www.sott.net/article/433842-New-York-Governor-Andrew-Cuomo-wants-to-fine-people-not-wearing-Covid-19-masks-because-they-could-literally-kill-someone
 
31. Biblehub, John 8:7, https://biblehub.com/john/8-7.htm
 
32. On toxic virtue and the new digital Samizdat, Mark Jeftovic, June 14, 2020, https://guerrilla-capitalism.com/articles/the-backchannel-backlash-against-toxic-virtue-mongers/
 
33. Will white people self-destruct?, Paul Craig Roberts, June 24, 2020, https://www.lewrockwell.com/2020/06/paul-craig-roberts/will-white-people-self-destruct/     


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Rhetorical martial Arts --Part B: Tactic #14: Fear mongering, hystericizing

5/31/2019

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​Tactic #14: Fearmongering, hystericizing
Futurescapes21C (c) All rights reserved, 2019
Posted May 31, 2019 rev. June 11, 2019, rev. July 10-19.

“Instead of having rational debates we’re told the sky is falling and the world will end soon unless we change ….” (Maxime Bernier) (1)
 
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” (Frank Herbert) (2)
 
Feeling stressed and anxious? Not sleeping well at night? You’re not alone. The naive among us might think that the angst pervading the West is just the nature of our times – “the way things are.” That’s being far too generous. The gnawing anxiety felt by many Westerners is largely the result of the machinations of devious large and small “P” political actors and influences. Like it or not, we are caught in the midst of an information war, and fear mongering and hysterics are our adversaries' weapons of choice.
 
Coming to terms with this rather harsh reality may give rise to some cognitive dissonance. On the other hand, this understanding ultimately frees you of its grip. And, knowing the “who,” “why” and “how” behind this perverse strategy will enable you to become more effective in combatting its effects in the current conflict.
 
My working definition of fear mongering is a strategy or tactic aimed at arousing anxiety within individuals or a population in order to overwhelm and control and used in other instances to secure public support for increased military/security spending.
 
“Catastrophizing,” “hystericizing,” “creating a shit-storm,” “going nuclear,” and “kicking over the table” are tactics often used with a similar intent.  
 
Growing up on a livestock enterprise, I learned a lot about how to rouse a languishing herd of cattle and get it moving quickly in the desired direction. Basically, you waved a piece of an old hockey stick, livestock cane or other suitable object in the air as you utter a “Heeee yaa” to get the attention of the members of the herd and convince them they need to get moving. Sometimes you added enticement like a bunch of hay or some grain in order to lure cattle into a corral or stall. Less refined cattlemen frequently injected profanities.
 
The unflattering nature of my analogy aside, global oligarchs, political leaders and their partisans are doing a lot of stick waving, shouting and threatening regarding supposed looming dangers, lately. You can even hear some of our herders swearing at us -- just like those uncouth cattlemen. Do you ever wonder what is motivating our herders? William Binney served as the National Security Agency (NSA) Technical Director for intelligence for several years. Mr. Binney discloses one of our herders’ motivations.
 
“And of course they are all doing it on the basis of fear-mongering or terrorism. They try to get everybody afraid so they will do whatever they want, that's the kind of leverage that they are trying to use not just against the public, but also against Congress. It's just all based on fear-mongering.
 
The whole point is to get more money and build a bigger empire, which they have done. Over here, we've spent, for all the 16 agencies, close to a trillion dollars since 9/11. That's really been a money-making proposition for them, this fear-mongering. Now they are doing it with cyber security. It's how you control your population, how you manipulate them, and how you let them pay for things you want done. (3)  
 
In military circles, a formal campaign designed to create stress and anxiety in a population is called a strategy of tension. It's defined as:
 
“…a method of social control involving a series of covert attacks upon a population. Intended to promote stress and fear amongst them. The purpose is, by inducing a mistrust of one another and of the world at large to increase child-like dependence upon perceived authority figures (such as national governments).” (4)
 
Fear and politics have long gone hand in hand. American journalist and writer, H.L Mencken concisely described the essential importance of the fear factor in what he called “practical politics.”
 
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” (5)
 
The hobgoblins du jour, covert attacks on a domestic population and/or its infrastructure that are attributed to “bad guys,” are called false flags. Historically, governments have found false flags an effective means of cultivating fear and dependency in the citizenry. (6) There’s evil genius in engineering fear. As Herbert Frank put it in the opening quote,“ Fear is the mind killer.” Over time, it can completely incapacitate us.
 
This reality puts the intense bombardment of citizens of the West with attacks and various boogey men, particularly since 9/11, in a new light. It’s not random. At least one analyst has observed that the annual number of mass shootings in recent years, for example, exceeds any statistical norm. In short, there’s method to the madness suggesting that behind it all is the invisible hand of madmen.
 
A complicit mainstream media (MSM) plays a central role in marketing the threat du jour. If it’s a foreign military threat, they also market the need for US-NATO military “interventions.” Thus, they have sold us an endless succession of military campaigns. (7) (8) (9). During the  Syria conflict, the media inflated Putin and Assad to super-sized villain status. And now, they have seized on the notion of an Iran threat. A headline from a Moon of Alabama article matter-of-factly sums up the media’s role as one of “conditioning”  the public mind to accept war. (10)
 
You may have noticed that public wailing and gnashing of teeth ramped up dramatically following Donald Trump’s election. Democrats have focused much of their political energy on demonizing Trump. Hysterical ranting about Trump (NAZI, White Supremacist, Racist, Misogynist, Xenophobe) MAGA threats have raged continuously since he became president.  
 
A recent study shed some light on what may be a Guinness Book record level of political hysterics. Using a comparative assessment of Internet searches by Latin Americans, Republicans and Democrats, researchers determined that “for many Democrats expressing mental distress after the election was a form of partisan cheerleading.”
 
“This suggests that some Democrats reported mental health declines after Trump’s election are a form of reverse cheerleading, where partisans reported evaluations that are more negative than their true beliefs to reflect badly on a president of the opposing party.” (11)
 
Entertainment industry personalities like Amy Poehler illustrate precisely the kind of Democrat “expressive reporting,” described in the study.
 
“It’s really hard to not have a full-on panic attack every day. It’s why people are self-medicating,”(12)
 
Poehler’s comment to The Hollywood Reporter can now be understood for what it is: dutiful partisan cheerleading or what many of us would describe as a form of virtue-signaling. Clearly, the comment says more about Poehler and the Democrat resistance than it does about anyone else. Queen Gertrude of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, captured my response succinctly: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." (13).
 
Similarly, millennial activists, Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) and their Antifa allies have contributed more than their fair share to the social angst. The basic SJW strategy is launching a mob attack branding an opposing point of view and its proponent(s) “offensive,” “dangerous” and a "threat” to someone or something. This is followed by an organized campaign to silence and often sabotage the careers of those who oppose. Such attacks are being launched against a number of professors on US and Canadian campuses who are guilty of saying things SJW students don’t like to hear. (14) (15) (16 ) 
 
The real issue isn’t university professors with particular points of view. Rather, it appears to be the lack of adequate coping skills on the part of millennial students. Ewan Morrison reports, “In 2014, a survey of 100,000 college students at 53 U.S. campuses by the American College Health Association found that 84% of U.S. students feel unable to cope, while more than half experience overwhelming anxiety.” Morrison concludes that SJWs are asking for help. (17). 

Even more troubling, as blogger-consultant, Pierre Lescaudron explains, millennial SJWs (mostly women), are also being played or "hystericized" by psychopathic leaders. And the self-righteous fury of their muppets is wreaking havoc on our society.


"In addition to academia, psychopaths have infiltrated other key sectors of our society (media, justice, politics), and have slowly infused them with their twisted vision of the world. 

This is what we are witnessing today: psychopaths in power hystericising hordes of narcissistic individuals to engage in a destructive rampage in the name of social justice. The millenial generation just need the authorities to determine the next fashionable scapegoat onto which they can express their narcissistic rage."
(18)

The hysterical and often delusional activism of social justice warriors has its rewards. For some, it may be amassing virtue points and winning the attention and applause of followers. For students, there may be the incentive of earning course credits for their community activism. On other occasions, mindless, hysterical protest is bought and paid for. Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearings were a media circus by most descriptions. It’s important to note however, that the noisy, chaotic scenes portrayed on our screens didn’t necessarily reflect genuine citizen interest or concerns. One eyewitness, a Texas physician, describes what he saw:
 
“One thing was there were people who had come along... who had a bag of money, and people would hand them a piece of paper, and then they would give them money. So we know money was exchanged for some of the people to be here, just to protest. 

There was no depth to… their understanding; they were just here to be a disruption, protesters. They were actually told, we heard them say this, 'when you go in, we want you to yell, to scream, and even possibly to get arrested.' So that was some of the processes we saw happening...” (20). Commentator, Adam Schindler followed up and interviewed one of the protest organizers who rejected his use of the term "payment,” saying that the money was to pay the fines. Schindler wondered how she was able to enforce this vital distinction, adding that organizers nonetheless confirmed that their group was giving cash to protestors. (21) The Rent-a-mob, it seems, has become a standard feature of the culture war.
 
Victim group hoaxers are also contributing to the general impression that hate and violence are chaotically spiraling upward. Quillette editor, Andy Ngo investigated what appeared to be hate crime hysteria in the Trump Era. Ngo contends that after Trump’s election the SPLC “really stoked panic.” As of February 18, 2019, he had compiled a list of 27 examples of seemingly similar hoaxes. (22)
 
Professor Wilfred Riley, author of Hate Crime Hoax: How the left is selling a race war goes farther and contends that, “In modern America, the demand for bigots exceeds the supply.” (23) Revelations by the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center regarding the organization’s hate-for-profit business model tend to confirm Riley’s assessment. (24)
 
Hate crime stories that are false or misleading tend to dominate the headlines. Journalists Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning suggest the reason is  “possibly because fake cases are better designed to push the buttons of drama and partisanship.” (25) If that’s the case, it’s not hard to understand how political partisans on the left can reach the wrong conclusion about the incidence of actual hate crimes. Journalist and author Chris Hedges bluntly states “the mass media is poisoning us with hate.” (26)
 
Advocacy groups routinely amp up the drama rather than cultivate caution and healthy skepticism. The latest hate hoax appears to have been staged by Jewish restaurateurs in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After repeatedly reporting anti-Semitic attacks on their premises, the family has now been charged with mischief for trashing their own restaurant premises. (27) Note how the language of a Jewish advocacy group, flush with superlatives, can  fan public fears. In the wake of the initial report of the attack, Adam Levy, Communications Director of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, stated:
 
“It’s the most brazen act of anti-Semitism that we’ve seen in our community, and perhaps ever. We hope this is not a sign of things to come.” (28) (Calm down, Adam. Did it ever cross your mind it could be bullshit?)
 
If hate hoaxers teach us anything, they teach discerning analysts to:
  1. Take every hate crime report with a grain of salt, and
  2. Pay particular attention to those shouting “fire” the loudest or making the shrillest accusations as they may be the guilty party.
 
Here are some more examples of every day alarmism. Again, the effect, intended or not, is one of creating public buzz and triggering an emotional reaction. This in turn ensures that honest analysis, dialogue and genuine problem solving are averted. 
 
