Trump was Putin's Manchurian candidate. Yesterday, he ordered DOD to plan for an invasion of Panama. Adventures in Greenland can break NATO. Attacks our most loyal and trusted allies, i.e. Canada, Mexico, UK, EU. Markets crashing. All to the benefit of Putin and to the detriment of our country.
Big march today in DC. Noon.
22 Republican senators and dozens of Republican House members voted to fund Ukraine. Some of them call Trump a liar.
When he put tariffs on China, they blocked sales of beef. The entire industry is in panic. So should 20 Republican senators that represent cow country. Even Rand Paul fears for the boubon industry and called out Trump.
Thanks Daniel, spot on comments. Twenty GOP Senators could make a difference, but odds are they will not. Suspect they'll make noise for the home folk and then let dear leader have his way.
IMHO Putin/Ukraine is the least common denominator, but others love their pork.
Constituents and doners have to pressure them.
E.g. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he thinks Trump has some latitude to pursue trade wars but not at a long-term cost.“Look, this isn’t the way I would do it,” Rounds said of the White House’s tack. “I think they want to try something different than from the previous administration. But they’ve got to show some success fairly quickly.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Trump’s “dramatic tariffs” on Canada and Mexico “could be devastating to the economy,” including in his home state. “There are stories coming out talking about cars costing $10,000 more. And, of course, we’re worried about bourbon. We want to sell our bourbon. The Canadians are going to block our bourbon,” Paul said. “Now that you add lumber costs to that and steel with tariffs, nobody at home is coming up to me and saying please put tariffs on.”
Republican Sen. Katie Britt has been working to make sure the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency doesn’t hit what she called “life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions,” including her state’s beloved University of Alabama.
Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran is worried that food from heartland farmers would spoil rather than be sent around the world as the U.S. Agency for International Development shutters.
And Idaho GOP Rep. Mike Simpson warns national parks could be impaired by cutbacks at the start of summer hiring in preparation for the onslaught of visitors.
“We need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what they’ve done here,” said Simpson, a seasoned lawmaker who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. “It’s a concern to all of us.”
Republican Senators Question Musk on DOGE Cuts, Gently Insisting on Input
As much as I am doing what little I can to support our democracy I fear we are already living the nightmare. Since Social Security is critical to my way of life & Medicare is actually critical to my life in its coverage for my cancer drug there is a real possibility that the nightmare will only get worse for millions in my position.
Dark days ahead.
It's now that I have to update what I've been thinking/saying. For the last 20 years or so I saw that the lustre was coming off our shining city on a hill that eventually we would go the way of the British Empire, still important but not as critical to the world order as before. Then when trump came in the scene I added that I never foresaw losing our democracy but now I must add that I never foresaw the loss of our country all together. We will no longer be the same country when trump et al get finished with their destruction unless we act now!
Why does anybody listen to this idiot, cower before him, quiver at his bloviating, or parrot his lies and fantasies? I'm flabbergasted at how utterly weak we have proven to be as a people. It is an abominable betrayal of every principle--Constitutional or Biblical--that has guided our people all these centuries when politicians, businesses, universities, and media all decide to bow and scrape to this hapless loser and his blatantly immoral, illegal agenda.
And pay to pray. It’s all about money and power and corruption. Time to reconsider that the great “American dream “ is a joke for the majority of people.
Prayers and good wishes are for Republicans, and even then, methinks, they are insincere when applied to other Americans needing help. Others must tighten their belts, up their passion, pressure on politicians, and yes, if possible, our contributions.
Trump is proving daily that he is working toward the goals Putin wants to attain.
The only thing that is even slightly shocking about it is the media and people everywhere are saying plainly that he is wrecking this country for Putin. Some think he is emulating as suggested in today's Report, but many believe he is owned.
Either way he is not working for the American people. THAT has to be said a million times over. It's time to grab the damn greedy traitor and kick him to the curb.
Now that the Treasury is held in a blockchain, transfixed by our break up value. Trump is a transactional, material man. They could take the money and run.
Assets:
Total Assets: Approximately $5.7 trillion.
Key Asset Categories:
Cash and Monetary Assets: Around $1.2 trillion.
Inventory and Related Property: Roughly $447.3 billion.
Loans Receivable (net): Approximately $1.8 trillion, primarily student loans.
Property, Plant, and Equipment (PP&E): Around $1.3 trillion.
Other Assets: The government also holds investments in government-sponsored enterprises, totaling $305.8 billion.
Liabilities:
Total Liabilities: Significantly larger than assets, reaching $45.5 trillion.
