Month: August 2022

U.S. District Court of Florida Judge Steven Merryday issued an injunction this week against the Department of Defense and the U.S. Marine Corps, allowing US Marines with religious objections to refuse covid vaccine mandates imposed by the Biden Administration.

Liberty Council, a Christian religious rights law firm, sued Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and pursued class action relief on behalf of all U.S. Marines who were denied religious accommodations from the COVID shots. Some religious objectors refuse the vaccines citing research and development that may have involved aborted fetal cells.

Joe Biden attempted and failed to institute vaccine mandates for US businesses and their employees in 2021, but unfortunately this did not extend to soldiers in the US military.  Mandates have been fought in courts to varying degrees by current serving within different branches, but the pressure to comply has been extensive.  Many have sought religious exemptions, which have been used successfully with other vaccinations, but such rights have been utterly ignored when it comes to the covid mRNA vax.  

Keep in mind, new vaccines on average are tested for at least 10 to 15 YEARS before being released to for use by the US public.  There is no significant long term data on covid mRNA vaccines developed by companies like Pfizer beyond small studies run by the same pharmaceutical corporations that stand to make massive profits.  Some of these studies were only a few weeks to a few months long.  Vaccines with minimal testing are able to be administered to the public under emergency authorization from the government, which is what vax companies used to pump out millions of doses.

Vaccine advocates claim that the covid vaccines are “different” and that companies were able to “compress the timeline for study” because of the billions of dollars involved in Operation Warp Speed.  This is a misrepresentation of the facts.  There is no other precedence in modern vaccine history for such a swift release.  Long term testing is not only about money and meeting efficacy standards, it’s also about monitoring effects that may not be present in testing in short term studies, but could arise unexpectedly over time.  This is why no vaccine has ever been approved by the FDA for public use as quickly as the covid vaccines.

Even the mumps vaccine which was fast-tracked by the US government in 1963 took over 4 years to approve and was rolled out in 1967.  This was the fastest approval ever by the FDA until the covid vaccines came along and were rolled out within 10 months from testing to distribution.

The potential effects involved with mRNA technology are specifically concerning for this reason, and because they have never been used on the medical market anywhere in the world until the covid pandemic.  This is an issue consistently mentioned by one of the inventors of mRNA tech, Robert Malone, along with thousands of other scientists, and he has been consistently demonized for it in the mainstream media.  

In fact, there is NO ONE out there today that can say with any certainty what the long term effects of covid vaccines will be, because there are no long term studies to corroborate claims of safety.  At least, if there are long term studies (multi-year studies) on the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, they have not been released.  

Maybe there will be limited effects, or no effects, or maybe there will be many.  Given the minimal average Infection Fatality Rate of covid, which is 0.23% according to dozens of independent peer reviewed studies, millions of people in the US including many in the military have determined that there is no reason for them to gamble on the jab.  Why take the chance on a vaccine with no long term data when the threat of death is so low, especially for younger people? 

Judge Steven Merryday issued the following injunction against the Department of Defense and the U.S. Marine Corps:

“The defendants are PRELIMINARILY ENJOINED (1) from enforcing against a member of the class any order, requirement, or rule to accept COVID-19 vaccination, (2) from separating or discharging from the Marine Corps a member of the class who declines COVID-19 vaccination, and (3) from retaliating against a member of the class for the member’s asserting statutory rights under RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act).”

According to Liberty Counsel, the class includes:

“All persons on active duty or in the ready reserve (1) who serve under the command of the Marine Corps, (2) who were affirmed by a chaplain as harboring a sincere religious objection, (3) who timely submitted an initial request for a religious accommodation, (4) who were denied the initial request, (5) who timely appealed the denial of the initial request, and (6) who were denied or will be denied after appeal.”

This is a big win for individual liberty in the face of medical authoritarianism, and as the covid hysteria continues to subside perhaps people will finally realize how they allowed their fear to get in the way of reason. 

Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com,

The United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) now has only 453.1 million barrels in its inventory, following another significant drop in the past week that puts the emergency reserve at a low not seen in three and a half decades, Reuters reports, citing the Department of Energy. 