Abortion, Alabama abortion legislation
“Unplanned is a movie that could get someone killed” (29)
 
Note: Unplanned is a pro-life film that tells the story of Abby Johnson who resigns  her job as director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan Texas and becomes an anti-abortion activist. (30) 
 
‘I think we raped women last night' (Alabama State Senator in response to Alabama’s abortion ban) (31)
 
Vaccine caution
“Why antivaxxers aren’t just killing their own kids – they’re putting others in danger too” (32) 
 
Climate change:
“It’s time to panic: The planet is getting warmer in catastrophic ways. And fear may be the only thing that saves us” (accompanied by solid red graphic) (33)
 
Russia
"Marine experts in Norway believe they have stumbled upon a white whale that was trained by the Russian navy as part of a programme to use underwater mammals as a special ops force," (34)
 
Note: Inside the harness were the words: “Equipment of St. Petersburg”. (So much for the high grade and presumed secret military project)
 
Canadian politics - White supremacists and neo-Nazis
“Canada is facing a growing threat from right-wing white supremacists and neo Nazis: minister” (35)
 
To return to my earthy livestock analogy, we are being herded. Political actors waving big sticks are shouting loudly and announcing impending doom. (Unless we obediently align with their point of view or do what they tell us to do.) It’s nasty information warfare -- propaganda.
 
Our society has jettisoned a good deal of the wisdom from my parent’s and grandparent’s day, an era when civility and a more respectful and frankly, more intelligent political discourse prevailed. One social admonition of the era was one never shouts fire in a crowded theatre. Presumably, even if the theatre were on fire, shouting would cause stampeding and risk even more deaths.
 
Figuratively speaking however, a variety of self-interested political players ranging from national leaders and the military security complex to your SJWs, hate hoaxers and civil rights advocacy groups are doing just that. And they are using the powerful megaphones of mass media and social media to amplify it. It is traumatizing people, eroding social cohesion, coroding trust and poisoning political discourse.
 
It’s time to call out the powers-that-be subjecting citizens to their strategy of tension and hold them to account for their crimes against humanity. It’s time to put the hate-for-profit fabricators out of business. It’s time to expose a complicit and toxic mass media. It's time to penalize the hoaxers and scam artists in accordance with the seriousness of their crimes. And it's time to counter the win-at-any-cost culture war combatants engaging in fear mongering and hysterics.

Finally, it’s time to face our fears and act like adults -- enough of the fear frenzy. Let’s banish some boogeymen. Specifically:
  • Russia isn’t about to invade, and it’s whales have no designs on us;
  • Iran doesn’t pose a threat, and it doesn’t hate us (Iranians actually like Americans, and I've no reason to think they don't like Canadians);
  • A professor’s views are just a professor’s views;
  • Politicians promote the idea that Canadians are threatened by White Supremists and neo-Nazis, but provide little convincing evidence;
  • Racism hasn’t spiraled in the US during the Trump era (in fact one US study says Americans are becoming less racist and less homophobic; (36)
  • Many high profile “hate crimes” are distortions and fabrications; and 
  • Hatred isn’t spiraling out of control; what the Left labels "hate speech" often refers to ideas those on the Left simply don't want to hear or discuss.
 
Confronting the propaganda, the hysterics, the liars and the fear mongers will take diligence and courage. Casualties can be expected, but again only the truth can set us free. We will also need to cultivate humour throughout our struggle for truth; preferably our capacity for satire. I say this for two reasons. The first is humour deflates fear and fabrication. The second is we could all use the uplift of a good laugh. This satirical headline from Signs of the Times, manages to achieve both: “Man rushed to hospital after hearing slightly different viewpoint.” (37)
 
That's eloquence of a different kind!
​
-- Rod


End notes
1. extract from a Maxime Bernier tweet, April 24, 2019.
 
2. Frank Herbert, Quotable Quotes. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/2-i-must-not-fear-fear-is-the-mind-killer-fear-is
 
3. Ex NSA analyst describes the depth of NSA surveillance as “Stasi  steroids,” SOTT, Nov 14, 2014.
https://www.sott.net/article/289257-Ex-NSA-analyst-describes-the-depths-of-NSA-surveillance-as-Stasi-on-steroids
 
4. Strategy of Tension, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy_of_tension
 
5. H.L. Menchen quotes. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/34764-the-whole-aim-of-practical-politics-is-to-keep-the
 
6. 53 admitted false flags, Global Research, March 5, 2018.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/53-admitted-false-flag-attacks/5432931
 
7. The Terrorists-R-US”: Mainstream Media Propaganda fuels and fans the flames of war, Global Research, December 10, 2017.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-terrorists-r-us-mainstream-media-propaganda-fuels-and-fans-the-flames-of-war/5491053
 
8. Yes, the press helps start wars, The American Conservative, August 10, 2018.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/yes-the-press-helps-start-wars/
 
9. Seven reasons why America’s corporate media is pro war, Global Research, December 2, 2016. https://www.globalresearch.ca/seven-reasons-why-americas-corporate-media-is-pro-war/5559969
 
10. Media amplify Iran war propaganda  -- play up intelligence lies, Blacklisted News, May 19, 2019.
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/72609/media-amplify-iran-war-propaganda--play-up-intelligence.html
 
11. President Trump Stress Disorder: Partisanship, Ethnicity, and Expressive Reporting of Mental Distress After the 2016 Election, Sage Journals, March 27, 2019.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244019830865
 
12. Amy Poehler on Trump presidency: ‘It’s really hard to not have a full on panic attack every day,’ The Washington Times, April 25, 2019. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/apr/25/amy-poehler-on-trump-presidency-its-really-hard-to/
 
13. The Lady Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Wikipedia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lady_doth_protest_too_much,_methinks
 
14. Student’s protest visiting professor, Brett Kavanaugh as threat to mental health, The College Fix, April 8, 2019.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/students-protest-visiting-professor-brett-kavanaugh-as-threat-to-mental-health/
 
15. Snowflakes at Philadelphia University: Camille Paglia can’t say that, SOTT, May 6, 2019.
https://www.sott.net/article/412489-Snowflakes-at-Philadelphia-university-Camille-Paglia-cant-say-that
 
16. A professor spoke the truth, he still pays the price, National Review, March 12, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/03/professor-samuel-abrams-spoke-the-truth-he-still-pays-the-price/
 
17. Rising tide of personality disorders: ‘Rising tide of personality disorders among Millennials,’ PJ Media, March 6, 2017.
https://pjmedia.com/blog/social-justice-syndrome-rising-tide-of-personality-disorders-among-millenials/
 
18. Post-nihilism: a template for where we are headed, SOTT, July 3, 2017, 
https://www.sott.net/article/355448-Post-nihilism-a-template-for-where-we-are-heading#

19. Three Texas doctors: We saw protestors paid in cash to disrupt Brett Kavanaugh hearing on line to enter, Real Clear Politics, September 4, 2018.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/09/04/texas_doctor_i_saw_people_handing_out_cash_to_protesters_in_the_line_for_kavanaugh_hearing.html
 
20. Story behind the Kavanaugh “paid protestors,” Adam Schindler, September 6, 2018.
https://www.adamschindler.com/politics/story-behind-kavanaugh-paid-protesters/
 
21. Damning List of Hate Crime Hoaxes Proves Jussie Smollett Happens Way More Than Libs Want to Admit, The Pluralist, February 18, 2019. https://pluralist.com/hate-crimes-jussie-smolllett-andy-ngo-twitter/
 
22. Professor Wilfred Riley says civil rights groups rely on hate hoaxes, 1210 WPH Radio, March 11, 2019.
https://1210wpht.radio.com/articles/feature-article/prof-wilfred-riley-says-civil-rights-groups-rely-hate-crime-hoaxes
 
23. The reckoning of Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center, New Yorker, March 21, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-reckoning-of-morris-dees-and-the-southern-poverty-law-center
 
24. Hate crime hoaxes are more common than you’d think, (Quellette, February 22, 2019). https://quillette.com/2019/02/22/hate-crime-hoaxes-are-more-common-than-you-think/
 
25. The mass media is poisoning us hate, Truthdig, May 27, 2019.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-mass-media-is-poisoning-us-with-hate/
 
26. Police charge River Heights café owners, say hate crime was staged, Winnipeg Free Press, March 24, 2019.
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/police-charge-river-heights-cafe-owners-say-hate-crime-was-staged-509014272.html
 
27. ‘Most brazen act of Anti-Semitism we’ve seen’: Winnipeg Jewish community reeling after attack at BerMax caffe, CBC, April 19, 2019.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-restaurant-hate-crime-1.5105204
 
28 Unplanned is a movie that could get someone killed, The Cut, April 12, 2019. https://www.thecut.com/2019/04/unplanned-is-a-movie-that-could-get-someone-killed.html
 
29. Unplanned, the antiabortion movies that’s getting mainstream attention
https://www.vox.com/2019/4/17/18306100/unplanned-movie-abby-johnson-planned-parenthood-abortion
 
30. ‘I think we raped women last night,’ says Alabama Democrat as abortion bill passes, Independent, May 16, 2019.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/alabama-abortion-ban-law-democrat-bobby-singleton-rape-incest-a8916201.html
 
31. Why antivaxxers aren’t just killing their own kids, National Post, February 27, 2019.
https://nationalpost.com/news/why-anti-vaxxers-arent-just-killing-their-own-kids
 
32. Time to Panic, New York Times, February 16, 2019.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/opinion/sunday/fear-panic-climate-change-warming.html
 
33. Whale with harness could be Russian weapon, say Norwegian experts, The Guardian, April 29, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/29/whale-with-harness-could-be-russian-weapon-say-norwegian-experts
 
34. Canada is facing a growing threat from right-wing white supremacists and neo Nazis: minister, Global News, January 16, 2019. https://globalnews.ca/news/4851998/canada-threat-right-wing-white-supremacists/
 
35. Americans are becoming less racist and less homophobic, according to new research, Pacific Standard, January 7, 2019.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3378076
 
36. Man rushed to hospital after hearing slightly differing viewpoint, SOTT, April 11, 2019. https://www.sott.net/article/411159-Man-rushed-to-hospital-after-hearing-slightly-differing-viewpoint


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Rhetorical Martial Arts -- Part B: Tactic # 12 Claiming moral Highground, Virtue-signalling

3/16/2019

0 Comments

 
Rhetorical Martial Arts, Part B: Tactic #12: Claiming moral high ground, Virtue signalling 
Futurescapes21C, All rights reserved 2019
Posted March 29, 2019, rev. April 24, 2019


Introduction
I don't "jump" to conclusions, I arrive at them slowly and often painfully, sometimes after decades of digging and reflection. One is that conservatives, traditionalists and the common sense majority have been beaten into submission and sidelined in the culture war by neoliberal activists and their political enablers. Dissenters or resisters, as we might refer to ourselves, have for the most part been waging ineffectual rear guard actions. While there are no doubt several reasons for this state of affairs, the most obvious has been an inability to counter the relentless bombardment of lies, weaponized language and deception. Let's face it; we have been losing the war of words. Given that dissenters now find themselves struggling to retain the basic right to express an alternative view, it's clear we have no choice. We must fight back.

Our resistance begins with learning some rhetorical self-defence. In the process of countering the assault on things we hold dear, we can also elevate the calibre of political discourse. But we must first recognize the kinds of logical fallacies being brought against us daily. This week, I am examining tactic #12, Claiming moral high ground, virtue-signalling.


Tactic #12: Claiming moral high ground, virtue-signalling
"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak: and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws." -- John Adams

"But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does." (Matthew 6:3)

The logic of situating a fortress on a mountainous slope or mountain top is obvious. For starters, it’s imposing, and for would-be invaders, intimidating. But the ultimate physical advantage is that high ground transforms gravity into an ally of its defenders and an enemy of attackers. With the advantage of superior positioning, defenders can mercilessly rain down arrows, fire, boiling oil, or some other deterrent on the heads of attackers. The latter meanwhile must struggle with the three-fold challenge of mounting an attack, ascending the slope and fortress walls, and protecting their forces from the deadly assault from above.