Key Liability Categories:
Federal Debt and Interest Payable: $28.3 trillion.
Federal Employee and Veteran Benefits Payable: $15.0 trillion.
Net Position:
Negative Net Position: Due to the large difference between liabilities and assets, the government has a negative net position.
Additional Context:
Debt Limit:
The federal government's debt is subject to a statutory debt limit, which is periodically increased by Congress.
Debt Ownership:
A significant portion of the federal debt is held by the public, including foreign investors (29%) and domestic investors.
Government Spending:
The federal government's spending is a major factor in the national debt and budget deficits.
US International Investment Position:
The US has a negative net international investment position, meaning that US residents' foreign liabilities exceed their foreign assets.
US Net Wealth:
The total net wealth of the US is estimated to be around $136.8 trillion.
The US total wealth includes the market valuation of all properties, not just money.
Wealth is not money. Money is used to acquire wealth.
The US residents, whose foreign liabilities exceed their foreign assets are corporations, not people. Very few people have foreign liabilities and assets.
As regards US Debt. I agree with Keynes. We owe it to ourselves, outside of government securities held by the IMF, World Bank, Bank for International Settlements, central banks and Sovereign funds (like Saudi Arabia, UAE, China), the Association of Primary Dealers in Government Securities, which is a cabal that has dibs on US Government Securities, which they in turn sell to the Fed, Sovereign funds and central banks and to Domestic investors..
The interest paid on the debt, mostly gets spent or reinvested in America.
And that gins the economy.
The problem with fractional reserve system is that the interest on the debt is responsible for the long term creep in inflation. That could be counter balanced, if workers had a countervailing power, like unions, which they once did. With a proper union, wages would be indexed to inflation.
As regards calculating inflation, the current basket of goods was put together to satiate the corporations, not the public. It includes the likes of computers and electronics which have been getting cheaper, and homes which aren't being built and sold and are not really part of the public consumption. The basket needs to be redone.
As regards blockchain, crypto whatever it is called. I don't understand it, except that ti is created by some dude sitting at a keyboard in his underwear. It is really fiat money, money created out of thin air.
But I understand that if you want to acquire crypto, you have to fork out US Dollars, so US Dollars are the real money (temporarily, until overtaken by the Yuan)
If I understand what you are saying. Trump will be using US Dollars to buy Crypto, and then absconding with the Crypto.
1. "Wealth is not money. Money is used to acquire wealth." If someone will trade or barter for it, it has value. Money is a medium of exchange.
2. "The US residents, whose foreign liabilities exceed their foreign assets are corporations, not people. Very few people have foreign liabilities and assets."
3. This, I'm sorry to report is the same kind of stuff that we tried via psy ops, starting after WWII in western europe. As Thom documented, what Putin did to acquire some of Russia's neighbors.
Exactly Daniel, Your No 1. is a restatement of what I said, Money is a medium of exchange and is used to acquire wealth.
We are conditioned to equate money with wealth, but I defer to Arthur Kitson's definition of wealth, which is also Adam smiths. Wealth is that which makes us happy. A hoarder living in a pile of newspapers and filth is happy then they are wealthy. They perceive things as a signifier of wealth, clean out their hoard and you impoverish them.
Arthur Kitson was a late 19th Century British Economist, a regular in the London Times, his book a Fraudulent Standard, tears apart the myth of gold as a standard of value.
2."It's the value if the GOVERRNMENT, not individuals or corporations. It's what Trump and Musk can easily steal." I think you meant the value of the government. However you originally aid "The US Residents whos foreign libabilities, exceed their foreign assets. Residents not Government Daniel and the only residents that have foreign liabilities that exceed assets are corporations.
I do realize that Trusk is in the process of stealing our money that Musk can divert the productivity of America to his fantasy of becoming the Elon of Mars.
3. This, I'm sorry to report is the same kind of stuff that we tried via psy ops, starting after WWII in western europe. As Thom documented, what Putin did to acquire some of Russia's neighbors."
I have to regretfully admit Daniel, that I am exceedingly dense, more stupid than I thought, because I do not understand that lat sentence. What kind of stuff that we stried psyops starting after WWII in Western Europe.AS Thom Documented, what Putin did to acquire some of Russians neighbors.
By the last do you mean the Stans, that are part of the Russian Federation, Chechnya was acquired by force, well he used force until he could find a thug who would be a satrap, he invaded Georgia, acquired Northern Ossetia and is working on acquiring the rest. Working on Slovakia, Romania, Moldova too, with psyops using Manchurian candidates like Trump.
