Hyping “hate crimes”

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Introduction: “May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo, may god protect them.” — President Donald Trump, August 5, 2019 at the White House press conference he called for in the video below.

There were two tragic mass shootings over the weekend, approximately 12 hours apart. In Texas, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, drove hundreds of miles to a Walmart in El Paso to carry out his assault. As of this publication: 20 dead, and 26 injured. He targeted Hispanics, and the site of this shooting makes it political.

“This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion.” These are Patrick Crusius words, which are part of his fascist four-page manifesto published on the internet. Crusius surrendered to the police. This brings the death penalty into play, if found guilty.

In Dayton, Ohio, Connor Betts, age 24, fired dozens of shots, killing 9, and wounding 16 others. He was killed by the Dayton police, in a brief shootout. No motive for this massacre has been established yet.

The video embedded above is Donald Trump’s press conference yesterday (Sunday), in which he begins by praising & thanking the police at length. This is his way of taking credit for a tragedy, while solidifying support for the police state, which contains much of his fascist base. Notice how the President of the United States can barely summon any sympathy for the victims, as he stumbles from one talking point to the next.

“It could have been so much worse… the people of these two great cities El Paso & Dayton (in the important electoral states of Texas & Ohio) are wonderful…” He’s spoken with many bureaucrats, etc… “I’ll be making a statement tomorrow at 10:00 AM (after my advisors brief me on what to say). Thank you very much, and I’ll see you there…”

First lady Melania Trump stands silently by his side on the runway in a bullet-proof corset with a forlorn face. Her eyes masked by dark sunglasses, as she stands uncomfortably. It seems a relief for her when they go the “Q&A,” as the camera pulls in tight on Donald Trump and stays there. There’s so much to understand here…

Both of these gunmen appear to have long histories of anti-social behavior, going back to high-school & before. Both were obviously filled with hate, during their rampages. So why is one labeled a “hate crime,” and the other isn’t?

“Hate crime” has no legal meaning, and therefore no place in law. But this is precisely what is being introduced by politicians through the media for propaganda reasons. The same with only labeling the El Paso shooting as a case of “domestic terrorism.” The cold hard truth is that any time someone fires a fully-loaded assault rifle into a civilian crowd, it terrorizes the domestic population. It is all motivated by hate.

Those in Dayton mostly feel the same way the people in El Paso do right now– shocked & disgusted. These vague, legally undefined terms such as “hate crime” & “domestic terrorism” have no real meaning, as they could apply to virtually any of these cases one cares to look at. Yet these terms are hyped as legitimate talking points by the corporate media fake news. The question is: why?

The “domestic terrorism” label evokes 9/11, and the official need for a stronger military-police-intelligence apparatus. We’ve seen & heard this before, and it’s mostly beating a dead horse by now. Most rational people who follow politics understand that 9/11 was an inside job– all the way to the top. The “war on terror” is a Big Lie, from before the start. These ideas, arguments, facts & evidence have been widely exposed & discussed among the population through the internet– despite blanket censorship in the mainstream media. A new arrow is needed in the US propaganda quiver, and thus “hate crimes” are our latest national crisis, from which we require our elected leaders to save us.

Applying the extra emphasis of “hate crime,” amplifies its racial aspect– by design. This works for both Republicans & Democrats, but against the people. For conservative Democrats, the deep state represents the interests of Wall Street, Hollywood & the intelligence apparatus. The “liberal” plank of the Democratic party is now entirely identity politics; which are the reactionary racialism of Black Lives Matter, the hysterical witch-hunting feminism of the #MeToo campaign, and impotent LGBT activism. These snowflakes, ex-radicals & social justice warriors of the upper middle-class, all favor harsher penalties for “hate crimes.”

Donald Trump’s tweets & speeches always reflect the ideology of his consigliere, Stephen Bannon (above) who correctly states, “As long as the Democrats play racial politics, we win.” That’s because the fascists on the far right are much more passionate & militant, than these limp-noodle liberals on the “left.” Trump held his press conference this morning, and besides already forgetting the victims in Dayton, he proposed a two-pronged “solution” to gun violence.

He advocated for the Democrats to sponsor some new anti-gun legislation, and see how it goes in Congress. He urged Republicans to support this initiative (a sure loser), and hand a political victory to Trump when it fails in the end. We’ll see if the Democrats bite on it. It depends on how much Donald Trump needs Blue Dog Democrats to hand him a political victory. The more the Don needs it, the more likely he’ll get conservative Democrat support– even if it costs them the 2020 election. No one cares that much about Joe Biden. Permanent interests.

Trump’s second proposal was to enhance funding for law enforcement & military integration, along with internet censorship. We knew that was coming, right? He’s already been handed a blank check from the Democrats, and can now spend US taxpayer money any way he wants for the next year-and-a-half. There are no more threats of a government shutdown, which made Trump deeply unpopular, and he can build his promised boondoggle wall at the Mexican border. The threat of impeachment, which began in earnest with Trump’s government shutdown, is now gone due to Democratic party capitulation.

Even rising-star liberal (oxymoron) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez played her part in making it all happen. As you can see in her staged immigration camp “protest” at the fence of an empty parking lot, she’s a pretty good actress for a politician. But house majority whip Nancy Pelosi sat her down privately, and explained the rules-of-the-game. AOC clearly got the message, and last month supplied a crucial vote in getting the initiative to come to the floor. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez then tried to covered her political tracks, by voting “No” on a bill she knew would easily pass both houses. It did, and it couldn’t have happened without her help.

Donald Trump and a tiny cabal of fascists now control much of the allocation of the US federal budget, measured in trillions of dollars. This used to be the primary function of Congress, so what’s left for them? A US President hasn’t needed Congress to declare war for a long time now, and they won’t impeach– so seriously, what’s left?

Trump & top Republicans are sociopathic criminals who control much of the military & police apparatus. They have encouraged & enabled countless lone-wolf sociopaths & armed militia goon squads, which they consider to hold in reserve as “shock troops.” This is the Nazi stormtrooper mentality, and it’s no joke when tacitly unleashed upon society.

The flaccid resistance of liberalism has no chance against this fascist machinery & its tools of violence. Unlike fascists, “peaceniks” are paralyzed with fear when it comes to real guns & serious events. The only social force that can resist & defeat this toxic ideology of bankrupt capitalism is an internationally united working class.

The truth is that everything Donald Trump says & does as President is a “hate crime” and “terrorism.” The same applies to the rest of the Republicans, Democrats & ultra-rich. These people are all haters & criminals. The fake media lies for them on all sides, from CNN & MSNBC to Fox & Breitbart. The propaganda they broadcast, poisons the public mind with lies & hate. These are “specialist hate criminals.” They come in all varieties, and always proclaim their innocence. This is the Black Hand, the true master of the Big Lie.

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Losing self-consciousness

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Losing one’s self-consciousness is not easy. Self-consciousness is what distracts us from what we are doing. It is peer pressure. It tells us to be aware of other interests & conform to expectations. Self-consciousness is group-think in each of us.

To lose this self-defeating impulse, one must have a strong mind & body. Otherwise doubts arise, which is self-consciousness creeping in. Only if you truly know in your heart & mind that what you are doing is correct, can you act without self-consciousness. When this happens, boundaries no longer apply and mountains can be moved, because there are no external or internal interferences.

True leaders learn to act without self-consciousness, because they correctly recognize the survival of civilization and our planet supersedes any personal issues. People who take things personally act with too much self-consciousness (ie- personal interest) to be effective leaders of men & women.

The entire political & financial spheres of humanity are controlled by self-conscious autocrats, who place themselves above the law, and deem their interests too big to fail. This is self-consciousness run amok. It’s an inherent feature of capitalism, which emphasizes individual gain.

The ability to forget oneself is a useful & powerful skill. We are all born with extreme self-consciousness, demanding everything as infants. The idea is that as we grow, we learn to be independent and take care of ourselves, while developing the skills to eventually take care of others.

When you watch a mother properly take care of her baby, there is no self-consciousness in her actions. All she cares about is her baby. When you see an insecure mother making a show of her baby, to the degree that she’s acting self-consciously, she’s less of a mom.

I mentioned being strong in body. If you are carrying extra fat, then you have pain— most likely in your spine & hips. Pain is a brake on physical action. When you attempt to do something and pain strikes, it stops you. You are now self-conscious that it hurts, and your actions are limited. At root, self-consciousness is personal insecurity which ultimately disables the individual.

