Debate Chatter

 I sat and watched an interview with Brit Richard Dawkins.  On my list of influential intellectuals who are worth watching and hearing....he's in the top ten.  What he generally says....makes a lot of sense.

So he go onto the subject of 'safe spaces'.  

For those who aren't into this....these are typically college kids (18-22) who arrive at college and immediately feel that their past world has not prepared them for this moment of truth.  They can't handle various topics of conversation.  You can probably make up a list of a hundred subjects....which can't be discussed in their presence.

This fear business translates into an anxiety-attack.  They literally hyperventilate and start acting like a 5-year old kid....based on words.

Dawkins comment?  "You want to be physically safe, but intellectually you should be challenged."

If the college is simply creating a massive shelter for you....to last four years....how will you be able to handle and cope with reality?  

He has a point, but with all these 'kids' who've arrived at college and unable to handle reality or truth....do you just open the backdoor of the college up and ask them to leave?  Do you require a serious debate class as part of their graduation requirements?  Do you provide rehab?

It's just something to wonder about.  

Ten Observations

1.  I watch a YouTube channel called 'Whatever', which features a male moderator and five college-age ladies.

In a 20-minute discussion....the term 'like' gets uttered by the ladies at least 300 times.  I've never seen this type of language behavior, and wonder where it comes from.

2.  This AM, I watched a clip from last night....a WWE 'Raw' wrestling event....where the bad-guy left the ring and got almost to the exit....when a fan from the audience came out to attack him.  WWE security stepped in....must have been five guys to haul the fan out of the arena.

3.  If you've finished four years of college and a 11-year-old kid can debate you and win....your degree is probably worthless.  

4.  I watched some AM news piece out of NY City....where a young Republicans group was out in protest.  I'd guess there were a max of 20 in the group.  Number of journalists formed up to view this?  I'd guess near sixty.  

5.  I would suggest....just on average....a typical person walking around gets a dozen doses of propaganda....from TV, radio, the internet or newspapers.  

6.  The new laws says that any intelligence report (classified at any level) that deals with Covid origins....must be totally declassified and released to the public.  

Where this leads to?  Unknown.

Personally, I doubt if there is more than ten reports on this, and they probably all come from the same source in Wuhan.

7.  It used to be if you brought the word 'fluid' up in a conversation....you were talking about brake fluid, transmission fluid or wiper fluid....not sex-stuff.  It does seem a bit odd how fluid got shifted around. 

8.  I would suggest that the whole first year of college now....is mostly a rehash of your last two years of high school, and you are mostly shocked that they mention stuff that you never heard about....while in high school.  Then you are shocked that they are charging you money for what is basic high school stuff.

9.  Tik Tok having more persuasion risk.....than anything on US TV networks?  I would suggest that.  

10.  If Cohen is the primary witness in this NYC Trump case, and 50-percent of the case is based on what Cohen says....I'd be questioning the win potential.  If Cohen fails on any 'truth' he says....the case is screwed.  

Seekers of Raw Truth

 I sat and read a piece today....there's this team of professors who got a grant by the DC folks.....to build something called a misinformation fact-checking 'tool'....named "Course Correct."

How much in this grant?  $5.7-million.

Who would use it?  Journalists....medical folks....election officials, and just about anyone against misinformation would just 'dial-in' or access this, and be given 'correct' information.

Where would the correct information come from?  Well...the internet.  But this would be 'sanctioned' information that the government or the machine would 'bless'.

After reading this....I was reminded of that scene in the 'Wizard of Oz'....where the curtain gets pulled from the 'all-mighty' part of the room, and its just a guy speaking.

Was the $5-million wasted?  Yeah, I'd say so.

But I would imagine there are hundreds in DC who believe that a computer could speak raw truth, and you could trust the computer.  It's just that raw plain truth....might be too much for some to handle.  

How A US Banking 'Holiday' Would Proceed?

 Step One:  Between now and the first of April, roughly half-a-million Americans who mostly have in excess of $250,000 in their bank....mostly connected to their retirement, farm, or business....would go and ask for the money in cash.  Primary aim....to deposit it into their safe deposit box.