In the week ending August 19th, the SPR saw another draw of 8.1 million barrels, following smaller releases in the weeks leading up to that. 

In March, the Biden administration authorized the release of 1 million bpd from the SPR over a period of six months in a bid to lower oil prices and to potentially boost domestic production through contracts with companies to purchase future oil at fixed prices. The SPR releases are a response to the disruption of global oil markets caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions that have led to soaring oil and gas prices. 

The final plan called for a total release of 180 million barrels of crude from the SPR to counter the inexorable increase in oil prices amid a tight market.

The record-high release of crude oil from the SPR will end this fall. 

In addition to the lowest inventory levels in the SPR since 1985, last Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that crude oil inventories (excluding the SPR) had fallen by 7.1 million barrels. 

For that week, U.S. crude oil inventories, excluding those in the SPR, were at only 425 million barrels, or 6% below the five year average. 

The largest sale from the SPR was announced on August 11, when the Department of Energy said that nine companies would buy 20 million barrels.

According to the Institute of Energy Research, the SPR is expected to shrink to a 40-year low by the end of October, with inventories then at 358 million barrels, compared to 621 million barrels a year ago. 

Seizing other people’s assets to enrich our massive investment banks…it’s the American way!

A massive luxury superyacht that was seized as part of the Western sanctions on Russia this year is going to be sold at auction to pay off J.P. Morgan, a new report from Bloomberg said this week. 

The yacht, formerly owned by sanctioned Russian businessman Dmitry Pumpyansky is going to be sold at auction on Tuesday after Pumpyansky reportedly defaulted on a loan that he was given from J.P. Morgan, the report says. 

According to Nigel Hollyer, a broker at auction house Howe Robinson Partners, it’s going to be the first superyacht auctioned since the sanctions took hold, freezing yachts in ports across the world.

The yacht – Axioma – had been seized in Gibraltar in March. It is currently valued at £63 million, though it is expected to fetch less than that at auction. 

Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan won a court order in Gibraltar last month that allowed for the sale of the yacht on account of Pumpyansky not paying off a $20.6 million loan that was tied to the ship. 

The ship has what every fishing vessel absolutely needs, including a swimming pool and a 3D cinema. The auction has “staggering amount of interest,” Hollyer told Bloomberg. He said there were about 115 inquiries into the yahct and more than two dozen inspections of the vessel. 

Authored by Bruce Wilds via Advancing Time blog,

Much of the recent strength in the yen can be explained in one word and that is China. While I have seen no other currency watchers espouse this theory, I continue to contend the yen has become a major conduit by which wealth is being transferred out of China. This tight relationship can be seen each time trouble surfaces in China’s economy. When this happens the yen rises in value as wealth exits China through business back-channels. 

Let’s be frank, most economic watchers think the Chinese economy is in big trouble, this makes it logical many people would want to get their wealth out of the country. This, however, is easier said than done. China has very strict rules related to taking money in and out of the country.

These rules regulate the actions of individuals attempting to move money out of China. We can assume, that most people moving large amounts of money would rather go under the radar and avoid running into problems with the Chinese government.

A few other factors feed into the recent bounce in the yen but do not be surprised if this recent strength rapidly fades.

One factor playing into the bounce is the decline in the yen’s value over the last several months may have been a bit overdone. Another could be related to the fact energy prices have come down reducing the cost of imports needed to fuel the economy. Still, we are again beginning to see the yen slip down towards its lows and should be repaired to see it again slip into new low territory. 

Japan’s basic problems still remain.

As stated in an earlier post, higher interest rates are toxic to the highly indebted nation. Also, unfavorable demographics will continue to haunt the small island nation. Simply put, the fundamentals for Japan are lousy. Much of the risk of who gets hurt in the case of a falling yen or a default has shifted from the private sector to the Japanese public since the BOJ has continued splurging on JGBs.

The Japanese Government Is Heavily In Debt

As Japan continues down this path it is only a matter of time before the credibility of the BOJ is lost and the yen plunges. To support their stock market the BOJ has even gone to buying stock. When investors in Japan’s government bonds begin to believe that inflation is about to return it would be logical for owners of  Japanese debt to rush out of the low-yielding securities and buy foreign bonds or equities.