How you look physically is important. People make judgments, which can help or hurt your situation. Can you ignore all that? Can you just do what you want, when you want? Personal hygiene should be approached scientifically. This is a norm people can recognize & respect, without acting self-consciously. We have social hygiene problems of self-consciousness in both direction– too little & too much.

The same is true with beauty, which has objective & subjective elements. Objective parts include a lean body, nice smile, pretty eyes, healthy skin & hair. If you have that at any age, then you will be considered attractive by all. Beauty gets a variety striking reactions, so remaining open-minded to what comes is the best approach, as compared to self-consciousness.

Humor is another area where it’s best to lose one’s self-consciousness. When referring to yourself, it should be self-depreciating and/or ironic. For a long time now, I’ve typically added photos to my writings. This helps to deliver points, ideas, etc, while giving the article color & visualization. It helps with searches too. But self-consciousness is a difficult concept, almost impossible to depict in images, so I didn’t use any in this essay. It was a very self-conscious decision.

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MLB Trade Deadline Notes

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Postscript: Thu 01 Aug 2019 01:16 PM EDT

The only blockbusters of this year’s MLB Trade Deadline were the Zack Greinke & Jake Bauer deals. Both were for controllable, elite starting pitchers, which is what wins the World Series. Houston won this Deadline as a buyer, by getting Greinke for 2+ years which means 3 play-off runs. Jake Bauer is only signed through 2020, and the Reds aren’t a play-off team, so they lose. The San Diego Padres won that 3-way deal, by acquiring the best prospect dealt this trade season, while only giving up a young, cost-controlled slugger– of which they had a surplus. Taylor Trammell is in AA, and has star make-up & tools in CF.

Besides me, only AJ Cassavell, the beat writer for the Padres on MLB.com has reported these facts & goings-on accurately. Only prospect guru Keith Law correctly called this as a big win for the Padres. As outlined below, most ESPN & MLB head writers are too biased to provide any objectivity or clarity on what occurred. They represent fake news in sports.

Once again, San Diego Padres GM AJ Preller pulled off the biggest deal of the MLB Trade Deadline. Cleveland’s RHP Jake Bauer was the best value pitcher who moved this trade season, and San Diego landing center-fielder Taylor Trammell from Cincinnati was the best prospect. That’s the name of the game when you are a seller– get the best prospect(s).

AJ Preller did it again, as the Padres receive lefty-hitting CF prospect (#30 MLB pipeline) Taylor Trammell (below) from Cincinnati. The Reds get Trevor Bauer from Cleveland. The Indians get OF Yasiel Puig & LHP Scott Moss from Cincinnati; OF Franmil Reyes, LHP Logan Allen & A-level 3B prospect Victor Nova from San Diego.

It only cost the Padres slugger Franmil Reyes, who slots better as a DH in the AL. Padres have depth in the corner outfield with Hunter Renfroe having a similar profile and being better defensively. Wil Myers has been benched due to poor performance, with a near-40% strikeout rate. He will now get more starts again, which is needed, but Myers is an expensive problem. The San Diego Padres will have to eat contract to move him, and I imagine he was brought up in proposed trade discussions by Preller. The Padres are again stuck with Wil Myers, and expect him to perform better, otherwise he’ll be benched again. They still have CF’s Franchy Cordero & Travis Jankowski as in-house outfield options.

At this point, I will admit that I was wrong about the famous Wil Myers–Steven Souza Jr–Trea Turner deal. AJ Preller gave up the best player, but it was justifiable. He was looking for a franchise player, and Wil Myers had that potential as a former minor league player-of-the-year. Turner has a more limited upside and is an injury risk due to his style. Trea Turner was the best Padres prospect Preller inherited when he took over as GM in August 2014. The Padres farm system was ranked dead last in MLB. Five years later it is #1, by far. This is one of his few mistakes, but it wasn’t too costly.

Trea Turner currently has 11.0 WAR to Wil Myers 9.7 according the baseball reference, so it wasn’t a huge loss, but still the Padres would be better with SS/2B Trea Turner than OF/1B Will Myers. Turner is two years younger. It’s a gamble AJ Preller lost, and that will happen when you have to turn everything over as the new GM of a sad-sack franchise that has never won anything.

General managers in MLB are judged by their colleagues not in terms of straight “wins & losses” on each deal, but in the aggregate. Actions need to coordinate with overall objectives that improve the organization’s chances of winning a World Series– either this year or in the near future. In these terms with the Padres it’s always the future, but now the future is closer than ever. Each year that AJ Preller can continue to acquire the best prospects, the longer and more open the Padres “window of contention” becomes.

AJ Preller played this deadline beautifully– AGAIN. By that I mean for the 4th year running. Since his legendary performance in 2016, when he acquired SS Fernando Tatis, Jr & RHP Chris Paddack for stale beans to the White Sox & Marlins, AJ Preller has been the leading GM in MLB. He locks up the trade market these days, because he has what every other team covets– top prospects in numbers at all levels.

AJ Preller has that blend of “scout’s eye” for baseball, along with analytic understanding of what it takes to win. He has an owner with deep pockets, who will spend on whatever AJ Preller needs. Every trade deadline, or hot stove season now seems to begin with, “Who can make a deal with AJ Preller for some of his top prospects?” But it never happens. Preller and Padres beat writer AJ Cassavell played this Trade Deadline beautifully, by downplaying & stringing the Mets along on Noah Syndergaard (below) trade rumors, all of which came straight from New York.

For the record, the Padres have acknowledged they would love to add Noah Syndergaard to their rotation, but not at the price the Mets ask. Keep in mind it’s the Mets & the east coast media who have been pushing a Thor deal to the Padres for at least 18 months now. Last year I recall it was SS Fernando Tatis, Jr and a few pitching prospects, Chris Paddack, Cal Quantrill, etc. for the mighty Mets hurler. That was the Mets proposal, or something like that…

Unfortunately Thor contracted Hand Foot & Mouth disease around the 2018 deadline, which killed any idea of that deal. The Mets & company tried again this past winter, but Preller decided to go with his young arms, until it’s time to get a real ace. A good GM goes into that acquisition mode when his team is a threat to win the World Series, which the Padres aren’t in 2019.

Nevertheless, the Mets went hard after the Padres farm system again this Trade Deadline, demanding MLB players & prospects this time around for their superhero pitcher with an 2019 ERA over 4.00. Top hitting prospect 2B Luis Urias & CF Manny Margot were floated in the NY/ESPN media, but there was no way AJ Preller was dealing either of them for 2+ years of Syndergaard. How about ace pitching prospects Mackenzie Gore or Luis Patino? These wishful speculations reflecting extreme east coast bias hooked the NY sports media. Preller & his media team fed them enough to remain hopeful, in order to keep them occupied, while he consummated his three-team deal with Cleveland & Cincinnati.

The Amazin’ Mess

So what are the Mets doing? Acquiring RHP Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays for their top pitching prospects three days earlier was a head-scratcher. Was it to flip him? Why did the Mets keep Stroman from the NY media until after the trade deadline? How can the Mets expect to flip a pitcher they just acquired, for more than they paid, with only three days with which to do it? Doesn’t make any sense, but these are the Mets, so anything is possible.

Of course the industry responded by collectively sitting on their hands, while the clock expired on the Mets. So much for that idea. Stroman now can’t be traded until after the season, making him less valuable. The people running this Amazin’ Mess, behave similarly to those at the Federal Reserve who believe they can will things to happen– through hype & fiat.

The Mets still have too many expensive starting pitchers, for a team that sits in 4th place in the lackluster (over-rated) NL East. Their bullpen is a disaster, offense inconsistent, and defense one of the worst in MLB. Being in the same division as the Miami Marlins keeps them out of last place, while inflating their deluded expectations. This team has no chance of winning in the post-season, yet they are trying to spin their inability to deal Noah Syndergaard (and the rest) for a boatload of top prospects, as a commitment to “winning in 2019.” And people wonder where fake news comes from, and why it exists.

After the Marcus Stroman acquisition, the Mets traded starter Jason Vargas to the Phillies for 26-yo AA catcher Austin Bossart, to compensate for dealing away their two best pitching prospects. I have no idea what the Mets are doing, but what ever it is, it’s going to fail badly. These deals have no chance of turning out well in the short term, or long term.

