Reader’s Links for May 20, 2024

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Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

For those interested, please check out https://vladtepesblog.substack.com/ as an another avenue of expression.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

23 Replies to “Reader’s Links for May 20, 2024”

    • Hmm. This story is so California it could almost be Canada. I think I’m on to something here.

  2. Zombieland.

    Interest rates are going up because the U.S. Fed has lost control over the price of money. The Keynesian reflex to recession is to suppress rates, increase the money supply and thereby grease the wheels of commerce. But it, along with every other western central bank, has badly abused this trick for too long. This is also known as “kicking the can down the road.” Translated it means the leader in power didn’t want a recession on his watch, so he enlisted his “arms-length” Fed head to do modern monetary theory for him (secret alert: MMT is nothing new. It’s actually rather old bullshit ostensibly worthy of the Nobel Prize.) Bush, Clinton, Obama, Trump and Biden are all guilty of this suppression of the natural business cycle, and the concurrent suppression of all price discovery historically attached to the 10-year T-Bill.

    Clearing the dead wood created by the misallocation of capital is nature’s way. Businesses that should fail must fail in order to clear the way for better businesses. To deny this is to make a false economy populated by zombie companies.

    Keynesian-driven governments are zombies, too. Socialist zombies. (Don’t you love the letter “Z”? Zzzzzzzzz. Fun fact Canadians say “Zed”, ‘Mericans “Zee”. Zee sounds gay to me, sorry. Nuffin’ wrong with that.) Zombie governments are those that have run out of other people’s money. Voilá. Denial is more than just a river.

    Right now we are careening down the road in a 1971 Chevy. Our ride began August 15, 1971. (Y’all should be familiar with this seminal day by now so I won’t bother expanding.)

    The Fed is in a debt trap. Lower rates and you get even more wicked inflation. Political poo-poo. Keeping them the same won’t help because this perpetuates stagflation (no growth but still-higher prices.) Right now real inflation still exceeds the cost of money so rates remain net negative. (Yes, government lies about all stats economic.) I think this is why we are seeing the rare phenomenon of rising precious metals with a nominally-strong USD.

    The market wants and needs higher interest rates to justify the risk of lending any more money into Zombieland. There. Is this clear enough? But what happens if rates rise?

    Increasing the current cost of debt will be more than zombies can handle. https://zombie.fandom.com/wiki/Zombie_Killing

    And what if our zombie governments are different this time? What if there is a monster even bigger than every national government in the world put together? Or at least it aspires to be bigger! What if instead of extinguishing debt by inflating it away–as is the traditional means of stealth default–this monster decides the time has finally come to default the whole damned system rather than default nation states? Better yet, let default be the cover to take over as many nation states as possible.

    Opportunistically extinguish the current economic paradigm in order to upgrade the Keynesian socialist paradise to a proper totalitarian version. I believe this eventuality was fully understood by the creatures from Jekyll Island. After all, J.P. Morgan was the one who defined money as gold and nothing but:
    https://youtube.com/shorts/73PD-ZroYxg?si=GBv8NRD2hDBu8Dhy

    There, we fixed it fer ya.

    https://youtu.be/z9WkALaFrkU?si=dq2iGs8Wk9iMrepb

    Alisdair Macleod

  5. Andrew Breitbart’s Final Warning, Warns Of The Left
    Freedom Speaks – September 26, 2017

  11. BREAKING: Iranian President CONFIRMED Dead! | Elijah Schaffer
    by Elijah Shaffer May. 20, 2024 9:00 am142 Comments

    Welcome to The Gateway Pundit’s Week-in-Review with Elijah Schaffer, where he covers the top 5 stories throughout the week in around 10 minutes.

    Today is a special day with BREAKING news regarding the death of the Iranian President Ebrahaim Raisi.

    Collin Rugg of Trending Politics reported on X: “JUST IN: Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi is confirmed dead after rescuers reached the crash site. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is also dead.

    The discovery came after a long night of searching in freezing conditions. Shortly before the discovery, Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir-Hossein Kolivand said the situation was “not good.” According to Reuters, the helicopter was completely burned in the crash.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/breaking-iranian-president-confirmed-dead-elijah-schaffer/

  12. International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
    by Jim Hoft May. 20, 2024 8:45 am463 Comments

    The International Criminal Court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

    Karim Khan made the announcement this morning.
    How creepy.