The same can be said of strategically positioned political arguments. Political opponents gain a significant advantage by securing the (perceived) moral high ground. And like defenders of a physical fortress, our opponents can hurl scorn from on high down upon the heads of their enemies. Political leaders gain a further advantage in gilding their arrows/arguments with a veneer of high moral purpose, giving the impression that they are the product of (divine) inspiration. Arguments dressed as religious precepts and coming from the high priests of the political theology are likely to bypass critical thinking filters. Thus, like the fortress on the mountain top, they become unassailable.
 
This puts the lonely dissenter or critic of political orthodoxy at an inherent disadvantage. While court jesters have had their place historically, emperors past and present have also been quick to summarily convict their critics of heresy or insolence. (In Canada, the charges are more likely to be "racism," "hatred" or "islamophobia" or "misgendering.") Clearly, owning the perceived moral high ground confers a significant power advantage to incumbents. But it can’t be taken for granted – the position of moral superiority, once assumed, must be continuously guarded against encroachment. So a strict regimen of daily virtue-signaling must be maintained.

No political leader in my memory has relied more heavily on constructing a political fortress upon presumed moral highground and buttressing it with constant virtue-signaling than Justin Trudeau. Trudeau and his Liberal administration have tapped every possible avenue of virtue point accumulation with near daily claims of “standing up for” some member of the protected classes: members of the LGBT+, community, feminists, refugees/immigrants, Zionists, aboriginals, Muslims. And its stated commitment to "climate change action” provides the Liberals with another basis for moral exhibitionism.
 
The Progressive virtue-manufacturing model is central to Trudeau’s political strategy, policy lens and personal brand. Journalist, Jonathan Kay, describes how from the outset Trudeau adopted a progressive identity, and, I would add, he wields it like a weapon.
 
Trudeau's woke identity is something he brought into office from day one. He banned anyone with pro-life views from his caucus, then tried to force recipients of a Canadian summer-jobs fund (including Bible camps) to declare support for pro-choice dogma. When asked why he insisted on creating Ottawa's first gender-balanced cabinet, Trudeau declared, “because it’s 2015” (as if to suggest that anyone who didn't support affirmative action was a misogynist…").
 
Under the Trudeau government's bill C-16, pronoun misusage could become actionable under Canadian human-rights law. His government has introduced new environmental impact assessments that require project managers to impute "the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors" in their environmental analysis.(1)
 
Some critics describe such zealotry as ideological possession. It may well be, but to the objective eye, it's also selective, superficial, self-serving, and ultimately, unsustainable. There's no shortage of examples. In January of 2017, Donald Trump imposed a "travel ban" on seven Muslim countries. On January 28, 2017 at 4.20 pm, Trudeau, seized the opportunity to burnish his star against a contrasting Trump policy backdrop and tweeted: “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.“

Financial Post columnist, Diane Francis, described it as an example of “irresponsible” tweeting with serious consequences.

"Before the tweet, border officials prevented 315 people a month from illegally crossing the border. Post-tweet in 2017, about 18,149 illegally crossed the border, then claimed asylum as refugees — even after entering illegally — and were allowed to stay, get welfare, education, housing, healthcare and work permits. By May 2018, the number of refugee cases pending has jumped to 54,906 from 18,348 in December 2016. That’s the population of Grande Prairie, Alberta or Granby, Quebec."

The surge of refugees at a time of US policy uncertainty brought unprecedented pressure on Canada's porous borders, its immigration processing, and cities unprepared for the influx. Toronto’s mayor described the refugee housing situation in his city as a "crisis," and at least one Quebec politician called for a wall to stem the tide.(2)  I have also heard Ottawa’s mayor’s lament that refugees in his city were living on the streets, and read that Manitoba’s premier called on the federal government to provided assistance to relieve the financial burden.

There’s no mystery of course to the transactional, quid pro quo nature of such a moral highground ploy. This tweet brought new migrants into Canada and simultaneously positioned Mr. Trudeau as the friend of Canada’s growing immigrant population. The Liberals will in turn, expect their new fans to support them at the ballot box in the coming 2019 election. It's a time-tested cynical political play that ultimately amounts to corralling immigrant minorities to harvest their votes. 

A closer analysis of virtue signaling reveals its dual thrust. In short, it can be used to boost the virtue rating of the sender and weaponized to discredit an opponent at the same time. This is illustrated in a March 15 tweet from Liberal cabinet minster, Catherine Mckenna, following the mosque shooting in New Zealand.

"I spoke to parents at Ottawa Main Mosque today whose kids are too scared to pray & go to school.

Meanwhile Andrew Scheer has to be called out before he can call out Islamophobia.

We all need to stand together against racism, hatred & violence of all kinds. All of us."
(3)
 
The first sentence is the play for virtue points essentially saying: "I'm compassionate and caring." The second is the weaponized portion intended to burn Andrew Scheer for his moral shabbiness. (the boiling oil dumped from the parapet of incumbent power.) And the third sentence affirms McKeena’s high-mindedness as she seemingly wants to bring people together. The essentially Orwellian Newspeak contradiction is inescapable, however, as she is condemning a political opponent (implying you should to) and simultaneously calling for unity. It's social media politics on the cheap and cheap politics.

Here’s a March 27 tweet from the Liberal Party, again demonstrating the sweet and sour nature of a weaponized tweet. (As an aside, my grade nine English teacher would likely have red circled the second sentence as a “run on” sentence.)
 
“Justin Trudeau and the Liberal team will always support women’s rights and equality. Every Canadian deserves a real and fair chance at success, and its time Andrew Scheer stopped putting politics before people.” #cdnpoll
 
Translation: “We’re good and he’s bad.”
 
I often quote a former director from my days working in a provincial agriculture department, a man who possessed the “gift" of satire. Big Dave once summed up the superficial bent of politics and opportunistic politicians with the old axiom: "If you can fake sincerity, you have it made." In the Post Truth Era, politics has been reduced to a science where image-making and optics are everything. Empathy, interest and concern are ingredients formulated and dispensed as needed on behalf of politicians by their PR and communications specialists. Faking sincerity is standard practice.
​
The problem with moral exhibitionism is that it’s skin deep at best and its conscience more often than not, imaginary. That is, it exists solely in the mind of the claimant. A Swedish TV channel conducted an on-the-spot street test of authenticity in an unnamed city in Sweden. Interviewees were asked what they thought of the influx of refugees into the country and if Swedes should “rise to the occasion” and take refugees into their homes. They were also asked if they would personally consider doing so if the opportunity presented itself. The responses were consistently, “yes.”
 
Once that was established, the interviewer called their bluff. He then introduced a man named Ali, and asked the interviewee if he or she had room for Ali in his/her home. The excuses ranged from lack of space, commitment to an existing renter and sick children to early morning meetings, busy schedules and leasing restrictions.(4) The exercise may offer some insight into the psychology of Swedes as it relates to their sense of immigration “responsibilities.” Lest we “cast the first stone,” however, my guess is that the perennial gap between affirming a general idea in principal, and as a collective responsibility on the one hand, and taking personal action on the other, is a human trait. Aah yes, humility is a uncomfortable virtue.
 
The discerning shouldn't associate virtue with external appearances or social position. The wealthy and the powerful (the elite), their pretensions aside, aren't inherently more caring or benevolent. In fact, there may be a negative correlation between such advantages and empathetic behaviour. Dascher Keltner, a psychologist at the University of California at Berkeley, has studied the effects of wealth and power for decades. In one of his experiments, researchers observed drivers at a busy intersection. They found that people in expensive cars were four times more likely to cut off other drivers and ignore right-of-way laws. 

“It told us that there’s something about wealth and privilege that makes you feel like you’re above the law, that allows you to treat others like they don’t exist,” Keltner said. (5)
 
One wonders if these same drivers were aware of the distain they exhibited toward fellow drivers or lived in a state of denial.
 
The tenets of social justice or at least its applications are riddled with contradictions. Across the border, US-Democrats and Republicans were seemingly outraged by the practice of separating children from parents or guardians (some turn out to be traffickers) during the processing of refugees at the Southern US border.(6) My guess, however, is that support for abortion, a terminal form of parent-child separation accounting for roughly 300,000 unborn annually remains strong among many who protested border separation the loudest.  Certainly, that loss to parents and humanity doesn't appear to be a subject of concern on the part of the current President of Planned Parenthood, who bragged on late night TV that she was President Trump's "nightmare."(7) 
 
While the subject of climate change is clearly beyond the scope of this essay, I can offer an easy test of the oft-stated Liberal commitment to “climate change action." Presumably advocates are deeply concerned about weather extremes and the associated costs and consequences to people and the planet. But how deep does the concern go? Are advocates sufficiently concerned to demand public disclosure and an investigation of the effects of the covert weather geo-engineering programs employed by the US, China and Russia for decades?(8)(9) No? Well, alrighty then.  

The shallow deceptiveness of do-it-yourself virtue constructs inherent in identity politics seems apparent, and yet millions remain faithful adherents. I have for some time speculated that this kind of observance is suggestive of a religious cult. Journalist, Shadi Hamid, writing in the Atlantic about outrage culture, makes a similar observation.
 
“This is why identity politics can sometimes seem like a new sort of political theology. Belief and conviction are good things, but only if there’s something to believe in. Identity politics and the virtue-outbidding it necessitates often signal the absence of religion in search of religion—with followers mimicking its constituent elements: ritual, purity, atonement, and excommunication.
 
In purely practical terms, moral posturing doesn’t usually change anyone’s mind, because people intuitively interpret it “as a form of jockeying for in-group status.” But it doesn’t need to change minds, nor is it necessarily supposed to. Its point is to transform politics into a question of purity.” (10)
 
It falls to astute critics then to test the authenticity and expose the shallowness of politicians, their politics and their policy proposals where applicable. I’ll go farther in fact and argue that it's our civic duty. The underlying question is: Are they aimed at genuine policy solutions or winning the purity or virtue competition? We also are also obliged to expose the  destructive outcomes of politic and policies essentially based on good intentions. History demonstrates just how often the politics of good intentions has led humanity down the road to hellish outcomes. For a cautionary highlighting of several of those occasions when the truth of the proverb was born out, see Ewan Morrison's article, "The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions"(11).
  
Sometimes, straightforward truth-telling is all it takes to penetrate the spell of human delusions. I am an ardent admirer of the young boy who, standing at his mom’s side, pointed out the nakedness of a vain Emperor parading in the public square in his imaginary new "clothes." HIs childish instinct spared the entire village the indignity and the insanity of pretending the emperor was dressed in finery just to satisfy an imperial delusion. I am similarly indebted to those who expose the hubris of today's naked emperors and their enablers in high places(12). Without them, it seems, we risk being forcibly immersed in a world of delusion and darkness. I doubt there has ever been a greater need for such heroes to emerge in the West than now.  
 
Diane Francis called out Trudeau's irresponsible "send me your troubled masses" tweet contending he should repair the damage it caused. In other writing, I have called attention to the inherent hypocrisy in Trudeau’s stance on immigration and its obvious contradictions. A simple test of the authenticity of his proclaimed concern for refugees is this: “Since the majority of immigrants are created by US-led regime change wars in the Middle East and beyond, what have you done to stop or at least impede Washington’s war machine? Did you stand up for Syrians under attack by mercenaries from 40 countries? What are you doing to protect Venezuela from a regime change coup? (Or, I see. You're supporting the coup?) And, “When will you tell the regime changers to abandon the provocative anti -Iran and anti-Russia war propaganda?”
 
Critics of Trudeau’s handling of the SNC Lavalin affair have exposed the contradictions in his feminist posturing. Specifically, he flaunted his progressive virtue when appointing what were, presumably, “strong, independent” women to his cabinet. But when one such person, Attorney General Jody Wilson Raybould refused to grant SNC Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement, she alleges she was subjected to a lengthy pressure campaign and veiled threats from Trudeau, his Minister of Finance and numerous government officials.(13) Ultimately, Wilson Raybould was demoted to lesser role in the Trudeau government. In her analysis of Trudeau's conduct in the matter, Conservative MP, Michelle Rempel described Trudeau as a “fake feminist.”(14)

Jonathan Kay described another apparent contradiction this way.
 
