Dec 22

Today’s News 22nd December 2021

  • Mission Unaccomplished: Describing A Failing US Military As "Awesome"
    Mission Unaccomplished: Describing A Failing US Military As “Awesome”

    Authored by Andrew Bacevich via Common Dreams,

    Professional sports is a cutthroat business. Succeed and the people running the show reap rich rewards. Fail to meet expectations and you get handed your walking papers. American-style war in the twenty-first century is quite a different matter. Of course, war is not a game. The stakes on the battlefield are infinitely higher than on the playing field. When wars go wrong, “We’ll show ’em next year—just you wait!” is seldom a satisfactory response.

    At least, it shouldn’t be. Yet somehow, the American people, our political establishment, and our military have all fallen into the habit of shrugging off or simply ignoring disappointing outcomes. A few years ago, a serving army officer of unusual courage published an essay—in Armed Forces Journal no less—in which he charged that “a private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war.”

    Getty Images

    The charge stung because it was irrefutably true then and it remains so today.

    As American politics has become increasingly contentious, the range of issues on which citizens agree has narrowed to the point of invisibility. For Democrats, promoting diversity has become akin to a sacred obligation. For Republicans, the very term is synonymous with political correctness run amok. Meanwhile, GOP supporters treat the Second Amendment as if it were a text Moses carried down from Mount Sinai, while Democrats blame the so-called right to bear arms for a plague of school shootings in this country.

    On one point, however, an unshakable consensus prevails: the U.S. military is tops. No less august a figure than General David Petraeus described our armed forces as “the best military in the world today, by far.” Nor, in his judgment, was “this situation likely to change anytime soon.” His one-word characterization for the military establishment: “awesome.”

    The claim was anything but controversial. Indeed, Petraeus was merely echoing the views of politicians, pundits, and countless other senior officers. Praising the awesomeness of that military has become twenty-first-century America’s can’t miss applause line.

    As it happens, though, a yawning gap looms between that military’s agreed upon reputation here and its actual performance. That the troops are dutiful, seasoned, and hardworking is indisputably so. Once upon a time, “soldiering” was a slang term for shirking or laziness. No longer. Today, America’s troops more than earn their pay.

    And whether individually or collectively, they also lead the world in expenditures. Even a decade ago, it cost more than $2 million a year to keep a G.I. in a war zone like Afghanistan. And, of course, no other military on the planet—in fact, not even the militaries of the next 11 countries combined—can match Pentagon spending from one year to the next.

    Is it impolite, then, to ask if the nation is getting an adequate return on its investment in military power? Simply put, are we getting our money’s worth? And what standard should we use in answering that question?

    Let me suggest using the military’s own standard.

    Demanding Victory

    According to the United States Army’s 2021 “Posture Statement,” for example, that service exists to “fight and win the nation’s wars.” The mission of the Air Force complements the Army’s: “to fly, fight, and win.” The Navy’s mission statement has three components, the first of which aligns neatly with that of the Army and Air Force: “winning wars.”

    As for the Marine Corps, it foresees “looming battles” that “come in many forms and occur on many fronts,” each posing “a critical choice: to demand victory or accept defeat.” No one even slightly familiar with the Marines will have any doubt on which side of that formulation the Corps situates itself.

    In other words, the common theme uniting these statements of institutional purpose is self-evident. The armed forces of the United States define their purpose as winning. Staving off defeat is not enough, nor is fighting to a draw, waging gallant Bataan-like last stands, or handing off wars-in-progress to pliant understudies whom American forces have tutored.

    Mission accomplishment necessarily entails defeating the enemy. In General Douglas MacArthur’s famously succinct formulation, “There is no substitute for victory.” But victory, properly understood, necessarily entails more than just besting the enemy in battle. It requires achieving the political purposes for which the war is being fought.

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    So when it comes to winning, both operationally and politically, how well have the U.S. armed forces performed since embarking upon the Global War on Terror in the autumn of 2001? Do the results achieved, whether in the principal theaters of Afghanistan and Iraq or in lesser ones like Libya, Somalia, Syria, and West Africa qualify as “awesome”? And if not, why not?

    A proposed Afghanistan War Commission now approved by Congress and awaiting President Biden’s signature could subject our military’s self-proclaimed reputation for awesomeness to critical scrutiny. That assumes, however that such a commission would forego the temptation to whitewash a conflict that even General Mark Milley, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged ended in a “strategic failure.” As a bonus, examining the conduct of America’s longest war might well serve as a proxy for assessing the military’s overall performance since 9/11.

    The commission would necessarily pursue multiple avenues of inquiry. Among them should be: the oversight offered by senior civilian officials; the quality of leadership provided by commanders in the field; and the adequacy of the military’s training, doctrine, and equipment. It should also assess the “fighting spirit” of the troops and the complex question of whether there were ever enough “boots on the ground” to accomplish the mission. And the commission would be remiss if it did not take into account the capacity, skills, and determination of the enemy as well.

    But there is another matter that the commission will be obliged to address head-on: the quality of American generalship throughout this longest-ever U.S. war. Unless the commission agenda includes that issue, it will fall short. The essential question is obvious: Did the three- and four-star officers who presided over the Afghanistan War in the Pentagon, at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and in Kabul possess the “right stuff”? Or rather than contributing to a favorable resolution of the war, did they themselves constitute a significant part of the problem?

    These are not questions that the senior ranks of the officer corps are eager to pursue. As with those who reach the top in any hierarchical institution, generals and admirals are disinclined to see anything fundamentally amiss with a system that has elevated them to positions of authority. From their perspective, that system works just fine and should be perpetuated—no outside tampering required. Much like tenured faculty at a college or university, senior officers are intent on preserving the prerogatives they already enjoy. As a consequence, they will unite in resisting any demands for reform that may jeopardize those very prerogatives.

    A Necessary Purge

    President Biden habitually concludes formal presentations by petitioning God to “protect our troops.” While not doubting his sincerity in praying for divine intervention, Biden might give the Lord a hand by employing his own authority as commander-in-chief to set the table for a post-Afghanistan military-reform effort. In that regard, a first step should entail removing anyone inclined to obstruct change or (more likely) incapable of recognizing the need to alter a system that has worked so well for them.

    On that score, Dwight D. Eisenhower offers Biden an example of how to proceed. When Ike became president in 1953, he was intent on implementing major changes in U.S. defense priorities. As a preliminary step, he purged the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which then included his West Point classmate General Omar Bradley, replacing them with officers he expected to be more sympathetic to what came to be known as his “New Look.” (Eisenhower badly misjudged his ability to get the Army, his own former service, to cooperate, but that’s a story for another day.)

    A similar purge is needed now. Commander-in-chief Biden should remove certain active-duty senior officers from their posts without further ado. General Mark Milley, the discredited chair of the Joint Chiefs, would be an obvious example. General Kenneth McKenzie, who oversaw the embarrassing conclusion of the Afghanistan War as head of Central Command, is another. Requiring both of those prominent officers to retire would signal that unsatisfactory performance does indeed have consequences, a principle from which neither the private who loses a rifle nor the four stars who lose wars should be exempt.

    However, when it comes to a third figure, our political moment would create complications that didn’t exist when Ike was president. When he decided which generals and admirals to fire and whom to hire in their place, Eisenhower didn’t have to worry about identity politics. Top commanders were of a single skin tone in 1950s America. Today, however, any chief executive who ignores identity-related issues does so at their peril, laying themselves open to the charge of bigotry.

    Which brings us to the case of retired four-star general Lloyd Austin, former Iraq War and CENTCOM commander. As a freshly minted civilian, Austin presides as the first Black defense secretary, a notable distinction given that senior Pentagon officials have tended to be white or male (and usually both).  And while, by all reports, General Austin is an upright citizen and decent human being, it’s become increasingly clear that he lacks qualities the nation needs when critically examining this country’s less-than-awesome military performance, which should be the order of the day.  Whatever suit he may wear to the office, he remains a general—and that is a problem.  

    Austin also lacks imagination, drive, and charisma. Nor is he a creative thinker. Rather than an agent of change, he’s a cheerleader for the status quo—or perhaps more accurately, for a status quo defined by a Pentagon budget that never stops rising.