Unlike many other leading economies, Japan has been battling deflation or falling prices for the best part of the past two decades. We may have reached the point where reality has now taken hold. This has been a long time coming. When Japan crumbles it will be felt across the world and add to doubts about the whole fiat currency system.  

The printed power of great government incentives strikes again…

First, it was Ford and GM raising the prices of their EVs commensurate with the subsidy the new “Inflation Reduction Act” was offering potential buyers.

Now it’s Hyundai Motor, moving quickly to try and finish its EV plant in Georgia this year so it can also have a spot at the government feeding trough subsidy table.

The automaker is reportedly looking to speed up construction of its forthcoming facilities in Georgia so that it can start production in the second half of 2024, Yonhap and Bloomberg reported this week. 

The company was originally slated to begin production in the first half of 2025 and not start construction until January 2023. 

But the changes are afoot because the “US’ Inflation Reduction Act. excludes EVs built outside US from tax breaks”, Bloomberg reported this week. 

Recall, less than a week ago we noted that Ford was hiking the price of its F-150 by about the exact same amount as would be received by EV subsidies included in the act. 

Ford announced last week that it is raising the price of its high end electric F-150 by up to $8,500; an amount that adds another $1,000 onto the new $7,500 EV subsidy that was including in President Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act”. Base models are seeing their prices hiked by $7,000. 

Biden signed his “flagship” act last Tuesday afternoon. 

One more time, so we’re clear: a $7,500 taxpayer subsidy included in an act named after reducing inflation appears to have spurred an even larger price hike on electric pickup trucks. 

The electric F-150 had previously been listed for $40,000 for its base version. Now, it is priced at $47,000, according to CNN. The better equipped versions of the vehicles have similar price hikes, up to $8,500. 

Authored by Augustus Howard via RealClearPolitics.com,

The FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago represents the logical next step in the left’s ongoing effort to destroy Donald Trump.

The raid also evinces Democrats’ spiral of worry: A successful Trump return, once unthinkable to them, is looking more possible by the day.

To stop it, Democrats and their anti-Trump Republican allies are prepared to shred every last norm of American due process.

Consider the January 6 Committee hearings – a one-sided show trial that, instead of “defending democracy,” in fact subverts due process and undermines American politics and justice alike. Why did Nancy Pelosi throw precedent to the wind, denying the minority party the right to seat its own chosen members on the committee? Why does the committee showcase select witnesses and cherry-picked testimony in carefully choreographed, professionally-produced television specials? And at the same time, why does it bury other testimony, potentially unhelpful to the chosen narrative, far from the cameras?

If Pelosi and the Democrats were confident in their case, they would make it without privilege or prejudice for any particular witness. Republican members, chosen by Republican leadership, would have the right to examine and cross-examine everyone who testifies. Ordinary due process would be observed. But the Democrats are clearly far from confident – about their case, but more importantly still, about their electoral prospects. For them, the January 6 hearings had to be a “no-risk” proposition, a fait accompli in which the “defendants” are presumed guilty with no opportunity to “prove” their innocence. Due process, for Pelosi and crew, was simply a luxury that could not be afforded.

At the same time, and for only the second time in American history, the Justice Department has convicted an individual for not complying with a congressional subpoena: former Trump aide Stephen Bannon, who originally refused to testify before the January 6 Committee, citing executive privilege. Ordinarily, division-of-power understandings counsel against such a prosecution; the Justice Department usually takes the view that Congress must enforce its own will in inherently political matters. This may be why Obama Attorney General Eric Holder was never prosecuted for defying congressional subpoenas over the Fast and Furious operation, wherein his department supplied thousands of firearms to criminals south of the border. But precedent, and the rules for the Obama Administration, simply do not apply to Trump – and they must not, lest he be able to run again for president. So, Bannon was prosecuted and convicted for defying a subpoena, even though he ultimately agreed to testify anyway. And for all that, Democrats still will not televise Bannon’s potentially inconvenient testimony.