By mid-day Wednesday, July 31, 2019, the MLB “Trade Talk” headlines led with “Mets pull Thor off trade market (source).” Noah Syndergaard pitched 7 innings last night against the White Sox in Chicago giving up one run, unearned, in a no-decision the Mets won. Syndergaard in 2019: 7-5, 4.10 ERA in 134.0 IP. That’s not an ace, but his stuff is good enough to be priced as a #2 starter with two years of team-control remaining.

The problem is the Mets publicly value Thor as an ace, when in 5 years he’s never pitched 200 innings in a season. Noah Syndergaard is a huge injury risk, and the Mets have a reputation for mishandling pitching. You can not get the NY media/Mets management to admit to any of these facts, nor rationally discuss what they mean.

An analogy that personifies Mets management in this situation is the high school boy who boasts he will only take the prettiest girl to prom. He arrogantly claims he is the stud on the market, and any girl should be honored to be his date. Of course, it’s human nature to reject such chutzpah. So when prom day arrives, and our self-acclaimed Don Juan still has no date, he proclaims to take himself off the market, because he didn’t receive an acceptable offer. All his loser buddies (ESPN, etc) prop him up, as group-think rules in this crowd.

The Mets think they are stockpiling pitching, for when it becomes a “seller’s market.” The problem is that markets move on, and the Mets are stuck with devaluing assets they don’t need, can’t afford, and can’t get return value in trade– due to their own incompetence & intransigence.

Trade Deadline Conclusions

The second Wild Card has changed the MLB Trade Deadline significantly, to the point where 1) there is just one deadline, July 31; and 2) the fact that so many teams remain in contention that it’s hard to determine who is (and who should be) buying or selling. The San Francisco Giants were out of contention a month ago, but have become hot since. Therefore they aren’t trading their ace LHP Madison Bumgarner. The second wild card is within reach.

It’s the right move to hold on, because the Giants wouldn’t get fair value for him anyways. The ace pitching market values prospects above rentals. Expect the Giants to offer Bumgarner a qualifying offer (QO) in November, and it will be interesting to see if he accepts. It will be ~$18M for one year. If MadBum declines, he could end up like Astros LHP Dallas Keuchel, who had to wait until the following June amateur draft for the draft pick compensation to expire for him to sign a fair “free agent” deal.

I haven’t published on MLB since relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel & starter Dallas Keuchel signed with the Cubs & Braves in June. Here’s the bottom line. Kimbrel is toast, and the Red Sox knew it. Kimbrel still got a 3/$43 from the Cubs, which is another disaster free agent overpay for the northsiders. So far in 2019 Kimbrel is: 0-2, 6.75 ERA in 10.2 IP.

LHP Dallas Keuchel signed with the Braves on June 7 for 1/$13, and is 3-4, 3.86 ERA in 49 IP so far. As you can see, the Braves did better here, but still Dallas Keuchel isn’t anything that moves the needle significantly towards them winning a World Series. That’s why teams didn’t want to give up the draft pick to sign either of these pitchers. That’s the risk a free agent takes these days when he declines a QO. The rule is: you need to be worth MUCH more than that pick to decline, otherwise accept, and become a unrestricted free agent next year. Otherwise the QO-tagged player will get squeezed in free agency. A player can only be made a QO once.

RHP Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Los Angeles Dodgers is an example of someone who understood this situation correctly and is now set for his payday, because he was patient and willing to play one more year at $18 million, in order to become a true free agent next year. Ryu didn’t have to wait out suitors that weren’t calling this past winter like Keuchel, Kimbrel and so many others. Maybe that’s why Hyun-Jin Ryu is having a career year, just when he needs one. It’s like he planned it.

Frontline starters Robbie Ray, Madison Bumgarner, Noah Syndergaard, Zach Wheeler, etc were all rumored to be available, and they all stayed put. The fact is all these pitchers have more value to their teams than what they would net in trade return, due to their contracts and/or 2019 performance.

In a last-minute Trade Deadline blockbuster, the Astros acquired Diamondbacks ace RHP Zack Greinke for 1B/OF Seth Beer (Astros’ No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline), right-hander J.B. Bukauskas (No. 4), righty Corbin Martin (No. 5) and infielder Josh Rojas (No. 22). Houston receives $24 million as part of the deal. Greinke has two more years at $35M/year on his contract. The Houston Astros are a smart organization trying to win it again, and this is how you do it. Notice that they held on to their top prospect OF Kyle Tucker. The best GM’s are the ones who can declare certain players & prospects untouchable, and still make deals.

Outside of Stroman, Bauer & Greinke it was the likes of innings-eaters such as Tanner Roark, Daniel Hudson Aaron Sanchez & Drew Pomeranz that led the list of pitchers moved at the deadline. The market had already been set by the Jake Bauer-Taylor Trammell trade, and few teams were willing to or capable of making that kind of deal. That’s why movement in the trade market was so limited.

The truth is that the Mets & Reds had no business obtaining these starters, for what they gave up. These are two 4th-place teams, giving up valuable prospects for one-year pitcher rentals. The Mets decided to make a splash & crapped out, while the Indians & Padres needed a third team to take on Jake Bauer to make their deal. The Reds were there, and they’ll probably be in 4th place next July, shopping Jake Bauer before he leaves as a free agent. That isn’t planning, it’s impulsive buying.

Relievers were also capped by AJ Preller in the form of Kirby Yates (above), the best closer available. For the past two seasons it was Brad Hand. This time, no one made an acceptable offer, so there was no deal for the Padres ace closer. The market followed by going after lower-end relievers at the finish. Lots of middle relievers, bench players, PTBNL & international slot money was exchanged, but few impact players or pitchers. That was the story of this MLB trade season.

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Cocaine Cartels & Immigration

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The JP Morgan-owned cargo ship MSC Gayane, which left port in Peru with stops in Panama & the Bahamas, was boarded on June 17, 2019 by U.S. Justice Department agents after it arrived at the Packer Marine Terminal in Philadelphia. Approximately 20 tons of cocaine were found on board, with an estimated street value of $1.3 billion. The cocaine was hidden in shipping containers carrying legitimate goods, such as wine, Chilean dried nuts, and scrap metal from the United Arab Emirates.

The J.P. Morgan Asset Management vessel Gayane was being operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which is Switzerland-based, and flew under the flag of Liberia. The Mediterranean Shipping Company is the second-largest container shipping line in the world in terms of vessel capacity, just behind global leader AP Møller Maersk. The Mediterranean Shipping Company is owned by one of the world’s richest couples, Gianluigi & Rafaela Aponte. This is what “respectable” or “high-class” drug dealers look like.

Clearly, both JP Morgan & the Mediterranean Shipping Company are partners in a global drug smuggling cartel. JPM provides finance capital & assets such as container ships, which it leases to the middleman in transportation– the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which blew this drug run– bigtime.

The grand design by JP Morgan & MSC is for the Colombian cocaine kingpins to have a protected route to market for their illicit goods, which they distribute & consume. So certainly this sting hurts JPM interests & their image, which U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain said in a statement was the largest bust & vessel seizure in the agency’s 230-year history.

But this will probably be the limit for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Twenty tons of coke seized is a HUGE hit for JP Morgan, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already made a murky deal to get it back. Over $1.3B is a lot of money, which make the world go round.

Here’s more confirmation of that line. The MSC Gayane was released on July 12, after being seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on July 4. The message: JP Morgan’s assets are inviolable, no matter what crimes they are involved in. The release of JP Morgan’s drug-running vessel was only reported in the media yesterday, in the Wall Street Journal.

Several crew members on the ship have been charged with knowingly & intentionally conspiring to possess cocaine. Of course, a federal criminal investigation is ongoing, but it appears neither JP Morgan, nor MSC will be a target. The U.S. cocaine market, fueled by the addictions of Washington, Wall Street, Silicon Valley & Hollywood, would never tolerate breaking up these drug cartels, much less attacking one of their own.

Cocaine in the Western hemisphere comes from South America, high up in the Andes, which range from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego. It is at these altitudes in the spine of South America that the coca leaf is grown. Therefore there has to be a secure transportation route near the coca source, to meet the never-ending demand of the U.S. cocaine market.

The 21st century “War on Drugs” has been called Plan Colombia, which was conceived in 1999 as a recycled name for a U.S. foreign aid, military and CIA initiative aimed at partnering with the corrupt Colombian government & drug cartels to eradicate left-wing insurgent & worker groups in Colombia.

