Surviving On The Battlefield In The Information War | The Daily Sheeple

Surviving On The Battlefield In The Information War

By Tony Cartalucci

There is undoubtedly an information war raging. There are intentional liars, people who witlessly repeat these lies, poor research, and opinions spun to look as if it is research. To sort through the ever increasing amount of information from disinformation, there are a few simple methods people can use.

But above all, people must personally dedicate themselves to following the truth no matter where it brings them, having the courage to accept a reality that may not necessarily mesh with their current perception. The inability to do this will render moot all other means of determining the veracity of any given report or piece of analysis.

Find the Original Source

This is fundamental. When anyone, anywhere makes a claim, whether it is in a historical documentary or book, or regarding current events, one must find the original source. Where did this information come from? Is it a direct quote? If so, can this quote be verified? If the quote is “alleged” or “leaked” or otherwise second-hand information or the sources never revealed, it is impossible to verify and therefore impossible to consider as verified.

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Here’s The New Research That Finally Tells The Truth About The War On Drugs | The Daily Sheeple

Here’s The New Research That Finally Tells The Truth About The War On Drugs

By Claire Bernish

A crucial new study says the ubiquitous and dubious war on drugs has, in actuality, been detrimental to public health — and should be laid to rest in favor of decriminalization.

Laws and policies criminalizing drugs have had “no measurable impact on supply or use,” according to the study as noted by the Independent, and serve no purpose either scientifically or in terms of public health.

Commissioned by Johns Hopkins University and The Lancet, a British medical journal, the study found mass decriminalization programs undertaken by Portugal and the Czech Republic have had enormously constructive results, including “public health benefits, cost savings, lower incarceration [rates], and no significant increase in problematic drug use.”

Portugal’s model recently became an official subject for consideration by the State of Hawai`i in its search for solutions to drug addiction and mounting costs of the criminalization of minor drug offenses. The Lancetstudy authors strongly encourage action by influential countries, including the U.S. and U.K., to consider national “regulated markets” for cannabis — such as the policies adopted by Uruguay and several U.S. states.

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“We’re Going to War” – Oliver Stone Opines on the Dangerous Extremism of Neocon Hillary Clinton | Liberty Blitzkrieg

“We’re Going to War” – Oliver Stone Opines on the Dangerous Extremism of Neocon Hillary Clinton

When fear becomes collective, when anger becomes collective, it’s extremely dangerous. It is overwhelming… The mass media and the military-industrial complex create a prison for us, so we continue to think, see, and act in the same way… We need the courage to express ourselves even when the majority is going in the opposite direction… because a change of direction can happen only when there is a collective awakening… Therefore, it is very important to say, ‘I am here!’ to those who share the same kind of insight.

— Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist Monk, The Art of Power

Oliver Stone has penned a powerful and emotional takedown of Hillary Clinton, focusing on her insane neocon foreign policy chops in a piece published in theHuffington Post titled, Why I’m for Bernie Sanders.

What follows are just a few paragraphs, I suggest reading the entire thing:

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The More Corrupt The State, The More Numerous The Laws | Zero Hedge

The More Corrupt The State, The More Numerous The Laws

Submitted by Nick Giambruno via InternationalMan.com,

Today, I’m going to share one of the most important things I’ve learned traveling around the world: There’s a crucial difference between committing a real crime and breaking the law.

I’ve seen it firsthand in the Middle East as well as many other places.

The difference is huge and few people understand it.

While laws vary dramatically across countries, almost every country in the world universally considers real crimes immoral. A real crime involves harm or the threat of harm to person or property. Think murder, theft, or arson.

Virtually every government prohibits real crimes. Most also prohibit a lot of other things…

When someone breaks the law, it’s often not a real crime at all. He may have merely violated a particular government’s law without threatening or harming anyone or anything.

Keep in mind that the idea of a victimless crime is an oxymoron. If there is no victim, there is no real crime.

