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Governance By 677 Gavels

Authored by Dave Carter via PJ Media,

Question: What’s the difference between a federal district judge and God?

Answer: God doesn’t think he’s a federal district judge. 

Or as Winston Churchill once said, “There, but for the grace of God, goes God.” Imagine the sheer hubris and limitless ego needed for an unelected jurist to don a black robe and assume the power of commandeering the national security apparatus and tell an aircraft full of dangerous foreign terrorists to turn around and return back to America to terrorize. Did Commissar Boasberg get his black robe from Hogwarts? 

Of course, there are a few problems with this, the first being purely logistical. If His Royal Awesomeness Commissar Boasberg is taking over the Venezuelan operation, that leaves the remaining 676 Commissars to split the remaining 194 countries into various principalities to accommodate their imperial administration. 

However, I did see that another federal district commissar is assuming operational oversight of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to prevent it from ending a $20 million grant program begun by former President Biden even as another federal district liege has assumed control of military readiness by blocking President Trump’s ban on transexuals serving in the military. Still another federal district overlord says that Trump’s dismantling of the corrupt money-laundering machine known as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is likely unconstitutional. History buffs will recall that the USAID clause is written in the Constitution next to the right to stick a fork in a baby’s head, which itself adjacent to the divine right of federal judges to appropriate the President’s Article II powers. 

The logistical challenge of what to do with 677 otherwise idle Federal District Commissars having been solved by dispersing them, like the witch’s flying monkeys, throughout the Executive Branch, leaves only one remaining problem. No one elected these judges. They are not answerable to the American people, whom they hold in less esteem than foreigners with a knack for assaulting and murdering the innocent. As Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller wrote: 

Currently, district court judges have assumed the mantle of Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of Homeland Security and Commander-in-Chief. Each day, they change foreign policy, economic staffing and national security policies of the Administration. The day the nation arises to see what the craziest unelected local federal judge has decided the policies of the government of the United States shall be. It is madness. It is lunacy. It is the gravest assault on democracy. It must and will end.

In his book, “The Devil’s Dictionary,” Ambrose Bierce defines law as “Compatible with the will of a judge having jurisdiction,” and he defines a lawyer as “One who is skilled in circumvention of the law.” That last little bit was conclusively demonstrated to me a few days ago when a lawyer acquaintance of mine wrote on social media that “[I]n 1798 Congress enacted the Alien Enemies Act, which specifically provides that when war is declared, the President can…

The Greatest Threat To Our Republic Will Always Come From Within

Authored by Thomas W. Smith via RealClearPolitics,

For most of the past six decades, the United States has been facing the threat of implosion from a growing federal budget deficit. Today, that threat is no longer lurking. It is here. The annual federal budget deficit has left Americans saddled with unimaginable debt. It has increased more than sixfold in the last 20 years. Today it is on steroids. This year, interest on the federal debt will be approximately $1.1 trillion. By comparison, our annual defense budget is $850 billion. 

Think of the exciting opportunities Republicans had when they narrowly captured control of the House of Representatives in 2022. Unfortunately, even before they were sworn in, the House leadership called for a secret vote on how to spend taxpayer dollars. By a vote of 158-2, they brought back to life earmarks that had been put to bed under Speaker John Boehner in 2011. Earmarks are special appropriations tailored to member’s pet projects. Historically, they were known as “pork-barrel” spending.

After a secret vote, those 158 GOP members enabled a system in which 7,500 pork-barrel projects were enacted at a cost to the taxpayers of $16 billion. It was not only – or even primarily – liberal “tax and spend” Democrats pigging out. Fifty of the largest earmarkers in the House were Republicans. In the Senate, eight of the 12 largest offenders were Republicans. Nor was it only established Republicans. Some of the largest MAGA voices were busy pushing earmarks. They include Florida representatives Matt Gaetz (who requested over $1 billion) and Brian Mast (who received some $437 million).

