"Tyranny becomes a habit, and scenes of suffering, often repeated, render the heart callous. We first crush people to the earth, and then claim the right of trampling on them forever, because they are prostrate.”
Lydia Maria Child, 1861
"Remember, Lord, how the godless mock the law,
and the malevolent abuse your name.
Do not abandon the souls of doves to predators;
or forget the lives of your poor, forever.
Remember your promise,
for their darkened hearts are haunts of violence.
Do not let the oppressed be put to shame;
let the poor and humble praise you."
Psalm 74:18-21
"'The Pharisees, who were money loving and covetous, heard all these things and scornfully mocked him. And Jesus said, 'You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.'"
Luke 16:14
"Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the splendor and majesty of Chaldea,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God destroyed them.
Babylon will not live again.
It will be desolate, for generations.
Nomads will not pitch tents there,
or shepherds bed their flocks.
Desert animals will roam the city,
its homes filled with howling creatures.
Owls will live among the ruins,
and wild goats will dance.
Hyenas will watch from its towers,
and jackals rule hopeless palaces.
Babylon’s days are numbered;
its time of destruction is coming."
Isaiah 13:19-22
“When you see the desolation of abomination standing where it should not, let those who seek knowledge understand, then flee from Judea to the mountains."
Mark 13:14
“The greatest evil is not done now in sordid dens of crime. It is not even done in concentration camps and labor camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered in clear, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices by quiet men, with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks, who do not need to raise their voice.”
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, 1942
The PPI inflation data came in a little light this morning.
The markets put a very bullish cast on the numbers, and stocks slipped into rally mode.
Gold and silver were off a bit.
The Dollar fell.
VIX fell.
In short, it was a risk on fiesta.
CPI data tomorrow. Expectations are for a softer than expected number.
Provocations in the Mideast and Eastern Europe continue.
At some point soon the reactions will come.
I am sure there is some semblance of a longer term strategy involved in all this.
If we were to actually hear it articulated it would probably be shallow and disappointing.
As for integrity and respect for any higher moral principles, forget about it.
They have let all those 'high ground' fall by the wayside, quite a while ago.
They worship power and money, and nothing else.
And nations that are weak, and their corruptible leaders, are attracted to its corruption.
And they lose themselves to the madness, together, sliding quietly into the abyss.
Have a pleasant evening.