Insulting the Dear Leader in North Korea, being a woman who’s driving a car in Saudi Arabia, or possessing certain plants in the U.S. government all violate laws. But none of these activities harm or threaten people or property. They’re not real crimes. They simply violate the laws of certain governments.

Of course, I am not suggesting that anyone break the law anywhere, even if it wouldn’t harm people or property. As a practical matter, it’s foolhardy to violate any government’s laws while you’re within its reach. That is, unless you prefer the lifestyle of an outlaw or a martyr.

It would be risky to disparage the Dear Leader while in North Korea, or to possess an unapproved plant in the U.S., and so forth.

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Armstrong Economics - Battle to Keep the Establishment in Power

The Battle to Keep the Establishment in Powers

That is the last time a Republican presidential convention opened without the nominee having been decided in the primaries was 1976 and the fight was between Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. There were efforts by the establishment to stop two people they regarded as outsiders before – Barry Goldwater in 1964 and Ronald Reagan in 1976. It is looking much more difficult for Trump to nail down enough delegates to beat the Republicans at their own corrupt rules. We are more likely headed to a rigged convention and this is highly playing into the hands of the precise thing the Republicans better not do. They are sacrificing the nation for personal perks. It is not that Trump is the savior; hardly. But he would be at least a check against  these people.

It seems more likely than not that they will rig the game one-way or another to stop Trump and ignore the fact why people are even voting for him because it is really a vote against the establishment. This appears likely to explode in total chaos for 2018 and as we look into the 2017-2020 time period, it appears that they will destroy the public confidence in government on a wholesale basis.

As it now stands, they will most likely hand the nomination to Cruz one way or another. Trump’s only chance would be to run to the Libertarian Party since there would be no time left to get on all the ballots as an independent. Cruz would lose against Hillary and Hillary will destroy the economy with massive tax increases while protecting the banks. It appears we are indeed sowing the seed of our own destruction. The Republicans know Social Security goes negative in 2017 so they want to blame Hillary. Meanwhile, Trump shoots himself in the foot all the time and he has the media in full blown assault against him. This is likely to really undermine the entire confidence in government especially since Cruz came out and said he would not support Trump, only himself.

DEMOCRATS THEN & NOW « The Burning Platform

DEMOCRATS THEN & NOW

Democrats

How They Brainwash Us -- Paul Craig Roberts - PaulCraigRoberts.org

How They Brainwash Us 

Paul Craig Roberts

Anyone who pays attention to American “news” can see how “news” is used to control our perceptions in order to ensure public acceptance of the Oligarchy’s agendas.

For example, Bernie Sanders just won six of seven primaries, in some cases by as much as 70 and 82 percent of the vote, but Sanders’ victories went largely unreported. The reason is obvious. The Oligarchy doesn’t want any sign of Sanders gaining momentum that could threaten Hillary’s lead for the Democratic nomination. Here is FAIR’s take on the media’s ignoring of Sanders’ victories:http://fair.org/home/as-sanders-surges-cable-news-runs-prison-reality-show-jesus-documentary/

We can observe the same media non-performance in the foreign affairs arena. The Syrian army adided by the Russian air force just liberated Palmyra from ISIS troops that Washington sent to overthrow the Syrian government. Although pretending to be fighting ISIS, Washington and London are silent about this victory on what is supposed to be a common front against the terror group.

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Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become | Zero Hedge

Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become 

Submitted by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

Ten years ago, a major Hollywood film entitled “Idiocracy” was released, and it was an excellent metaphor for what would happen to America over the course of the next decade.  In the movie, an “average American” wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that he suddenly finds himself in. 

Sadly, I truly believe that if people of average intellect from the 1950s and 1960s were transported to 2016, they would likely be considered mental giants compared to the rest of us.  We have a country where criminals are being paid $1000 a monthnot to shoot people, and the highest paid public employee in more than half the states is a football coach.  Hardly anyone takes time to read a book anymore, and yet the average American spends 302 minutes a day watching television.  75 percent of our young adults cannot find Israel on a map of the Middle East, but they sure know how to find smut on the Internet.  