In the second year, the top seven earmarking specialists in the Senate were Republicans, for a grand total of $2.3 billion. In the last two years, highlights of congressional pork included the following:

Sen. Susan Collins earmarked $870 million for her own state, Maine (population 1.4 million). Those projects included “an outdoor heating facility” and “space education simulators.” 
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski earmarked $851.1 million, including a “whale abundance survey” and a “crab enhancement project.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky requested 26 earmarks totaling $640.9 million.
A total of 31 members earmarked taxpayer dollars for universities they attended. 
Another four lawmakers set aside taxpayer dollars for companies where their wives worked. 
Actions speak louder than words. These GOP earmark enthusiasts have made a clear statement –they are totally comfortable with the exploding federal debt. Yes, it is true that many Democrats pushed earmarks. But it is also true that the Democratic Party did not bring back earmarks when they controlled the House. Those 158 GOP members did. And they far outspent the Democrats.

What those GOP House members and senators failed to realize is that the world has changed dramatically since Speaker Boehner left Washington. 

A decade or so ago, The Economist pointed out that Big Data would change social science like the microscope changed medicine. That was a prophetic observation. Government is a social science. The combination of Big Data and the cloud is bringing a massive change to every aspect of our lives, including how…

These Are The World’s Fastest-Growing Economies In 2025

Which economies are set to grow the fastest?

Using the latest IMF projections, this infographic, via Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu, ranks the fastest growing economies in 2025, highlighting Africa and Asia as the top regions.

Oil Powering Economic Growth

The top economies in this ranking are heavily tied to the oil sector, meaning fluctuations in production can have a drastic effect on GDP.

See below for the raw data behind this graphic.

Let’s take a closer look at the top two.

South Sudan (+27.2%)

South Sudan’s GDP has fluctuated up and down in recent years due to an ongoing civil war that has thrown its population into extreme poverty.

As a landlocked country, South Sudan also relies on pipelines that run through its northern neighbor, Sudan, to transport its oil to the Red Sea.

In 2024, South Sudan’s most important pipeline ruptured, putting massive strain on government revenue. Repairing the pipeline is difficult because parts of it lie in active conflict zones.

According to Bloomberg, South Sudan has been seeking alternative routes to export its oil, as well as cash bailouts from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to stay afloat.

Guyana (+14.4%)

Guyana is the only South American country featured in this ranking. It was once one of the poorest countries in the region until major oil deposits were discovered off its coasts in May 2015.

According to a 2023 article from the Associated Press, oil production in Guyana began in December 2019 and has generated over a billion dollars in revenue.

The Guyanese government is using this money to fund a massive infrastructure boom which includes new hospitals, schools, highways, and its first deep-water port.

Analysts expect the country’s total oil revenues will reach $157 billion by 2040.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out this graphic showing the richest countries in Latin and South America.

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Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/21/2025 – 23:00…

European Leaders Start Drafting 5-10 Year Plan To Replace US In NATO

In the ultimate act of seeking to ‘Trump-proof’ the NATO alliance, even well into the future, Europe’s largest military powers are now drawing up plans to keep the alliance strong in case of a US exit from leadership over the next five to ten years.

Informal discussions have involved the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Nordic countries, who are envisioning a managed transfer of power and leadership reshaping the NATO bloc.

Financial Times writes that “The discussions are an attempt to avoid the chaos of a unilateral US withdrawal from Nato, a fear sparked by President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to weaken or walk away from the transatlantic alliance that has protected Europe for almost eight decades.”
Getty Images

Concern has grown in European quarters not only due to the White House’s Ukraine policies, but given that close Trump adviser Elon Musk had this to say earlier this month:

Billionaire Elon Musk threw his weight behind a US exit from NATO, saying on his social media platform that it “doesn’t make sense for America to pay for the defense of Europe.” 

The senior adviser to US President Donald Trump was responding to a post on X early Sunday that asserted the US should “Exit NATO *now*!” 

“We really should,” the Tesla Inc. co-founder and chief executive officer said. On March 3, Musk wrote on X he agreed with a suggestion by a conservative commentator that the US should leave both NATO and the United Nations. 

And this sentiment was quickly seconded by some Republicans in Congress. Rep. Thomas Massie said on X that “NATO is a Cold War relic that needs to be relegated to a talking kiosk at the Smithsonian.”