As an aside, a slice of the cocaine money is siphoned off by U.S. intelligence services for black ops, untraceable pay-offs, bribes, etc.  Plan Colombia’s official objectives to the American public were to end the Colombian civil war by increasing funding & training of its military & para-military forces, while creating an anti-cocaine strategy to eradicate coca cultivation.

Coca eradication is a mainstay U.S. government strategy in the never-ending “War on Drugs,” in place of education & rehabilitation campaigns. This mirrors harsh prison sentencing for illicit drug possession in the US.

With Monsanto, the U.S. military-intelligence complex has a reliable corporate partner in its multibillion-dollar aerial coca eradication campaign, dumping unknown tons of glyphosate throughout the Andes. Glyphosate, known commercially as the weed-killer Roundup, is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide, crop desiccant & carcinogen.

Herbicidal eradication is being pursued in all the coca-growing regions of the Andes mountain range, where its environmental, health & socioeconomic impact remain mostly unreported in official US news outlets. It should also be noted that coca production for traditional use is legal in Peru, Bolivia & Chile, which makes chemical spraying an act of war against its inhabitants.

This never-ending, US-sponsored violence is the root cause of America’s immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexican border, where Latin Americans fleeing poverty & violence are being rounded-up by an American Gestapo (ICE), and held in concentration camps like POW’s. For some unexplained reason, this Republican-led march towards fascism is never objected to by leading Democrats, or in the mainstream “liberal” media.

Today, herbicidal-resistant varieties of coca have been developed, either in Monsanto’s labs or by coca farmer ingenuity– or in collaboration. Boliviana negra, also known as supercoca or la millionaria, is a relatively new form of coca that is resistant to glyphosate.

In 1996, Monsanto marketed a patented glyphosate-resistant soybean, making the agribusiness behemoth the most-likely culprit for any glyphosate resistance in coca. So now when a CIA drone sprays glyphosate on a crop of Boliviana negra, it poisons the competitors (everything else) to help the genetically-modified coca grow faster. This gets really messed up when you think it through.

Back to JP Morgan, and their fleet of drug-smuggling vessels, these babies run over $100 million apiece, and the MSC Gayane was built in 2018. JPM & MSC put up $50 million in cash & bond to have it released from US Customs. It should be noted that of the $50M “release fee,” only $10M was in cash, with the rest in bonds.

Forty million dollars is what JP Morgan claims those bonds are worth, and the U.S. government bought it, but it was never proven to the public. Does anyone actually know what those bonds are worth? Does this sound like another scheme to bailout the rich? Until someone proves the worth of those junk bonds, JP Morgan got its $100M ship back for $10M in cash.

That tidy sum bought JPM & MSC a three-days jump before the most conservative of U.S. newspaper’s reported the vessel had been released and was at sea. Just a month earlier the MSC Gayane was busted with 20 tons of cocaine in Philadelphia’s port. and now it was last reported to be steaming across the Atlantic Ocean towards the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

This is where the money goes, and what it is used for. Billionaire capitalists are free to move about at will, with no consequences, while the rest of us are to be restrained & kept to cages. This is a snapshot of the fake economy of the super-rich: wasteful, criminal, and in complete conflict with itself & everything else.

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Wimbledon 2019 Notes

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The men’s final just completed between Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer was the greatest tennis match ever. Djokovic defeated Federer 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3); in a match that was impossible to determine who was going to win until the very end.

This match was broadcast exclusively on ESPN, meaning many US households that cut-the-cable/satellite-cord a long time ago, didn’t get to see this live. Perhaps this is why America hasn’t produced a homegrown men’s Grand Slam winner since Sampras, Agassi, etc?

The point is that the Wimbledon finals (men’s & women’s) needs to be broadcast on a major network. Wimbledon finals is the Super Bowl of tennis, so you want as many viewers as possible for advertisers. That’s the traditional theory of television advertising which everyone understands.

People in the US are interested in great sporting events, even if they don’t involve Americans. The USWNT in soccer just proved quality women’s competition garners serious interest on all sides in winning World Cup 2019.

With Wimbledon, ESPN and the major networks pandered to crude interests by not broadcasting the Federer-Nadal semifinal match, and both the men’s & women’s finals on a major network– meaning ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox. The games of tennis needs that exposure, and Disney, which owns ESPN & ABC made the conscious decision to stunt the growth of the game by keeping both finals on ESPN. In Sanford-Orlando, FL it was infomercials from car dealers on ABC during this instant classic, a ratings-loser move for sure.

On the women’s side, 7-seed Simona Halep defeated 11-seed Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the finals to win her 1st Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam. Bitch factor was kept mostly under control this time around.

Taking a closer look at Serena Williams’ 2019 Wimbledon run reveals (once again) that she played no top-quality opponents until the finals. She defeated 18-seed Julia Goerges in the 3rd Round, and 30-seed Carla Suarez Navarro in the 4th. Everyone else was unseeded, until Halep (pictured above) thrashed her in the finals.

The draws in the WTA majors are obviously constructed to keep Serena Williams in it as long as possible. Since Serena Williams’ “comeback” at the 2018 French Open, she has magically avoided playing Halep, Kerber, Muguruza, Osaka, Stephens, Sharapova, etc in her section of the draw in every major. How & why does that happen? Every time Williams has lost to one of these named above opponents, it has been in straight sets, which means it isn’t a fluke. You don’t see that deliberate favorable seeding of a top player in the ATP.

What I’ve noticed is that the women players have adapted. Simona Halep defeated unseeded Victoria Azarenka (always a tough opponent) in the 3rd round. Halep had to beat 8-seed Elina Svitolina in the semis. All her other opponents before the finals were unseeded. A bunch of big women names went down early again, and Halep’s path to the Wimbledon finals was also cleared. At this point, as long as Simona Halep is rested & healthy, she will beat Serena Williams. Halep is age 27, and Williams is 37. It appears the women are working together, taking turns denying Serena Williams another major. This is under-the-radar bitch factor at work, FYI.

The Serena Williams era in women’s tennis is at its end, as far as winning majors goes. Wimbledon is always her best shot with her dominant serve, and again she couldn’t come close to winning a set in the finals. This happened last year against Angelique Kerber, and then against Naomi Osaka at the US Open.

After her third straight Grand Slam final defeat, Serena Williams was inanely asked in her postmatch news conference whether she should focus on tennis over being a celebrity or fighting for equality. “The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me [black] will be the day I’m in my grave,” Williams responded.

This was a shot across the bow of lesbian WTA legend Billie Jean King, who stated to the BBC mid-Wimbledon, “Quite frankly, if I were Serena, I would give up being a celebrity for a year and a half if she wants to win titles, if she wants to beat records, that’s the question. I don’t know what she wants.” King later tweeted to clarify her views after Serena Williams’ retort, saying she supported the work Serena Williams did to push for equality.

I find it interesting that Serena Williams who is worth over $180 million feels that she is fighting for equality, and so does Billie Jean King. Serena Williams is in the top 0.1% in terms of wealth, in the most unequal society in the world. Billie Jean King is obviously blinded by the politics here, but correct in that Serena Williams is living in a fantasy world, and that won’t win any more majors.

Sensationally [!] Serena Williams made a public apology to Naomi Osaka as the tournament began. Notably, her apology didn’t to extend to chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who was most abused by Serena Williams’ vile outburst at the 2018 US Open. Serena Williams only felt the need to apologize to a black woman, which says everything about her politics. Reactionary feminism & racialism to the core. That’s what pays today.

Does anyone else notice how well-coordinated all of Serena Williams’ media campaigns are? She got the cover of Harper’s Bazaar (above) as a platform for her apology to Naomi Osaka. That’s when the “time was right” for this super-connected & spoiled female athlete to burnish her image. What about the refused drug test at her home last June? What about TUE’s? What about the $10,000 fine for practice court abuse at Wimbledon a few days ago? How come no one in the corporate media asks these questions?

The Celebrity-Fan Zone:

Here is celebrity equality in action at Wimbledon. Actor Woody Harrelson was in attendance watching Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah win a four-and-three-quarter-hour epic in the Wimbledon men’s doubles final. But Woody Harrelson stole the show by being treated like an average fan by the Wimbledon security attendant, who wouldn’t let him back to his seat until the game was over.

Players don’t like fans moving about during a game, and therefore patrons must wait to move in or out of the stadium. Woody Harrelson acknowledged that, and sipped his drink in the tunnel while he waited. Lots of celebrities would flip out, instead of respecting the etiquette. Harrelson would tell you, it’s HARD WORK looking that goofy. HARD WORK!!