What in the world has happened to us?  How is it possible that we have become so stupid?  According to a brand new report that was recently released, almost 10 percent of our college graduates believe that Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court…

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US & China Are Collapsing Into Thucydides Trap | Zero Hedge

US & China Are Collapsing Into Thucydides Trap

Submitted by Simon Black via SovereignMan blog,

In his History of the Peloponnesian War, ancient Greek historian Thucydides told us the tale of a dominant regional power (Sparta) that felt threatened by the rise of a competing power (Athens).

Sparta felt so threatened, in fact, that all the moves they made to keep the Athenian rise in check eventually escalated the power struggle into an all out war.

Modern political scientists call this the Thucydides Trap.

The idea is that when, out of fear, a dominant power takes certain steps to keep its competitor at bay, these actions ultimately lead to war between the two.

There’s a lot of concern that the US and China will fall into the Thucydides Trap.

This is certainly a valid concern. Both are nuclear superpowers with some of the largest militaries in the world.

But in 2016, modern warfare is not about tanks and aircraft carriers anymore. Modern warfare is insurgent, cyber, and financial.

In fact, if you look at the state of the financial system and the tactical brinksmanship between the US and China, it’s clear that the two arealready in a Thucydides Trap.

This power struggle is leading to financial warfare of nuclear proportions; and as with any war, there will be a lot of casualties.

Just over the last several months we’ve seen many exchanges of fire between the two nations.

• The US government claimed legal jurisdiction over the Bank of China, one of the largest banks on the mainland.
• The Chinese launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a supernational bank designed to compete with the Western-dominated IMF.
• The US blacklisted one of China’s largest telecom companies, forbidding any US company from doing business with China’s ZTE.
• China has been rapidly expanding its global payment network, UnionPay to become a direct competitor with Western systems like Maestro, Visa, and Mastercard.

And don’t forget, China could unleash its nuclear option at any time– dumping its vast trillion+ pool of US government debt, which would potentially cause a major crisis for the US dollar.

It’s a bit sad, because almost EVERY action of the US government only escalates the conflict further… and the Chinese eagerly follow suit.

This is how World War III starts. And it will be financial.

Listen in to today’s podcast and learn more about how this conflict will unfold… and how to not to end up as collateral damage.

(click image for link to podcast)

Charting America’s Decent Into Peasantry | Liberty Blitzkrieg

Charting America’s Decent Into Peasantry

Earlier today, I published a post titled Americans Have Been Turned Into Peasants – It’s Time to Fight Back. In the hours since, I came across an article in the Washington Post which offers some additional details and graphics on the subject.

Here are a few excerpts from the piece titled, 2015 Was a Terrible Year for the Common Working Man:

By at least one measure, inequality among working men has grown for decades. But, in 2015, it accelerated: The wage gap among men saw its largest single-year increase on record.

Top earners — men who made more than 95 percent of their peers — saw wages last year rise by 9.9 percent, according to an analysis of federal data. Men in the middle — with earnings higher than half their peers — saw a much-smaller 2.6 percent increase.

Now here’s a graphic of the trend:

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Is A Gas War Between The U.S. And Canada About To Start? | Zero Hedge

Is A Gas War Between The U.S. And Canada About To Start?

Submitted by Colin Chilcoat via OilPrice.com,

The United States and Canada work well together. The countries share the world’s largest and most comprehensive trade relationship,exchanging more than $2 billion per day in goods and services; the U.S. is Canada’s largest foreign investor and Canada is the third-largest foreign investor in the U.S. The partnership clearly isn’t broken, but it may need some mending as bilateral and international gas trade stands to complicate matters in short order.