    The Jew haters are going to love this news.

    The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Karim Khan announced the news on CNN with reporter Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview on Monday.

    read the rest along with the X posts at

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/international-criminal-court-issues-arrest-warrant-israeli-prime/

    (Richard: This is a big mistake for the International Criminal Court, they are trying to assert jurisdiction over all nations whether they have signed the treaty or not, this will drive a lot of smaller nations away from the Court as they seek to maintain their Sovereignty.

    We are going to have to wait and see what Obidens response will be, probably empty words and no action.)

  13. Pray for Brazil: Chief Serere Threatened with 5 to 10 Years in  Prison for Crime of Protesting
    by Richard Abelson May. 20, 2024 8:15 am81 Comments

    Brazilian Chief Serere Xavante is in danger of being sent back to prison for the crime of protesting. He asks our readers to pray for him.
    Gateway Pundit readers helped secure the release of the Chief and Pastor in September 2023 after 9 months in prison, for which he expressed his thanks.
    Currently, the Brazilian Supreme Court is cracking down on free speech again, after Elon Musk and journalist Michael Shellenberger helped raise awareness of the assault on democracy in the largest country in South America.
    Now, Chief Serere is in danger of being sent back to prison for 5 to 10 years for the crime of opposing the government. Many indigenous Brazilians support President Jair Bolsonaro, who protected their rights against colonialist Western “environmentalists” who want to force the indigenous to live in the Stone Age.  Indigenous Brazilians are protected by law in Brazil, which the Lula  government regularly ignores.

    Indigenous chief José Acácio Serere Xavante, known as Cacique Serere, was one of the organizers of the mass popular protests in Fall 2022, in which millions of Brazilians took to the streets to peacefully protest the elections they saw as plagued by fraud. In several Amazon districts, where many indigenous support President Bolsonaro, there were zero votes recorded for Bolsonaro.
    Chief Serere was arrested at gunpoint in the capital of Brasilía in front of his family Dec. 12, 2022 by the private “Federal Police” force of the head of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, and imprisoned for 9 months.
    He was released in September 2023  on supervised release, using an Electronic Anklet that monitors his steps and prohibited from interacting with his people in the tribal villages, being forced to remain within the limits of the electronic anklet’s range, his lawyer Geovane Veras Pessoa writes, who represents 46 political prisoners.
    Currently, Chief Serere has to stay at his home in the municipality of Aragarças, in the State of Goiás, without being able to work. “Serere is unfairly accused of committing the offense of Incitement to Crime, provided for in article 286 of the Brazilian Penal Code, whose penalty is 3 to 6 months of detention or a fine,” his lawyer writes. He has already served 9 months, exceeding the maximum provided by law.
    On April 29, Chief Serere had his Parole Hearing, where he argued he did not commit a crime, since the Brazilian Constitution guarantees Free Speech and Free Assembly. To the surprise of the defense, the Federal Supreme Court added another crime to the charges, Criminal Association, without any proof for the new accusation, his Veras Pessoa said.
    “In truth, Serere was arrested because he criticized Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes and President Lula over the lack of transparency in the 2022 presidential elections,“ his lawyer wrote.
    Serere’s health worsened in prison because he did not receive proper medical care or adequate food for his type 2 diabetes. His kidneys and vision are currently compromised and he needs expensive diabetes medicines, but he does not have the financial resources to support his family. Serere is currently under house arrest, and cannot visit his people or work to support himself and his family of 6 children and his wife.
    Also, the ankle bracelet is causing wounds and swelling on Serere’s left leg, which further worsens his health condition, his lawyer wrote.
    “Brazil today is experiencing a dictatorship of the Judiciary, in which the Justices of the Supreme Court are violating the elementary Rights of Defense, Due Process and Contradiction,” his attorney said. “It is imperative that Brazil returns to the Democratic Rule of Law and the Freedom guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.”
    Western leftist journalists who claim to be concerned about the plight of the indigenous people in Brazil are shamefully ignoring the plight of Chief Serere and other indigenous political prisoners.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/pray-brazil-chief-serere-threatened-5-10-years/

  14. Slovakia PM Robert Fico No Longer in Life-Threatening Condition After Assassination Attempt, ‘Approaching Positive Prognosis’
    by Ben Kew May. 20, 2024 8:00 am58 Comments

    Days after being targeted in an assassination attempt, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico appears to be on the mend.

