Media and politicians are using the reported massive increase in positive Covid test results to call for another US lockdown. Meanwhile there are increasing doubts as to the accuracy of the tests. New Jersey is mandating masks and two Texas counties are threatening felony charges against those with positive tests who do not stay home. Are these fears justified? Has the continuing decline of Covid deaths become meaningless? Don't miss today's Liberty Report... read on...
It doesn’t require too dark an imagination to realize the gravity of the concerns over the digital yuan. China is a true pioneer when it comes to surveillance, censorship, and political oppression, and the digital age has given the state an incredibly efficient and effective arsenal. Adding money to that toolkit was a move that was planned for many years and it is abundantly clear how useful a tool it can be for any totalitarian regime. The ability to track citizens’ transactions, access their financial data, control and freeze the account of anyone that presents a potential threat, it all opens the door to the ultimate oppression: total control over private resources, over people’s livelihoods and their capacity to cover their basic needs.
But we don’t even have to wait for the first signs of abuse of the system. As part of the government’s COVID relief spending packages, digital vouchers were loaded to Chinese citizens’ smartphones to encourage them to spend in their local stores. According to Dr. Shirley Yu, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics: “Digital coupons allow the Chinese government to trace the usage of these coupons,” and they “allow the government to know which sector is most helped, who uses it and where money is actually spent.” Of course, if the government has access to data that allows them to check if their policies were well transmitted and if the money was spent as they intended, they can also use that data to check and trace any transactions for any other purpose. read on...
The United Nations released the results of an investigation into the January 3rd US drone strike on Iran's top IRGC general Qasem Soleimani calling the killing "unlawful" on Tuesday. read on...
The rule "first do no harm" appears to have been thrown out the window in the response to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak. Some studies suggest that for every "Covid" death there could be 29 deaths due to the lockdowns worldwide. Famine, depression, suicide, untreated illnesses - all of these may overshadow Covid as the killer of the year. Plus in today's program: Fauci says we're "knee-deep in the first wave," the New England Journal of Medicine suggests just suspending any worker who refuses the coronavirus vaccine, and Texas mask "mandates" explained. Don't miss today's Liberty Report... read on...
I’m ambivalent about statues and J.K. Rowling being torn down, but terrified of the thought process behind the destruction. Decisions should never be made by mobs.
Is America on the edge of a cultural revolution?
The historical namesake and obvious parallel is the Cultural Revolution in China, which lasted from 1966 to 1976. Its stated goal was to purge capitalist and traditional elements from society, and to substitute a new way of thinking based on Mao’s own beliefs. The epic struggle for control and power waged war against anybody on the wrong side of an idea.
To set the mobs on somebody, one needed only to tie him to an official blacklist like the Four Olds (old customs, culture, habits, and ideas). China’s young people and urban workers formed Red Guard units to go after whomever was outed. Violence? Yes, please. When Mao launched the movement in May 1966, he told his mobs to “bombard the headquarters” and made clear that “to rebel is justified.” He said “revisionists should be removed through violent class struggle.” The old thinkers were everywhere and were systematically trying to preserve their power and subjugate the people. read on...
Prior to arrest of a suspect of a crime, “The officer is free to ask questions before an arrest, but must inform the suspect that the questioning is voluntary and that he or she is free to leave at any time.”
“After placing the suspect under arrest, the officer will say something similar to, ‘You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.'”
If a crime suspect need not say a word, having a right to remain silent, doesn’t a person allegedly in contact with a coronavirus-infected person, have the same right to remain silent? The person thought to be in contact is not a suspect in a crime, after all. Doesn’t freedom of speech include this right to remain silent? read on...
The daily death count has morphed into the daily "new case" count, as 100,000 tests a day have exploded into 700,000 tests. Is it a wonder cases are increasing? But what they don't dare mention is that deaths and even the death rate continue to decline. In fact the CDC warns that Covid is at the stage where it cannot even be classified an epidemic due to declining deaths. Still, more masks are required and petty dictators all around are calling for a return to lockdown. Can the truth ever be heard above all the lies? Watch today's Liberty Report... read on...
On July 2nd, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order mandating the wearing of face masks across the state, whether indoors or outdoors, when six feet cannot be maintained between people. In the governor’s decree, he cited a rise in Covid cases, a rise in test positivity, and a rise in hospitalizations as justification to force people to cover their faces in public. read on...
The United States and its NATO allies launched a military intervention in 1999 that helped the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) win its secessionist campaign against Serbia. US officials justified that intervention on the grounds that Serbian security forces were committing pervasive war crimes against the Kosovar insurgents. read on...
In the latest attempt to increase economic pressure on two foes, US prosecutors filed a civil lawsuit to seize the gasoline aboard four Iranian tankers that set sail for Venezuela last month. The civil-forfeiture complaint aims not only to stop the delivery of fuel to Venezuela but also to deprive Iran of the revenue and deter future shipments. Just last week, the US imposed sanctions on five Iranian captains blacklisted for delivering gasoline to Caracas. Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute, joins In Question to discuss... read on...