    A speech Austin made earlier this month at the Reagan Library illustrates the point. While he threw the expected bouquets to the troops, praising their “optimism, and pragmatism, and patriotism” and “can-do attitude,” he devoted the preponderance of his remarks to touting Pentagon plans for dealing with “an increasingly assertive and autocratic China.” The overarching theme of Austin’s address centered on confrontation. “We made the Department’s largest-ever budget request for research, development, testing, and evaluation,” he boasted. “And we’re investing in new capabilities that will make us more lethal from greater distances, and more capable of operating stealthy and unmanned platforms, and more resilient under the seas and in space and in cyberspace.”

    Nowhere in Austin’s presentation or his undisguised eagerness for a Cold War-style confrontation with China was there any mention of the Afghanistan War, which had ended just weeks before. That the less-than-awesome U.S. military performance there—20 years of exertions ending in defeat—might have some relevance to any forthcoming competition with China did not seemingly occur to the defense secretary.

    Austin’s patently obvious eagerness to move on—to put this country’s disastrous “forever wars” in the Pentagon’s rearview mirror—no doubt coincides with the preferences of the active-duty senior officers he presides over at the Pentagon. He clearly shares their eagerness to forget.

    As if to affirm that the Pentagon is done with Afghanistan once and for all, Austin soon after decided to hold no U.S. military personnel accountable for a disastrous August 29th drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 noncombatants, including seven children. In fact, since 9/11, the United States had killed thousands of civilians in several theaters of operations, with the media either in the dark or, until very recently, largely indifferent. This incident, however, provoked a rare storm of attention and seemingly cried out for disciplinary action of some sort.

    But Austin was having none of it. As John Kirby, his press spokesperson, put it, “What we saw here was a breakdown in process, and execution in procedural events, not the result of negligence, not the result of misconduct, not the result of poor leadership.” Blame the process and the procedures but give the responsible commanders a pass. That decision describes Lloyd Austin’s approach to leading the Defense Department. Whether the problem is a lack of daring or a lack of gumption, he won’t be rocking any boats.

    Will the U.S. military under his leadership recover its long-lost awesomeness?  My guess is no. In the meantime, don’t expect his increasingly beleaguered boss in the White House to notice or, for that matter, care. With a load of other problems on his desk, he’s counting on the Lord to prevent his generals from subjecting the troops and civilians elsewhere on the planet to further abuse.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 23:40

  • IMF, World Bank & 10 Countries Held Alarming "Simulation" Of Global Financial System Collapse
    IMF, World Bank & 10 Countries Held Alarming “Simulation” Of Global Financial System Collapse

    Earlier this month Reuters produced a report which didn’t receive nearly enough attention among the American public – its contents would be sure to alarm most people concerned with the outbreak of yet more ‘global catastrophes’. At the very least it’s curious timing: amid the recent pandemic induced disruption in global supply chains, powerful nations and banking institutions decided to get together to run a global economic collapse scenario. 

    The report described that Israel led a “10-country simulation of a major cyber attack on the global financial system in an attempt to increase cooperation that could help to minimize any potential damage to financial markets and banks.” It was centered on a catastrophic scenario in which “hackers were 10 steps ahead of us,” according to one official who took part.

    Collapse, illustrative image via Reuters

    Dubbed “Collective Strength”, the exercise was held in Jerusalem (after being moved from the original proposed location of Dubai) and included the participation also of the United States, UK, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Thailand. Officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and Bank of International Settlements were also involved.

    The financial-geopolitical gaming simulation was set amid a scenario where sensitive data was leaked on the Dark Web, which combined with “fake news” reports going viral across societies, resulting in the collapse of global markets and an ensuing run on banks. Further, the simulation envisioned a series of devastating hacks targeting global foreign exchange systems, which also disrupted transactions between importers and exporters, according to Reuters.

    The simulation set out a severe crisis period lasting about a week-and-a-half. Events were guided by a film and narrator which related the fast moving ‘live’ events…

    “These events are creating havoc in the financial markets,” said a narrator of a film shown to the participants as part of the simulation and seen by Reuters.

    Further the report detailed of the simulation hosted under the aegis of Israel’s Finance Ministry:

    “The banks are appealing for emergency liquidity assistance in a multitude of currencies to put a halt to the chaos as counterparties withdraw their funds and limit access to liquidity leaving the banks in disarray and ruin,” the narrator said.

    The participants discussed multilateral policies to respond to the crisis, including a coordinated bank holiday, debt repayment grace periods, SWAP/REPO agreements and coordinated delinking from major currencies.

    Simulation participant countries and institutions, Via Reuters

    Ostensibly what was a “successful” ten day exercise was aimed toward each country being prepared to contain the global damage coming from some kind of major cyber event or threat. The key takeaway was that only through rapid global cooperation and open communication among nations, would there be opportunity to prevent total collapse of the global (or perhaps rather Western-led) financial system.

    Interestingly, some participants said in reality they would in reality move faster than in the simulation in the instance of a cyber disruption of that scale. They said “in a real cyber attack situation governments would take action more quickly than in the simulation,” according to Reuters. “One European financial official said that in the case of such of an attack, his country would not wait 10 days to act.”

    However, we doubt much of the Western public will feel “comforted” by global elites engaged in a simulated global meltdown ‘readiness’ scenario. Again, as if 2020 and 2021 under the pandemic weren’t enough of a “real world” disaster and crisis scenario, one questions the need to game out a ‘pretend’ scenario in the first place. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 23:20

  • "If You Could Die Of Irony, She Would Be Dead": Musk Slams Liz Warren And Woke Culture In Epic Babylon Bee Interview
    “If You Could Die Of Irony, She Would Be Dead”: Musk Slams Liz Warren And Woke Culture In Epic Babylon Bee Interview

    Elon Musk just sat down with the guys from the Babylon Bee for a 54-minute interview, where the Tesla and SpaceX founder savaged Sen. Liz Warren, and described woke culture as a “mind virus.”

    “You were pretty mean to Senator Warren there on Twitter recently,” said Babylon Bee EIC Kyle Mann. “Ya slammed her man.”

    “Please don’t call the manager on me, Senator Karen,” he continued – citing Musk’s December 14th response to Warren slamming him for not paying ‘enough’ taxes.

    To which Musk replied: “She struck first, obviously. She called me a freeloader and a grifter who doesn’t pay taxes, basically. And – I’m literally paying the most tax that any individual in history has ever paid, this year, ever. And she doesn’t pay tax… basically at all. And her salary is paid for by the taxpayer, like me.”

    “Could you even use the term irony, would that work?” asked one of the Bee guys.

    “If you could die of irony, she would be dead.”

    Musk also opined on woke culture – calling it a “mind virus,” and “arguably one of the biggest threats to modern civilization.”

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    “Wokeness wants to make comedy illegal,” Musk continued, adding “Do we want a humorless society that is simply rife with condemnation, and hate? At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary and hateful. It basically gives mean people a shield to be cruel, armored in false virtue.”

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    When asked why Musk wasn’t appearing on, say, CNN, he replied: “I’m not perverted enough?” perhaps referencing their recent pedo outbreak.

    Bee CEO Seth Dillon asked Musk if he gets sick of people badgering him about his wealth, to which he said that until he sold stock, he maintained relatively little cash balances – and that he happens to own 20% of a company that people decided was worth a trillion dollars.

    He also defended ‘not paying taxes,’ explaining that in 2017 he overpaid, which netted out in 2018, and that since the majority of his wealth is in stock anyway that he wasn’t incurring taxable events.

    “What am I supposed to do, send shares to the government, somehow?” said Musk.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWatch the full interview below:

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 23:00

  • Beijing Fines Social Media Star $210 Million For 'Exploiting Tax Loophole'
    Beijing Fines Social Media Star $210 Million For ‘Exploiting Tax Loophole’

    Beijing’s ongoing housecleaning of all things deemed anti-revolutionary by the principles of President Xi Jinping Thought has once again circled back to social media influencers, a class of business that, like video games, private tutoring, and the technology industry more broadly, is being shaken down for presenting a threat to the CCP’s rule.

    The latest crackdown involves China’s ballooning live streaming business by targeting the individual streamers themselves, according to Bloomberg. On Monday, the State Taxation Administration fined Viya, a top live-streamer, $210MM, and accused her of concealing personal income and making false declarations in 2019 and 2020. It comes after authorities last month fined two live-streamers in Hangzhou nearly $15MM in total for allegedly illegally booking employment income as business income.

    The punishments mark what BBG described as “an escalation in President Xi Jinping’s campaign against illegal sources of income as part of China’s ‘common prosperity’ drive that aims to narrow the wealth gap.” We can’t help but wonder if they submitted that language to the CCP censors for approval ahead of time. We notice also that there is no byline attached to the story, suggesting that none of the reporters responsible for writing it wanted to take the credit.