And Utah Rep. Mike Lee as well…

NEW: Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has issued a statement on what would happen if U.S. withdraws from NATO.
“If the U.S. withdrew from NATO, Europe would have to fund more of its own security needs—forcing it to choose between security and socialism.”
pic.twitter.com/0ySUc9f9Xg
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 7, 2025
One central irony in these new discussions among European NATO countries is that they plan to do what Trump has been pressuring them to do all along – ramp up defense spending and stop forcing Washington to shoulder most of the burden.

According to the Thursday report in FT:

The proposal would include firm commitments on increasing European defense spending and building up military capabilities, in an effort to convince Trump to agree to a gradual handover that would allow the US to focus more on Asia. The US, which spends more on defense than all other Nato allies combined, is indispensable to European security.

In addition to its nuclear deterrent, which is committed to the defense of Europe with several European air forces carrying US nuclear weapons, it provides military capabilities that continental allies do not possess, runs air, naval and troop bases and has 80,000 troops stationed in Europe.

Recently France’s Macron has floated the possibility of extending France’s nuclear deterrent over the continent. France remains the only EU…

Energy CEOs Ask Canadian Party Leaders To Declare ‘Energy Crisis’, Reduce Oil And Gas Regulations

Authored by Matthew Horwood via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A group of 14 energy CEOs have written a letter to all major federal parties urging them to declare an “energy crisis” in Canada and use emergency powers to relax regulations within the industry and increase production levels.
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is warning the federal government that its proposed cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector could compromise the valuation of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Workers position pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in Abbotsford, B.C., on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The CEOs, who represent the 10 largest oil and gas companies and four largest pipeline companies in Canada, suggest several measures to support oil and natural gas investment and “remove the barriers we have imposed on ourselves over time.”

“By declaring a Canadian energy crisis and key projects in the ‘national interest’ the federal government will be able to use all its available emergency powers to ensure that the dramatic regulatory restructuring required to expand the oil and natural gas sector is rapidly achieved,” they said in the March 19 letter.

The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.

The CEOs are calling for regulatory simplification by revising or abolishing the Impact Assessment Act and oil tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast, which they said are “impeding development.” They are also requesting a reduction in regulatory timelines to allow approval of major projects within six months of application, as well as the provision of loan guarantees for indigenous communities to ensure they benefit from the development.

The letter also calls for Ottawa’s emissions cap for the sector to be eliminated. The Liberal government announced a cap-and-trade scheme in 2023 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, which the Alberta government has opposed.

Additionally, the letter calls for the carbon tax to be repealed to allow provincial governments to “set more suitable carbon regulations.”

Carney announced on March 15 the consumer carbon tax had been reduced to zero, and has planned to replace it with a system rewarding Canadians for making greener choices while making “big polluters” in industry pay for the system.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his government would remove the carbon tax for both consumers and industrial emitters, including the federal backstop that requires provinces to impose industrial taxes.

The CEOs said in the letter there is “increasing public support” for building new energy infrastructure such as oil and natural gas pipelines and liquid natural gas terminals, amid U.S. tariff threats.

Tariffs imposed by the United States have prompted initiatives in Canada to seek alternatives to lessen its reliance on the United States, which includes boosting interprovincial trade and expanding its trade relationships with countries in Asia and Europe. Energy has emerged as a concern because 97 percent of the country’s crude oil exports are transported to the U.S.,…

Escobar: A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall… From The West Down To The East

Authored by Pepe Escobar,

Let’s start with that phone call. The Kremlin readout is quite sober – but it does reveal a few nuggets. There is no comprehensive deal – yet – between Moscow and Washington. Far from it: we are just in the initial tentative stage of talking and talking about several interconnected dossiers.

President Putin gave absolutely nothing away. The agreed-upon pause on attacks on energy infrastructure – not energy and (italics mine) infrastructure – spells out as Putin imposing a stop on dangerous Ukrainian hits on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

That may be lost among all the Western hysteria; but there are two absolute conditions expressed by Moscow for anything in this riddle to start complying with objective reality – and not muddle along as a reality show narrative trainwreck:

1.“The settlement in Ukraine must take into account the unconditional need to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, Russia’s legitimate security interests.”

2.“The key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict should be a complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kiev.”