We inserted our guys in governments when there were threats that the Commies would overtske most of Europe. Stole treasuries. Inflated currencies. On several occasions we spread counterfeit currency to devalue their money.
Tried and failed to do the same later on in Iran and Cuba. Castro accused Batista and his cronies (which included the American mafia) of stealing the Cuban treasury.
BTW money is efficient. Kinda tough to take the Washington Monument to the UAE. How about the Grand Canyon?
Agreed about the medium of exchange, being fungible and all, but it is only a tool. Like a hammer, a screwdriver, a chainsaw, a scapel.
Yes I know we equate money with wealth. Pablo Escobar had billions, now it is buried all over Columbia, time to time someone stumbles on a barrel, or finds it in a wall, but it is just paper, sitting there, until it is used to acquire wealth.
Counterfeiting currencies to devalue the money is what the Bank of England did to the Continental, which the likes of the Kochs, the Foundation for Economic Education, Milton Friedman, the banks have been so happy to use to discredit printing press money , you've certainly know the phrase "Not worth a Continental" and of course it wasn't, the Bank of England counterfeited it into obscurity.
I am quite sure that Batista and the mafia did clean out the Cuban treasury, but I don't think that pre revolution peso's had much value in Castro's Cuba, and especially on the world market. So it had to be silver and gold.
Cuba today buys and sells on the world market in essence by barter.
When I lived in Panama, I attended a roof top party or two, of employees of the various embassies (not the Ambassadors or such), In one I met a dude who worked in the free port of Colon, he was Cuban and his job was to take orders from Cuba, and fill Conex's, that way the government elite did not suffer the embargo.
How did incompetent nepo Trump survive 6 bankruptcies? Try this fairy tale. Once upon a time Trump began using his empire to launder money for the Russian oligarchy (aka mob) in order to stay afloat. He likely did this via Deutche Bank. Soon after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, CEO Herrhausen got wind of the deal, and was elaborately assassinated by a bomb placed on the side of the street which blew up his armored car passing through town in a motorcade. The MSM incriminated the KGB head in Dresden - a guy named Vladimir Putin, but nobody was ever charged.
A close friend of mine, his personal assistant, was in the car behind him. Soon after she disappeared - likely out of fear for her safety. This "theory" would explain how despite serial bankruptcies, the Trumpire survived. It would also explain Trump's visits to Moscow and his association with Putin and other oligarchs. It is not that hard to model your behavior after the guy who has been calling your shots most of your adult life. Who else knew about this arrangement? The late Jeff Epstein perhaps?
An interesting analogy and I agree with a lot of it. But just to be exact there are a few points to clarify. Polk didn't take Iowa and Wisconsin as the former was part of the Louisiana Purchase, while the latter was in the Old Northwest received in the 1783 settlement from Britain. They did become states during his administration, though. And Texas was annexed at the end of Tyler's term, just before Polk came in. He did push for a more southern boundary, and that was the set-up for the excuse to have the Mexican War. Right about taking the Southwest from Mexico and splitting the Oregon Country with Britain.
As for Greenland, I agree this is ridiculous and in typically inept fashion he has encouraged that land to move closer to independence. But Seward tried to get it at about the same time as he bought Alaska and Truman talked about annexing it too, so there is some history here. And also Canada was an independent dominion by the 1890s; though still with very close ties to Britain it definitely was no longer a colony. Making it one state is of course absurd, it is too big and diverse. But it is tempting to think how 10 (or 13 with the territories) new states would swamp Congress with largely Democratic senators and representatives, sinking the GOP for all time.
Finally his ranting about taking back the Panama Canal is just nonsense. Having recently sailed through there it is obvious that a huge army would be needed to control the shores of vast Gatun Lake, not to mention the borders of the large cities at either end of the waterway. And it is pointless as things are working fine (and no, there are no Chinese signs to be seen along the canal). I doubt if he has ever taken a good look at a map of the area, let alone visited it. Like these other things it is just a demand for more toys to satisfy the vacuum inside. And that can never be filled.
If Greenland declares its independence, Then Trump can invade with SEAL Team Six and claim it as American.
In case you think SEALs are patriots, think again Look at all of the former SEALS and Special Forces in the Republican Party, Eric Prince (Blackwater, Xi) is a former SEAL.
They are to be considered radical right, MAGAts, till proven different. Kind of goes for all special ops, rangers and even regular military.
Sure, and McKinley said he couldn't find the Philippines on the map. And taking Hawaii was a really dirty deal, while Guam and Puerto Rico had nothing to do with the Cuban rationale for the war (not that Spain blew up the battleship anyway). Ancient history I know, but the colonial rationales don't change, they just get slicker. Or not.