And then came the raid in Palm Beach. For the first time in our nation’s history, Americans saw government agents with guns, at the behest of a sitting president’s Justice Department, enter the residence of his predecessor. The agents turned over the former president’s office and rummaged through the former first lady’s wardrobe, all supposedly to seize classified documents from Trump’s administration. Of course, Trump could have declassified any of the documents at issue while president if he chose to do so. But, as Andrew McCarthy argues in the New York Post, this isn’t about classified documents anyway; the raid was likely just a pretext to further the January 6 investigation. Certainly, it was a continuation of the effort to discredit and remove Donald Trump forever.

Expect such actions to continue and worsen. Recent polls show Trump defeating Joe Biden in a rematch.

Biden’s approval numbers remain at historic, embarrassing lows. And Democrats think they will lose control of Congress in the midterms.

With Trump gaining momentum in his own party – he overwhelmingly won a recent CPAC straw poll – Democrats know that the window to stop him is closing. For them and their anti-Trump GOP allies, it’s now or never. Unfortunately, much the same can be said for American due process.

Greta Thunberg’s guilt-trip climate shame tour appears to have hit the wall, as green pipe dreams with zero practical solutions meet the realities of, well, reality.

Or, as Sky News Australia’s Andrew Bolt puts it; “A mere child, full of rage, obsessed with doom, totally devoid of any practical solutions – but here she was lecturing the world on how to fuel their 21st century economies.”

Over the past year, Thunberg’s movement – described by Bolt as a “cult” – has fizzled out.

“Thunberg is now a victim of her own success in scaring people into doing very, very stupid things that we’re now paying for.”

Watch:

Via Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com,

Precious metals expert and financial writer Bill Holter says, “nothing is getting better” and points out the proof is everywhere that we are clearly headed for a financial calamity, the likes of which we have never seen before. 

Holter, who is also a precious metals broker, is seeing a big pick-up in business because big money is looking for a place to hide in the physical world.  Holter explains,

“We are getting more orders and larger orders.  I think this is natural because I think people know something is wrong, and when something is wrong, you want to get defensive.  I think people are finally making the connection the world is in the process of bankrupting, and you want your capital in something that cannot bankrupt.  By definition, that is gold and silver.”

Holter says evil is trying to take over everywhere. 

Holter contends, “The consensus is the fact that we have a 2nd Amendment and we still have guns here is the only reason they have not snapped the trap shut yet.  The United States is ‘the last bastion.’ “

“Just look at Australia.  Look at New Zealand.  Look at Canada.  Look at Britain.  Can you have guns there?  No, they have taken them away.  What did they do?  They forced the population into lockdown.  They forced the population to get the jab.  The result is you are going to see the West vastly depopulated and degraded in the next 1, 2 or 5 years.  They have total control over their population.  Whereas, that is not the case yet in the U.S.”

Holter has long said when the overloaded debt system breaks, it will break “fast and ugly.” 

“Credit will dry up overnight,” and “The world runs on credit,” according to Holter. 

His math shows a dark time ahead even for the prepared.  Holter explains,

“All you have to do is wake up in the morning and read the news, and you know it has gotten worse than the day before.  That’s day after day.  I have talked about ‘Mad Max’ for several years.  When I first started talking about it, I got all kinds of grief, and they called me a nut case.  It is certainly looking more and more now as the likely scenario.  It just goes back to the West and, including China, it is not in the West, but it too is extremely levered (or indebted).  When you over-lever a financial system, you over-lever an economy.  At some point, the only thing that can happen is something bad.  It’s either default or hyperinflation of the currency to pay the debt back.  As far as timing, I would be shocked if we make it through the end of this year and people would still consider the system normal.”

When the system does break, that’s when it turns “ugly.”  Holter explains,

“As far as how are things going to work when this thing goes down?  My question would be is anything going to work?  Will your bank be open?  Will your broker be open?  Will there be a store open or a restaurant or any place to buy goods?  That gets back to Jim Sinclair’s ‘Get out of the System’ (GOTS).  Become your own central banker.  Stock up on the things you think you are going to need.  Is it going to last two weeks or two years?  It could last two years.  One thing for sure, our life in the United States is going to be drastically changed to a lower standard of living. . . . You are watching the breakdown in real time.”

There is much more in the 41 min interview.

Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with financial writer and precious metals expert Bill Holter of JSMineset.com for 8.20.22.

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