As with most current global natural gas issues, we must first look back to the shale gas revolution. In 2005 – just as hydraulic fracturing was finding its feet in the Barnett shale – piped supplies from Canada met nearly 17 percent of total U.S. natural gas demand. By year’s end 2015 – with U.S. production some 50 percent higher – imports from Canada dipped below 10 percent of consumption.

For Canadian producers, rising U.S. production is just one of a series of issues in what is a multifaceted and evolving problem: they struggle to compete. Of course, the resulting, and thus far persistent low prices are another. Canadian natural gasdeliverability has taken a large hit as prices have moved below the supply cost of most new natural gas developments. Total productiondipped slightly in 2015, though Alberta and British Columbia (BC) provinces – the Montney and Duvernay shales – proved resilient.

While non-core plays will continue to struggle, the NGL-rich and relatively low-cost gas from the Montney looks to drive a rebound in 2016.Led by Petronas (Progress Energy Canada), Canadian Natural Resources, ARC Resources, and Encana as well as smaller-cap producers like Painted Pony Petroleum, marketed production from Alberta and BC is projected to grow approximately 2 and 6 percent respectively this year. Across all provinces and territories, Canadian production is slated to rise nearly 2.5 percent, to just over 15.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d).

For its part, U.S. producers have their own Montney – or six. The colossal Marcellus shale, which stretches across much of the AppalachianBasin, outputs more than 17.3 Bcf/d and counting. The neighboring Utica shale is no slouch either; production is up to 3.6 Bcf/d, 88 percent higher than a year ago. What’s more, they’re moving north.

Positioned mere miles away from Canada’s hungrier eastern markets, cheap gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales is increasingly replacing supplies from Western Canada. Gas shipments to eastern Canada from western Canadian drillers are down more than 50 percent since 2005; U.S. cargoes have doubled in that time. Over the next decade, the flow is likely to more than double again.

Spectra Energy’s Atlantic Bridge and NEXUS projects will soon (2017) deliver over 1.6 Bcf/d of U.S. shale to high-demand markets including Chicago, Ohio, New England, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada. TransCanada’s South-to-North project plans to reverse the flow of the Iroquois line by late-2017, sending 0.65 Bcf/d to Canada’s eastern provinces. Energy Transfer’s $4.2 billion Rover pipeline will carry 3.25 Bcf/d of Marcellus and Utica gas through the Midwest to Enbridge and DTE’s Vector pipeline, where it will cross the border into Ontario.

With its domestic eastern and U.S. Midwest markets shrinking or altogether disappearing, Canada’s slow-footed attempts to join the growing ranks of LNG exporters are all the more damaging. Canada’s federal government recently further delayed its decision on the $36 billion Pacific Northwest LNG facility. The Petronas project – while not alone – is make or break for Canada’s LNG hopes; prospective Asian buyers are running short on patience, and high on options.

‘Gas war’ is perhaps a misnomer – interconnectivity is increasing and the U.S. stands to remain a net importer of Canadian gas through 2040 – but continental and international competition will certainly re-characterize what was a largely humdrum relationship.

Russian Nuclear Ballistic Missile "Iskander" Spotted In Syria | Zero Hedge

Russian Nuclear Ballistic Missile "Iskander" Spotted In Syria

There was much surprise in geopolitical circles several weeks ago when, completely out of the blue, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced he would begin withdrawing military forces from Syria at once, a move hailed by some as confirmation Russia had failed to achieve its goals in the civil war-ridden nation which serves as a hotbed of ISIS terrorist attacks around the globe, and by others as victory.

Both camps may have been wrong. According to a Reuters, while the Kremlin announced one thing to the international community behind the scenes it has been doing more of the same: sending even more forces, arms and supplies to Syria.