US special envoy Witkoff is spinning that ceasefire “details” will be ironed out on Sunday in Saudi Arabia. No matter the amount of shrieking, Kiev will have to accept it.

Putin-Trump did not spend over 2 hours just talking hockey, hazy Black Sea navigation prospects and a quite limited energy infrastructure missile strike one-month pause.

In this incandescent juncture, what matters is off the record. And that might as well have been Iran. And the prospect of serious Hard Rain fallin’.

I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forestsI’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceansI’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard

A certain psychopathological entity in West Asia is obsessed to ram all its opponents through the mouth of a graveyard. Putin must have had the chance to explain to Trump that Russia respects the UN Charter and abides by international law. Russia and Iran – top BRICS members – signed a comprehensive strategic partnership last January in Moscow. Russia provides detailed ISR/air defense/EW intel to Tehran.

A proverbially hysterical narrative now imprints the notion that Tel Aviv – courting Trump 2.0 backing – is ready to inflict airstrikes on Iran to “prevent it from going nuclear”. Tehran, as detailed by Ayatollah Khamenei, has no interest whatsoever in building a nuclear weapon.

There’s no way Russia will allow Israel – with crucial American backing – to wreak havoc on Iran. Even as Tehran is already capable to react to any attack, with devastating consequences. Without nuclear weapons – and even without Russian direct help.

Operation True Promise 2 – True Promise 3 is still on hold – had already demonstrated that Israel is absolutely defenseless against wave after wave of sophisticated Iranian missiles. Were the US under Trump 2.0 to be involved in a direct attack, all US military bases in West Asia would be incinerated, plus severe punishment to vassals hosting these bases. End result: oil…

CDC Warns About Elevated Risk Of Dengue Fever

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday sent an alert to health officials and providers about relatively elevated levels of dengue fever cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on April 23, 2020. (Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images

“Dengue activity remains high in some parts of the United States and globally, with many countries reporting higher-than-usual numbers of dengue cases in 2024 and 2025,” the CDC warned in a bulletin.

The agency urged health care providers and state and local health agencies, along with the public, to take steps to detect and prevent dengue.

Transmission remains high in North America and South America, including in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, both territories of the United States, the CDC said.

“Spring and summer travel coincides with the peak season for dengue in many countries, increasing the risk of both travel-associated and locally acquired cases in the United States,” the CDC said in an alert.

The federal health agency pointed to data, updated as of March 10, that shows more than 13 million cases of dengue reported in North America, Central America, and South America, as well as the Caribbean region. It noted that local transmission of the virus was reported in Florida, California, and Texas last year.

Also known as “break-bone fever” because it can be so painful, dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Four different but related viruses cause the disease: dengue virus 1, 2, 3, and 4, according to health officials.

The World Health Organization says that about half the world’s population is at risk of getting the disease and that there are 100 million to 400 million infections every year. Symptoms can include fever, severe headaches, and pain in muscles and joints. There is no widely available medicine for treating dengue infections.

Last year, the CDC sent out a similar health alert about an increased risk of dengue infections across the United States.

“Global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for this calendar year; many countries are reporting higher-than-usual dengue case numbers,” the CDC said in its June 2024 advisory.

Some people can experience no signs or symptoms of a dengue infection. But when symptoms do occur, they can be mistaken for another illness such as influenza. Symptoms usually start between four and 10 days after being bitten by a dengue-infected mosquito, according to the Mayo Clinic. The virus generally causes a high fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and can include several other symptoms.

These include muscle, bone, or joint pain; vomiting; nausea; pain behind the eyes; swollen glands; and a rash. In some cases, the symptoms can become life-threatening in what is known as “severe dengue,” dengue hemorrhagic fever, or dengue shock syndrome, the clinic says on its website.

The severe symptoms often can occur after the fever goes away and can include persistent vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, rapid breathing, bleeding gums or nose, blood in stool or…

Trump Admin Removes Advisory From HHS Website Labeling Gun Violence A Health Crisis

Authored by Michael Clements via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The June 2024 advisory by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declaring violent crime involving guns a public health crisis has been removed from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website.

The unprecedented advisory was the realization of a goal for gun control proponents.

An HHS spokesperson said the change was made to comply with a Feb. 7 executive order.