“… it is impossible to reconcile Butts' attempt to discredit Wilson-Raybould's narrative wholesale without making nonsense of Trudeau's woke 2018 claim that "when women speak up, it is our duty to listen to them and to believe them." 
 
Irish journalist, Danielle Ryan sees a commonality in the façade of political correctness of Trudaeau and Macron.
 
“But the Macrons and the Trudeaus of the world are monsters in disguise - and they are just as dangerous. They exhibit extreme arrogance, running around lecturing the world on right and wrong, claiming a position on the moral high-ground. It's all a bad joke.” (15)
 
Licia Corbella, in a March 30 Calgary Herald article, offers more insight into what lies  beneath the disguise and the moral posturing. She notes that the contents of the taped phone call between Wilson Raubould and former head of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick is proof positive that "the PM and many of the people around him have lied throughout this controversy. She (Wilson-Raybould) has proof. They have lies" (italic added).(16).

Canadians have just seen the limits of PR-manufactured sincerity so popular with 21st century politicians. Sure, you can coat almost any surface with it, and it might look okay for awhile from a distance, but when the heat is on, it flakes off like cheap paint. And when it does, one is left with the uninspiring realization that ultimately, your PM and his officials bullied and lied for the basest of all political motives: to ensure their government would be returned to power.  


The intent of this piece was to dismantle one of the most powerful tactics employed by neoliberals in the current culture war; that of seizing the moral high ground and attacking from "above." The advantages conferred by this positioning and the protection it provides incumbents from the slings and arrows of political criticism are no doubt underestimated. There have been a lot of casualties among the citizenry. I suggest millions of Canadians have succumbed to the daily bombardment of smears --- "racist," "bigot," "hater," "xenophobe," "misogynist," "anti-immigrant" and other disparaging terms. And the significance of the loss of their participation in the political debate shouldn't be underestimated. 

This analysis has revealed a few other things. Resisters should now realize that the moral high ground smear attack is only fatal if we give credence to the charge by cowering and acting as if it's true when it isn't. It only succeeds if we hang our heads and retreat to fearful silence. It's time to stand up, re-engage and counter the assault. The best responses will expose the shallow, selective, self-serving and hypocritical nature of manufactured virtue. As the The SNC Lavalin case and others have demonstrated, the leaders of the current regime are mere mortals with feet of clay. And yet, they continue to parade before us in their imaginary finery soaking up the praise of their enthralled followers. And what about that imposing neoliberal political fortress of virtue towering above us? It turns out that it's nothing more than a mirage, every bit as illusory as the purity and the piety of its defenders. 

- Rod 


End notes
 1. Justin Trudeau’s latest scandal shows the perils of ‘woke” governance, Jonathan Kay, Quillette, Signs of the Times, March 7, 2019
https://www.sott.net/article/408719-Justin-Trudeaus-latest-scandal-shows-us-the-perils-of-woke-governance

2. Trudeau's holier-than-thou tweet causes migrant crisis -- now he needs to fix what he started, Diane Francis, Financial Post, 

https://business.financialpost.com/diane-francis/trudeaus-holier-than-thou-tweet-causes-migrant-crisis-now-he-needs-to-fix-what-he-started
​
3. Horrible: In absolutely disgusting move, Mckenna Mckenna tries using aftermath of New Zealand mosque shooting to score political points against Andrew Scheer, Spencer Fernando, March 16, 2018. 
https://www.spencerfernando.com/2019/03/16/horrible-in-absolutely-disgusting-move-catherine-mckenna-tries-using-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-to-score-political-points-against-andrew-scheer/


4. Virtue signalling:  Swedes say they should house and refugee, but refuse once given the opportunity, Signs of the Times, March 22, 2019
https://www.sott.net/article/409631-Virtue-signalling-Swedes-say-they-can-house-a-refugee-but-refuse-once-given-the-opportunity
​

5. Studies show the wealthy and powerful are more likely to lie, cheat and steal, Blacklisted News, March 25, 2019. 
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/71789/studies-show-that-wealthy-and-powerful-more-likely-to-lie-cheat-and.html
​

6. Trump administration scrambles as outrage grows over border separations, The Guardian, June 19, 2018

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/us-immigration-border-families-separated-children-kirstjen-nielsen

7. Planned Parenthood president brags that she's 'Trump's  nightmare,' True Pundit, March 22, 2019
https://truepundit.com/planned-parenthood-president-brags-that-shes-trumps-nightmare/


8. Geoengineering – a short history, FP, September 3, 2013
https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/09/03/geoengineering-a-short-history/
 
9. With Operation Popeye, the US government made weather an instrument of war, Popular Science, March 20, 2019 https://www.popsci.com/operation-popeye-government-weather-vietnam-war
 
10. Bari Weiss and the Left-Wing fascination with taking offence, Shadi Hamid, February 17, 2018,  outrage politics
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/bari-weiss-immigrants/553550/
 
11. The Road to hell is paved with good intentions, Ewan Morrison, Psychology Today, April 15, 2019

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/word-less/201904/the-road-hell-is-paved-good-intentions

12. The Emperor's New Clothes, HC Anderson Centre, http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html

13. Wilson-Raybould says she got ‘veiled threats’ on SNC-Lavalin, BNN Bloomberg, February 27, 2019
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/wilson-raybould-says-she-got-veiled-threats-on-snc-lavalin-1.1220737
 
14. Michelle Rempel blasts Justin Trudeau as "fake feminist," Global News, February 25, 2019

https://globalnews.ca/video/4997228/michelle-rempel-slams-justin-trudeau-as-fake-feminist-2-2
​
15. Surprise! ‘Progressive hero’ Justin Trudeau is a fraud and a hypocrite, Danielle Ryan, RT, February 28, 2019 
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/452696-trudeau-corruption-scandal-fraud/
 
16. Corbella: Wilson-Raybould's version behind scandal is indisputable and nuclear, Calgary Herald, March 30, 2019, 
https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/corbella-wilson-rayboulds-version-behind-scandal-is-indisputable-and-nuclear
0 Comments

Rhetorical martial ARTS -- Part B: Tactic #11 the False Dichotomy/False choice

3/14/2019

0 Comments

 
Copyright Futurescapes21C. All rights reserved. 2019.
Posted March 18, 2019.

Introduction
I don't "jump" to conclusions, I arrive at them slowly and often painfully, sometimes after decades of digging and reflection. One is that conservatives, traditionalists and the common sense majority have been beaten into submission and sidelined in the culture war by neoliberal activists and their political enablers. Dissenters or resisters, as we might refer to ourselves, have for the most part been waging ineffectual rear guard actions. While there are no doubt several reasons for this state of affairs, the most obvious has been an inability to counter the relentless bombardment of lies, weaponized language and deception. Let's face it; we have been losing the war of words. Given that dissenters now find themselves struggling to retain the basic right to express an alternative view, it's clear we have no choice. We must fight back.

Our resistance begins with learning some rhetorical self-defence. In the process of countering the assault on things we hold dear, we can also elevate the calibre of political discourse. But we must first recognize the kinds of logical fallacies being brought against us daily. This week, I am examining tactic #11, The False Dichotomy or false choice.


Tactic #11: The false dichotomy (false choice, dilemma, alternatives, excluded middle)
Growing up on a grain farming and livestock enterprise in the fifties and sixties, I worked with livestock, cattle in particular, from childhood. By the age of 13, I had probably learned most of the basic techniques for effectively handling cattle, including how to round up a group of cows and herd them into a corral or a head stanchion for branding or medical treatment. It's a matter of learning cattle psychology. And some of that learning has sensitized me to the fact that humans we the people are being herded by the powers-that-be today. 

I instinctively know the feeling of being politically "driven" down a trail of someone else's choosing and "corralled" in a political construct. Sometimes it's obvious, a matter of the daily programming and prodding by corporate media arm-in-arm with Big Brother, and sometimes it's more subtle. But we can be certain that we are being herded, corralled and yes, branded metaphorically speaking. And the false dichotomy has proven to be one of the most useful tactics in the hands of our overseers. 

The false dichotomy typically takes the form of "either-or" choice between competing alternatives. Its devious nature stems from the fact that while only two choices are presented, a bigger array, often including much better alternatives, is excluded. In other instances, the structure of the choice may imply equivalence between two alternatives where none exists.  If you say to your three year old, "If you clean up your plate, you can have either ice cream or a serving of cooked cabbage for dessert, you haven't really given them a choice -- even if he or she does like ice cream. A third variety of false choice would be a situation where  two or more choices on offer aren't substantially different from each other. 

I do have a confession to make on the subject of parenting in this regard. When we were raising 
three young children, my wife I did employ versions of the false choice in order to keep things manageable. Imagine that it's 6:45 am and you have to get the kids ready for school, breakfasted and out of the house by 7:30. What do you do to avoid loss of precious time to protracted wardrobe selection by your 4 year old? You present the binary choice: "So, would like to wear your khaki shorts or your blue jeans to school today?" Now that was easy wan't it? 

Politicians often employ only a slightly more sophisticated version of the false dichotomy in order to nudge the populace down a particular (pre-ordained) path. And it works because we don't challenge the framing of the choice, or question the credibility of those in authority. But the results of the adult version of the false choice are so much more consequential. Nine days after the deadliest terrorist attach in US history, George W. Bush called for readiness on the part of the military and urged Americans to be patient and strong. As national leaders often do, he was speaking to both a domestic and foreign audience at the same time. He noted that many countries had offered sympathy and support to the US. The rest he said (Here it comes), face a choice. "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."(1) 


Perhaps it sounded like a no brainer to a traumatized populace -- "I'm sure not siding with the terrorists, so I guess I'm with 'us.'" Few could ever have imagined the catastrophic consequences of that choice. It committed us to an unending series of illegal, bloody and devastating regime change wars in the Middle East and Northern Africa.(2) Remarkably, it continues to this day with Syria the latest and Iran now clearly in the sights of the Washington Neocon-Military industrial Complex. Now, some at least understand the devious nature of the forced binary choice, particularly when in this case, the 9/11 incident used to provide the pretext for the so-called "War on Terror" was a false flag event.(3) So, we have a devious false choice based upon a deception used to secure consensus for a series of illegal wars resulting in the ugliest of war crimes.
 
The false dichotomy tactic is also used to shape human behaviour in far more mundane matters. Back in 2012, Vic Toews, Justice Minister in the Steven Harper government, was seeking to push surveillance legislation through parliament that would allow the federal government to collect IP addresses, email addresses, mobile phone numbers and other identifying information on anyone who interested them without a warrant. Federal and provincial privacy commissioners objected, warning the government that this could constitute a violation of privacy rights. Toews countered with a false dichotomy, saying  people "can either stand with us or with the child pornographers."(4) Suffice to say, his "my-way-or-you're-child-pornography-enablers" wasn't well received. What about "I'm  with neither of the above."

What these examples illustrate is that the false choice isn't benign -- it usually integrates a barb -- a smear. Being an enabler of terrorists or child pornographers is hardly a neutral choice -- like choosing between strawberry or chocolate ice cream. And that's what makes it a favourite of neoliberal culture warriors. The false choice-smear can be handily used to brand anyone with whom they disagree. It can incorporate a dog whistle invitation to their followers to treat the targets as socially undesirable. And that implies their views are unworthy of consideration. Essentially, the dissenters are thus sidelined and rendered voiceless. Mission accomplished. 

