Guest Contributor – Ed Brault – 18FEB2024 – New York Exodus

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How many corporations will look at what happened to Trump, and start making HARD decisions about conducting business in New York City or State? Some truckers are already refusing loads for NYC. How many billions would it cost NY if those companies closed their offices and moved their operations to surrounding states like CT, RI, NJ, or PA. The COVID experience with remote office work proved that large corporate administrative centers are not essential to conducting business. The money saved on real estate costs may well counter the cost of server farms and optical fiber networks. Not to mention relieving workers of having to face long commutes or living in outrageously expensive apartments in the city.

In his zeal to “get” Donald Trump, this idiot DA and his megalomaniac judge may have sown the seeds of New York’s final financial ruin. Remember, if they can do this to a financial powerhouse like Donald Trump, who won’t be targeted?

Guest Contributor – War Pig – 18FEB2024 – Lawless

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If a billionaire former US President and current candidate can be nakedly screwed over, what hope is there for the rest of us?

The only glimmer is that if Trump is elected, the precedent of no Presidential immunity has been set. That means Clinton, Obama and Biden cannot hide behind it.

But whatever. There is no rule of law in this nation, anymore. It is anarchy where violent criminals are coddled and lawful citizens are murdered by their own government. Time for the red states to declare martial law or else for a movement of vigilantism to take hold. It could rapidly rein in the antifa and blm movements as the anarchists would be hugely outnumbered and outgunned.

The blue states are already seceding by ignoring law and using kangaroo courts to produce false convictions. Time for the red states to band together in solidarity and tell the left’s minions to go get stuffed.

An American Spectacle

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In the last week or two Donald Trump has been found guilty of civil crimes that added up will cost him $438 million dollars.  And that does not include the ban on doing business in New York State that will cost him untold amounts of money in addition.  And both of these trials are on transparently trumped-up charges that have been railroaded by criminally partisan prosecutors and judges.

I can’t say that I’m surprised by any of this.  But I do think it is notable that federal and state officials are nakedly using fraudulent means to attack Donald Trump’s fortune in addition to his person.  Not only are they trying to imprison but they also want to bankrupt him.  What I’m curious to see is whether this is completely without consequences for those in charge of these bogus prosecutions.

From where I stand, I think they will get away with it.  It’s possible that higher courts may reverse some of these decisions based on the outrageous procedures that were used.  The case that involved the allegedly overvalued assets is a complete sham that has no precedent.  An honest court would have thrown it out on the face of it.  But I don’t foresee any blowback to the New York Attorney General or the judge that oversaw the trial.

And the fake rape civil trial is a complete farce over supposed events that happened over fifteen years ago and never had any credibility in the first place.  Once again, if the decision is reversed there won’t be any negative consequences for the Manhattan District Attorney or the judge.  None.

Probably the only tangible effect of these witch-hunts will be on wealthy New Yorkers who think they might have Democrat political enemies.  Being stripped of their fortunes now probably seems a lot more real and incredibly frightening.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them start to rethink living and doing business in the “Empire State.”  Maybe there will be a stampede of billionaires heading for the borders out of New York.  Suddenly that name Empire State takes on a new meaning.  Empires exist at the whim of the emperor.  Justice isn’t a blind goddess in an empire.  She takes her marching orders from the boss.

And that’s what we’re seeing.  Justice is now doled out in Washington, Colorado, California and New York according to whether you belong to the right party.  If you don’t genuflect to the pieties, if you won’t burn incense to Caesar then you can expect that knock on the door and maybe you lose your money or even your freedom.

More than ever it’s important to think about the United States as separate states.  Some of them still seem to possess equal justice under the law.  But definitely not all.  Being a business owner or even a parent is a lot different in Florida than it is in California or New York.  And something like Trump’s railroading will make that crystal clear.

I guess it seems odd, me pitying Donald Trump.  He’s very wealthy (so far), has been President of the United States and is famous and popular with over a hundred million Americans.  I’m nobody.  Even if Trump has to pay off these bogus fines, he’ll still be many thousands of times richer than I am.  But I think of the spectacle of the supposedly “last best hope for humanity” rounding on one of its most important citizens and using the same tactics that you’d expect Saddam Hussein would have used against his enemies.

I think of what I would do in his circumstances and I have to admit I’d be overwhelmed.  Look at what the FBI has done to those people who were in Washington on January 6th.  None of the courts in DC are fair.  The jury selection is rigged.  Once government uses a partisan mob against its citizens, we’ve reached bottom.  This is no different from Robespierre ginning up the mob to “judge” anyone and everyone who fell into the hands of the Committee of Public Safety.

It’s not justice.  It’s just being fed to the lions in the coliseum.  And the knowledge that any of the elite can be subjected to this same treatment will alter the reputation of the United States as a safe haven for the rich and their money.  And that alteration will weaken the United States a great deal.  Something to think about.