    This is hardly the first celebrity to be targeted for retaliation by the CCP. Celebrities have been targeted by tax authorities, largely as a pretext for promoting values that the CCP sees as antithetical to its interests. Bloomberg described it as the “improper” idol culture.

    And there’s of course the issue of tennis star Peng Shuai, who recently recanted her sexual assault accusations against a top CCP member. But we’re sure that’s all a coincidence, right?

    Tax authorities have asked celebrities to report their wrongdoings in exchange for lighter punishment starting in September after announcing new tax checks. More than 1,000 live-streamers and other workers affected have reportedly paid back taxes since then, per the CCP.

    Viya, also known as Huang Wei, issued an apology after the punishment was announced. She said on her Weibo account that she felt “deeply guilty” and would pay the fines by the deadline.

    Her colleagues better pony up quick. Before it’s too late.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 22:40

  • Addictive 'Brain Hijacking' Methods Of Social Media Platforms Harmful To Users, Especially Children: Insider
    Addictive ‘Brain Hijacking’ Methods Of Social Media Platforms Harmful To Users, Especially Children: Insider

    Authored by Isabel va Brugen and Joshua Philipp via The Epoch Times,

    Addictive “brain hijacking” methods used by social media giants to keep users on their platforms have harmful effects, particularly on children, according to industry insider Rex Lee, who says the companies may be violating child protection laws and consumer protection laws by employing such techniques.

    Lee, who has over 35 years of experience in the tech and telecom industry, recently testified before Congress, speaking to members about some of the deceptive practices used by social media networks—in particular, “brain hijacking.”

    “The first time I’d ever heard of brain hijacking, I thought it was something from a science fiction movie,” he recently told EpochTV’s Crossroads program.

    He said that social media apps, including those developed by Google, Meta, and Bytedance, are intentionally developed to be addictive.

    Part of what makes these platforms addictive is associated with brain hijacking technologies, which involve suggestive and manipulative advertising, he explained.

    Lee, who works in the tech industry for an enterprise app and platform developer, said that he was shocked after coming across an admission in a 2017 Axios interview by Sean Parker, who served as the first president of Facebook.

    In the interview, Parker said that Facebook was intentionally developed using addictive technologies associated with something he described as a “social validation feedback loop.”

    “That in itself is what is at the heart of brain hijacking,” Lee said. “And what that does is that reassures the end user that what they’re posting on the platform is being accepted by a lot of people. In other words, a social validation feedback loop would be associated with a thumbs up, or confetti or emojis, and that sort of thing after they do a post.”

    Lee said these are addictive qualities that developers put into their app and platform designs, which ultimately end up harming the user.

    “Sean Parker actually admitted this during the Axios interview when he said, ‘God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains,’” Lee said. “But it’s not only the brains of children, it’s the brains of the end user, whether it’s an adult, teen, child, or business and user.

    “This is why people are checking their smartphones up to 150 times a day.”

    Lee added that Parker expressly told Axios that the feedback loop was “exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with, because you’re exploiting vulnerability in human psychology.”

    Lee has been providing to congressional committees, as well as senators and House members, insider information on how these platforms are developed.

    The cybersecurity and privacy adviser also highlighted the harmful effects these social media platforms have on young teenagers, describing the platforms as “no different than tobacco companies making bubblegum-flavored cigarettes to sell to children.”

    “These social validation feedback loops are what’s at heart, and why young teen girls as well as boys who utilize this technology can be harmed by it—they get addicted to it, they never can find fulfillment in it,” Lee said.

    “And then, they end up depressed and they end up always constantly having to look for that validation, not only from the technology, but from the other end users on the platform.”

    “This also is dangerous because it contributes to cyber bullying,” said Lee, explaining that cyberbullies themselves may become addicted to bullying others online.

    “They [cyberbullies] get a few thumbs up from that post where they’re bullying somebody and then more thumbs up comes. And then that person, the bully, becomes addicted to actually  harming people, as well as the recipient starts getting harmed,” he explained. “And we all know what that leads to anxiety, self harm, as well as suicides. And all of those are up among teen and young adult adult users, especially young girls who utilize the platform.”

    “Kids are being exploited,” he alleged, noting that social media giants may be violating a child online protection law—the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) enacted in 1998.

    “It’s actually illegal for a child under 13 to use any type of technology that’s supported by predatory apps that are developed to exploit the user for financial gain through methods such as data mining and surveillance,” Lee said of the law.

    Lee said he analyzed the legal language on a Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone that was pre-installed with over 175 apps created or developed by 18 companies, including Chinese tech company Baidu. 

    He explained that what’s often hidden from the user within the devices themselves is “the most important part of your terms of use.”

    This includes the application permission statements and application product warnings “which describe in great detail how much surveillance and data mining that the tech companies can conduct on you.” 

    “But they don’t want that online. They hide that within the devices, and some of those application permission statements actually contain product warnings,” Lee said.

    “So again, another cigarette analogy would be, it would be like the warning for cigarettes being printed on the inside of the package,” he explained. “So that after you consume the product, you understand then that it commit that it can cause cancer, it’s the same thing.”

    He added, “They’re hiding the product warnings within the application permission statements, which can only be accessed from within the device and not online.”

    Lee said the FTC should be taking action to investigate these companies for related harm reported by their consumers, and enforce existing customer laws, particularly since former senior executives, such as Parker, have admitted that they developed these technologies to be addictive, “even at the expense of the end user safety.”

    “We not only had these platforms weaponized against the end user to exploit them for financial gain through harmful technology, such as addictive apps, but now they’re using them to oppress people and spread misinformation, censorship, crush freedom of the press, and in other things,” Lee added. “It’s unbelievable.”

    The Epoch Times has reached out to Meta, ByteDance, and Google for comment.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 22:20

  • Movies & Music Are The Most 'Essential' Part Of An American Christmas; Survey
    Movies & Music Are The Most ‘Essential’ Part Of An American Christmas; Survey

    While every family celebrates Christmas a little differently, each with its own sets of customs and traditions, as Statista’s Felix Richter notes, there are things that most celebrants can agree on, things that are considered essential for a Merry Christmas.

    According to Statista’s GCS 2021 Holiday Special, Christmas music is topping the list of holiday must-haves. 49 percent of Americans consider the right tunes an essential part of the holiday season, the question of which Christmas songs are “the right ones” notwithstanding. Christmas movies, think “Home Alone”, “Love Actually” and (to some) “Die Hard”, are another key ingredient to the holiday season with 46 percent of Americans calling them an essential tradition.

    Infographic: American Christmas Essentials | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    When asked about what they are looking forward to most thinking about the holiday season, Americans show that community and family still beat the commercial aspects of the holidays. 64 percent of the respondents look forward to spending time with friends and family, making it the top answer by far.

    Interestingly Americans also prefer giving presents over receiving them, showing that not all is lost for Christmas romantics.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 22:00

  • China Is Mining Bitcoin Underground: Report
    China Is Mining Bitcoin Underground: Report

    Submitted by Bitcoin Magazine

    According to a report by CNBC, bitcoin miners have found ways to keep operating in China despite the country’s comprehensive efforts to crack down on the industry.

    China used to be the country with the most significant share of hashrate. But that began to change in May when Chinese authorities began cracking down on Bitcoin and bitcoin mining. The increased regulatory scrutiny led to tangible impacts on BTC miners and exchanges, which started limiting or putting an end to their activities. In under a month, the Chinese crackdown led ASIC maker Bitmain to stop sales, a sharp decline in Bitcoin’s total hash rate, and an “ASIC exodus” to ensue as the bitcoin mining landscape began to change.

    Workers transferring cryptocurrency mining rigs at a farm in Sichuan province

    By September, China had issued a complete ban on Bitcoin. Despite the prohibition, the peer-to-peer network saw nearly 145 Bitcoin nodes still running on Chinese soil after a few days. According to data from Bitrawr.com, there are currently 125 nodes in the Asian country. Similarly, it appears that not all bitcoin miners have fled China.

    Ben, a Chinese miner, told CNBC that he had gone underground, spreading his mining equipment across multiple locations to decrease the chances of being spotted on China’s power grid. He has also taken steps to conceal his digital geographical footprint and go behind the meter, pulling electricity from small power sources unconnected to the country’s larger grid.