Hillary Clinton clearly likes the false dichotomy as evidenced by her attempt to corral and brand Trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables." The implied "either-or" in this case was that either you are voting Democrat or you are socially repulsive  -- politically unclean. It's a dismissive move and an invitation to her followers to condemn opponents. It also serves to check any Democrats who may have been tempted to stray.  But it backfired, and 
Clinton was called on it. And like those situations where a coach overhears his team being trashed by opponents, Trump used the pejorative to rally his supporters. They turned the insult on its head, and began identifying as "the deplorables."  

There's another big picture false choice that bedevils US voters. It's the presumed political choice between Democrat and Republican. Scratch their respective surfaces and you find that both inevitably lead you to same establishment powers-that-be. It's cynically described as the "war party," an entity whose backers include global  corporations, criminal "bankster" backers, the Neocon lobby and the military industrial complex -- also key beneficiaries. 


Despite its obvious Machiavellian nature, the false choice-smear remains a popular weapon in the hands of neoliberal leaders and their disciples. The underlying proposition behind its use in the on-going political struggle is simply, "If you don't agree with (my position), then by deduction, you are "bad." With its either-or, framing, there is only black and white, good versus bad -- no middle ground, no nuance and no room for give and take or compromise. Here are some current examples framed to include some of the most popular smears. 

Either you support Justin Trudeau's failing immigration policy and his plans to ramp up immigration rates and embrace the UN Migrant Compact or you are .....("anti-migrant,"anti-immigration" or "xenophobic.") 

Either you support anti-Russian sanctions and the "resurgent Russia" narrative or you are a ("Putin apologist" or "Kremlin stooge"). 


Either you support the US led-Canada-aided regime change campaign in Venezuela or you are (an enemy of the "people of Venezuela" and contributing to  their  starvation.) 

Either you supported the illegal regime change war conducted by the US and its Western and Middle Eastern allies against President Assad and Syria or you were (an "Assad Apologist," supporting a brutal dictator engaged in "butchering his own people") 

Either you support imposition of the Liberals' planned carbon tax to deal with that vaguest of all enemies, "climate change"  or you are a (backward climate-denier irresponsibly ignoring the future of your grandchildren.)

Either you as a political leader enthusiastically participate in Gay Pride celebrations on a regular basis or you are (unfit to lead, a "homophobe" or worse.)

Either you embrace transgender activists' gender theory and its inclusion in the curriculum of grade school children or you are (a "hater" or "anti-transgender.")

Either you remain silent about the many forms of political interference by AIPAC and the State of Israel in the politics of the United States or you are..(an "Anti-Semite").  


I encountered a logic-defying false choice retort while writing this essay. It's  author asserted that holding captured Canadian ISIS fighters in Syria accountable for their crimes constituted "hatred." The presumptive nature of such attacks gets even more twisted when one ventures into the abortion debate where opposition is construed as "murder."  The irony is inescapable. 

It should be clear by now, that use of the false dichotomy is solely a debating, or more accurately, a bully tactic, nothing more. You can't exclude acres of middle ground and a range of possible choices and nuance and pretend that false choice smears lend anything to our political discourse. They are mindless attacks intended to stigmatize; the rhetorical equivalent of an incendiary device tossed into a crowded outdoor market.

Culture war combatants trying to impose their faulty logic on the world are really trying to silence opposition and achieve narrative control. They reveal, in the process, a remarkable ignorance or at least a lack of appreciation for the best features of a liberal democracy, including the freedom to think and express oneself freely. It's time to make it clear to our opponents that that attempts to squelch those with an alternative points of view isn't going to go unchallenged. We aren't going to reciprocate with smears, however. We are going to call neoliberal champions of identity politics to engage in genine debate. At some level, seeking meaningful policy solutions to challenging social and political issues should be more rewarding than playing childish word games. And somewhere in the vast expanse between wildly posited "either" and "or's," we may even discover some common ground. 


End Notes
1. Bush: You're either "with us or with the terrorists' -- 2001-09-21, VOANews, October 27, 2009
https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2001-09-21-14-bush-66411197/549664.html

2. America's war on terror has cost the US nearly 6 trillion and killed roughly half a million people, and there's no end in sight, Business Insider, November 14, 2018, 
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-war-on-terror-has-cost-the-us-nearly-6-trillion-2018-11

3. 9/11 Finally the truth comes out, Global Research, Paul Craig Roberts, January 5, 2019
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/with-us-or-with-the-child-pornographers-doesnt-cut-it-mr-toews/article547530/
 
4. On-line surveillance bill: critics are 'siding with the child pornographers', National Post, February 14, 2012  https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/online-surveillance-bill-critics-are-siding-with-child-pornographers-vic-toews




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Rhetorical martial Arts Part B: Tactic #13 Appeal to false authority

3/13/2019

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Rhetorical Martial Arts Part B: Tactic #13 Appeal to False Authority
Futurescapes21C (c) All Rights Reserved 2019
Posted April 6, 2019, rev. April 20, 2019

Introduction 
I don't "jump" to conclusions, I arrive at them slowly and often painfully, sometimes after decades of digging and reflection. One is that conservatives, traditionalists and the common sense majority have been beaten into submission and sidelined in the culture war by neoliberal activists and their political enablers. Dissenters or resisters, as we might refer to ourselves, have for the most part been waging ineffectual rear guard actions. While there are no doubt several reasons for this state of affairs, the most obvious has been an inability to counter the relentless bombardment of lies, weaponized language and deception. Let's face it; we have been losing the war of words. Given that dissenters now find themselves struggling to retain the basic right to express an alternative view, it's clear we have no choice. We must fight back.

Our resistance begins with learning some rhetorical self-defence. In the process of countering the assault on things we hold dear, we can also elevate the calibre of political discourse. But we must first recognize the kinds of logical fallacies being brought against us daily. This week, I am examining tactic #13, Appeal to false authority.


Tactic #13: Appeal to False Authority 
It was just a hunch on my part that those smooth-talking individuals who sold miracle elixirs under the big top at the medicine shows of the 1800s prefaced their name with “Doc” or "Doctor" (Somebody). For a moment I wondered if I was being too cynical, so I checked the Wikipedia entry for Medicine Show, and it confirmed my hunch:
 
“Each show was run by a man posing as a doctor who drew the crowd with a monologue.” The entry also noted that, “Most shows had their own patent medicine (these medicines were for the most part unpatented but took the name to sound official) (1).
 
That's not one but two deceptions designed to enhance the sale of "snake oil." And while it may sound like an amateurish chapter from the past, I can assure you it isn't. The theft of authority and its abuse in order to sell credulous citizens snake oil in various forms has continued unabated since the days of the wild west shows. 

In the forties, medical doctors wearing white coats promoted their favourate brand of cigarettes to the public. Yup, according to a 1946 ad, “More doctors smoked Camels than any other brand.” So they must be good for you, right? As the author explains, while this was at a time before the negative effects of cigarettes were understood, “tobacco companies used doctors’ authority to make their claims about their cigarettes seem more legitimate. (Ironic eh?) (2) Today, advertisers leverage the trappings of the medical profession with actors posing as dentists or dental technicians in settings designed to look like dental offices in order to sell us a particular brand of toothpaste or electric toothbrush.

It’s not just advertisers who hijack authority. We frequently hear about Job applicants who bolster their resumes with unearned degrees and imaginary achievements. Some go so far as fabricating their entire professional identity. (Remember the movie, based on a the life of Frank Abagnale, Catch me if you can, starring Leonardo de Caprio.(3)

Combatants in the culture war aren't shy about using the fake authority tactic in order to advance a claim or crush opposition. Too often, political ideologues are guided by the simple rule, "The end justifies the means." And if the end is defeating the arguments of their opposition, then so be it. But why the fake authority trick? The simple answer is, “it works.” People in Western society at least, are generally inclined to trust others (without demanding proof). We're also conditioned from birth to be respectful of those in authority and obey. So it’s not surprising that the unscrupulous exploit those tendencies to their advantage. Often it only takes the mere mention of authority to achieve compliance. That's why today's telephone scammers tell the prospective victim that they are an inspector with the RCMP or an official with the Canada Revenue Agency and gullible citizens go running for their wallets and credit cards.(4)
 
We live in what I call the Age of Deception and fakery abounds. So failure to develop a BS detector capable of alerting you to the fake authority ploy can be your ruin. It’s not just the authority of the medical profession that being hijacked and abused for personal or political gain. Our opponents (sometimes in ignorance and sometimes deliberately), may tap the authority of respected historic figures, sports or entertainment personalities, the media, academics, economists, religious figures, “science,” or "statistics." Or, in other circumstances, they may cite the authority of NASA, the CDC, the UN, the Federal Reserve Board or the Bank of Canada in order to impress or prevail in a political contest. I will simply say that none of the above should be granted a pass simply because of who or what they are. Each and every claim to the authority of these entities warrants scrutiny.
 
Sometimes the fake authority cited is the nebulous "royal they” as in, “They say…” or the royal “we.” As I was writing this, I encountered a reader's discerning response to use of the royal "we" in an unproven and unsupported assertion regarding the incidence of “hate speech.” The statement was, “We’re seeing a lot of ignorant hate speech lately.” 

The reader summed up the tactic as follows: “(A) Time honoured NPL (NLP*) domination strategy of the fascist at heart.” (March 30, 2019) * Neurolinguistic programming. It depends on who made the statement of course, but there's a good chance in today's context is propaganda for  unquestioning minds. 
 
The same scrutiny should be applied to other, similar unsupported  assertions like:
 
“We’re seeing a lot of “racism” lately.
 
“We’re seeing a lot of Islamophobia lately.”
 
“We’re seeing a lot of anti-semitism lately.”
 
None of the above assertions should be taken at face value for a several reasons. First, we have no idea who "we" is. And second, we have no idea as to how much is "a lot" and how the incidence is defined or calculated. Information war activists intentionally  use broad or contorted definitions of such things as “racism,” Anti-Semitism" and “islamophobia (a conflation of meanings at the best of times.) A second is that self-inflicted hoaxes in each of these categories are common.(5)  Will Reilly, a Kentucky State associate professor challenges to popular notion of a surge in hate crimes in the US. Reilly observes:


“Almost all of that surge is due to the simple fact that in 2017 the number of police departments reporting hate crimes to the FBI increased by 1,000,” says Reilly. “The surge narrative is pretty dishonest.”

​Reilly studied 409 hate crimes reported over the last five years that received media attention. “In major cases, almost all of them have been hoaxes,” ... “The number of hate crime hoaxes actually exceeds the number of convictions. The majority of these high-profile incidents never happened.”(6)  

There may be something darker behind this. If you hear government leaders repeatedly pushing the surge in "hate crimes" line, there's a good change that they have an ulterior motive.  Such false "facts" can provide a convenient justification for political initiatives designed to further constrain free speech. (See the importance of using repetition in propaganda.)(7 )
 
On other occasions, authority is hijacked with generalized appeals to “research” pseudo science, and “statistics.” When it comes to the latter, the lament of British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli in the 18th century is noteworthy:
 
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
 
Disraeli seems to be saying that statistics can mislead us even more than outright lies.(8) Sometimes, it's a case of misinterpreting (for political purposes) what the research data is telling us. Professor, Janet Mertz and her co-researchers examined the number of male and female participants in 
the International Math Olympiad over the previous 20 years. Mertz found that about 95% of the top math students of virtually every country were male. She concludes however that "math performance differences between males and females were overwhelmingly due to culture rather biology, and that at the very high end, women had just as much math ability as men." Perhaps the fact that the Mertz's research was undertaken in an attempt to debunk a comment to the effect that men may be better at math than woman tells us something. (9) 

Sometimes it's a matter of statistical ignorance and in other cases it's deliberate. How many of us have been told that "women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns -- for doing the same work"? Here's what academic, Christina Hoff Summers has to say about this deception:

"No matter how many times this wage gap claim is decisively refuted by economists, it always comes back. The bottom line: the 23-cent gender pay gap is simply the difference between the average earnings of all men and women working full-time. It does not account for differences in occupations, positions, education, job tenure or hours worked per week. When such relevant factors are considered, the wage gap narrows to the point of vanishing."