I wouldn't be surprised if Agent Orange's love-knuckle buddy, Putin, are already slicing up which parts of Greenland they each want. I'm surprised Agent Orange knew who our past Presidents were. Someone must of put it on index cards for him. Short sentences.
Thom, I wonder, do members of Congress read your column? You provide such great context and analysis, it might help them to gain perspective and formulate solutions. These days they seem to lack courage, insight, and imagination. Why are our senators and members of Congress not shown on TV with their hair on fire?
Fran: Thom is on TV, Freespeech TV Ch 269 Dish, DIRECTV 348, Roku, Apple TV, Sling TV, Amazon Fire, Alexa Skill, the FSTV Apple iOS app, and streaming online 24/7 at freespeech.org
Look for YouTube pieces from Senator Merkley, Senator Sanders, Representative Crockett, and Representative Raskin just to mention a few, Fran. They are out there!
Here it is as clear as a bell, spelled out in detail. This is what we are dealing with. This is the information that must be broadcast far and wide, ASAP, or yesterday! Thanks again for a brilliant (and terrifying) analysis. It's the naked truth. The emperor has no clothes. Let's see if the people get the message and figure it out in time. Will the military follow an illegal order? Will Congress finally put a foot down? I'm afraid it all depends on public reaction and outcry.
It always has depended on us, We The People must rise up & let our anger & opposition be heard loud & clear. Many of the Democrats that we have elected to represent us, are more beholden to their wealthy donor class than they are to us, who actually provide the votes.
We have allowed our entire electoral system to be corrupted over the decades, & it’s now up to us to fix what we’ve allowed to happen.
All true. I am a little nervous about too much harsh criticism of Democrats, however. They have dropped the ball too many times and some are clearly compromised. But it is important to emphasize that the R's have been playing dirty pool and have stacked the deck with massive big bucks, making it impossible for D's to get their message out and win. We have to play a long game and keep pointing out their corruption, extremism, incompetence, and malice.
Maybe pain to get gain? It does not have to be this way, yet so many people rather keep up with football and watch silly tv shows than keep up with politics. So here we are.
There are reasons for that. The primary reason is our schools which have failed miserably. Until they become user-friendly and voluntary, the people will be mostly apathetic, cynical, ignorant, and have an authoritarian orientation. They are getting a refresher course in authoritarianism now. One hopes they pay attention and rebel in huge numbers.
What I enjoy in Hartmann's newsletter is bits of American history woven in his commentary that are educational for me, such as today's column below:
According to recent reporting in The Wall Street Journal, Trump got Mike Johnson to give him the painting of President James Polk (1845-1849) to hang in the Oval Office. Polk basically doubled the size of the United States, by acquiring Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin, along with territories including what eventually became Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Oregon.
He took the southwestern territories by forcing a war against Mexico, a brutal conflict that’s romanticized in stories of the Alamo, but was loudly and angrily opposed in Congress where the leader of that opposition was Congressman Abraham Lincoln.
Trump was Putin's Manchurian candidate. Yesterday, he ordered DOD to plan for an invasion of Panama. Adventures in Greenland can break NATO. Attacks our most loyal and trusted allies, i.e. Canada, Mexico, UK, EU. Markets crashing. All to the benefit of Putin and to the detriment of our country.
Big march today in DC. Noon.
22 Republican senators and dozens of Republican House members voted to fund Ukraine. Some of them call Trump a liar.
When he put tariffs on China, they blocked sales of beef. The entire industry is in panic. So should 20 Republican senators that represent cow country. Even Rand Paul fears for the boubon industry and called out Trump.
Impeach. Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/remove-impeach-impeach
Call. https://act.commoncause.org/call_campaigns/tell-congress-stop-the-musk-budget/?source=email-share
Thanks Daniel, spot on comments. Twenty GOP Senators could make a difference, but odds are they will not. Suspect they'll make noise for the home folk and then let dear leader have his way.
IMHO Putin/Ukraine is the least common denominator, but others love their pork.
Constituents and doners have to pressure them.
E.g. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he thinks Trump has some latitude to pursue trade wars but not at a long-term cost.“Look, this isn’t the way I would do it,” Rounds said of the White House’s tack. “I think they want to try something different than from the previous administration. But they’ve got to show some success fairly quickly.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Trump’s “dramatic tariffs” on Canada and Mexico “could be devastating to the economy,” including in his home state. “There are stories coming out talking about cars costing $10,000 more. And, of course, we’re worried about bourbon. We want to sell our bourbon. The Canadians are going to block our bourbon,” Paul said. “Now that you add lumber costs to that and steel with tariffs, nobody at home is coming up to me and saying please put tariffs on.”