    “We never know to what extent our government will try to crack down…to wipe us out,” Ben reportedly said.

    The report said that as much as 20% of the world’s bitcoin miners are estimated to still reside in China, scattered across the country in setups similar to Ben’s. It cited a November report by Chinese cybersecurity company Qihoo 360, which estimates an average of 109,000 bitcoin mining IP addresses active in China daily. An estimate from Cambridge University, however, says there are no miners left in the Asian country.

    Workers transferring cryptocurrency mining rigs at a farm in Sichuan province

    Whereas big miners quickly and effectively moved overseas into friendlier regulations in Kazakhstan and the U.S., medium-sized miners saw their hands tied. “They couldn’t offload their equipment to recoup their losses, nor could they mine at full capacity again, because their electrical footprint is easy to pick out,” per the report. But smaller miners could deploy their operations across small power grids in China and maintain part of the operations.

    “Mining is no longer a big business” in China, another bitcoin miner told CNBC. Instead, the miner said the activity is now scattered across the country, with “a couple thousand miners here, a couple thousand miners there. It’s more like a sort of band-aid to make money to help move the miners out of the country.”

    According to the report, besides plugging into small power grids, far from government oversight, these smaller bitcoin miners often evade Chinese censorship by joining foreign mining pools willing to sign them up despite the ban and helping them uncover their activity.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 21:40

  • "Our Industry Is Collapsing": California Pot Companies Beg Newsom To Stop Taxing Them Into Insolvency
    “Our Industry Is Collapsing”: California Pot Companies Beg Newsom To Stop Taxing Them Into Insolvency

    The cannabis industry in California is reeling from exorbitant taxes and crime, causing the leading companies in the industry to pen a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) warning that the state’s legal pot industry is on the verge of collapse.

    “Our industry is collapsing,” reads the letter, signed by more than two dozen executives, industry officials and advocates of legalization, following years of growing complaints that the industry was unable to compete with the illegal pot economy, where consumers pay far less for weed that sells 2-3x the quantity of legal businesses, according to AP (via NBC San Diego).

    As we noted last week, San Francisco was convinced to unanimously suspend the Cannabis Business Tax after city officials heard the cries from within the industry.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsIn their letter to Newsom, industry leaders asked for the immediate suspension of a cultivation tax placed on growers, as well as a three-year holiday from the excise tax – along with permission to expand retail shops throughout the state.

    According to the report, about two-thirds of California cities have no dispensaries, creating a system that “is rigged for all to fail,” according to the letter.

    “The opportunity to create a robust legal market has been squandered as a result of excessive taxation,” it continues. “Seventy-five percent of cannabis in California is consumed in the illicit market and is untested and unsafe.”

    “We need you to understand that we have been pushed to a breaking point.”

    Newsom responds

    Spokeswoman Erin Mellon said in a statement that the governor is supportive of cannabis tax reform, and acknowledges the need for change, while at the same time boosting law enforcement efforts to stop illegal sales and production. That said, it’s not up to him…

    “It’s clear that the current tax construct is presenting unintended but serious challenges. Any tax-reform effort in this space will require action from two-thirds of the Legislature and the Governor is open to working with them on a solution,” she said.

    Companies, executives and groups signing the letter included the California Cannabis Industry Association, the California arm of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the Los Angeles-based United Cannabis Business Association, Flow Kana Inc., Harborside Inc., and CannaCraft.

    In a conference call with reporters, Darren Story of Strong Agronomy said tough market conditions forced him to cut loose more than half his staff. He said taxes that will increase next year make it an easy choice for shoppers. With prices in the underground half of what they see on legal shelves, he said “most consumers are going to take off.” -AP

    “The solution to these issues and the possibility of saving this industry lies in your hands,” the letter concludes.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 21:20

  • Sen. Cotton: Recall, Remove, & Replace Every Last Soros Prosecutor
    Sen. Cotton: Recall, Remove, & Replace Every Last Soros Prosecutor

    Authored by Senator Tom Cotton via RealClearPolitics.com,

    Last year, our nation experienced the largest increase in murder in American history and the largest number of drug overdose deaths ever recorded.

    This carnage continues today and is not distributed equally. Instead, it is concentrated in cities and localities where radical, left-wing, George Soros progressives have captured state and district attorney offices. These legal arsonists condemn our rule of law as “systemically racist” and have not simply abused prosecutorial discretion, they have embraced prosecutorial nullification. As a result, a contagion of crime has infected virtually every neighborhood under their charge.

    Soros prosecutors refuse to enforce laws against shoplifting, drug trafficking, and entire categories of felonies and misdemeanors. In Chicago, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx allows theft under $1,000 to go unpunished. In Manhattan, District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. refuses to enforce laws against prostitution. In Baltimore, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has unilaterally declared the war on drugs “over” and is refusing to criminally charge drug dealers in the middle of the worst drug crisis in American history. For a time, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon even stopped enforcing laws against disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and making criminal threats.

    All of these cities have paid a terrible price for these insane policies. Last year, the number of homicides in Chicago rose by 56%, and more than 1,000 Cook County residents have been murdered in 2021. In New York City, murder increased 47% and shootings soared 97%. In 2020, the murder rate in Baltimore was higher than El Salvador’s or Guatemala’s — nations from which citizens often attempt to claim asylum purely based on gang violence and murder—and this year murder in Baltimore is on track to be even higher. Murder in Los Angeles rose 36% last year and is on track to rise another 17% this year.

    Soon after taking office in Boston, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins published a list of 15 crimes that she would refuse to prosecute except under special circumstances. Among the charges on her “do not prosecute” list was drug trafficking, malicious destruction of property, trespassing, driving with a revoked license, and resisting arrest. Rollins also declared that she was “going to battle” against the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts and has slandered Boston police officers as “murderers” before accusing the department of “white fragility.”

    Unsurprisingly, Boston’s violent crime rate surged shortly after Rollins took over, as the number of murders in Boston skyrocketed by 38% in 2020. As Rollins implemented leniency for drug trafficking, opioid overdose deaths increased by 32% in Suffolk County. As a reward for her ineptitude and extremism, President Biden nominated her to run the U.S. Attorney’s office in Massachusetts, the very office she had gone “to battle” against only months before. Every Democrat in the Senate voted to confirm her.

    Another Soros prosecutor, Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner, came to office after suing the Philadelphia Police Department 75 times as a private citizen. He began his tenure by purging dozens of veteran prosecutors in his office and then slashed his jurisdiction’s prison population by over 30%. In most cases, Krasner also refuses to seek bail for accused criminals and has maintained a highly antagonistic relationship with the police, once accusing the Fraternal Order of Police lodge president of being “with the Proud Boys.”

    The number of homicides in Philadelphia has increased every year that Krasner has been DA. Last year, the murder rate rose 40% and this year it reached an all-time high.

    In San Francisco, the voters elected the son of two cop-killing terrorists as their district attorney. Chesa Boudin (pictured) has since unleashed chaos on the streets of a once-great city and inaugurated what the San Francisco mayor labelled the “reign of criminals.” San Francisco’s homelessness crisis has spiraled out of control, smash-and-grab looters are such a menace that the city had to close its downtown during Black Friday, and shoplifters have closed down retailers throughout the city. Since Boudin took over, car theft has increased by 27%, murder by 29%, arson by 36%, and burglary soared 38%.

    The liberal mayor of San Francisco, as if struck by amnesia of her own tenure and complicity in the crime wave, recently emerged to condemn her city’s appalling rise in crime. Speaker Nancy Pelosi also condemned the disorder and “attitude of lawlessness” in her city. However, in one of the great examples of “see no evil, hear no evil,” Speaker Pelosi pretended to be baffled by what could have caused the crime wave. The answer is obvious: Liberal extremists like Nancy Pelosi and Chesa Boudin caused this crisis.      

    Unfortunately, soft-on-crime policies have been, at times, a bipartisan problem. In 2018, Republicans passed the pro-criminal First Step Act. That deeply flawed legislation reduced sentences for crack dealers and granted early release to some child predators, carjackers, gang members, and bank robbers. Ironically, this jailbreak bill even provided early release for those who helped prisoners break out of jail.

    This misguided push by Republicans to win applause from liberals strengthened the hand of radicals like George Soros.  In a political environment where the parties compete for who can be more pro-criminal, the Democrats will always win.