Summers attributes the refusal of these myths to die to, among other things, "advocates who depend upon 'Killer stats' to galvanize their cause and a lot of statistical illiteracy among journalists, feminist academics and political leaders." At some point, blissful or self-imposed ignorance is no longer an acceptable excuse however.(10)  That said, as one college professor explains in an essay in Quillette, academia produces an abundance of ignorant self-appointed experts and is contributed to the current situation wherein questioning the popular tenets of climate change theory is viewed as heresy. For the author, this runs counter to the role of the educator. 


"At yet another campus event intended to alert our students to the threat of climate change, the speaker, an earth-science faculty member, expressed at the outset his irritation at being challenged on occasion with skeptical questions when he had spent decades educating the public on this matter." (Translation, "Don't question me.") (11) 

For a case study in the abuse of  “science” as a refuge for those with things to hide, see the Monsanto Papers.(12) Let's just say that there’s nothing “scientific” about:
  • claiming that academics associated with your company are "independent";
  • collusion with the EPA; and
  • seeking to have research that raises questions about the health safety of your product edited from a scientific journal.
 
Don't get me wrong, citing supporting evidence for an observation or an argument is perfectly legitimate. Researchers do it all the time. I often support my tweets and arguments with news stories, articles and reports on the subject of my tweet. And I recommend you do the same when you have access to supporting documentation or analysis. The problem lies in creating the appearance of authoritative support for your proposition when it's lacking. That's a cheap tactic. 
 
Today’s social justice warriors and their ANTIFA friends, however, don’t even trouble themselves with seeking support for their claims however. Their in-your-face profanity and accusatory style of combat doesn't reach the standard of civil debate. Nor does it demonstrate any appreciation for long-standing democratic freedoms afforded citizens under the law or the basic courtesies of political discourse. Leftist zealots assume the role of judge and jury and then toss those they convict of contrived crimes to social media mobs. It's precisely the opposite of the kind of open, rigorous and respectful civil debates we should be having at at turbulent time in our history. 
 
The job of the critic and discerning debater or culture war dissenter is to flag the abuse of authority, and where appropriate, counter the faulty assertion. There are a number of clues which discerning eyes and ears will detect. The tip-offs include: 
 
Vague generalizations and attributions: “scientists" or “studies show…” (which scientists? which studies?)
 
“Inexplicable sudden departures from long-standing principles, practices” and understandings
 
“Attempts to subordinate facts and evidence to emotion and personal opinion” with lots of hyperbole, hyperventilating and profanity
 
Passive voice:  “It’s been shown that….” (by whom?)
 
Bold, screaming headline assertions followed by weak supporting text using conditional words like “may,” ”could,” or "potentially"  
 
Convenient turns of phrase like: “The science is settled,” or “scientists have spoken” (no it's not-- ever)

Conflating correlation and causation and cherry picking of statistics  

 
Inappropriate extrapolation from a single narrow finding to a much wide set of subjects and applications
 
A determination to scrub minority report findings

Eagerness to villiainize critics or dissenters

  
Robotic repetition of PR talking points irrespective of the questions posed
 
Disinterest in serious investigation or scrutiny

​Other attempts to to spin bullshit into gold

 
American Democrat House Representative, Tulsi Gabbard was treated to the latter courtesy  of an MSNBC interview following the formers trip to Syria during the wr in that country. 
 
Interviewer Kasie Hunt: “There have been reports that the Russian apparatus that interfered in 2016 is potentially trying to help your campaign. Why do you think that is?” (Presumably, she is asking Gabbard to explain why she thinks the US election-disrupting Russians are now aiding her campaign.)
​
Journalist, Caitlin Johnstone, in analyzing the exchange, notes that Hunt used an "obscene NBC smear piece which cited the discredited ... firm, New Knowledge, (in order) to paint Gabbard as a favorite of the Kremlin."

​Gabbard countered asserting that the article by New Knowledge had been thoroughly debunked, something journalist Caitlin Johnstone confirms. 
 
Interviewer Hunt, not yet satisfied that she had sufficiently damaged Gabbard's reputation, continued to defend the article as evidence of Gabbard's Russia connection. Gabbard again countered the accusation with the following tweet:

"MSNBC defended @nbcnews fraudulent "report" which was based on a "discredited cyber security firm recently kicked off Facebook for unethical MEDDLING of a state election.” Shameful 'journalism.'" (13)

Gabbard offers the appropriate response to those trying to smear her using false authority. Similarly, the discerning debater will force their accusers out into the open and their fake sources into the sunlight for public evaluation.
 
In summation, neoliberal ideologues are working hard to impose their curated narratives on the mainstream. The most zealous have demonstrated that in the process, they are willing to subordinate common sense, reason, biology and long standing principles and practices. Critics must counter with well-supported arguments, clarity and equal intensity if they are to prevail. As the axiom of my parents generation goes, “Forewarned is forearmed.” You have been warned, and now you can anticipate and be prepared to counter the assault. I'll say it again. It's the Age of Deception. So, nurture your inner skeptic, keep your BS meter turned on "high" and never submit to appeals to false authority.


-- Rod

End notes:

1. Medicine Show, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_show
​

2. When cigarette companies used the authority of doctors to push cigarette smoking, History, September 13, 2018
https://www.history.com/news/cigarette-ads-doctors-smoking-endorsement

3. Catch me if you can, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_Me_If_You_Can

4. A scam warning from Canada Revenue Agency, Consumer Protection BC https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/2014/03/a-scam-warning-from-canada-revenue-agency/

5. Hate crime hoaxes are more common that you think, Quillette, February 22, 2019
https://quillette.com/2019/02/22/hate-crime-hoaxes-are-more-common-than-you-think/

6. Finley: America's hate crime surge is a hoax, The Detroit News, April 6, 2019 https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nolan-finley/2019/04/07/finley-americas-hate-crime-surge-hoax/3374192002/

7. How liars create the "illusion of truth," BBC Future, October 26, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161026-how-liars-create-the-illusion-of-truth

8. Lies, damned lies and statistics, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics

9. Meritocracy: Dangerous cancer statistics, The Unz Review, An Alternative Media Selection, March 16, 2013, http://www.unz.com/runz/meritocracy-dangerous-cancer-statistics/

10. 6 Feminist myths that will not die, Time Magazine, http://time.com/3222543/wage-pay-gap-myth-feminism/

11. When a question of science brooks no dissent, Quillette, April 1, 2019
https://quillette.com/2019/04/01/academes-global-warming-echo-chamber/

12. Monsanto Papers, Baum, Heland, Aristai, Goldman
https://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/toxic-tort-law/monsanto-roundup-lawsuit/monsanto-secret-documents/

13. Tulsi Gabbard is driving the MSM bat shit crazy,  Medium, February 6, 2019, 
https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/tulsi-gabbard-is-driving-the-msm-bat-shit-crazy-e4c3bfc312a1


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Rhetorical martial Arts -- Part B: #10 False Premise

3/2/2019

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Rhetorical Martial Arts -- Part B: Tactic #10 The False Premise
Copyright Futurescapes21C. All rights reserved. 2019.
Posted March 13, 2019, rev. March 14, 2019

Introduction
I don't "jump" to conclusions; some take me decades of digging and reflection to reach. One is that conservatives, traditionalists and the common sense majority have been beaten into submission and sidelined in the culture war by neoliberal activists and their political enablers. Dissenters or resisters, as we might refer to ourselves, have for the most part been waging ineffectual rear guard actions. While there are no doubt several reasons for this state of affairs, the most obvious has been an inability to counter the relentless bombardment of lies, weaponized language and deception. Let's face it; we have been losing the war of words. Given that dissenters now find themselves struggling to retain the basic right to express an alternative view, it's clear we have no choice. We must fight back.

Our counter action must begin by demanding of ourselves a higher calibre of political debate. Achieving that requires a basic understanding of the kinds of logical fallacies being brought against us.
This week, I am examining tactic #10, The False Premise. 

Tactic #10: The False Premise
An old and rather odious example of the false premise is the rhetorical question: "So when did you stop beating your spouse?" Anyone who attempts to respond is in a no-win situation. The example illustrates the “loaded” nature of statements containing a false premise. So, the best advice is handle arguments based on a false premise with care. One must first defuse “the bomb” hidden beneath the argument.

One thing you can be certain of is that arguments or conclusions formulated on the basis of false premises are inevitably wrong. There’s simply no way that a sound conclusion can be deduced from a false premise or assumption. Here’s how a false premise misled one individual regarding  his true identity.

"An old cowboy goes into a bar and orders a drink. As he sits there sipping his whiskey, a young lady sits down next to him. ... She says, 'I'm a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about women. ...' A little while later, a couple sits down next to the old cowboy and asks him, 'Are you a real cowboy?' He replies, 'I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian'." (1)

What was the false premise that misled the cowboy? It was the belief that only cowboys spent their entire day thinking about women as he did. And now, having learned this was the inclination of the lesbian woman sitting next to him,  the old cowboy mistakenly concluded that he must really be a lesbian.

The challenge the false premise presents to the unwary is that assumptions are seldom identified as such up front. When someone is outlining their argument, they are unlikely to say, "I'm basing this on the idea that the sun revolves around the earth..." or "the earth is flat" or some other unsupported assumption. More often than not, the bases of an argument are implied or “understood” and the argument or assertion itself simply presented as fact. So, unfortunately,  for this reason, false premises often go undetected, un-discussed and  unchallenged. It’s up to the debater to unearth the unstated assumptions.

Unscrupulous politicians often exploit the laziness or the ignorance of their constituents in this regard. Left unchallenged, politicians are free to fabricate entire policies based on a single, frail or false premises aligned with their political agendas. And from that point, their minions can hatch endless projects and programs (for taxpayers to fund). With periodic reinforcement to buttress the false premise, governments have been able to fabricate entire paradigms or encompassing narratives. Narratives are very powerful shapers of our perceptions and reality. As "rogue" journalist, Caitlin Johnstone points us, "narratives dominate our lives." She adds, ominously, "And, for that reason, people who are able to control those narratives are able to control us. And they do."(2). So, false premises, deliberately woven into official narratives are a means of control.    

Let’s examine some examples of erroneous arguments and root out the false premise underlying each. The appropriate response on the part of a critical-thinking opposition is the counter my former boss frequently used; "Based on what?"

Argument: Placing NATO troops and armaments on Russia’s border is a necessary deterrent to Russian aggression.

Based on what? 
 
False premise: Russia’s annexation of the Crimea was a clear signal to the West of a resurgent Russia with territorial expansion in mind.  

Reality: The Maidan Square massacre was an outcome of a US-led coup assisted on the ground by Ukraine's far right groups. The Crimea referendum and annexation was Putin's response to Western aggression. (3) (4)

Argument: Foreign (US) intervention and replacement of President Maduro of Venezuela is urgent.

Based on what?
 
False Premise: Maduro’s socialism has reduced Venezuela to an economic basket case, so he must go. 
 
Reality: The US has been waging a covert economic and information war against Venezuela for years with a greedy eye on its massive oil and gas reserves.(5) (6)
 
Argument: US missile attacks on Syria in 2018 were justifiable "punishment." 
 
Based on what?