As Reuters explains "when Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of most of Russia's military contingent from Syria there was an expectation that the Yauza, a Russian naval icebreaker and one of the mission's main supply vessels, would return home to its Arctic Ocean port. Instead, three days after Putin's March 14 declaration, the Yauza, part of the "Syrian Express", the nickname given to the ships that have kept Russian forces supplied, left the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk for Tartous, Russia's naval facility in Syria.Whatever it was carrying was heavy; it sat so low in the water that its load line was barely visible."

Reuters' assessment is blunt: Putin lied and has been actively sending more equipment to Syria:

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Former Bush Official Laments "We Are The Death Merchants Of The World" | Zero Hedge

Former Bush Official Laments "We Are The Death Merchants Of The World"

Submitted by Claire Bernish via TheAntiMedia.org,

“I think Smedley Butler was onto something,” Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former George W. Bush administration heavyweight, told Salon in an exclusive interview.

Major General Smedley Butler earned the highest rank in the U.S. Marine Corps, accumulating numerous accolades as he helped lead the United States through decades of war. He later became an ardent critic of such militarism and imperialism.

“War is a racket,” Butler famously said, and Wilkerson — who has also turned critical of U.S. imperialist policy — agrees with and admires the esteemed Marine.

Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to former secretary of state, Colin Powell, has grown tired of “the corporate interests that we go abroad to slay monsters for.”

Of the profiteering scheme that wars have come to embody, Wilkerson quoted Butler:

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Update on the Boston Marathon Bomb Case -- Paul Craig Roberts - PaulCraigRoberts.org

Update on the Boston Marathon Bomb Case

Paul Craig Roberts

Movies are used to set official stories in stone, and a movie is going to be made about the heroic capture of a badly wounded 19 year old kid, not old enough to buy a beer, who, despite being shot up and severely wounded, is alleged to have written a confession in the dark on the side of a boat under which he was hiding to escape execution. Apparently, the 10,000 troops who violated the US Constitution and searched the houses of a shutdown Boston without warrants are going to be credited for “saving America from terrorism.” http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2016/03/08/crews-preparing-southfield-for-shooting-marathon-bombing-film/iol7OIhjAJR8lvhI74AhqO/story.html?s_campaign=8315  

I find it difficult to believe that a shot-up kid, who had to be put into intensive care when he was discovered, who was hiding from execution under an upturned boat, spent what little energy and life force he had left writing a confession in the dark on the inside of a boat.  What convenient instrument to write with did he happen to have on hand? 

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The End Of Europe As We Know It? | Zero Hedge

The End Of Europe As We Know It?

Submitted by Dan Steinbock via The Difference Group,

As the Eurozone is amid secular stagnation, its old fiscal, monetary and banking challenges are escalating, along with new threats, including the Brexit, demise of Schengen, anti-EU opposition and geopolitical friction. According to Dan Steinbock, Brussels can no longer avoid hard political decisions for or against an integrated Europe, with or without the euro.

Since 2010, European leaders have been deferring the hard decisions. Occasionally, there have been political reasons for delays. Yet, times of crises cry for leadership.

Economically, procrastination has sustained the semblance of continuity in the short-term. Politically, it has maintained the status quo of “integration without common institutions”, which is unsustainable. Strategically, it has resulted in misguided military policies that threaten to undermine what is left of the unity of the region.

Time is out and delays are no longer an option.

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ESTABLISHMENT « The Burning Platform

ESTABLISHMENT

Via Townhall

Estimating life-time costs for Renewable Energy in Europe | Energy Matters

Estimating life-time costs for Renewable Energy in Europe

Guest Post by Ed Hoskins that originally appeared on edmhdotme. A short bio for Ed is given at the end of the post.

Summary

• Electricity generation by using gas-fired installations is significantly cheaper than Renewables in terms of both installation capital cost and Operation and Maintenance  costs, even when accounting for the cost of fuel.
• The € 1.1 trillion capital costs already spent on Renewables in Europe would have been sufficient to re-equip the whole 1,000 Gigawatt European electricity generating fleet with Gas-fired power stations producing electricity for the grid effectively at ~90% capacity.