    As soon as the party of law and order endorses a law like the First Step Act, it surrenders the crime debate. Indeed, instead of running on tough-on-crime platforms, many Republicans championed further leniency towards criminals. Multiple states passed their own First Step Acts and some members of Congress are continuing to support weak-on-crime legislation like the Democrat’s “EQUAL” Act, which would retroactively reduce sentences for crack dealers.

    We must provide moral clarity, acknowledge that the First Step Act was a step backward in the administration of justice, and ensure that this first step was also the last.

    The Republican Party must then join with independents and common-sense Democrats to wage an unrelenting war on crime. That war must begin with a campaign to recall, remove, and replace every last Soros prosecutor. Throw the bums out.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 21:00

  • McDonald's Rations Fries As Supply Shortage Hits Japan 
    McDonald’s Rations Fries As Supply Shortage Hits Japan 

    A ‘fry-tening’ supply chain problem has materialized for McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan is forcing it to ration french fries for at least a week due to a potatoes shortage. 

    Beginning on Friday, Japanese consumers desiring a classic Big Mac will be barred from ordering medium- and large-sized french fries. They will be only allowed to order small french fries as the company blames massive flooding in Vancouver for its soggy mess and attempts to source spuds elsewhere. 

    About 2,900 McDonald’s restaurants in the country will experience french fry rationing for at least this week “to ensure that as many customers as possible will have continued access to our french fries,” according to Bloomberg.

    McDonald’s believes the shortage will be resolved by New Year’s eve, and said meals that come with medium fries will be reduced by 44 cents to reflect the smaller portion. It said the rationing wouldn’t affect hash brown. 

    The popular fast-food company didn’t quantify the financial impact of the french fry shortage. 

    This is the second time in three years, McDonald’s has experienced a french fry shortage. Cold weather and the impact of a hurricane in 2019 damaged potato crops across North America and led to supply woes for french fry processors. 

    The latest french fry shortage is an example of fragile global supply chains as weather volatility increases. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 20:40

  • Kyle Rittenhouse Issues Warning: "Media Accountability Coming Soon"
    Kyle Rittenhouse Issues Warning: “Media Accountability Coming Soon”

    Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

    After he was recently acquitted on murder charges, Kyle Rittenhouse suggested certain media outlets may face legal consequences in the near future.

    “There’s going to be some media accountability coming soon,” Rittenhouse told Fox News during an interview on Tuesday, without elaborating.

    There has been speculation that Rittenhouse may file defamation lawsuits against certain media outlets and high-profile individuals for how they portrayed him and the accusations they made against him.

    Rittenhouse, 18, then appeared to support lawsuits by Nick Sandmann, who settled with several media outlets over their coverage of a viral incident at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial in 2019.

    “Good for him,” Rittenhouse told Fox News.

    Earlier this week, the teen was given a standing ovation at a Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix where panelists talked about the 2020 shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

    Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges stemming from the incident after arguing he acted in self-defense.

    During the event, Rittenhouse suggested that people should “be on the lookout” for a possible lawsuit against certain media outlets that he believes misconstrued the events in Kenosha, the NY Post reported.

    Last month, a jury found Rittenhouse not guilty in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz. The shooting occurred during nights of violence, protests, and riots following the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake, who had a warrant out for his arrest.

    On that night last year, businesses in Kenosha were ransacked and burned after Blake’s shooting, which came several months after an officer was seen kneeling on George Floyd, a convicted felon whose death sparked nationwide unrest, protests, and riots.

    The two-week trial captivated the nation’s attention as his defense attorneys said he acted in self-defense, an argument that was corroborated by video evidence. Prosecutors claimed he was the instigator of the violence because he brought a rifle to Kenosha on that night.

    If he had been convicted on the most serious charges in the case, he could have faced life in prison.

    At one point during the trial, Rittenhouse decided to waive his Fifth Amendment right and testified in his own defense.

    “It’s helped me grow a lot, it’s helped me mature,” Rittenhouse said of the trial.

    “My mentors who have been in my life … they’ve helped make me the person I am today, so thank you for them.”

    When asked by Fox News on Tuesday about whether he would do things differently, Rittenhouse said he would.

    “[With] what I was dragged through and what I had to go through – to facing life in prison – I wouldn’t say it was worth it,” he said, adding that “hindsight being 20/20.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 20:20

  • FOIA Request Reveals Mysterious Drones Harassed US Navy Warships Off California
    FOIA Request Reveals Mysterious Drones Harassed US Navy Warships Off California

    The War Zone reports unidentified drones harassed US Navy warships on multiple occasions in 2019 off the waters of Southern California. 

    New documents released via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provide an in-depth view of these mysterious drone encounters that harassed the Navy’s destroyers, prompting counteraction. 

    Deck logs show multiple incidents that occurred throughout July 2019. The records detail various types of countermeasures were deployed, such as “ghostbusters” anti-drone gun that is a directional jammer designed to disrupt communications between drones and their operators, the destroyer’s 5-inch cannon, and machine guns. 

    The deck logs show that Ship Nautical Or Otherwise Photographic Interpretation and Exploitation (SNOOPIE) teams were activated to document the encounters. SNOOPIE teams managed to use high-tech sensors and capture a photograph of the drones, which look like triangular shape objects – though the logs only refer to them as UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) or drones. 

    After the first several encounters, the USS Russell, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, began conducting “counter UAS exercises.” There are no details in the logs that specify whether a drone was hit or recovered. On July 30, the USS Bunker Hill, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, deployed Small Craft Action Teams (SCATs), which are crew-served weapons machine gun operators, engaged a hail of machine-gun fire at one UAS. Logs don’t explain if a drone was hit and recovered. 

    However, there’s one deck log from USS Russell with nearly the whole page redacted. Many answered questions remain if Ghostbusters were able to jam the drone or SCAT teams’ machine guns or the 5-inch guns blasted the drone out of the sky. 

    The new FOIA request offers insight into mysterious drones harassing US destroyers off Southern California. The incident occurred months before mysterious drone swarms were spotted over US nuclear power plants. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 20:00

  • From Packing To Sacking, Democrats Pledge Politics "By Any Means Necessary"
    From Packing To Sacking, Democrats Pledge Politics “By Any Means Necessary”

    Authored by Jonathan Turley,

    In the Age of Rage, no institution or process appears inviolate. 

    When the majority of the Supreme Court shifted right, liberal academics and members demanded court packing — a practice long denounced as anathema to the rule of law. When the Supreme Court commission voiced concerns over court packing, it was denounced by liberal groups and two of the few conservative members resigned during the outcry. Academics have been called to “redo” the First Amendment after it became an impediment to social justice efforts.

    It is not surprising, therefore, that some of the same activists are now calling for the sacking of Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.

    Her offense?

    She rendered a non-partisan judgment that Democrats could not push through the sweeping immigration reform package as part of the budget reconciliation process. Like the Supreme Court, the Parliamentarian was now an impediment to politics so she or her authority (or both) will have to go.

    Democratic members and staff are repeating the same menacing mantra that is now familiar in Washington of politics “by any means necessary.“

    Democrats previously called for firing MacDonough when she ruled against them on a legislative issue. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) called for the the Senate to “replace the parliamentarian. What’s a Democratic majority if we can’t pass our priority bills? This is unacceptable.” Similar calls followed this decision. After all, what is the value of having a majority if you cannot do whatever you want in the way you want to do it?

    That was the same question asked when the filibuster rule became an impediment rather than a benefit for members. For years, Democrats defended the rule as essential for the Senate in protecting minority rights. “God save us from that fate … [it] would change this fundamental understanding and unbroken practice of what the Senate is all about.” That included then Sen. Joe Biden and his colleagues, including then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and now-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). To their credit, the Republicans refused to kill the rule despite calls to do so from President Donald Trump when they had the majority. However, once the majority shifted, the filibuster rule became one more casualty of convenience.

    In the latest controversy, MacDonough was conducting what is referred to as the “Byrd bath” — a non-partisan function named after the late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., during which the Senate parliamentarian ensures that every provision inside a reconciliation bill is tied to the budget. The immigration reform is clearly not a budget item, but the Democrats want to use reconciliation to bypass the filibuster rule and to use Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding vote in a 50-50 tie.

    The Byrd Bath process is meant to protect the Senate’s traditions of compromise and deliberation by preventing such efforts at end running the filibuster or the legislative process. The ruling of the Parliamentarian is not binding but comes with the force of a non-partisan professional applying these rules evenly and fairly. MacDonough did that.