    According to the hospital where he is being treated, Fico’s condition is now stable and he is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening situation.

    “After today’s medical board meeting, the patient’s condition is stable,” the hospital in the central Slovak town of Banska Bystrica wrote on Facebook. “He is clinically improving, communicating, and his inflammatory markers are gradually decreasing. The Prime Minister remains in our care.”

    Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak over the weekend said that Fico’s surgeries were “beginning to bear fruit” and that he may eventually be able to return to work.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/slovakia-pm-robert-fico-no-longer-life-threatening/

  16. Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/05/new-york-decides-to-ban-glocks-and-other-convertible-pistols/#ixzz8amfAtI6H

    New York Decides to Ban Glocks and Other “Convertible” Pistols
    Ammoland Inc. Posted on May 20, 2024 by Dan Wos
    New York Gun Flag iStock-884181314
    New York is an anti-gun dystopia. IMG iStock-884181314

    The No-Gun state of New York is working on a new strategy. It’s a bill called S 9225 that was introduced for the purpose of making it illegal to manufacture or sell any device that can turn a firearm into a rapid fire “machine gun.” The devious way the bill is written may make a vast number of firearms and manufacturers vulnerable.
    The bill states: “ANY SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL THAT CAN BE CONVERTED INTO A MACHINE-GUN SOLELY BY THE INSTALLATION OR ATTACHMENT OF A PISTOL CONVERTER.”

    The Bill specifically names Glock for its “Glock Switch” but also includes any “copycat weapons” that can be converted in the same way. S9225 would make it illegal for certain persons to possess or sell a “pistol converter” or converted pistol.

    Using the politicized term “gun violence” as justification for this new firearm regulation, the bill also talks about handguns being small in size and of simple design. This makes pistols easily converted with nothing more than a screwdriver, turning them into illegal, fully automatic weapons. The Bill states, “If makers of convertible pistols adapt their designs to ensure they cannot be converted into machine guns simply by installing a pistol converter, they will no longer be subject to the sale prohibition.”
    This language appears to be code for, “We will determine which guns can be “converted,” and the State of New York will have the final word on which guns can be sold in New York.

    It is clear that New York State has a criminal violence problem, yet they interchange the word “criminal” with the word “gun” and use it multiple times throughout the bill to justify the legislation of devices such as the Glock Switch. There is no such thing as “gun violence.” New York and other Democrat-run states have “human violence” or “criminal violence” problems that they refuse to deal with. Rational people understand that the violence in the state of New York comes from incompetent policymakers who allow for things such as early release, bail reform and other forms of leniency for criminals.

    The originally appointed Governor, Kathy Hochul, released 191 prisoners from Rikers Island as soon as she was handed the position of Governor from the disgraced Andrew Cuomo. Should the State of New York enforce laws and crackdown on crime, the problems they claim to be having because of firearms wouldn’t exist. It has become crystal clear that if the State had a reduction in violent crime, justification for gun control laws would decrease. New York State appears to be one of the several states that capitalizes on its own manufactured crime for political purposes and the false need for gun control laws.

    The New York bill, S9225, co-sponsored by Iwen Chew, reads more like an anti-gun OpEd from Mom’s Demand Action. Several anti-gun buzzwords are peppered throughout the bill, staying true to Democrat rhetoric stylings and looking like nothing more than a propaganda piece to influence other Legislators.
    The Bill claims it would “hold firearm companies that produce convertible pistols accountable for their failure to address this problem and the dangers it poses to New York State. It is intended to incentivize them to take steps to update their design to prevent the continued misuse of their products.”

    The problem with the way these Legislators write the text for these anti-gun bills is that they are very misleading. In this particular case, the text specifically says New York State will hold firearm companies accountable for their failure to address this “problem,” implying that the “problem” is gun-related. The real problem is once again one of “human violence,” which the State refuses to address and is of its own making. As usual, Democrats are pushing the blame onto someone else. In this case, Glock and other firearm manufacturers.

