“Political language – and with variations this is true of all political parties – is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
George Orwell, Politics and the English Language, 1946
"By October 1918, the city of Washington, D.C. became a breeding ground for the highly contagious H1N1 strain of the flu. As civilian cases multiplied, local health officials initiated bans on public gatherings in order to quell the spread of infections. Across the city, public schools and universities closed their doors. The infection caused life expectancy in the U.S. to drop by twelve years in 1918."
Sarah Fling, White House History: Spanish Influenza in the President's Neighborhood, October 2019
"While Wilson is usually commemorated as the US president who proclaimed that the US’s entry into the First World War was to make the world 'safe for democracy', he was ironically more inclined towards consolidating power by authoritarian means domestically.
When the US entered the First World War in 1917, Wilson immediately moved towards controlling the flow of information. He began by issuing executive orders legalising the seizure of radio stations by federal and military authorities and establishing the Committee on Public Information (CPI). Altogether, the suppression of information was immense.
Most authorities used the influenza’s spread as a justification for the continued usage of widespread censorship. The US’s slide into authoritarianism was only stopped once Wilson suffered a severe stroke in 1919, growing resistance within the federal government mounted against continued police actions."
Francis Shin, The 1918 Pandemic and the US Slide Towards Authoritarianism, La Gazette de la Paix, Geneva, April 2020
"The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly and with unflagging attention. It must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over. Here, as so often in this world, persistence is the first and most important requirement for success."
Adolf Hitler Mein Kampf, Vol 1, Chap VI, 1925
“See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.”
George W. Bush, Speech, Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005
Stocks tried to rally from early this morning, starting with the futures overnnight.
By the end of the day they gave those up, and hung on for just small losses from a gap up open.
Gold and silver were under a bit of pressure, with silver doing a little better on a ranging day.
The VIX continued to fall.
All is well.
I am not watching the bond market closely but keeping enough on an eye on it to watch for signs of problems that will appear long before they show up in equities.
The bond bros tend to be the adults in the room. And they will let you know how well a new policy in politics or economics is being received.
It is relatively easier to paint the tape on equities than the global bonds market.
The Dollar is firmly planted on the 99 handle. Low in the short term, but longer term its in no apparent trouble - yet.
This is Holy Week. The markets will be closed on Good Friday.
There will be a stock market option expiration on Thursday.
The back and forth and the increasingly outrageous whoppers being told by public figures and their own corrupt actions is very bad. It contributes to an atmosphere of lawlessness,
More to my concern, it tends to drain the light of love out of people, leaving hardened hearts that are ironically more vulnerable to the dark forces of evil.
Believe what you will, but try to love the truth in all that you do. If you love the truth with a faithful heart, you may come out of this all right. And that is what really matters, because it is what makes and keeps us human and not beasts.
"The most important problem in the world today is your soul, for that is what the struggle is about." Fulton J. Sheen
You do not have a soul. You are a soul.
You do not belong to this world. You are just passing through.
Have a pleasant evening.