    There is little tolerance today, however, for jurists or clerks who reach their own conclusions on the merits of such questions. It is the wrong conclusion so MacDonough or her ruling would have to be removed.

    Even if MacDonough keeps her job, various members are calling for a rare override of the ruling while others want the Democrats to simply pick a Senator for the chair who is willing to ignore the Parliamentarian and just follow pure muscle politics. Democratic members and staff are repeating the same menacing mantra that is now familiar in Washington “by any means necessary.”

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) who came out for court packing the same week, declared simply that MacDonough was “wrong” and, like her colleagues, emphasized that “we’re keeping all options on the table.” Likewise, Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), and Sens.  Dick Durbin (D., Ill.), Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) all indicated a willingness to override or ignore the ruling.

    For her part,  Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) made it personal by not only saying “all options” are on the table but “the protection of millions of undocumented immigrants cannot be halted due to the advice of 1 person.”

    Of course, it is not the decision of one person. The rule itself was adopted by the Senate as a whole as a matter of principle before that principle came with a cost. The rule was then implemented by not just the Parliamentarian but her entire apolitical staff.

    Hirono’s response captured the ends-over-means mentality of modern American politics. Rather than address the purpose of the rule or the nonpartisan judgment on its meaning, Hirono just cited the value of making millions of undocumented immigrants citizens and then juxtaposed their fate against the decision of one person. MacDonough was not enforcing a rule, she was putting millions into harm’s way.

    It was reminiscent of Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez justifying court packing by questioning “just, functionally, the idea that nine people, that a nine person court, can overturn laws that thousand– hundreds and thousands of legislators, advocates and policymakers drew consensus on.” She then added “How much does the current structure benefit us? And I don’t think it does.”

    When the Byrd rule no longer benefited the Senate Democrats, it likewise became as expendable as the person who enforced it.

    Thus, one plan would have Harris simply ignore the Parliamentarian and the rules. The implications of that move has a few Democrats uneasy over, what Sen. Ben Cardin (D., Md.) acknowledged would be “a pretty dramatic change” and a “direct attack with the parliamentarian.”

    Sen. Joe Manchin (D, W.Va.) has also insisted that you have to “stick with the parliamentarian … on every issue. You can’t pick and choose.” (Manchin later also said that he would vote no on the Build Back Better bill). Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) also insisted that “there is no instance in which I would overrule a parliamentarian’s decision.”

    That is not a lot of members but it would be enough to halt the effort to bulldoze the parliamentarian on immigration. However, the immediate response of Democratic members and groups captured how principle has little place in politics today. No institution or individual is a barrier when members have embraced politics “by any means necessary.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 19:40

  • COVID Drives US Population Growth To Slowest Rate Since Nation's Founding
    COVID Drives US Population Growth To Slowest Rate Since Nation’s Founding

    A new population report published by the U.S. Census Bureau showed the U.S. grew by a measly 392,665, or 0.1%, the slowest rate since the nation’s founding.

    The bureau said that the slow growth rate is due to “decreased net international migration, decreased fertility, and increased mortality due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

    Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases and 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population, 11 of which had losses of over 10,000 people.

    This is a historically large number of states to lose population in year.

    When the virus pandemic led to widespread economic shutdowns and lockdowns in the spring of 2020, many media outlets and pundits speculated this might lead to a baby boom. But it appears the opposite has happened (read: “COVID Baby Bust Accelerates Nine Months After Lockdowns”). The new report offers insights into what happened to the population in the months after.

    Even before the pandemic, population growth was in decline. 

    “Population growth has been slowing for years because of lower birth rates and decreasing net international migration, all while mortality rates are rising due to the aging of the nation’s population,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau.

    “Now, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this combination has resulted in a historically slow pace of growth,” Wilder said. 

     

    Since Apr. 1, 2020, or about half a month after lockdowns began, the nation’s population increased from 331,449,281 to 331,893,745, a gain of 444,464, or 0.13%. For the 12 months ending on Jul. 1, the nation’s growth was due to a natural increase (148,043), the number of excess births over deaths, and net international migration (244,622). This is the first time net international migration (the difference between the number of people moving into the country and out of the country) has exceeded the natural increase for a given year.

    The reason for that is because the Biden administration has eased border restrictions, allowing for upwards of two million illegals to enter the U.S. southern border without authorization in the 12 months ending on Sept. 30. 

    Given that Covid accelerated the already declining birth rates, and the nation struggles with sluggish population growth, this impact is somewhat deflationary, not inflationary (explaining more about this is Chris Hamilton via Econimica blog, in a note titled “Demographics, Debt, & Disappointment – The Japanifation Of America’s Economy”). 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 19:20

  • Judge Blocks Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For Federal Contractors In 10 States
    Judge Blocks Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For Federal Contractors In 10 States

    Authored by Mimi Nguyen Ly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A federal judge in Missouri has issued a temporary hold on the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors in 10 U.S. states while litigation plays out.

    “We just beat the Biden Administration in court again,” Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced on Twitter late Monday.

    “This afternoon, we obtained a preliminary injunction against the vaccine mandate on federal contractors, halting enforcement of that mandate in Missouri and the other states in our coalition.”

    A COVID-19 vaccine is administered in Rosemead, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

    The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge David Noce, applies to Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Schmitt and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, both Republicans, on Oct. 29 co-led the 10 states in suing the Biden administration over the mandate, calling it “unconstitutional, unlawful, and unwise.”

    “It will not harm the federal government to maintain the status quo while the courts decide the issues of the President’s authority and the implications for federalism. The Court concludes that, on balance, consideration of the harms and the public interest weigh in favor of a preliminary injunction,” reads the Monday preliminary injunction order from U.S. Magistrate Judge David Noce.

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Mandate Currently Blocked Nationwide

    A nationwide preliminary injunction is already in place blocking the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors, after a federal court in Georgia on Dec. 7 granted the injunction in a separate seven-state lawsuit led by Georgia.

    The court had decided to block the mandate for the whole of the United States because a national trade organization—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)—was granted permission by the court to intervene in the case as a plaintiff. The states of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia were the other plaintiffs.

    “[G]iven the breadth of ABC’s [nationwide] membership … limiting the relief to only those before the Court would prove unwieldy and would only cause more confusion. Thus, on the unique facts before it, the Court finds it necessary, in order to truly afford injunctive relief to the parties before it, to issue an injunction with nationwide applicability,” U.S. District Judge Stan Baker wrote in the order (pdf).

    The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees and contractors was otherwise going to take effect on Jan. 4, 2022. The deadline was initially set for Dec. 8.

    Under the vaccine mandate, issued via executive order by President Joe Biden on Sept. 9, regular COVID-19 testing wouldn’t be an option, but religious or medical exemptions from vaccination may be granted.

    Federal contractors that don’t comply may lose out on government contracts.

    Another separate ruling on Nov. 30 blocked Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors in three states—Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 19:00

  • American "Super Rich" Feel "Immense Relief" As 'BBB' Tax Hikes Are Canceled
    American “Super Rich” Feel “Immense Relief” As ‘BBB’ Tax Hikes Are Canceled

    Apparently, the Dems have managed to “turn down the heat” on the epic failure of President Biden’s Build Back Better social and climate spending package, according to at least one Washington Post columnist.

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    But in case you were wondering, Michael Bloomberg and the rest of the Democrat-voting globalist billionaire class would like to remind you that the wealthy are all extremely relieved at the prospect of President Biden’s spending package failing.

    And it’s all Joe Manchin’s fault.

    Here’s a headline from Bloomberg Wealth on Monday: “Super-Rich Americans Feel Relief as Tax Hikes Are Canceled for Now”.

    Thanks to Sen. Manchin’s efforts, rich Americans will escape any tax hikes, saving the top 0.1% hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade, according to Bloomberg.

    “To say my clients were celebrating is the wrong word to use,” said Steven Winter, a partner at BDO who primarily advises hedge funds and private equity firms. “It was a sigh of relief.”

    Of course, a bunch of  admittedly left-leaning economists say the Democrats’ plan would help “reduce inequality.”

    Though many of Democrats’ more radical tax proposals were scaled back or dropped in negotiations, the bill would be “a meaningful step for reducing inequality,” said Carl Davis, research director at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. An analysis by the group estimated the plan’s changes to the child tax credit and earned income tax credit would boost incomes of the poorest fifth of Americans by more than 10%.

    You know who else was happy to see the bill fail? The Republican leadership.