False premise: Assad was responsible for gas attacks on fellow Syrians

​Reality: The gas attacks originated with the US and Western allies and were facilitated on the ground by their propaganda assets and alleged war criminals, the so-called White Helmets.(7)

Argument: Abortion is a hard won universal women's right and decision solely between a woman and her doctor.
 
Based on what? 

False premise: Her body—her decision. (One of several equally specious premises.) 

​Reality: The living fetus/unborn child that is killed in the abortion process is a distinctly different person from the mother, possessing a combination of both parents' DNA. So the generalization “her body” and presumed right to kill the unborn individual is wildly misleading. 

Argument: Additional legislative protections and measures are needed to protect Jewish minorities.

Based on what?

False (or at best unproven) premise. The world is witnessing a rising tide of anti-Semitism.
 
Reality: No report of genuinely anti-Semitic acts has been presented that is verifiably free of cofounding distortions. One distortion is an expansive definition of anti-Semitism to include, among other things, criticism of Israel’s policies. A second is the large number of hoaxes or self-inflicted acts of anti-Semitism committed by Zionist activists and others in the Jewish community.(8) (9)

Argument: It was essential for the Canadian parliament to adopt an "anti-Islamophobia" resolution in 2017.
 
Based on what?

False premise: There’s a pressing need to protect Muslims from hatred and racism.
 
Reality: Islam is a religion not a race. And there’s no good reason to protect any belief system or ideology from critique (nor does any other religion in Canada have or seek such protection.) Furthermore, the freedom to criticize religious doctrine and practices doesn’t constitute “hatred.” It's a hallmark of a liberal democracy. 

In summation, in each of these cases, the viability of the argument hinges for the most part on a single false premise (in plain speak, "BS") the colloquial So the foundation of the above arguments and policy actions ranges from frail to illusory. Replace the false premises with verifiable truths, and the argument collapses like a house of cards. The big bad “Russia threat” narrative goes “poof” when confronted with the reality of a US-led Maidan coup, the trigger for Putin's counter regarding the Crimea. So, no, the NATO troops perched on Russia’s border aren’t protecting us. They are in fact, endangering us all given that from Russia’s viewpoint NATO's military posture in the region is at a minimum, provocative.(10)
 
In conclusion, the effective critic or debater is discerning regarding the argument based on  suspect premises. He or she wisely resists the temptation to attack the argument head on, attacking instead its soft underbelly -– the questionable assumption. Defeat it, and you will ensure the collapse of the entire argument given its faulty foundation. It's also a key to unlocking  the matrix. 

-- Rod

 
Note:  In other articles, I have explored how the powers-that-be use a devious, albeit a more sophisticated strategy of “problem-reaction-solution” in order to manipulate the citizenry down the path of the former’s choosing. How does it work? Big brother first establishes the false premise as a problem  (boogey man) and then, seemingly, in response to public reaction or concern, offers a pre-ordained solution to the fabricated problem.

Homework: Explain  why Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau periodically inflates the "fake news" and "hate speech" boogey men?


End notes: 
1. An argument from false premises, https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_false_premises

2. Society is made up of narrative. Realizing this is awakening from the Matrix, Caitlin Johnstone, The Medium August 21, 2018 
https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/society-is-made-of-narrative-realizing-this-is-awakening-from-the-matrix-787c7e2539ae
 
3. US staged a coup in Ukraine: Here's why and how, Signs of the times, August 17, 2019, https://www.sott.net/article/393740-US-Staged-a-Coup-in-Ukraine-Heres-Why-and-How#

4. From ‘not us’ to ‘why hide it’: How Maidan denied its involvement in the 20th February 2014 snipers massacre and then admitted it, Sign of the Times, March 11, 2019
https://www.sott.net/article/408942-From-Not-Us-to-Why-Hide-It-How-Maidan-Denied-Its-Involvement-in-the-20-February-2014-Snipers-Massacre-and-Then-Admitted-It
 
5. Trump betrays MAGA with Venezuela, SOTT, January 25, 2019
https://www.sott.net/article/405793-Trump-betrays-MAGA-over-Venezuela
 
6. US repeatedly caught lying about Venezuela, yet Pompei accuses   RT of ‘disinformation’, SOTT, March 19, 2019.
https://www.sott.net/article/409038-US-repeatedly-caught-lying-about-Venezuela-yet-Pompeo-accuses-RT-of-disinformation
 
7. Intel Drop Updated: Trump, Bolton behind Syria chemical attacks confirmed, Veterans Today, April 8, 2018
https://www.veteranstoday.com/2018/04/08/proof-intel-drop-trump-bolton-behind-syria-chemical-attacks-confirmed/
​
8. American Jewish establishment stifles free speech to silence Zionism's critics, James Fetzer, February 28, 2019
https://jamesfetzer.org/2019/03/harretz-2016-american-jewish-establishment-stifles-free-speech-to-silence-zionisms-critics/
 
9. Here's a list of 50 "hate crime" hoaxes in the Trump era, Daily Caller, February 18, 2019 https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/18/hoax-hate-crimes-list/


10. NATO sends forces, missiles to Russia's border -- top security official (SOTT, March 15, 2019
https://www.sott.net/article/409176-NATO-sends-forces-missiles-to-Russias-borders-top-security-official


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Rhetorical Martial Arts -- Part B: # 9 Playing the Victim

3/2/2019

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Rhetorical Martial Arts: How to keep your cool, counter attacks, and make your case in the war of words (c) Futurescapes 21C All Rights Reserved 2019
Posted March 6, 2019 rev. March 12, April 25, 2019

Today, I am examining one of the most powerful ploys (logical fallacies) used by the neoliberals in the war on conservatives, traditionalists and common sense Canadians of all political stripes. Learn how to recognize it and call it out. -- Rod

​Tactic #9. Playing the victim (martyr, "poor me")
In an earlier era, the folks in Hollywood touted, "There's no business like show business." Today, in a culture dominated by identity politics, I say, "There's no business like the victimhood business." Portraying oneself or one's group as a victim of injustice, oppressed or disadvantaged over others has likely been the most effective tactic yet in the culture war and the larger battle for political supremacy. The political left has made it a speciality and reduced it to a near-science. Once secured, history suggests that official victim status is often the gift that keeps on giving. And, because of the power and influence it confers, countless individuals and groups actively seek star victim status. My purpose here is not to debate whether any victim group warrants special status or treatment, but rather to demonstrate victimhood dynamics, the problems inherent in a victimhood culture and why it must be challenged in the context of the culture war and wider political power struggles. 

I first witnessed how the victim card was played while working as a young agrologist for a provincial department of agriculture on the Canadian Prairies in the eighties and nineties. Employees of provincial departments of agriculture, along with ag producer associations and the Minister of Agriculture collaborated in advocating for the industry. Consistent portrayals of  farmers as financially disadvantaged and use of sympathetic language in the media like "the plight of the farmer" were important in maintaining the victim status of the ag production sector during that period. Coordinated ag advocacy persuaded the federal government to transfer billions of dollars to farm sector over the course of the 1980's and 1990's in the form of various programs and grants. By the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, the "poor farmer" industry identity became unsustainable and farmers were nudged toward becoming less reliant on government. In the bigger scheme of things, farmers were far from the first or only group to play the victim card. 

Over the course of the last 50 years, certain industries, Zionists/Israel, blacks, aboriginals, members of the LGBT+ movement, women, the small business sector, and even provincial governments have to varying degrees, reaped the bounties of a flourishing victimhood culture. Recently, two new groups have achieved government-approved victimhood status -- immigrants and Muslims (living in the West*). Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Schaffer refers to those enjoying special protection under the law as "protected classes."(1) Victimhood has its rewards. The benefits of membership in protected classes vary with the group of course. The prizes include: elevated socio-political status; special protection under the law; privileged access to natural resources; lowered job and university entrance standards; preferential tax rates; long term operational funding and other perks; lump sum cash compensation and public apologies for past wrongs; protection from public criticism; and even a "get out of jail free" card when caught engaging in criminal behaviour (including what some allege are crimes against humanity.) 

Unsurprisingly, the gods of a victimhood culture play relentlessly on the insatiable guilt complex of white liberal society. While temporary appeasement may be purchased, it's never enough. I recently read that the students of a major US university now have the option of dedicating a portion of their tuition to paying reparations somehow linked to the fact that the university sits on land once owned by a slave owner. 


The benefits of membership in a victim group or protected class are so enticing that members of some victim groups engage in self- victimization. Essentially they covertly stage what appears, to an unsuspecting public, to be be an attack on their own group. Such false flags amount to giving your victimhood status a booster shot drawing fresh public attention and sympathy for their group or cause. Zionist activists might, for example, scrawl Nazi graffiti on headstones in Jewish cemeteries or make bomb threats.(2) Cases of this nature have occurred in the US, Europe and Canada. For what appears to be the latest example of hate hoaxary in Canada, see: "Hate-crime attack on cafe staged, Winnipeg Police say, after owners charged with mischief."(3) 

In today's political environment, it seems that the insult of "anti-semite" is slung at opponents with reckless abandon.(4) But the secret is out. In a video  interview, a former Israeli politician candidly informs her interviewer that the "anti-semite" charge levied at those who challenge Israeli policies is a standard diversionary "trick."(5)

The victimhood claim by black actor, Jussie Smollett appears to be a classic example of self-victimization. Smollett claims he was attacked in any alley by two white men who placed a noose around his neck and shouted: "This is MAGA country."(6) The Chicago police think otherwise and have charged him with felony disorderly misconduct.(7) False flag crimes are far more common that you might think. One source reports 50 hate crime hoaxes since Trump's election.(8) And there are knowable motivations for self-victimization by members of protected classes.(9)

​Other victim card plays are more mundane, but no less calculated or damaging. I will return to the Cathy Newman (Channel 4 BBC) interview with Jordan Peterson. The premise of most of Newman's interview and the majority of her questions were grounded in assumed female victimhood. But when Peterson refuted the idea that a transgender "right" to not be offended trumps free speech and left her litany of feminist grievances lying shredded on the floor, she is stymied to the point of embarrassment.(10)

The BBC, however, rather than encourage thoughtful discussion regarding the points surfaced by the Peterson interview, counters with further implied claims of victimhood. The Corporation declared that the reaction of Peterson's nasty followers was such that security protection for Newman became necessary.(11) This unleashed a flood of angry criticism of Peterson. While no evidence for the claim was provided, the public harassment of Peterson and the threats to his person are demonstrably real. The BBC thus  revealed it is more committed to preserving the feminist victimhood narrative than it is to meaningful discussion and debate. 

The feminist construct of intersectionality adds a new additive dynamic to victimhood status. Essentially, the more victim categories one can claim, the higher one's victim status or oppression index. A tongue in cheek website index allows one to calculate their oppression score. A black, Jewish LGBT+ member will score higher and thus be accorded higher societal status and greater influence than a white, Christian woman.(12) And the former would rank far above a white, Christian male, a group relegated to the lowest rung of the social hierarchy.(13)   

A cursory glance reveals several problems inherent in victimhood culture. First, its divisive nature pits one group against another. And those that fall outside the official victim category, become, in effect, second class citizens. Last year, a friend who once had the job of locating job opportunities for handicapped job seekers in the City of Ottawa complained to me that he had found considerably more attention and resources were available to immigrants than his clients. He's probably right in terms of  which group possesses relatively greater political star power.(14)

​Second, those groups that have secured tenure as official victims risk the debilitating effects of learned helplessness and perpetual dependency.(15) Third, discerning analysts have called out what they describe as "the soft bigotry of low expectations."(16) Fourth, and even more insidious, is the propensity for the oppressed, in time, to become oppressors. This appears to be precisely the trajectory of transgender zealots.  The Saker reports on their latest assault on democratic freedoms:


“In Britain, there will be new rules for schools, according to which the lessons about gays and trans will be mandatory for children at five years old. Prior to this, parents had the right to free their children from these lessons. From now on it will be illegal.” (17) 

It's reached the point where even members of the transgender community are calling out transgender abuses of the rights of others.(18)  

Finally, the egregious role of the government and its self-interest should also be apparent in this political game. The relationship with approved victim groups is basically   transactional in nature. Governments that confer special status on a particular segment of the population or group look to its favoured identity groups for support at the ballot box.  