Republican Sen. Katie Britt has been working to make sure the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency doesn’t hit what she called “life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions,” including her state’s beloved University of Alabama.
Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran is worried that food from heartland farmers would spoil rather than be sent around the world as the U.S. Agency for International Development shutters.
And Idaho GOP Rep. Mike Simpson warns national parks could be impaired by cutbacks at the start of summer hiring in preparation for the onslaught of visitors.
“We need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what they’ve done here,” said Simpson, a seasoned lawmaker who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. “It’s a concern to all of us.”
Republican Senators Question Musk on DOGE Cuts, Gently Insisting on Input
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/us/politics/elon-musk-doge-republican-senators.html
Maybe Canadians, if under great pressure and as a last resort, would consider reuniting under a parliamentary England, and both might benefit.
Perhaps a framed picture of Benedict Arnold would be more appropriate for the Oval Office.
As much as I am doing what little I can to support our democracy I fear we are already living the nightmare. Since Social Security is critical to my way of life & Medicare is actually critical to my life in its coverage for my cancer drug there is a real possibility that the nightmare will only get worse for millions in my position.
Dark days ahead.
It's now that I have to update what I've been thinking/saying. For the last 20 years or so I saw that the lustre was coming off our shining city on a hill that eventually we would go the way of the British Empire, still important but not as critical to the world order as before. Then when trump came in the scene I added that I never foresaw losing our democracy but now I must add that I never foresaw the loss of our country all together. We will no longer be the same country when trump et al get finished with their destruction unless we act now!
Why does anybody listen to this idiot, cower before him, quiver at his bloviating, or parrot his lies and fantasies? I'm flabbergasted at how utterly weak we have proven to be as a people. It is an abominable betrayal of every principle--Constitutional or Biblical--that has guided our people all these centuries when politicians, businesses, universities, and media all decide to bow and scrape to this hapless loser and his blatantly immoral, illegal agenda.
Why do people join criminal mobs, join cults, join coups?
And pay to pray. It’s all about money and power and corruption. Time to reconsider that the great “American dream “ is a joke for the majority of people.
Prayers and good wishes are for Republicans, and even then, methinks, they are insincere when applied to other Americans needing help. Others must tighten their belts, up their passion, pressure on politicians, and yes, if possible, our contributions.
Mostly peer pressure.
As Sarah Kendzior says: You can't vote out the Mafia.
And the worst of it...he is winning - God help us !
Grab-grab-grab
Trump is proving daily that he is working toward the goals Putin wants to attain.
The only thing that is even slightly shocking about it is the media and people everywhere are saying plainly that he is wrecking this country for Putin. Some think he is emulating as suggested in today's Report, but many believe he is owned.
Either way he is not working for the American people. THAT has to be said a million times over. It's time to grab the damn greedy traitor and kick him to the curb.
Your history lessons are always helpful, Thom.
Trump's Imperial fantasy is becoming a reality
First he has pulled off a Self Coup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-coup
Now with the help of Musk he is engaged in a Mixed War. A war in which the Nation has engaged in warfare against it's own people.
Now that the Treasury is held in a blockchain, transfixed by our break up value. Trump is a transactional, material man. They could take the money and run.
Assets:
Total Assets: Approximately $5.7 trillion.
Key Asset Categories:
Cash and Monetary Assets: Around $1.2 trillion.
Inventory and Related Property: Roughly $447.3 billion.
Loans Receivable (net): Approximately $1.8 trillion, primarily student loans.
Property, Plant, and Equipment (PP&E): Around $1.3 trillion.
Other Assets: The government also holds investments in government-sponsored enterprises, totaling $305.8 billion.
Liabilities:
Total Liabilities: Significantly larger than assets, reaching $45.5 trillion.
Key Liability Categories:
Federal Debt and Interest Payable: $28.3 trillion.
Federal Employee and Veteran Benefits Payable: $15.0 trillion.
Net Position:
Negative Net Position: Due to the large difference between liabilities and assets, the government has a negative net position.
Additional Context:
Debt Limit:
The federal government's debt is subject to a statutory debt limit, which is periodically increased by Congress.
Debt Ownership:
A significant portion of the federal debt is held by the public, including foreign investors (29%) and domestic investors.
Government Spending:
The federal government's spending is a major factor in the national debt and budget deficits.