Theoretical tennis question for men: How good is Serena Williams?

Most men would lose 6-0, 6-0 to her, unless they are a really good player. If she double faults or hits one wide, you didn’t “win” that point, she gave it to you– so respect that difference. A “good player” is defined at minimum as: 1) an upper-tier D1 NCAA player, or 2) a top recreational player who bagels everybody he plays.

A quality male competitor with his serve should be able to win a few games against the greatest women’s player ever. But respect the fact that Serena Williams is an experienced professional, so consistency with her overall game bagels 99+% of males who ever picked up a tennis racket.

Conclusions:

The ATP is in its most glorious era ever, with the three greatest players ever winning every major in site. Federer still has 20 majors, Nadal 18, and Djokovic 16. I predict that when it’s all over, they’ll all be tied. How’s that for objectivity? Nadal (age 33) is still unbeatable on clay, and Djokovic (age 32) is barely the best on grass, while clearly the best on the hardcourts. Roger Federer turns age 38 on August 8, and for him to be a part of the latest “greatest match in tennis history,” says so much about his greatness.

The women’s game is in turnover, and there remain serious questions about the integrity of the seedings & draws in the WTA majors. With Serena Williams leaving the game, PED’s need to become an open discussion, as I believe the vast majority of women players favor strict bans on all usage.

The ubiquitous desire to be alpha-dominant on the men’s side, doesn’t exist so much with women in sports. Women generally favor comfort & safety over athletic glory. That’s why a hardened & overwhelming competitor like Serena Williams can come along and wipe everybody out for an era. It was amazing to watch, but the excesses & ethics of doping need to be considered in total. Is it worth it?

Her situation will eventually be viewed the same as Barry Bonds & Lance Armstrong. This means Serena Williams was clearly better than her competition, but still felt disrespected, slighted, provoked, or whatever into pushing the PED envelope. The truth is none of them needed it. Even if their numbers suffered a bit, they would still eventually be recognized as the best ever. But when you cheat, and deny it; the public has no tolerance for that. When this gives the best player an unfair edge, Serena Williams’ claims of fighting for equality come off as hypocritical nonsense.

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USWNT Wins 2019 World Cup

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The USWNT won their 4th women’s World Cup beating the Netherlands 2-0 in the finals in Lyon, France today. Megan Rapinoe (PK) and Rose Lavelle scored in the mid second half, eight minutes apart to settle the match.

Rapinoe who plays professionally for the Seattle Reign FC won the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer & the Golden Ball as its top player. Alex Morgan (below) of the Orlando Pride won the Silver Boot.

There have now been 8 women’s World Cup events since its inception in 1991. The US has won four times (1991, 1999, 2015 & 2019), Germany twice (2003 & 2007), Norway (1995) & Japan (2011) once.

There were many new trends in this tournament worth discussing from a sporting & social perspective. First, was former women’s players being allowed to dominate the broadcasts, lead discussion of rules disputes, and provide needed commentary where required. Most of it was spot-on, and much better than the hysterics & apologetics we get regularly in men’s FIFA. A pleasant eye-opener.

The women’s WC 2019 was also another advance for sports science, in that Video Assisted Replay (VAR) was given a chance, competently managed, and used effectively. There were issues early-on, for sure, but the women stuck with it and learned from their mistakes. They needed to, because there were a lot of blown calls by officials & lines-women in WC 2019.

The stat at the beginning of the Fox broadcast was 32 VAR’s as a tournament total before the finals, with 28 resulting overturned calls, and only 4 confirmed. As we can see, VAR certainly helped make up for really bad officiating, which is endemic in the women’s game, because it’s so much newer than men’s competition. To their credit, it takes courage to stand in the middle of the pitch, with headphones tuned-in to a replay booth and being overturned repeatedly, but that’s what it took for this tournament to be legitimate.

In the end, the best team won on their merits, and there is no controversy about a blown call costing a team a critical match. When the officials get overturned over & over, they review those mistakes, and learn from them. That’s what I saw in the end. As the final match began, there were a few seconds when a second ball was in the field-of-play, and the official & lines-woman didn’t blow their whistles– until it got embarrassing.

It was in the midfield, and it didn’t affect the match, but it’s worth noting the competence level of even the best women’s officials. There’s definitely room for improvement, and VAR can be helpful as a training & accountability tool. It always helps to get the call right, and that’s what VAR can do, so there are no more “Hand of God” goals ever again. That is the main takeaway in the women’s World Cup 2019 for men’s fútbol.

In the US_Netherlands finals, the woman official was excellent. There was a hard foul early-to-mid first half, which was immediately whistled and correctly yellow-carded. Making that correct call, at the correct, time gave the referee control of the match from there on. The players respect that call, and from there on she’s essentially coaching both sides equally to play the game fairly & competitively.

Lots of flops weren’t whistled, leaving wanna-be’s & fakers on the turf looking foolish, as they should. It was under control on both sides, which is the point of officiating. VAR got them there, with a steep learning curve. You have to respect that.

Here’s another one. The 23 players on the USWNT consider themselves to be a family, and stick up for each other. Their motivation was to win back-to-back World Cups– the right way. This isn’t a brutal hacking or flopping USWNT team. They probably take more than the give but they have to, being the overwhelming favorites going in, that’s what you have to deal with.

By the end, the USWNT was clearly the best, but with the caveat that the world has very much caught up. The US-England semi-final was a 2-1 squeaker without their captain & playmaker Megan Rapinoe. Only a blown penalty kick prevented that from being 2-2, and likely OT. With that said, championship teams need to be able to handle injuries & adversity, and they did it without coming off arrogant in the end. They respected their opponents & the game.

The USWNT did a fantastic job of pulling themselves back, especially after their perceived over-exuberance in their 13-0 thrashing of Thailand in their opening match. They apparently learned that winning is important, only if you do it in a way that lets people like you when it’s over. No one likes loudmouth showboats, no matter how good they are.

No one like cowards either, so when Donald Trump tried to inject himself into the narrative and grab himself some glory he doesn’t deserve, Megan Rapinoe spoke for the USWNT and took the media heat without backing down. She didn’t sing a word of the US national anthem as it was played before the finals, and she wasn’t alone on the US team. I respect that. The USWNT will not be visiting the White House for a ceremony, photo-ops & congratulations from the US President.

Rapinoe who is lesbian, has already said she will visit House Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. My thoughts on that? When people back up their confident talk, then you have to give them their stage & let them speak, even if you don’t like what they’re going to say. The US has a president who doesn’t acknowledge that it is his sworn duty to defend the Constitution, whose First Amendment is free speech. The USWNT winning the 2019 World Cup the way they did, is a blow to Trump’s brand of fascism.

Standing cheers here for the USWNT!!!!

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Bitcoin drops to $26

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Bitcoin busts & booms– again!!

Tue 02 Jul 2019 11:59 AM EDT

Bitcoin just collapsed this morning at ~10:00 AM EDT, falling to ~$26 from over $13,000 just a few days ago. By 11:00 AM it had re-inflated itself to above $10,000. This leads to three important questions: 1) What just happened?, 2) How did it happen?, and 3) Who are the people responsible?

What just happened with Bitcoin was a total collapse– meaning bankruptcy. It almost instantly lost 99+% of its value. So why didn’t it go under? What kept Bitcoin from busting for good is so much big money invested in the cryptocurrency market. This priceless screenshot above shows the $26 mark to be a trough, meaning there was a built-in “failsafe” to keep Bitcoin from going to $0. This algorithm is what gave them time to “recover.”

Bitcoin has to be kept afloat, because it’s the industry leader. And it is bankrupt, like every other capitalist institution that is existing on endless free money from above. Fake economics 101.

Hedge funds investors, stock & bond markets, big tech, and the deep state all have a huge stake in crypto-currency, which means Bitcoin is now “too big to fail.” They just got bailed out by someone, and those deep inside the industry know who, but they won’t be telling the public what happened or who is responsible.

Edit ~1:00 PM EDT: To illustrate this point on fake media, below is a screenshot of a recent Google search for “Bitcoin drops to $26,” and nothing current shows up. The powers-that-be want this story ignored, as it exposes their corruption, duplicity & bankruptcy. Therefore, it is the duty of every concerned global citizen to discover the facts and report them honestly.