In the context of the culture war, it's time to expose the role of government in creating and nurturing special interest/victim groups. Ultimately, governments must be held to account for the costly and corrosive outcomes of victimhood politics. This includes the squandering of public resources, the criminality of vote-buying by other means, inequitable impacts, and unseemly social divisions. 

In a debating context, it's time to expose the self-serving nature of victimhood arguments. Since official victimhood is treated as a given, the first reaction by the political left when challenged will be wide-eyed disbelief tinged with outrage. Who would dare to question for example, the "right" of: women to kill their unborn children, the "right" of Zionist Israel to "defend itself" (even using live ammunition against unarmed protestors) (19) ; the "right" of transgender activists to impose their ideology on young school children, or the "right" of Islam to be shielded from critique by anti-"Islamophobia" dictate? 
The short answer is only the courageous. 

The radical left's implied message to would-be critics is that official victims and their political positions must never be questioned or challenged. Its leading lights would have us believe that this is the right of the political "untouchables." I contend that in a vibrant democratic society, there are no such free passes and no one gets immunity. Each one is free of course to make his or her case, and every argument in turn is tested in the cauldron of public debate to stand or fall on its merits. 

​In such a society, reason prevails over polished political illusion. Truth and transparency are standard requirements of public policy. The responsibilities accompanying citizenship are assigned as much importance as claims for rights. Calls for special treatment of particular groups are scrutinized for evidence of quid pro quo abuse of the public trust. And anything that would would impair a society's unending quest to know what is right, what is true and what is good must be unceremoniously plucked like weeds invading a garden. And that of course includes logical fallacies.


* Unlike Muslims living in the West, those in several Middle Eastern and North African countries remain the targets of the fake "war on terror" and regime change wars led by US Neocons and their allies. 

End Notes
1. Weaponized language -- Operation Classified, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Schaffer, YouTube, February 27, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oftcqkfMqR4

2. Were two people responsible for virtually all anti-Semtic incidents after the (US) election?
https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/may/22/dennis-prager/were-two-people-responsible-virtually-all-anti-sem/


3. Hate-crime attack on cafe staged, Winnipeg police say, after owners charged with mischief, CBC News, April 24, 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/bermax-winnipeg-antisemitic-arrest-1.5109224

4. In Hungary and Poland, Jews accuse their own communal leaders of playing the anti-semitism card to avoid scrutiny, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 1, 2019
https://www.jta.org/2019/03/01/global/in-hungary-and-poland-jews-accuse-their-own-communal-leaders-of-playing-the-anti-semitism-card-to-avoid-scrutiny

5. "Anti-semitic," it's a trick. We always use it. YouTube, June 26, 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0kWAqZxJVE

​
6. Jussie Smollett alleges two masked men beat him, yelled slurs and wrapped a noose around his neck. https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/jussie-smollett-attack

7. Jussie Smollett charged with felony disorderly conduct, prosecutors say, Chicago Sun Times, February 20, 2019 https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/empire-actor-jussie-smollett-suspect-criminal-investigation-chicago-police-department/

8. Here's a list of 50 "hate crime" hoaxes in the Trump era, Daily Caller, February 18, 2019 https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/18/hoax-hate-crimes-list/

9. Four reasons why hate-crime hoaxers do what they do (Blacklisted News, February 25, 2019
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/71271/4-reasons-why-hatecrime-hoaxers-do-what-they.html

10. Here's to sanity and free speech: A Canadian academic destroys Channel 4 newsreader, The Express, January 25, 2019 
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/909719/Jordan-Peterson-free-speech-destroys-cathy-newman-channel-4

11. Banning people like Jordan Peterson for causing offence, that's the way to dystopia, The Guardian, January 17, 2018)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/21/banning-jordan-peterson-causing-offence-cathy-newman-free-speech

12. Intersectionality score calculator
https://intersectionalityscore.com/?from=g_keywords&keyword=anti-semitism&adposition=1t1&source=google&device=c&ad=2

13. Police forces discriminated against white heterosexual male, tribunal rules, The Independent, February 23, 2019

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-white-heterosexual-male-discrimination-job-cheshire-matthew-furlong-a8793331.html

14. Needed: a national employment policy for Canada's immigrant population, Montreal Gazette, February  25, 2019, https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/khan-needed-a-national-employment-policy-for-canadas-immigrant-population

15. Learned helplessness, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness

16. The soft bigotry of low expectations, Urban dictionary, 
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=soft%20bigotry%20of%20low%20expectations

17. LGBT goes on the attack, The Saker, March 1, 2019
https://thesaker.is/lgbt-goes-on-the-attack/


18. Gender politics isn't a fact, it's a feeling and quite frankly, barking mad, SOTT, February 18, 2019 
https://www.sott.net/article/407513-Gender-politics-isnt-fact-its-a-feeling-and-quite-frankly-barking-mad


19. UN reports finds Israel intentionally shot children,  journalists,and the disabled during Gaza protests SOTT, March 9, 2019. 
https://www.sott.net/article/408828-UN-report-finds-Israel-intentionally-shot-children-journalists-the-disabled-during-Gaza-protests



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Rhetorical martial arts -- Part B: #8 REd Herring

3/1/2019

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Rhetorical Martial Arts: How to keep your cool, counter attacks, and advance you position in the war of words (c) Futurescapes 21C All Rights Reserved 2019

Tactic #8: Red Herring 

Posted March 1, 2019, rev. March 2.


In Part A, I outlined a rationale for a course in Rhetorical Martial Arts (c) and seven of the most common logical fallacies employed by political tacticians including our opponents in the culture war. They are: Ad hominem;  Smears, slur; Lies, deception; Conflation; Contortion; Straw man; and Psychological projection. 

Note: Over the course of the last month and a half, I drafted Part B covering the next eight most common logical fallacies. To my chagrin, it looks like the piece accidentally went down the edit hole. Today, I begin again with a look at the first of these additional eight popular rhetorical tactics. 

Picture a castle or fortress under bombardment by an attacker. Over time, as the catapult reigns down tons of rock, it begins to open up breaks in the fortress wall. Conservatives and common sense Canadians have been under daily bombardment in the war of words for decades. Their opponent is very clear regarding the intended effect on resisters and their positions. It is to: disparage, degrade, defame, demean, debase, deflect, defuse, damage, destroy, distort, distract, discredit, dissemble, deflate, displace and disperse.


8.0 Red Herring
In a debating context, a red herring is introduced by one party in order to throw an opponent off course and deflect audience attention, thus blunting the impact of the latter's argument. The red herring may be appealing, but is, nonetheless, an irrelevant issue. According to one source, the history of the term relates to the use of fish in training tracking dogs, wherein a puppy's ability to track a fox or badger was tested by dragging a herring across the trail. If the puppy got distracted or confused by the scent of the herring, it clearly required more training. (1) 

It's a bit like the magician or illusionist who uses a series of flourishes with his left hand in to distract the audience's attention from his manipulation of a prop with his right hand. Culture war combatants often employ tactics similar to those of magicians as deception is central to their success. Essentially however, use of the red herring ploy is an attempt to seize control and elevate a particular agenda or initiative over that of an opponent. Earlier this year, Trump wanted to talk about funding for a southern border wall. Democrats countered with an attempt to shift the focus of public attention to the DREAM Act (development, education and relief for alien minors) and affected youth, referred to as DREAMers. (2)

The more recent Venezuelan crisis has surfaced a red herring or two. A favourite used by Neocon regime change supporters is "socialism." We're supposed to consent to the Washington regime change operation being conducted against Venezuela presumably because socialism is bad. And presumably Washington is concerned with helping the oppressed and starving people of Venezuela achieve a better life. (If you believe that, then you haven't learned the lessons of Iraq, Libya and Syria very well). The issue isn't the virtues or failures of socialism. The central issue is the right of a sovereignty nation to manage its own affairs without the threat of outside intervention. 

I suggest that the more emotion-laden the "distracter" is, the more effective a red herring it is likely to be. You might be in the midst of an intense debate regarding the problems inherent in Trudeau's plan to significantly boost the number of immigrants allowed annually into Canada. You're laying out the points one by one -- our over-burdened social services infrastructure (education, health care,) a crisis level lack of housing and new demands on law enforcement, and so forth. Your opponent interjects, "But you just can't ignore all those people Trump is turning away. That's inhumane." You pause for a second. 

​It's juicy and its tempting, but you sniff a red herring. If you go for the juicy fish, you know that you will lose your focus and any chance of securing agreement regarding your point. You also will have allowed your opponent to divert the attention of your audience. You continue, "As I was saying, there are several indicators telling us that Canada lacks sufficient infrastructure capacity for increased numbers of immigrants at this time. And the real problem is that Mr. Trudeau hasn't yet been willing to talk to Canadians openly about it." Congratulations. You have averted the trap of the red herring. 

If you opponent suddenly resorts to the standard Social Justice Warrior insult like "racist," "anti-immigrant," or "xenophobe," it tells you something. First, it tells you that you have hit a nerve, and your opponent has no response to your argument. And, second, it is clear that your opponent is looking for an exit and a way to end the conversation. See Part A, Number 6. "The Smear or slur." 

On Friday, March 1, the Liberal government came under intensive media attention regarding it's handling of alleged corruption on the part of the Montreal engineering firm, SNC Lavalin. (3) (4) The discomfort of government became obvious. I predict that the demand for red herring is about to increase.  

Update March 4: Trudeau has selected his herring. See March 3, 201 Globe and Mail: Trudeau will attempt to change the channel on SNC-Lavalin, focus on climate plan. 
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trudeau-to-change-channel-from-snc-lavalin-focus-on-climate-plan/

End Notes:
1. Red Herring; Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_herring

2. Trump seeks 25 billion for border wall, offers 'Dreamer' citizenship, Reuters, January 24, 2019 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-whitehouse-idUSKBN1FD2UU

3. Christie Blanchford: Wednesday sounded and felt like the death knell for the Conservative Government, National Post, February 27, 2019 https://nationalpost.com/opinion/christie-blatchford-today-sounded-and-felt-like-a-death-knell-for-the-liberal-government

4. Rex Murphy: The Trudeau virtuecrats come tumbling down, The National Post, March 1, 2019, https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-the-trudeau-virtuecrats-come-tumbling-down
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        Rod

    Freedom Resources
    Some important resources for those interested in the health freedom movement

    World Freedom Alliance
    https://worldfreedomalliance.org/

    World Doctors Alliance
    https://worlddoctorsalliance.com/?fbclid=IwAR1EWs49kHLtmfCmh3zoFDol6sSaq8lZpsQ1cNVQp5RNzFTFWgn0C4ZQN10

    United Health Professionals
    https://joinunitedhealthpr.wixsite.com/professionals? 

    Doctors for Covid Ethics
    https://doctors4covidethics.medium.com/

    (Twitter)
    https://twitter.com/drs4covidethics?lang=en

    Children's Health Defense

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/

    Americas Front Line Doctors
    https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.org/  

    Canadian Health Alliance 
    https://www.canadahealthalliance.org/

    Canadian Front Line Nurses
    https://www.canadianfrontlinenurses.ca/

    Vaccine Choice Canada
    https://vaccinechoicecanada.com/

    Constitutional Rights Law Centre (Canada)
    https://www.constitutionalrightscentre.ca/

    Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
    https://www.jccf.ca/

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