US International Investment Position:
The US has a negative net international investment position, meaning that US residents' foreign liabilities exceed their foreign assets.
US Net Wealth:
The total net wealth of the US is estimated to be around $136.8 trillion.
The US total wealth includes the market valuation of all properties, not just money.
Wealth is not money. Money is used to acquire wealth.
The US residents, whose foreign liabilities exceed their foreign assets are corporations, not people. Very few people have foreign liabilities and assets.
As regards US Debt. I agree with Keynes. We owe it to ourselves, outside of government securities held by the IMF, World Bank, Bank for International Settlements, central banks and Sovereign funds (like Saudi Arabia, UAE, China), the Association of Primary Dealers in Government Securities, which is a cabal that has dibs on US Government Securities, which they in turn sell to the Fed, Sovereign funds and central banks and to Domestic investors..
The interest paid on the debt, mostly gets spent or reinvested in America.
And that gins the economy.
The problem with fractional reserve system is that the interest on the debt is responsible for the long term creep in inflation. That could be counter balanced, if workers had a countervailing power, like unions, which they once did. With a proper union, wages would be indexed to inflation.
As regards calculating inflation, the current basket of goods was put together to satiate the corporations, not the public. It includes the likes of computers and electronics which have been getting cheaper, and homes which aren't being built and sold and are not really part of the public consumption. The basket needs to be redone.
As regards blockchain, crypto whatever it is called. I don't understand it, except that ti is created by some dude sitting at a keyboard in his underwear. It is really fiat money, money created out of thin air.
But I understand that if you want to acquire crypto, you have to fork out US Dollars, so US Dollars are the real money (temporarily, until overtaken by the Yuan)
If I understand what you are saying. Trump will be using US Dollars to buy Crypto, and then absconding with the Crypto.
1. "Wealth is not money. Money is used to acquire wealth." If someone will trade or barter for it, it has value. Money is a medium of exchange.
2. "The US residents, whose foreign liabilities exceed their foreign assets are corporations, not people. Very few people have foreign liabilities and assets."
It's the value of the GOVERRNMENT, not individuals or corporations. It's what Trump and Musk can easily steal. Here's where this is derived. https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/reports-statements/financial-report/government-financial-position-and-condition.html
3. This, I'm sorry to report is the same kind of stuff that we tried via psy ops, starting after WWII in western europe. As Thom documented, what Putin did to acquire some of Russia's neighbors.
Exactly Daniel, Your No 1. is a restatement of what I said, Money is a medium of exchange and is used to acquire wealth.
We are conditioned to equate money with wealth, but I defer to Arthur Kitson's definition of wealth, which is also Adam smiths. Wealth is that which makes us happy. A hoarder living in a pile of newspapers and filth is happy then they are wealthy. They perceive things as a signifier of wealth, clean out their hoard and you impoverish them.
Arthur Kitson was a late 19th Century British Economist, a regular in the London Times, his book a Fraudulent Standard, tears apart the myth of gold as a standard of value.
2."It's the value if the GOVERRNMENT, not individuals or corporations. It's what Trump and Musk can easily steal." I think you meant the value of the government. However you originally aid "The US Residents whos foreign libabilities, exceed their foreign assets. Residents not Government Daniel and the only residents that have foreign liabilities that exceed assets are corporations.
I do realize that Trusk is in the process of stealing our money that Musk can divert the productivity of America to his fantasy of becoming the Elon of Mars.
3. This, I'm sorry to report is the same kind of stuff that we tried via psy ops, starting after WWII in western europe. As Thom documented, what Putin did to acquire some of Russia's neighbors."
I have to regretfully admit Daniel, that I am exceedingly dense, more stupid than I thought, because I do not understand that lat sentence. What kind of stuff that we stried psyops starting after WWII in Western Europe.AS Thom Documented, what Putin did to acquire some of Russians neighbors.
By the last do you mean the Stans, that are part of the Russian Federation, Chechnya was acquired by force, well he used force until he could find a thug who would be a satrap, he invaded Georgia, acquired Northern Ossetia and is working on acquiring the rest. Working on Slovakia, Romania, Moldova too, with psyops using Manchurian candidates like Trump.
We inserted our guys in governments when there were threats that the Commies would overtske most of Europe. Stole treasuries. Inflated currencies. On several occasions we spread counterfeit currency to devalue their money.
Tried and failed to do the same later on in Iran and Cuba. Castro accused Batista and his cronies (which included the American mafia) of stealing the Cuban treasury.
BTW money is efficient. Kinda tough to take the Washington Monument to the UAE. How about the Grand Canyon?