Crypto-currency is fake money with no lasting value, because there is nothing of worth behind it. The financial meltdown in crypto-currency that just happened this morning is more evidence which proves this thesis. Only the policymakers & beneficiaries of such an extremely manipulative monetary policy would count this electronic garbage as an asset.

Tue 02 Jul 2019 2:30 PM EDT

Afternoon Edit: This piece was reported & published in real time, and may be a watershed moment in the coming global financial crash. I just happened to check the Bitcoin index, which I do every day I’m online– and there it was. I immediately started taking screenshots. This piece was re-titled in editing, and any other edits are noted in italics.

Please note that all the screenshots are raw file coded, and those are very hard to fake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejiSCSafHxM

Tue 02 Jul 2019 05:30 PM EDT

I’m adding this final screenshot below to give the reader a scale of how fast all this happened, just a few hours ago. At 9:53 AM EDT, bitcoin plunged through the $10,000 barrier– valuing at $9.937.95. Seven minutes later at 10:00 AM EDT, bitcoin was at $26.40– as shown in an earlier screenshot. All this has been erased & electroned over by the financial manipulators who run this cryptocurrency scam. That’s why these screenshots matter.

Tue 02 Jul 2019 8:26 PM EDT

Here’s a screenshot just taken of Coindesk valuing bitcoin at $9,925.48 at 10:00 AM EDT this morning. Call it “fake blockchain accounting.” Also notice how the 24-hour low is now $9,676.56 instead of $26.30. This is ~10 hours after the event. This Bitcoin event data was erased in the early afternoon by Coindesk. Only these screenshots survive as proof.

Wed 03 Jul 2019 11:33 AM EDT

Summary, the day after: Yesterday, on the morning of July 2, 2019 at 10:00 AM EDT, Bitcoin fell to $26.40 according to Coindesk, the official online tracker of cryptocurrency, and was dead in the water. Less than an hour later BTC was resuscitated by a massive injection of fake money, and was pushed back above $10,000 again.

These screenshots provided above are irrefutable proof of this bankruptcy & malfeasance, which has been erased & covered-up by Bitcoin, Coindesk & their blockchain technology. This story of Bitcoin’s instant collapse & revival has been ignored & buried by the entire fake media, which indicates their complicity.

With this fortuitous piece of investigative journalism, I have busted Bitcoin & all crypto-currencies down to the lint in their pockets. Screenshots don’t lie. Searching for “Bitcoin drops to $26” still produces nothing in the search engines, only further proving the point of massive censorship by high tech & the US intelligence deep state. If you are current on this chimera known as crypto-currency & Bitcoin, while also passionate about the truth, then please share this article as widely as possible to counter-attack this state-sponsored censorship & repression of inconvenient truths.

Thu 04 Jul 2019 01:52 PM EDT

Final Screenshots

Here are the last remaining screenshots that shed light on this momentous financial event, which has been covered up in all official media. I have the exclusive on this story, and have never been censored so harshly online. Everything I posted on Fakebook, particularly these screenshots, has been erased. The same everywhere else including Google and all other search engines.

This above screenshot taken at 11:27 AM shows the steep drop to near zero for Bitcoin on its official tracker Coindesk at 10:00 AM on July 2, 2019.

This above screenshot taken a few seconds later shows the one-week high for Bitcoin to be $13,844.77, on June 26 just before 4:00 PM EDT.

This final screenshot taken a minute later is a real beauty, showing Bitcoin to be at $26.41 at 10:01 AM EDT on July 2, 2019. Notice by scale that this is roughly the midpoint in the $26-trough, which means this event only lasted 2-3 minutes total. The point is: I was REALLY lucky to have seen this at all, despite the fact that my coverage of Bitcoin has been diligent. A few hours later, all this data was completely erased by Coindesk, with a normal curve pasted over this event.

Thu 04 Jul 2019 02:45 PM EDT

Final Timeline of Bitcoin’s Bankruptcy & Bailout

At 9:53 AM EDT on Tuesday July 2, 2019 Bitcoin plunged under $10,000, and within seven minutes was spinning idly at the $26-mark for 2-3 minutes. Its official low was $26.30. Then at 10:03-10:04 AM EDT, Bitcoin instantly shot up again to over $10,000 where it still stays as of this final update.

It was all over by 10:05 EDT. Within this twelve-minute time-frame, Bitcoin was apparently transmogrified not once, but twice. In the first seven minutes of this event, the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme industry leader collapsed and went bankrupt. Only a designed failsafe algorithm prevented Bitcoin from hitting $0.00. Bitcoin bankrupting in seven minutes was the first cataclysmic change.

The second transmogrification was in the last five minutes from 10:00 to 10:05 AM EDT, when Bitcoin was rescued by some unknown black hand. Unless anyone can refute this narrative by addressing the facts & screenshots presented above, this event happened. Therefore, Bitcoin has officially became another “too-big-to-jail” zombie built on fake money, like all the rest. The question is, “Where did the money come from, and how much?”

All this happened in twelve-minutes time, just two days ago. This is an exclusive story because I have the screenshots, I know the issues & history, and I was lucky to be on-the-spot when Bitcoin hit $26. This is one of the biggest financial scandals ever, and the truth is being ruthlessly suppressed by state & corporate power.

The bottom line is when Bitcoin loses 99.75% of $200B in market capitalization in less than 10 minutes– the Black Hand isn’t going to allow THAT to happen, even though I have screenshots which prove it did.

Please download these screenshots & share!!

Over & Out

Addendum: CoinDesk’s Validity

Headquartered in NYC, CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index was launched in September 2013. The Bitcoin Price Index is an average of Bitcoin prices across bitcoin exchanges, and began by using price data from Bitstamp, BTC-e and CampBX. The index also added Bitfinex price data in March 2014, after dumping Mt. Gox a month earlier. Publications which have referenced the Bitcoin Price Index data or price include: the BBC, WSJ, Reuters, NY Times, CNBC and Bloomberg.

Google “official bitcoin tracker,” and Coindesk comes up first. CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index is an industry standard measure for crypto-currency. Only those deeply vested in Bitcoin attempt to discredit the validity of the screenshots I’ve presented on my site, as being from an “unreliable index.” My point has always been that NOTHING connected to crypto-currency is reliable, and a screenshot of Bitcoin at $26.38 on July 2 2019 at 10:00 AM EDT at Coindesk is proof positive of that. My professional opinion of CoinDesk’s “reliability,” is they should remove the ‘i’ from their name.

The fact is that many Bitcoin owners who track its value in real-time, use CoinDesk. This is a democratic argument from the “Bitcoin community” against elitist naysayers who claim CoinDesk is less than industry standard. Officially in cryptocurrency, CoinDesk is considered the industry standard, and the premier Bitcoin composite-index tracker. The flipside here is that the entire cryptocurrency industry is fake, so defining “industry standard” gets vague & shifty in practice.

So here are my questions to all the naysayers with their heads in the sand and no hard evidence to counter. How did this event happen? Was it just a glitch, or an actual bankruptcy– and how do you know which? Since Bitcoin is nothing more than what’s on your computer screen, a “glitch” to $26 means bankruptcy, right? Was it a cyber-attack on CoinDesk? Why the cover-up by Coindesk? Can we really trust blockchain technology, after my screenshots show data being removed & altered after-the-fact? Why has there been such strict censorship in the media over this event?

These are very significant & troubling questions which the naysayers can’t answer. Thus, their attempts to cast dispersion and discredit my data & analysis.

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ESPN.com shuts down fan comments: One year later

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This is the 1-year anniversary of ESPN.com shutting down all its comment boards due to my posts, and this serial is the proof. Before this event, there was never any indication to anyone that the ESPN forum boards for every sport, and all their articles would no longer display or allow reader comments. ESPN has never made a public explanation for this policy change.

The background here is that Wimbledon was obviously fixed on the Women’s side, so I blew up the ESPN/tennis comments section– and people got angry on all sides. I believe the Serena Williams camp forced ESPN to shut down all ESPN website comments because she was looking really bad in the discussions among tennis fans. I was leading those discussions, but very soon I didn’t have to. Serena Williams’ apologists were being shouted down with calm reason, objective facts & countless unanswered questions by many fans.

I mistakenly thought this censorship was a targeted ban (just me) at the time, but it was universal– to my great surprise. I shouldn’t have been, as I did the same thing to MLB.com during the “Shohei Ohtani Affair,” and the collapse of the free-agency market due to MLBPA ignorance & duplicity. The MLB online comments board which had existed for years have disappeared. They connected thousands of MLB fans with their favorite teams, and created many new friendships. All that is now gone, because of MLB censorship.