“HHS and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights,” Emily G. Hilliard, HHS deputy press secretary, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

Second Amendment advocates praised the move.

Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, said Murthy was selected by President Joe Biden mainly for his views on gun control. Pratt said the Biden administration was attempting to sidestep the U.S. Constitution to implement its gun control plans.

Pratt said the real issue is fighting crime, not disease.

“Scrapping that absurd ‘advisory’ from the HHS website was a no-brainer and absolutely the correct call,” Pratt stated in a text message to The Epoch Times.

“The true health emergency in this country is how Democrat-run cities play catch-and-release with hardened criminals while slapping law-abiding concealed carriers with off-limits zones left and right.”

Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said the advisory was an empty gesture that did nothing to reduce crime or suicides.
Click to find out…

“The surgeon general should have never issued this advisory. He was just catering to the gun control lobby. Its total effect was symbolism over substance. Gun ownership is not a communicable disease,” Gottlieb told The Epoch Times.

Giffords, the gun control organization begun by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, posted a statement on its website decrying the change. The former congresswoman was shot while meeting with constituents on Jan. 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona. The gunman killed six people and injured 12.

“By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families,” Giffords Executive Director Emma Brown said.

“Guns have been the No. 1 killer of American children and adolescents since 2020, and nonpartisan health care experts have understood gun violence as a public health crisis for years.”
Guns confiscated by the Santa Ana Police Department are displayed for a press event in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 11, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The advisory called for a public health approach to address violent crime involving firearms. Murthy described the issue as a “moral crisis” that required immediate action.

A surgeon general’s advisory is meant to highlight urgent public health issues and is reserved for significant public health challenges. One of the most well-known was the 1964 report on tobacco by then-Surgeon General Luther Terry. That report is credited as the genesis of cigarette warning labels.

Murthy said his experience as a doctor motivated him to issue the advisory on guns.

“I’ve…

“$225 & Dropping!”: Unhinged Gov. Tim Walz Openly Roots Against American Company  

Unhinged Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told Democrats at an Eau Claire, Wisconsin, town hall on Tuesday he openly roots for the death of the most American-made car company: Tesla Motors. 

“I was saying, on my phone, I know some of you know this, on the iPhone. They’ve got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day,” Walz told the crowd. 

The failed 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee then excitedly yelled: “$225 and dropping …”

Here’s the full video of Walz… 

If you need a little boost during the day, check out Tesla stock pic.twitter.com/KBEh6pOZLW
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) March 19, 2025
X users responded, of course, and blasted the anti-American Democrat: 

What is wrong with you. You’re actively rooting for an innovative American company to fail?
The cars are American made and literally drive themselves.
— Calley Means (@calleymeans) March 19, 2025

“Hell yea, fuck the US company producing millions of climate friendly electric vehicles and its employees / investors!”
— litquidity (@litcapital) March 19, 2025

1500 Tesla owners were doxxed today.
Their lives are at risk and you’re cheering on the effects of domestic terrorism.
This is unbelievably evil.
— Reddit Lies (@reddit_lies) March 19, 2025

This is one of the most pathetic, most lame things ever said by a prominent politician. This is going to haunt you for the rest of your career.
— MAZE (@mazemoore) March 19, 2025

You, and everyone like you, is why I left the Democratic Party.
This is not how you win anyone back.
Do better.
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) March 19, 2025
Walz said the quiet part out loud: Democrats are openly rooting for the failure of an American company, while other leftists have resorted to anarcho-terrorism.

AG Bondi Declares “Swarm Of Violent Attacks” On Tesla As Domestic Terrorism https://t.co/Ilt63dUnlO
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 19, 2025
Ha! 

TSLA +5% cc: @Tim_Walz
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 19, 2025
Inverse Cramer? 

This is not “America First” but rather a continuation of the Democrats’ modus operandi: “America Last.” One can’t help but wonder if this anti-American rhetoric is being partly influenced by a foreign adversary, such as China. Remember, China has Tesla competitor BYD. And also remember: “Elite Capture?” Pentagon Stonewalls On Walz’s Frequent Trips To China, Raising National Security Concerns … 

Tyler Durden
Wed, 03/19/2025 – 18:00…