    Republicans, who uniformly oppose Biden’s bill, were gleeful that it might fail. “The single biggest Christmas present Washington Democrats could give to the American people is to kill their reckless taxing and spending spree,” Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said in a tweet.

    […]

    Meanwhile, the very richest Americans have reaped massive windfalls. The net worths of Americans on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s 500 richest people, have surged 45% since the beginning of last year. The 169 U.S. billionaires on the list are now worth $3.5 trillion, more than the bottom half of Americans combined.

    As for the BBB agenda, as we have already said, Sen. Manchin has previously expressed concerns with the “Paid Leave” component of the bill and believes it should be passed in a bipartisan effort in a separate bill. The SALT cap may also face some concern as it is expected to be one of the most expensive parts in the bill. Manchin has also raised concerns that 10 years of funding should pay for 10 years of services, while Child Care aid only lasts for six years, and cheaper premiums on the Affordable Health Care Act only last for five years. If the Senate were to make adjustments, the bill would then have to be sent back to the House.

    Here are some recent comments from Moderates:

    • Manchin said Thursday 18th November he has not decided on whether to vote to proceed to the Build Back Better Bill, says the House passage of the bill would not influence his thinking.
    • Sinema, in an interview with WaPo, noted Biden’s spending plan differs from the blueprint that Biden had worked out with centrists weeks earlier, but she did not say what, if anything, she might change. She also reiterated she is worried about inflation and that new tax hikes could harm businesses still struggling in wake of the pandemic, adding she doesn’t think the solution is always more federal spending.

    Remember, President Biden supposedly promised the squad that this package would get done. They might not be so accommodating during what’s left of his presidency going forward.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 18:40

  • Freed Missionaries Tell How They Escaped Haitian Kidnappers
    Freed Missionaries Tell How They Escaped Haitian Kidnappers

    Authored by Beth Brelje via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Escaping captors in the middle of the night, 12 Christian Aid Ministries missionaries hiked silently through the moonlit Haitian jungle, pausing at times to pray for the direction that led to freedom.

    Christian Aid Ministries hostages after they escaped captivity and before they left Haiti. (Courtesy Christian Aid Ministries)

    For roughly 10 miles, they pressed forward, through thick, thorny brush: a married couple, 10-month-old baby, 3-year-old, 14-year-old girl, 15-year-old boy, four single men, and two single women.

    Until now, details of their Oct. 16 kidnapping by the 400 Mawozo gang and their Dec. 15 escape could not be told, for security reasons. Even now, Christian Aid Ministries, is not releasing their names. The missionaries are from Amish, Mennonite, and other Anabaptist communities in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Ontario, Canada.

    Originally, 17 missionaries were abducted while on a trip visiting an orphanage. The 400 Mawozo gang demanded $17 million and threatened to kill the hostages unless they got $1 million per person. In time they released five hostages.

    First of 17 American missionary hostages to be freed in Haiti. (Courtesy Christian Aid Ministries)

    Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries spokesman Weston Showalter, held a Monday press conference with details of the experience and photos of the former hostages. Details are from his speech, as told by the missionaries.

    The 17 took a van to visit the orphanage, 90 minutes from mission headquarters. They arrived at 10 a.m. and stayed until about 1 p.m., using that time to interview children and look over the facility.

    Shortly into their drive back, they saw a roadblock. While attempting to turn the van around, they were overtaken by kidnappers who chased them in a pickup truck. The kidnappers blocked their way, surrounded their vehicle, and took control.

    The driver was removed and the others wondered if they would see him again. “As the kidnappers took over their van and drove wildly to get them to a secluded area, our workers prayed out loud and sang the song, ‘The Angel of the Lord Encampeth Round About Them,’” Showalter said.

    The hostages were taken to a small house, where all 17 were placed in a small room, approximately 10 feet by 12 feet. Here they were reunited with the driver who had been taken on the road.

    “They spent the first night almost sleepless with nearly no space for all of them to lie down. In this small room, there were several mattresses. Some sat up, some stood, some laid down, and everyone endured heat, mosquitoes, and uncertainty,” Showalter said. Soon their days fell into a pattern of worship in the morning with singing and praying, sometimes until noon. They were allowed to go outside during the day.

    They prayed at 1 p.m. daily to be freed.

    The kidnappers fed them but they faced hunger. Some foods provided included Haitian breakfast spaghetti, a half hard-boiled egg per person, corn mush, scrambled eggs, rice and beans with fish sauce, and sometimes vegetable paste. On Thanksgiving they got a traditional Haitian stew.

    They were moved several times and in one location they had coconuts.

    “Although they received food each day, they were often still hungry after eating what was given to them,” Showalter said. “They provided large amounts of baby food for the small children, for which we are so thankful. Babies are precious and even the guards enjoyed talking to little Laura. As you will notice in the pictures, the little children seemed to get sufficient food.”

    Baby Laura, 10-months old. Freed from kidnappers in Haiti. (Courtesy Christian Aid Ministries)

    The kidnapped were given basic hygiene items such as toothbrushes and toilet paper, although the supply was limited at times.

    They had limited clean drinking water and bathed in severely contaminated water that caused serious sores on many missionaries. Many suffered numerous bug bites that developed into serious sores from the contaminated water.

    They tried to soothe their sores by boiling water and adding ashes to it, then soaking their feet in this mixture.

    In the evenings, they talked, sang, and prayed.

    “In times when they faced fear and danger during the night, they prayed that God would wake believers around the world and nudge them to pray for them. And that truly did happen. On this side, we hear of people who were awakened at night with a sense of urgency to pray.”

    The hostages set up an around-the-clock prayer schedule, each praying for a half-hour during the day and an hour at night. One hostage prayed in his time slot, then passed the watch to the next hostage to continue prayer.

    “The hostages were able to develop a sense of relationship with the hostage-takers. Our staff encouraged them to find another way to provide for themselves by working the land and using the resources that God has given,” Showalter said.

    “They assured the hostage-takers of their love for their souls. They pointed them to Jesus. The hostages spoke to the gang leader on several occasions, boldly reminding him of God, and warning him of God’s eventual judgment if he and the gang members continue in their ways.”

    Various hostages wanted to attempt an escape, but it took them a while to all agree on when and how. Ultimately, they unified around a plan and prayed for God to give them a sign.

    “On several occasions, they planned to escape, but they had decided if specific things didn’t happen, they would accept that as God’s direction to wait,” Showalter said. “Twice when they planned to escape, God gave clear signs that this was not the right time. On both occasions, on the very minute they had discussed, the exact thing took place they had requested as a sign. God was at work, but the timing was not right.”

    They decided to attempt their escape the night of Wednesday, Dec. 15.

    During the night, they put on their shoes and packed pouches of water in their clothes. They stacked their mattresses in a corner and prepared to leave.

    “When they sensed the timing was right, they found a way to open the door that was closed and blocked, filed silently to the path they had chosen to follow, and quickly left the place they were held, despite the fact that numerous guards were close by,” Showalter said.

    “In the distance, they could see a mountain feature they recognized. They had identified this landmark before and knew this was the direction to go. They also followed the sure guidance of the stars as they journeyed through the night, traveling northwest toward safety.”

    Night turned to day and after hours of walking, they found someone who helped them make a phone call for help. Later that day, the Coast Guard flew them to Florida.

    “As we rejoice, we also remember that many others are still waiting and praying for the release of their loved ones who are being held hostage,” Showalter said.

    “Many Haitian people continued to be kidnapped. Their families struggle under the demands and threats of hostage-takers. Even if they are released they find themselves facing ongoing difficulties. We admire the resilience of the many Haitians who face difficulties with faith that God is with them.

    “The hostages desire that God be glorified for the way He cared for them during their time in captivity and arranged for their deliverance,” Showalter said and emphasized the Bible verse John 8:36, “If the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

    “Freedom is not a place. Our staff members who were held hostage would confirm that. They say that despite the difficulties, they experienced freedom, even as they were being held, facing uncertainty. In their minds and in ours, the hostage-takers are the true hostages. God invites all of us, including the kidnappers, to seek and find freedom, through Jesus, from the bondage of sin.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 18:20

  • Bill Gates: Omicron Will Be The "Worst Surge We Have Seen So Far"
    Bill Gates: Omicron Will Be The “Worst Surge We Have Seen So Far”

    Following this morning’s rant from the COVID-positive (and triple-vaxxed) Jim Cramer, and Tuesday afternoon’s public address from President Joe Biden begging unvaccinated Americans to please just go and get their jabs already, Microsoft billionaire (and self-appointed unofficial global vaccination czar) Bill Gates has just issued a few tweets changing his projections for how long the pandemic might actually last.