No “outsider” criticism of MLB or ESPN can be tolerated in online boards, by the powers that be. Who do these neo-fascist censors think maintains the game? Answer: it’s the interest of the fans that pays for everything. When MLB & ESPN cut fans off from each other due to politics, fans lose interest because the game has been stolen from them.

When this occurs, there is little interest for me to report its internal news anymore. Eventually others feel the same and the bottom-line suffers, which is bad business. The big issues here are clear & unambiguous. Is MLB to be run by a cartel of powerful east coast owners who dominate the commissioner & executive offices? If malfeasance is suspected and evidence shown against MLB (and/or its favored franchises), then what?

These questions cut to the heart of the game, deciding who gets the best players and who does not. When a team that is not a “traditional power” thinks & acts outside-the-box to gain a competitive edge, they are reined in with suspensions & the threat of sanctions by this MLB cartel.

This was the case with San Diego Padres GM AJ Preller, who was suspended for one dull month in August 2016 by MLB for “undisclosed anti-inflammatories” in the LHP Drew Pomeranz trade. The top-prospect the Padres received in return RHP Anderson Espinoza, has just undergone his 2nd Tommy John surgery, and will probably never reach the majors. Yet many in the Red Sox media still whine on this false narrative pushed by MLB.

The actual reason AJ Preller was suspended by MLB is because it was perceived the Padres won that trade by getting the Red Sox to overpay for a 4th-starter (Pomeranz), whom the Red Sox foolishly thought was a #2. Even though Preller lost the deal in the end, the Padres are still vilified because he made a big-wheel GM (Dave Dombrowski) look bad in his valuing of MLB talent. That is a contentious truth for Red Sox Nation, believe me.

AJ Preller was also targeted in winter 2017 when Buster Olney acted as Boston Red Sox hatchet-man using his ESPN media clout to threaten sanctions on the Padres if they didn’t give up their pursuit of prized Japanese free-agent pitcher & hitter Shohei Ohtani. That was a clear case of the Red Sox tampering to prevent a hated rival (Padres) from getting a free-agent prize. Preller had to kick Ohtani to his buddy Billy Eppler, Angels GM, to avoid the wrath of MLB.

No one at MLB.com or ESPN ever explained how Ohtani became an Angel, when it looked like the San Diego Padres had him for sure. Here was my real-time serial which is mostly wrong (in that Shohei Ohtani will not become a Padre), until it reveals a greater (& nastier) truth at the end, which is the MLB Black Hand in action.

Coincidentally, this is when MLB.com went black on it’s comment boards for a day or so, and then reset everybody anew with no old content available for viewing. A year later the comments were all gone everywhere on the MLB site, and remain so as of this publication.

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Ballers & Bums

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INTRO: Basketball is not an easy game to play well. It takes a long time to develop ambidextrous dribbling, passing & shooting skills that can hold up with & against real ballers. Beyond that, skills without-the-ball are elite, and enable the baller to help his team win, even when his “teammates” aren’t sharing the ball. It is very rare to find five players with ability, playing together and sharing the work needed to win. The ones who understand and do the work consistently are the ballers. The rest are basketball wanna-be’s & bums.

Here’s some basic basketball theory. If everyone is sharing the ball equally on offense, you will have the ball 20% of the time you are on the floor. This is ideal, but rarely occurs anywhere– even in the NBA. But the other half of the game is defense, which means you have the ball only 10% of your minutes played– in the best of circumstances.

Even the worst pick-up game ballhogs are without the ball for two-thirds of the game. As a player, what are they doing during this majority of the game to help their team win? Most guys who strut onto the court don’t even think about this stuff, yet it is the essence of winning basketball. Those are the basketball bums.

The truth is most guys walk onto the court in a full-blown ego trip. They think they’re a superstar, and nothing can refute that narrative in their head. So when reality bites, and their bad play inevitably starts to show up as a losing score, these basketball bums turn into bitches.

For example: the basketball bum make a bad pass, so he blames a teammate they don’t like for not being there to catch it. On defense, bums let their man blow-by for a clear path to the basket & easy lay-up. The next time this happens, the baller anticipates & slides over to cut that off, but the penetrator kicks to your man left open for an easy 3– which he nails.

The bum tries to blame you for leaving the shooter open, so the baller replies, “Play some ‘D’ and quit letting your man blow-by for easy lay-ups, and I’ll stick with my man.” That handles the bum for the moment, but he’ll be back soon enough with more trash, unless the baller gets some help. If it’s all bums, then it’s hopeless after a game or two, and best to walk away, even mid-game.

Ballers don’t let the bums drag them down. If you’re done with their nonsense before the game is over, just look for someone waiting to play and call them in to take your spot. Since these bums never gave any effort, no need to explain anything nor apologize to them– just leave quietly. This is where patience meets experience, saving you harsh words that bruise tender egos. Ballers don’t pander to that, nor do they leave the court with any personal negativity.

You really have to know the game to handle trash-talking in hoops, because there is a whole lot of stupidity on most courts. This article is about pick-up basketball, either in a gym or outdoors, because that’s the level most people play. I don’t need to tell the pros this stuff, because they already know, it’s just that I’m a better writer.

The first thing to notice is that the game of basketball moves quickly, and it’s the players who responds first & most appropriately that always win the trash-talking battle. That’s the baller in a game filled with bums.

In pick-up/playground basketball, the shooting percentages tend to equalize on both sides, and are low– due to too many bad shoots taken by bad shooters. As in real basketball, it’s the team that rebounds, limits turnovers, and gets the most easy baskets which wins. In most pick-up games which I’ve witnessed and/or participated, there are at least 7-8 bums on the court. This makes the game a lot more work for the ballers, and it’s the main reason why I don’t run much anymore.

Bums won’t pass the ball to a baller, because he will score easily– where the bums can’t. Dicks immediately shrink, and then there’s issues… Every bum bitches about not getting the ball enough. The worst ones are the “big guys,” who won’t defend in the paint– nor rebound. They want to play point guard & shoot 3’s all day. When they don’t get enough of that, these bums become completely toxic, and that “team” basically can’t beat anybody.

You must control your defensive boards, or you have no chance to win, and that’s up to the big guys. Too many tall kids want to play like Steph Curry or James Harden. A lot of bum teams seemingly have 3-4 point guards– at least. Much of the hardcourt pick-up action can’t even rightfully be called basketball, as it’s mostly guys playing with themselves & their buddies.

Bums break down on defense, then blame others to deflect their lack of effort, basketball intelligence & skills. On a real court, with real ballers, these bums are given a swift kick in the ass about stupid turnovers, bad shots, and not defending/rebounding. If they don’t turn it around, they get sent off the court by the big guy, and replaced with someone waiting to play who is willing to do the job. I’ve been one of those guys picked to replace a bum by a real baller on a real court, and it feels great to be chosen.

In the game of basketball, one guy can break down an entire defense on every possession, if the opposition is smart & can play. If this isn’t accounted for, it really sucks for the other four guys, and it isn’t fair to those who are giving an honest effort. Running up & down the court is a lot of work, and no one likes their efforts to be wasted.

Baller rule: Kick the bums off the court, mid-game if needed. In real basketball, no bums & bitches are allowed. That goes for the girls & women too. You know what I mean.

Big guys have to play big, and everyone should try to play above their size. This means “little guys” have low-post skills & can finish around the basket, and everybody rebounds on both ends as needed. Big guys have to control the paint & rebound, otherwise they are basketball bums.

Little guys have to pressure the ball to prevent penetration and easy low-post feeds, while keeping their man in front of them and not giving up easy 3’s. If you can force steals, and limit the turnovers, then congratulations [!] you are a winning basketball player, even though you are out-sized.

It’s a big man’s game, and size rules in basketball. The cliché goes: you can’t teach 7’0″. The fact is the closer you are to the goal, the better you can attack & defend it. Little guys can influence the action without-the-ball even when they are being frozen out, by running (when necessary) to create movement within the offense.

Another elite without-the-ball skill is spacing. Move to the side of the floor opposite the ball, and stay there. This will at least draw your man away from the basket, and create needed space for others to drive. How long you want to do this without receiving a pass is up to you. Keep making yourself available on that side and when you’ve had enough, quit the game as instructed above.