    The text also refers to “misuse of their products,” this implies that firearm manufacturers are responsible for the actions of people who possess their products. “The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act” (PLCAA) specifically protects firearm manufacturers from “misuse” and liability if their products are used illegally. This text appears to be an attempt at removing this protection in the State of New York and making firearm manufacturers vulnerable.
    New York Democrats understand that if they can remove the protections that are in place for firearm manufacturers, they can sue them to the point they stop doing business in New York or run them out of business altogether. The goal is a completely unarmed New York State Citizenry.

  17. Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/05/mclaughlin-poll-exposes-concern-about-media-bias-on-guns-2a/#ixzz8amfWpllI

    McLaughlin Poll Exposes Concern About Media Bias on Guns, 2A
    Ammoland Inc. Posted on May 18, 2024 by Dave Workman
    A new McLaughlin survey finds a clear majority of Americans are concerned about media bias when reporting on gun violence and the Second Amendment.

    A new McLaughlin survey released Thursday shows a majority of Americans are “concerned” about media bias when it comes to reporting on gun-related violent crime and Second Amendment issues.

    The poll was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, a national survey research and strategic services company specializing in public opinion research and media planning, for the Second Amendment Foundation. SAF was not involved in crafting survey questions or the actual polling, the group said in a release.

    McLaughin revealed that a whopping 71.9 percent of Americans are concerned that the national media and news organizations such as ABC, CBS and NBC are biased when it comes to reporting about gun violence and Second Amendment issues. By contrast, only 16.6 percent of respondents are “not very concerned”, and a scant 8.9 percent are “not concerned at all” about the perceived bias.

    This comes on the heels of a Rasmussen survey which found a majority of likely voters do not believe the media is covering the important issues of the upcoming presidential election campaign. According to Rasmussen, “Only 28% of voters rate the national news media as doing a good or excellent job in terms of covering the most important issues, while 46% give the media a poor rating.”
    This begs the question: Is the media out of touch with average Americans? SAF’s Alan Gottlieb had an interesting observation as he announced the McLaughlin survey results. “If media bias on this issue is so clear to Americans, it raises the question as to why?”

    Media bias has become an embarrassing issue in recent weeks, following an Op-Ed by now-former NPR veteran business editor Uri Berliner accusing NPR of bias. Berliner subsequently resigned.

    Scrutiny on alleged bias has become so intense that on May 8, the House Energy Committee held a hearing on the subject and NPR CEO Katherine Maher declined an invitation to appear before the committee, according to Fox News. An NPR spokesperson reportedly told Fox News Digital that Maher would be willing to testify on a different date.
    The question of media bias against guns is nothing new. Almost two years ago, the Associated Press announced a style change in how newspapers should report on so-called “assault weapons,” as reported by the National Review.

    “The preferred term for a rifle that fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, and automatically reloads for a subsequent shot, is a semi-automatic rifle. An automatic rifle continuously fires rounds if the trigger is depressed and until its ammunition is exhausted,” the AP said in its Stylebook, which is considered the equivalent of a bible for copy editors and reporters.

    But to this day, very few news agencies appear to have switched gears on this important issue. Semi-auto rifles are still referred to as “assault rifles,” which the firearms community knows is simply false. It is one thing to make an error and correct it, and an entirely different thing when the known error continues to be repeated. This is the sort of thing which contributes to criticism of media bias about guns and the Second Amendment.

    Veteran pollster Jim McLaughlin, president and partner at McLaughlin and Associates, is quoted in a SAF news release observing, “Clearly the vast majority of Americans have lost faith in the national media when it comes to reporting honestly and fairly about gun violence and Second Amendment issues. Interestingly, not only are Republicans (83%) suspect of the information they receive, but Independents (69%) and even Democrats (63%) are worried about bias on Second Amendment and gun violence issues.”
    SAF’s Gottlieb believes guns, crime and the Second Amendment will be “major issues” in the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, and gun rights versus gun control will likely be an issue in gubernatorial and legislative elections as well.