Banks would strongly caution people NOT to do this.  Then most banks would say that they will cooperate but right now....the max in cash to release is  $10,000.  Overnight, this will scare the crap out of most Americans.

Step Two:  As the limit is established and you realize....it's $10,000 for a two-week period.....the next rush will occur with people using money in the bank to buy crypto currency, gold, silver or attempting to move partial amounts to other banks. 

Step Three: Around 10 days into this business, the President gives some address that a special trillion-dollar deal is struck...saving everyone.  Oddly, they still want you to leave your cash in the bank, and not remove more than $10,000 a month.

Step Four: Zero confidence in President comes up about five days into the trillion-dollar gimmick.  Bitcoin by this point will be near $100,000 per coin.  Gold will be near $3,000 instead of the $1,750 price in mid-Feb.   

Step Five: By the beginning of May, the economy has become stagnant.  Credit cards and ATM cards work....but getting cash is fairly difficult.  The DOW by this point has dropped around 4,000 points.

It's not so much that companies are weak.....it's just that more than 160 bank institutions have gone to a level where they can't provide cash any longer. 

Four Observations

 1.  This money that the Chinese sent to Hunter, and onto Joe (via Hunter)....could it just be that the Chinese had way too much money and felt sorry for the Biden 'clan'....that they were 'poor' by Chinese standards?  

2.  Pence theatrical 'show'?  I hate to admit it, but anytime now that he appears on the air....I automatically 'mute'.

3.  Hate to suggest it....but after Trump is arrested this week...with numbers going up...I suspect several Democrats will realize arrests have a positive trend.  So they will try to develop scenarios where they can be arrested and get national attention for their campaigns.

4.  Warren Buffet was supposed to be meeting with White House officials this weekend to discuss the banking crisis.  

From the dozen officials in the room....all will be shocked that Buffet seems to grasp failed business practices and poor banking strategies....something that none of the White House staff can understand.

NYC Funny Justice

 The one odd thing about this NYC attempt to prosecute on Trump....it goes to Alvin Bragg.

So if you went to view 2022 news bits....it's a funny thing.

At that point....say mid-2022, Bragg made some pledge in public that he just wouldn't prosecute misdemeanor resisting arrest.  Even though it was so still written into state law.

Then he pledged to avoid cases involve obstruction of government administrations.

Then he promised not to handle cases involving prostitution....even though that was against the state law.

More or less....Bragg cherry-picks what he does and when he does these attempts to force or not enforce state law.  

Maybe some folks would walk into a Grand Jury and not notice this pledge business....but I would imagine half the people in the Grand Jury business would remember this, and just ask stupid questions why he handle law cases this way.  

Either you are a prosecutor full-time, or you are a political tool for someone.  

I hate to suggest it, but Trump could walk into the court....see some chance to engage in prostitution with some gal, and Bragg couldn't do much about it because of the pledge crap.  

Money Topic

 Over the weekend, just something I noticed.

Across the US, using all banks under FDIC's view....there's around 600 billion in 'unrealized' losses.  

From the chart, you can say since the end of 2021...with bond rates increasing....old bonds were sitting there without any interest from the banks to dump or finding consumers to purchase.  

Desperation is a word I'd use. 

What happens if people start walking into banks to remove their cash or just get it in bills to place in a safe deposit box?  A collapse leading to bank closures.

What the Fed would do, or the President?  I would assume they'd invent 1929-like tactics....a 7-day closure and on reopening, you'd be limited to no more than $1,000 a week being removed.  On paper, your money might exist to the full extent possible, but only with the gov't printing out a trillion-odd dollars to suggest to your satisfaction.

I would also suggest a lot of people just aren't that business-savvy and would believe for 30 days that the temp-closure and weekly limit was a temp thing.  I'm of the mind it could be gov't policy for the remainder of the Biden term.  

But here's the thing.....is the $600-billion unrealized losses the limit?  I would suggest that they'd have to wipe out the losses on paper....to regain your trust.  How'd you make the unrealized losses disappear?  A curious problem, I admit. 

Just something to ponder.