I see all kinds of games where all 10 players are on the same side of the court, or everyone is standing behind the 3-point line. Bums take their turns jacking up bad shots from downtown, and it’s one low-percentage give-away possession after another. Proper spacing, intelligent movement & effective screening are non-existent in a game filled with bums. Good players rarely get the ball here, and have nowhere to go when they do, as “teammates” are literally obstacles.

Baller notes on ’21’ Twenty-one is often a scam pick-up game, and this is how it works. A group of guys who know each other, call you over to play 21. The game’s objective is to get exactly 21 points before anyone else, in a half-court setting. This can be a fun version of basketball when everyone is playing equally. But in the common scenario I’ve presumed, it turns into an unwinnable game of one-against-the-rest. The outsider has to fight for every rebound & score, against a gang of buddies taking turns letting each other get easy shots. Since you can’t defend everybody, you just wear yourself out when you try.

It’s Mission Impossible to win, so focus on improving your skills instead. If you’re going to play this bastardized version of ’21’, my best advice is to get straight on the rules with everybody before you start. Everything from scoring, to takes-backs for steals & airballs, etc. The ones who want to cheat are those who are confused about the rules, and hamper discussing them.

I’ve played against chumps who declare they can win ’21’ on 22. The rule of ’21’ has always been if you land on 20 points, you go back to 15 or whatever lower score you agree on. That’s because the next bucket get you to 22. It’s like blackjack when you bust. The basketball version of ’21’ was developed & widely-played long before the advent of the 3-point shot. Today, that means if you have 19 points and then make a 3-pointer, you drop back to 15. As a rules side note, the dumb shooter still gets his free throws (today @ 3-point line), because he did make the shot. Only chumps think they win on weak stuff like that, because ballers aren’t defending a 3-point attempt in that situation.

Basketball is a beautiful game when played right. In my life I can recall only a handful of times where everything was right with my game & teammates. But when it happens it is magical in its effortlessness & efficacy. When the work load is shared by 5 ballers, no one gets tired & worn out. Everyone is working in synergy to shut down the opponent, no easy looks & no second shots.

Transition to offense begins with boxing-out and securing the rebound, which is immediately outletted to a good ball-handler & pushed up-court for a fast break opportunity. Everyone gets their looks, and the rule is to finish– no excuses.

Very few see the work that goes into making it appear so easy when done right, and even fewer are willing to do that work to become a baller. What I’ve described here is what it takes. Players as true teammates energize each other at this level, allowing elite maintenance with little fatigue & maximum fun.

In pick-up ball, an organized team of ballers can steamroll every opponent for hours on end because of this. The few times I’ve been a part of such an experience are what makes the game an addicting elation. This is where creativity & skill blend, and the game of basketball become as much an art form as a sport.

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The Quadrillion Dollar Question

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Money printing by every central bank in the world has now ballooned stock, bond, derivatives & real estate markets to record highs, which has been a bonanza for those wealthy enough own these assets. The problem for them is that most of these “assets” are worthless, measured in the hundreds of trillions of dollars globally, and widely conceded to total over a quadrillion US dollars in fake value. No one really knows the amount, because little-to-no data is published or made publicly available, as economic policies that affect everybody & everything are discussed, agreed upon & implemented behind closed doors & kept secret.

In official politics, everything is kept classified in the interest of national insecurity. In establishment economics, an undercurrent of paranoia is now running rampant through every market, as anyone with their eyes open can see what’s about to happen to the global economy. Deutsche Bank just unloaded €50bn in worthless derivatives known as long-dated interest rate swaps onto the taxpayers, who are the lender of last resort for a bank considered “too big to fail.” This event has to be kept quiet on MSM, because this could be the next Lehman Brothers collapse which triggers financial Armageddon.

No government has the ammunition to hold off this inevitable crash much longer, much less handle it when it arrives. Money printing for the rich will eventually manifest into hyper-inflation of currency for all. Meanwhile on every inhabited continent, austerity & corporate tax cuts have wiped out national tax bases– the primary source of all government revenue. The other bullet which has been spent is interest rates, which can’t go much lower and in many countries is negative– so that can no longer be used as a palliative. Hence militarization, nationalism, and the drive to war led by the US.

What this means is that the next financial crash will create a revolutionary situation globally, due to the bankruptcy of every central bank & government, who have exhausted their limits on bad debt & interest rate cuts. But the corporate banks, hedge fund firms, brokerage houses, etc, have so much more junk they need to unload! This is the conundrum these parasitic financial criminals are now facing, and when it all breaks down, “Who will pay the piper?” becomes the quadrillion dollar question.

Crypto vs Gold: Part X

Consider this. If cryptocurrency became backed by gold, it would collapse every fiat currency– which are all debt-ridden by money printing & austerity. But here’s the virtual rub. Where can the owners of cryptocurrency store their gold while remaining anonymous? That is the unsolvable paradox of cryptocurrency.

Eventually the governments of the world will use their police, intelligence & military apparatus to find & seize that gold. The deep state of any nation also controls the electrical grid & internet– which means bitcoin becomes unusable under such political conditions. This is no longer hypothetical, as there have been multiple electrical blackouts across South America recently, either due to decaying infrastructure or malware attacks by the US deep state.

It was Venezuela a few months back, as part of the failed US-instigated coup attempt to overthrow Nicolás Maduro and install its puppet Juan Guaidó as president. Last weekend it was announced that Russia’s grid had been attacked by US military-intelligence. This proud US government provocation of war against Russia was barely noted or commented upon in the fake news media.

What is to become of the digital energy waster known as crypto-currency when the working masses & youth of the world unite under the banner of international socialism and march on the centers of power in every nation? After an international workers’ revolution, bitcoin & all other forms of crypto-currency will no longer be allowed to contribute to global warming. Humanity needs solutions which don’t cause greater problems, as is allowed under capitalism.

There is more than enough wealth being produced to provide for everyone’s needs while making reparations to our planet and all its inhabitants. This makes the need for money superfluous in a socialist society, but not under capitalism which is leading humanity towards disaster.

Every day Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, and there rest of that fascist White House cabal are in power, the greater the threat of thermo-nuclear incineration to our planet. It is really sick that things get pushed this close to the edge of extinction by delusional & psychotic tendencies. But that’s “maximum pressure” under capitalism, and it’s how the rich & powerful maintain their privileges in a rigged game.

Those of us who have been socialists for a long time, know that we are the most suppressed, censored & blacklisted political tendency. Trotskyism of the Fourth International is real socialism, and we are always the first targets of the corporate censors & deep state sponsored fascism. Fake media of every variant always portray Trotskyism as “left-wing extremism,” and brand them as “terrorist,” but not officially because they are blacklisted– which means they aren’t acknowledged. This combines the murky world of US intelligence with the anti-socialist ideology of the ruling class.

Notice that no mainstream media ever covers the World Socialist Web Site, the modern daily organ of Trotskyism. Any attempts by “leftists” to politicize the WSWS become silly & hateful, as these fake intellectuals never approach anything from a historical or materialist perspective. Everything from pseudo-intellectual liberals is thinly-veiled class interest wrapped up in the irrationality of post-modernism– where all is subjective & anything goes. What remains of liberalism is comparable (as a class) to a degenerative disorder, incapable of controlling itself and getting worse by the day.

The fake left lose the battle of rationality & facts against the Trotskyists every time. Trotskyists are always strictly censored under capitalism & Stalinism, because we are recognized as their most formidable & intractable enemy. Capitalism & Stalinism (socialism in one country) have the same common goal: to subordinate their nation’s working masses to obey & carry out ruling class directives.

Trotskyists are the only political tendency that seeks to unite workers & youth internationally under the banner of revolutionary socialism. This must be achieved to avert an all-destructive Third World War. Capitalism keeps doubling down on its failures, which is only leading to more catastrophes. There is no tendency in mainstream media or official politics that opposes this suicidal trajectory for human civilization. Political power must be removed from these criminal ruling classes of all nations.

Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning must be set free and protected by the workers & youth of the world, against these ruthless & tyrannical global networks of US-UK sponsored terrorists. Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning are courageous heroes for what they have done, and for the political stance they maintain– by not capitulating to US deep state coercion, suppression & criminality. Their fate is humanity’s fate. It’s up to those who are conscious and willing to fight for equality & democratic rights to unite for the purpose of freeing them, and revering those who reveal hard truths & ask important questions.

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