18FEB2024 – Quote of the Day

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It may be, sir, that the politicians of the United States are not so fastidious as some gentlemen are, as to disclosing the principles on which they act. They boldly preach what they practise. When they are contending for victory, they avow their intention of enjoying the fruits of it. If they are defeated, they expect to retire from office. If they are successful, they claim, as a matter of right, the advantages of success. They see nothing wrong in the rule, that to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy.

William Learned Marcy

Adapting to Post America

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“We’re not voting our way out of this.” This is the mantra of the Dissident Right. And at this point it seems essentially correct. The powers that be can rig the elections and use illegal immigration to create a permanent electoral advantage to frustrate the will of the majority of Americans.
Well then, so be it. The real strength of the dissident right isn’t the specifics of the things they believe. It’s their escape from the false hope that somehow, we can wrest control of the government away from the elites. “The truth shall set you free.” And in this case, that’s exactly right. Being freed from a false hope is extremely valuable. It allows you to redirect your energy toward things that are not only possible but optimal. If you see the world the way it actually is then you can make informed decisions about how to navigate through that world. And that is how an intelligent person should live. And if you are perceptive enough your outcome should exceed that of the other choices available.
For instance, take the case of the conservative idealist. Take a concrete example. Look at that poor wedding baker in Colorado. For the last ten years he has been defending himself against various LGBTQ lunatics who are trying to force him to bake cakes for gay weddings, transgender transitioning parties and every other weirdo occasion that the queer community can think of. And the state of Colorado has prosecuted him to the fullest extent of the law. And even after the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, he’s back in court again.
Well, this is not my idea of smart. If his religious convictions forbid him to bake queer cakes then either he should move to a state that agrees with his convictions or he should find a different way to make a living. Living in a lose-lose situation doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
And now look at the other side of the coin. How about the woke true believers. They’re currently living the dream. The federal government has their back. They’re getting everything they believe in. In California. they’ve got green energy, child castration and open borders. So, things are great. Except they have to live with green energy, child castration and open borders. And because they’re true believers they are susceptible to accepting permanent energy disruptions, high cost of living, high crime environment and possibly losing their children to suicide and the likelihood of no grandchildren. That’s not exactly a win-win situation either.
We find ourselves living in a funhouse world where the official policies of those in charge are askew with reality. Well, this isn’t the first time in history when that has been the case. Lots of empires end up that way. What seems most important is the ability to translate what is said in bizzarro world into what it means from a practical point of view and figure out the work arounds needed to avoid the pitfalls.
Now it may be the case that in the future, Post America will make it impossible for anyone outside the elites to live a happy life. In that case the two choices are leave or fight. Fighting is a big deal. It’s been tried before by a large group of states and it didn’t work. Leaving, of course, isn’t an easy or painless course of action either. From my point of view, we’re not near the point where that is an obviously better choice. So currently we have the red states as better places to look for relief and using your own savvy to avoid the worst of woke pitfalls. One of the ways to avoid the pitfalls is to maintain a personal circle of people who think the way you do and that you can trust. Within such a group you can be yourself and have the freedom needed to enjoy life. Admittedly it’s a sad remnant of the freedoms we formerly enjoyed but that’s where we are and pretending otherwise is leaving yourself open to the worst that the government can inflict on people like us.

Battle for Avdiivka Over. Ukrainian Retreat Imperiled.

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The Russians have worn down the Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka to the point that a rescue mission was organized to extract the defenders before it was too late.  Now the rescuers must save themselves along with their besieged brethren.

Avdiivka has become the new Bakhmut where the Russians have ground down their adversaries in a war of attrition.  Both sides have probably lost several thousand men and now the numerical superiority of the Russians has won them the city, or what’s left of it.

The next act will be the retreat by the Ukrainian forces down the few roads that can accommodate war vehicles.  The Russians have encircled the city and the next day or so will witness whether the retreating army can escape decimation.

This war has been one long series of horrific clashes.  With western aid drying up it will be surprising if the Ukrainians manage to continue this war of attrition for much longer.

Guest Contributor – Ed Brault – 16FEB2024 – Marie Antoinette Vindicata

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There is absolutely no historical evidence that Marie-Antoinette ever said “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” or anything like it. So where did the quote come from, and how did it become associated with Marie-Antoinette?

Folklore scholars have found similar tales in other parts of the world, although the details differ from one version to another. In a tale collected in 16th-century Germany, for instance, a noblewoman wonders why the hungry poor don’t simply eat Krosem (a sweet bread). Essentially, stories of rulers or aristocrats oblivious to their privileges are popular and widespread legends.

The first person to put the specific phrase “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” into print may have been the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In Book VI of Rousseau’s Confessions (written about 1767), he relates a version of the story, attributing the quote to “a great princess.” Although Marie-Antoinette was a princess at the time, she was still a child, so it is unlikely that she was the princess Rousseau had in mind.
Since Rousseau’s writings inspired the revolutionaries, it has sometimes been supposed that they picked up on this quote, falsely credited it to Marie-Antoinette, and spread it as propaganda, as a way to rouse opposition to the monarchy. However, contemporary researchers are skeptical of such claims, having found no evidence of the quote in newspapers, pamphlets, and other materials published by the revolutionaries.