    After saying a few months ago that he finally expected the ‘acute phase’ of the pandemic to end next year, Gates has apparently once again changed his mind about the pandemic’s longevity, proving once again that armchair experts (and even many of the real scientists) see their expectations shift with whatever the current case count is.

    According to Gates, just when the world was finally feeling that life might soon return to normal, the surge in new cases over the past month (which has been partly driven by the rise of the omicron variant, which is now responsible for most new cases in the US, per the CDC) means the world might actually be entering “the worst part of the pandemic” instead.

    “Omicron will hit home for all of us,” Gates said (despite claims that it actually causes more mild cases than the delta strain), adding that “close friends of mine now have it” and that he had cancelled his holiday plans and urged others to do the same because of it.

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    As if this one FUD bomb wasn’t big enough, Gates added that omicron was spreading “faster than any virus in history” and that it “will soon be in every country in the world.”

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    Here’s the big twist: According to Gates, “the big unknown” is how sick omicron makes people. And “we need to take it seriously” because “even if it’s only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen…because it’s so infectious.”

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    Despite all the breakthrough cases and revisions about the efficacy numbers, the vaccines are still working ” well” in Gates’s estimation.

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    Fortunately, there’s some “good news” at the end of the tunnel. Omicron appears to be moving so quickly, it should be over within three months.

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    Which actually sounds great, Bill. Except it sounds a little like “two weeks to stop the spread” to us.

    Gates’ view of the nest phase wedges with JPMorgan’s Marki Kolanovic view that Omicron could be the “end of the pandemic.”

    While it is likely that Omicron is more transmissible, early reports suggest it may also be less deadly – which would fit into the pattern of virus evolution observed historically. Should these trends be confirmed in the coming weeks, could the Omicron variant ultimately prove to be a positive for risk markets, in the sense that it could accelerate the end of the pandemic?

    If a less severe and more transmissible virus quickly crowds out more severe variants, could the Omicron variant be a catalyst to transform a deadly pandemic into something more similar to seasonal flu? That development would fit with historical patterns (duration and number of waves) of previous respiratory virus pandemics, especially given the broad availability of vaccines and new therapeutics that are expected to work on all known variants (Pfizer, Merck).

    And also, just in case you were wondering: Bill Gates will be spending his first post-divorce Christmas alone.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 18:00

  • How Vulnerable Is Your Personal Supply Chain?
    How Vulnerable Is Your Personal Supply Chain?

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

    How vulnerable is your personal supply chain? For the average American, the answer is: very.

    Americans consider abundance and ready availability as birthrights so basic they’re like the air we breathe. The idea that shelves could become bare and stay bare is incomprehensible. yet that is the world we’re entering, for a number of complex reasons.

    One is that the world added not just another billion humans (now 7.9 billion), but one billion middle-class consumers, consumers who use about 100 times more energy per person than poor people. These additional billion middle-class consumers doubled the number of high-energy consuming humans in a few decades, and this enormous expansion of demand has consumed all the easy-to-extract resources of the planet. There are no cheap, easy-to-extract resources left; all that’s left is expensive to reach, extract, transport, etc., and since energy is the master resource, as its cost rises, so does the cost of literally everything that depends on energy.

    Consider a poor person in a rural village. Most of their food is grown locally, and their income is so limited they do not have the means to consume much energy or items shipped halfway around the world via the global supply chain. They might have a cheap mobile phone and a few consumer items gifted to them by relatives working in the developed world, but very little of their consumption depends on long global supply chains. If those chains break, the impact on the poor villagers is relatively modest.

    Compare this relative self-sufficiency to the extreme dependence on long supply chains of the average American. Very little, if any, of their everyday consumption is sourced locally, i.e., within walking distance. Every item on the shelves requires immense consumption of energy to be manufactured / produced and shipped to the shelf, and every item has a long dependency chain of intermediaries, each of which is dependent on numerous components, specialty materials, machinery and processes.

    Every intermediary, and every process and source used by each intermediary, is a potential source of failure of the entire supply chain.

    Complexity and supply chains are abstractions. To understand the intrinsic fragility of global supply chains, we must count the number of intermediaries in the chain from the resources extracted from the Earth to the end customer in the store aisle, and then count the intermediaries in each of those links.

    Counting the intermediaries in every dependency chain between the source of what we need / want and the item on the shelf (or in the UPS / FedEx / postal service vehicle) is a measure of our dependency: the more intermediaries, the greater our vulnerability and the greater the fragility of the dependency chain.

    This chain of dependencies is poorly understood outside each specialized industry. Consider semiconductors, widely touted as “the new oil,” i.e., the essential component in global production. The process of manufacturing semiconductors is extremely complex and resource-intensive, and many of the solvents, machines and components are only manufactured by one or two firms globally. If any of these links are disrupted, the entire chain of production breaks, as each is irreplaceable.

    If one firm produces 80% of the global supply of a specialty solvent, the smaller firm producing the other 20% cannot quadruple production for many reasons: its facilities are limited, adding capacity is a multi-year project, the equipment to expand isn’t available, the supply of the petrochemical feedstock cannot be increased due to limitations in the storage and delivery chain, and so on.

    There are many limits which are excluded from consideration when the supply chains are functioning. If we consider a system Americans take for granted–the ample supply of gasoline and diesel fuels–there are many unseen limits in the delivery system: the number of tanker trucks is limited, the number of drivers credentialed to drive the trucks is limited, intermediate storage of fuels is limited, and so on.

    The system is optimized for the average driver to have less than half a tank of fuel. Should the system break down and drivers start hoarding, i.e., constantly topping off their fuel tanks, then the system cannot recover its previous stability: the system has been optimized to a narrow range of storage, tanker trucks, drivers, etc., and once the system breaks out of that narrow window, the entire chain collapses.

    This is the reality of long global supply chains with dozens or hundreds of intermediaries: every supply chain has been optimized to function within a narrow window, and once any intermediary is disrupted, the entire chain breaks and cannot be restored once hoarding (at the wholesale level, over-ordering) begins. Hoarding is our instinctive response to shortages, and once the awareness of systemic fragilities and vulnerabilities rises, so too will hoarding.

    There is another source of fragility in long supply chains with many irreplaceable intermediaries. Each intermediary must make a profit or it will shut down. If price increases passed along to an intermediary cannot be passed along to the next link, then the firm absorbing the increase will lose money. Since many intermediaries are small, marginally profitable firms, they cannot absorb losses for long. Once they shut down, the chain cannot be restored without replacing them, and that is a major project, as many intermediaries have specialized skills and trusted networks which cannot be replaced without local connections and sources.

    Lastly, many of the global supply chain’s numerous intermediaries depend on credit markets to function, as their receivables often exceed 90 days. In other words, they often receive payment months after they delivered the goods or services, and so they rely on credit to fund day to day operations. Should credit markets seize up–a typical occurrence in crises–these intermediaries will shut down due to lack of funding.

    The price to be paid for stripping the domestic economy of productive capacity will be far higher than proponents of trade can even imagine, much less calculate. The price to be paid for becoming dependent on long, complex global supply chains with hundreds of intermediaries optimized for a narrow window of functionality will also be far higher than conventional analysts can imagine, much less calculate.

    How vulnerable is your personal supply chain? For the average American, the answer is: very.

    How do we reduce that extreme vulnerability? One way is to consume less. Another is to reduce the number of intermediaries between the source of our essentials and our household. For example, a barrel that collects rainwater off your roof is a source of water that has no intermediary. Vegetables collected from your home garden have limited intermediaries (sources of fertilizer and seeds). A solar panel that can charge your mobile devices in daytime has no intermediary once the panel has been purchased and installed.

    All the items that become sources of essentials–water barrels, solar panels, fertilizers–could become costly or scarce, as each requires massive amounts of energy to produce. Obtaining sources is different from stockpiling the end products. Both are worthy of consideration. So is moving to a less dependent locale and reconfiguring one’s life to consume less and reduce the number of intermediaries between your household and the sources of what you need.

    *  *  *

    My new book is now available at a 20% discount this month: Global Crisis, National Renewal: A (Revolutionary) Grand Strategy for the United States (Kindle $8.95, print $20). If you found value in this content, please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/21/2021 – 17:40

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