• The European Renewable fleet with a nominal nameplate output of ~ 212 Gigawatts only contributes ~ 38 Gigawatts to the European Grid, a capacity percentage at about 18%.
• The installation of the Renewables fleet as of 2014 has already lead to a 60 year lifetime financial commitment amounting to about €3.1 trillion:  this is equivalent to the annual GDP of Germany.
• 60 year life-time costs of Onshore wind power range from 10 – 13 times more expensive than Gas-fired generation.
• 60 year life-time costs of Offshore wind power and Solar power range from 40 – 50 times more expensive than Gas-fired generation.
• during the 60 year life-time Gas-fired generators have a full-time productive capacity of about 90%  whereas the combined capacity figures for Renewable Energy of only about 18% is achieved across all European Renewable installations.
• These notes make estimates of:
  • the likely capital expenditure over 60 years
  • the running costs including fuel costs, if applicable, over that time period
  • the likely combined 60 year costs overall
  • the ratios of Renewable financial performances compared to Gas-fired electricity generation.

Introduction

This article is concerned with the two main forms of weather-dependent Renewable Energy, Wind Power (Onshore and Offshore) and Photovoltaic solar power.

In the UK this amounts to ~75% of all installed Renewable Energy.  The other Renewable Energy  inputs are traditional Hydro power ~8% and the remainder are other sources such as biomass, waste and landfill gas amounting to ~17%:  they are not considered here.

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Yesterday's Dystopian Fiction Is Today's New World Order | Zero Hedge

Yesterday's Dystopian Fiction Is Today's New World Order

Submitted by 'Jeremiah Johnson', retired Green Beret, via SHTFPlan.com,

Many of the things that are happening this very moment have direct parallels in literature of the past.  Whether it is an account such as the “Gulag Archipelago” by Solzhenitsyn or a work of “fiction” such as “1984” by George Orwell is irrelevant.  Elements of the history or the storyline (regarding the former and the latter works) are now becoming thoroughly inculcated into the fabric of modern reality.

All of the measures taken by the Soviet Union to crush and control its population are beginning to manifest themselves today in the United States.  The courts are “stacked” to reflect the decision of the regime and not to rule by law.  The Military Industrial Complex contracts are still being shuffled, along with government policies that just happen to substantiate those business interests with kickbacks for all.  Laws serve political and corporate interests, and the lawmakers themselves do not represent any of their constituents: they are self-serving thieves, selling out their country and its populace for money and power.

The police departments have (for all intents and purposes) been “federalized,” with budgets and marching orders becoming increasingly dependent upon federal and not local or state policies.  Sheriffs who follow their appointed roles as duly-elected law enforcement officials upholding Constitutional guidelines are being “phased out” of existence.  The changed demographics of “forced” insertions of illegal aliens and “refugees” into populations are rapidly negating the remainder of the two-party system to ensure that the Democratic party takes control ad infinitum.

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Price Controls May Be On the Way | Zero Hedge

Price Controls May Be On the Way

Submitted by Paul-Martin Foss via The Mises Institute,

If you thought negative interest rates were as bad as it could get with central banks, you might be in for a surprise. Central banks have been so spectacularly unsuccessful with their accommodative monetary policies that they are discussing pulling out all the stops to get the results they want. They fail to realize that the reason prices aren’t rising is because they really want and need to fall. Bad debts weren’t liquidated during the last financial crisis, the debtors were merely bailed out. Overpriced assets weren’t allowed to be reduced in price. Central banks pumped trillions of dollars into the economy to attempt to paper over the recession. Market forces want to drive prices down, while central banks attempt to prop them up. So what to do when central banks aren’t getting their way?