    Joe Biden has been outspoken in his efforts to ban so-called “assault rifles” and even 9mm pistols. Many gun owners and rights activists say the president has “weaponized” the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to crack down on firearms dealers, and also to add restrictions on law-abiding gun owners who make private sales or purchases of firearms as collectors or hobbyists.

    The McLaughlin survey also found that 36 percent of respondents considered themselves Democrats, another 36 percent are Republicans and 28 percent are Independents.

    Interestingly, 29.1 percent identified as liberal, 35 percent identify as moderate and 35.9 percent consider themselves conservative, the poll found.

    Another revelation about the McLaughlin poll is that an overwhelming majority (85.4%) are regular voters, with 64.8 percent saying they always vote and 20.5 percent saying the “almost always” vote.

    And there was another stunning revelation of the McLaughlin survey. Only 24 percent believe the United States is on the “right track” while 68.2 percent believe the country is on the “wrong track.” Likewise, a May 13 Rasmussen poll said only 28 percent of likely voters think the country “is heading in the right direction” while 67 percent “believe the nation is headed down the wrong track.”

    The pollsters are evidently on to something, and it will likely play out Nov. 5.

  18. BREAKING: A Fuming Judge Merchan Runs Interference for Bragg, Shouts at Trump Defense Witness Robert Costello: GET OUT OF THE COURTROOM, NOW!
    by Cristina Laila May. 20, 2024 3:34 pm870 Comments

    President Trump was back in a Manhattan court on Monday in Alvin Bragg’s Soviet-style ‘hush money’ lawfare trial.

    The prosecutors earlier Monday rolled out their ‘star witness’ Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer, to take the witness stand.

    Cohen shocked the public when he admitted he stole tens of thousands of dollars from Trump and lied to Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg.

    After the prosecution rested their case, Trump’s defense team called attorney Robert Costello to the witness stand.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/breaking-fuming-judge-merchan-shouts-trump-defense-witness/

  19. NEW: Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Biden’s ATF Rule Expanding Gun Background Checks
    by Cristina Laila May. 20, 2024 4:00 pm89 Comments

    A federal judge on Sunday issued a temporary restraining order against the Biden Administration, stopping the unconstitutional ATF rule expanding gun background checks.

    Last month the Biden Regime announced the implementation of the “Engaged in the Business” Final Rule.

    The Final Rule aimed to close the so-called “gun show loophole,” ensuring that all gun dealers, regardless of where they sell firearms, comply with federal background check requirements.

    Firearms Policy Coalition wrote, “There’s no such thing as a “gun-show loophole,” and despite everything wrong with this despotic overreach, ATF even makes this clear when answering the public comments of “supporters.” Your intentionally deceitful commentary mirrors that of history’s most vile government actors.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/new-trump-appointed-judge-blocks-bidens-atf-rule/

  20. The Soil Beneath the Encampments: How Israel and Jews Became the Focus of Hate at Harvard
    by the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance (HJAA), May 2024

    On October 8th, as the terrorist attack on Israel that murdered 1,200 people was still ongoing, more than 30 Harvard student groups signed a statement that “h[e]ld the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”

    In the following weeks, many Harvard students rallied in support of a genocidal terrorist group that had just committed crimes against humanity while simultaneously condemning Israel as a racist, apartheid, and genocidal state worthy of elimination.

    This paradox was a wake-up call: Something was profoundly wrong at our beloved alma mater.

    Hence, the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance was formed. We now have 3,000 members.

    Shortly after HJAA launched, a small group of HJAA members – none of whom knew each other in advance – came together to research the day-to-day experiences of Jewish and Israeli Harvard students and to examine and explore the root causes of the hatred on display…

    What we found was worse than we had anticipated.
    https://harvardjewishalumni.org/docs/Final%20HJAA%20Report.The_Soil_Beneath_the_Encampments.pdf
    …………..

    I used to scold NorseRadish on this blog when he savaged the Ivy League as the root of most establishment evil. No! I used to say. There was always a cozy little corner – diversity, in fact.

    Now that’s gone.

    I wasn’t on the team that prepared this report: I would’ve been far more caustic, vomiting a rant. This is nuts-&-bolts good. Check out the Executive Summary.