Agreed about the medium of exchange, being fungible and all, but it is only a tool. Like a hammer, a screwdriver, a chainsaw, a scapel.
Yes I know we equate money with wealth. Pablo Escobar had billions, now it is buried all over Columbia, time to time someone stumbles on a barrel, or finds it in a wall, but it is just paper, sitting there, until it is used to acquire wealth.
Counterfeiting currencies to devalue the money is what the Bank of England did to the Continental, which the likes of the Kochs, the Foundation for Economic Education, Milton Friedman, the banks have been so happy to use to discredit printing press money , you've certainly know the phrase "Not worth a Continental" and of course it wasn't, the Bank of England counterfeited it into obscurity.
I am quite sure that Batista and the mafia did clean out the Cuban treasury, but I don't think that pre revolution peso's had much value in Castro's Cuba, and especially on the world market. So it had to be silver and gold.
Cuba today buys and sells on the world market in essence by barter.
When I lived in Panama, I attended a roof top party or two, of employees of the various embassies (not the Ambassadors or such), In one I met a dude who worked in the free port of Colon, he was Cuban and his job was to take orders from Cuba, and fill Conex's, that way the government elite did not suffer the embargo.
How did incompetent nepo Trump survive 6 bankruptcies? Try this fairy tale. Once upon a time Trump began using his empire to launder money for the Russian oligarchy (aka mob) in order to stay afloat. He likely did this via Deutche Bank. Soon after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, CEO Herrhausen got wind of the deal, and was elaborately assassinated by a bomb placed on the side of the street which blew up his armored car passing through town in a motorcade. The MSM incriminated the KGB head in Dresden - a guy named Vladimir Putin, but nobody was ever charged.
A close friend of mine, his personal assistant, was in the car behind him. Soon after she disappeared - likely out of fear for her safety. This "theory" would explain how despite serial bankruptcies, the Trumpire survived. It would also explain Trump's visits to Moscow and his association with Putin and other oligarchs. It is not that hard to model your behavior after the guy who has been calling your shots most of your adult life. Who else knew about this arrangement? The late Jeff Epstein perhaps?
I've posted this stuff before.
Several former KGB agents swear that Trump was compromised. No doubt that Russia aided his campaigns in 2016, 2000 and 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2024_United_States_elections#:~:text=Russia's%20efforts%20represented%20the%20most,society%20and%20foster%20anti%2DAmericanism.
Thom has covered this several times.
Last week several Russian agents were quoted to that extent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjOwSNay4R0
A number of US authors say the same. Craig Unger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsIntuxmXf0 Malcolm Nance. The Plot Destory Democracy. (2018). The Plot to Betray America (2019). The perfect target’: Russia cultivated Trump as asset for 40 years – ex-KGB spy https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/29/trump-russia-asset-claims-former-kgb-spy-new-book
An interesting analogy and I agree with a lot of it. But just to be exact there are a few points to clarify. Polk didn't take Iowa and Wisconsin as the former was part of the Louisiana Purchase, while the latter was in the Old Northwest received in the 1783 settlement from Britain. They did become states during his administration, though. And Texas was annexed at the end of Tyler's term, just before Polk came in. He did push for a more southern boundary, and that was the set-up for the excuse to have the Mexican War. Right about taking the Southwest from Mexico and splitting the Oregon Country with Britain.
As for Greenland, I agree this is ridiculous and in typically inept fashion he has encouraged that land to move closer to independence. But Seward tried to get it at about the same time as he bought Alaska and Truman talked about annexing it too, so there is some history here. And also Canada was an independent dominion by the 1890s; though still with very close ties to Britain it definitely was no longer a colony. Making it one state is of course absurd, it is too big and diverse. But it is tempting to think how 10 (or 13 with the territories) new states would swamp Congress with largely Democratic senators and representatives, sinking the GOP for all time.
Finally his ranting about taking back the Panama Canal is just nonsense. Having recently sailed through there it is obvious that a huge army would be needed to control the shores of vast Gatun Lake, not to mention the borders of the large cities at either end of the waterway. And it is pointless as things are working fine (and no, there are no Chinese signs to be seen along the canal). I doubt if he has ever taken a good look at a map of the area, let alone visited it. Like these other things it is just a demand for more toys to satisfy the vacuum inside. And that can never be filled.
If Greenland declares its independence, Then Trump can invade with SEAL Team Six and claim it as American.
In case you think SEALs are patriots, think again Look at all of the former SEALS and Special Forces in the Republican Party, Eric Prince (Blackwater, Xi) is a former SEAL.