Central bankers may very well recommend price controls in an attempt to “jolt the economy out of its doldrums.” Of course, economies don’t go into doldrums and they can’t be jolted out of them. Recessions are not something endemic to the economy but are rather the result of central bank monetary intervention. Because central banks refuse to acknowledge their culpability for causing recessions, their methods for responding to recessions end up being more of the same thing that caused them in the first place: monetary easing. And now that those methods are proving ineffective, more drastic measures might be on the way. Remember that the last time all-out wage and price controls were implemented in the United States was in the early 1970s, also a time of great monetary turmoil. In fact, the price controls were instituted by President Nixon at the same time as he closed the gold window in 1971.

As Ludwig von Mises pointed out many decades ago, once you begin to institute price controls, you inevitably lead to socialism.

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A Recipe For Radicalization? | Zero Hedge

A Recipe For Radicalization?

Presented with no comment...

"Europe Is Burning" Nigel Farage Slams Merkel's Migration Maelstrom | Zero Hedge

"Europe Is Burning" Nigel Farage Slams Merkel's Migration Maelstrom

From ISIS marches in Germany to refugees "doing normal manly things" to women in Sweden, UKIP leader Nigel Farage confronts Angela Merkel and her peers in the European parliament over their dreadfully misguided immigration policies.

"Europe is burning," he exclaims, adding that - just like the central-bankers of the world - their solution is insanely simple-minded: "Europe isn't working, so we must have more Europe." The only hope lies, he adds, in the British referendum showing the rest of Europe it is possible to take back control of its own borders.

Does Saudi Arabia's Play For Market Share Make Sense? | Zero Hedge

Does Saudi Arabia's Play For Market Share Make Sense?

Submitted by Dwayne Purvis via OilPrice.com,

Props to Saudi Arabia. Unlike other producers, including U.S. shale producers, it maintained financial strength and flexibility during the last boom. When it began to shift the paradigm of global supply, the kingdom was explicit about its goal - market share - even if it didn’t always trumpet the proactive steps it was taking towards that goal. The now-evident objective of low prices, having been achieved and sustained, begs the question of why Saudi Arabia defended its market share.

The position of Saudi Arabia among producers in 2014 resembled the position of Germany in the European Union in prior years. Both had maintained financial strength despite the prodigal habits of other members, and both were called upon to make unique sacrifices to rescue their neighbors. Germany had closer ties to its partners and seemed to see the ultimate benefit of helping. Perhaps because it didn’t have such ties, Saudi seems to have weighed the benefits differently. Indeed, Saudi had no moral obligation or economic need to sacrifice itself in order to redirect wealth to other producers.

Their actions suggest that they intended to drive prices toward a basement price—stepping supply up when prices reached the $60s, slowly tuning it down when prices hit the $40s and below, and increasing its capacity for production even as prices fell. The recent address of Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi in Houston was straightforward and polite, but it might be crudely paraphrased as, ”Get used to the low prices. Adapt or die.”

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Top German Journalist Admits Mainstream Media Is Completely Fake: "We All Lie For The CIA" | Zero Hedge

Top German Journalist Admits Mainstream Media Is Completely Fake: "We All Lie For The CIA"

With the increasing propaganda wars, we thought a reminder of just how naive many Westerners are when it comes to their news-feed. AsArjun Walia, of GlobalResearch.ca, notes,  Dr. Ulfkotte went on public television stating that he was forced to publish the works of intelligence agents under his own name, also adding that noncompliance with these orders would result in him losing his job.

He recently made an appearance on RT news to share these facts:

I’ve been a journalist for about 25 years, and I was educated to lie, to betray, and not to tell the truth to the public.

But seeing right now within the last months how the German and American media tries to bring war to the people in Europe, to bring war to Russia — this is a point of no return and I’m going to stand up and say it is not right what I have done in the past, to manipulate people, to make propaganda against Russia, and it is not right what my colleagues do and have done in the past because they are bribed to betray the people, not only in Germany, all over Europe.

It’s important to keep in mind that Dr. Ulfkotte is not the only person making these claims; multiple reporters have done the same and this kind of truthfulness is something the world needs more of.

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