They are to be considered radical right, MAGAts, till proven different. Kind of goes for all special ops, rangers and even regular military.
Plus McKinley was the automoton for Marcus Alonzo Hanna.
But that doesn't mean he's not serious.
Sure, and McKinley said he couldn't find the Philippines on the map. And taking Hawaii was a really dirty deal, while Guam and Puerto Rico had nothing to do with the Cuban rationale for the war (not that Spain blew up the battleship anyway). Ancient history I know, but the colonial rationales don't change, they just get slicker. Or not.
I wouldn't be surprised if Agent Orange's love-knuckle buddy, Putin, are already slicing up which parts of Greenland they each want. I'm surprised Agent Orange knew who our past Presidents were. Someone must of put it on index cards for him. Short sentences.
Thom, I wonder, do members of Congress read your column? You provide such great context and analysis, it might help them to gain perspective and formulate solutions. These days they seem to lack courage, insight, and imagination. Why are our senators and members of Congress not shown on TV with their hair on fire?
Fran: Thom is on TV, Freespeech TV Ch 269 Dish, DIRECTV 348, Roku, Apple TV, Sling TV, Amazon Fire, Alexa Skill, the FSTV Apple iOS app, and streaming online 24/7 at freespeech.org
Also on the radio Find your nearest station: https://www.thomhartmann.com/radio/stations
Look for YouTube pieces from Senator Merkley, Senator Sanders, Representative Crockett, and Representative Raskin just to mention a few, Fran. They are out there!
@ Fran Bull. Virtually all of the dems have sites on Bluesky. Republicans on X. I am banned from x but from time to time I send the Dems Thom's stuff.
If you are on x, Facebook and other sites you can go to the politicaians pages and post on them. I can't
It's possibe that Thom could have a link on their sites.
Why, once they were busted, did Hitler and several of his BFFs commit suicide?
Because, at bottom, they were abject cowards. Thru and thru.
It could happen to Putin and his Moscow mules, as well.
Perhaps, somewhere near the Potomac, too. . . . Say, D.C., even?
Here it is as clear as a bell, spelled out in detail. This is what we are dealing with. This is the information that must be broadcast far and wide, ASAP, or yesterday! Thanks again for a brilliant (and terrifying) analysis. It's the naked truth. The emperor has no clothes. Let's see if the people get the message and figure it out in time. Will the military follow an illegal order? Will Congress finally put a foot down? I'm afraid it all depends on public reaction and outcry.
It always has depended on us, We The People must rise up & let our anger & opposition be heard loud & clear. Many of the Democrats that we have elected to represent us, are more beholden to their wealthy donor class than they are to us, who actually provide the votes.
We have allowed our entire electoral system to be corrupted over the decades, & it’s now up to us to fix what we’ve allowed to happen.
All true. I am a little nervous about too much harsh criticism of Democrats, however. They have dropped the ball too many times and some are clearly compromised. But it is important to emphasize that the R's have been playing dirty pool and have stacked the deck with massive big bucks, making it impossible for D's to get their message out and win. We have to play a long game and keep pointing out their corruption, extremism, incompetence, and malice.
Maybe pain to get gain? It does not have to be this way, yet so many people rather keep up with football and watch silly tv shows than keep up with politics. So here we are.
There are reasons for that. The primary reason is our schools which have failed miserably. Until they become user-friendly and voluntary, the people will be mostly apathetic, cynical, ignorant, and have an authoritarian orientation. They are getting a refresher course in authoritarianism now. One hopes they pay attention and rebel in huge numbers.
By ignoring the courts, Trump is imitating seventh president, Andrew Jackson, who destroyed the second iteration of The Bank of the United States.
What I enjoy in Hartmann's newsletter is bits of American history woven in his commentary that are educational for me, such as today's column below:
According to recent reporting in The Wall Street Journal, Trump got Mike Johnson to give him the painting of President James Polk (1845-1849) to hang in the Oval Office. Polk basically doubled the size of the United States, by acquiring Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin, along with territories including what eventually became Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Oregon.
He took the southwestern territories by forcing a war against Mexico, a brutal conflict that’s romanticized in stories of the Alamo, but was loudly and angrily opposed in Congress where the leader of that opposition was Congressman Abraham Lincoln.
The Alamo was about slavery. Texans needed slave to grow cotton. Mexico banned slavery. Texans revolted in the name of Freedom.
Then after the civil war the slave owners moved to South America. Probably the same places Nazis moved to after WWII
Trump & Co are a virus, not unlike C19.