Authored by Mike McDaniel via American Thinker,

Imagine you’re an operative for a government law enforcement agency gone Stasi. Your power over the lives of others is near-absolute. You can destroy anyone who even thinks of opposing you or your political masters. You no longer expose yourself to the dangers of pursuing real criminals, spies and terrorists. Soccer moms and Catholics are easy targets. You’re covered. You can violate the law and Constitution at will and violating the rights of Americans is your daily stock in trade. 

So pervasive is the corruption in your agency, it is daily routine to document it. You feel no need to hide evidence of lawlessness, even the commission of crimes, because that’s the status quo. Any vestiges of conscience, decency, accountability have long been wiped from your mind and your agency’s collective conscience and data banks. You’re invincible, and every additional violation of the Constitution, every violation of your oath, ensures there is no way to undo “our democracy” to which you’ve sold your soul.

And then, the unthinkable happens. Joe Biden exposes his dementia, and his handler’s lies and manipulations, on national TV. Even the Democrat/socialist/communist (D/s/c) media can’t cover for him anymore. It is suddenly possible free speech might be restored. Still, you’re sure the dam will hold. The mighty walls of deceit and intimidation you’ve built can’t fall.

And then, Kamala Harris, who has never won a primary, is anointed and God help you, she’s allowed to speak in public. Donald Trump is elected, Elon Musk and Big Balls are appointed and allowed to run rampant in previously untouchable files, and the walls come a tumblin’ down.

There’s only one thing left to do before you’re fired, your security clearance is revoked and you’re locked out of all access to your previous tools of blackmail, extortion and power: destroy the evidence!

Journalist Michael Shellenberger has exposed so much corruption over the past several years, we’ve learned that when he drops a bomb on Twitter, it’s usually worth paying attention to and it is usually HUGE. 

From the scandal of the Twitter files to the lies and falsified research at WPATH regarding ‘gender-affirming care’ to, most recently, the fraud he documented at USAID, when Shellenberger announces something, we tend to listen.

His latest nuke dropped on Twitter involves the FBI. This news is early in development and he has only written very briefly about it so far, but it sure sounds like he — and a noted FBI whistleblower — have some interesting and incriminating things to say to Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and newly named Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino. 

Shellenberger was prompted to post the tweet amid a conversation between Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and conservative pundit Charlie Kirk involving corruption at the CIA and other intelligence agencies … and whatever sick things are going on at the NSA right now.

The whistleblower Shellenberger mentioned in his tweet is former FBI agent Garrett O’Boyle, who previously testified before Congress about the weaponization of the FBI under the Biden administration and the retribution the agency took on him and others for exposing its actions, despite whistleblower protection laws. 

Elon Musk was surely already aware of this, and with Kash Patel, is dealing with it. His one word comment speaks volumes:

I don’t presume to know computers on the level of Musk’s whiz kids, but I suspect this is right:

I share Shellenberger’s sentiment:

Generally speaking, anyone who destroys evidence of a crime becomes, at the least, an accessory after the fact to that crime even if they didn’t actively participate in it. With such people, there is always the possibility of conspiracy charges, and depending on the nature of the crimes, treason. The FBI is a primary agency charged with defending national security, and our enemies offer many temptations for those willing to betray America beyond the perks and power of being an American Stasi.

Cutting the infection out of the federal government was always going to be a herculean task. We’re discovering, day by day, just how daunting it is and only massive arrests and prosecutions of every one of those who have betrayed America can have any hope of deterring future offenses.

If people like O’Boyle, all the other whistleblowers and Shellenberger aren’t eventually lauded as genuine heroes, we’ll know the Swamp has not really been reformed. God help us if it isn’t.

Crushing “our democracy” and restoring our representative, constitutional republic depend upon it.

On a different subject, if you are not already a subscriber, you may not know that we’ve implemented something new: A weekly newsletter with unique content from our editors for subscribers only. These essays alone are worth the cost of the subscription. 

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor. 

Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Even one hour of screen time per day significantly increases the risk of nearsightedness (myopia), especially for children, a new study suggests.

More Screen Time, More Risk

Researchers found that spending an additional hour per day (past the first) watching screens was associated with a 21 percent increase in the odds of someone developing nearsightedness.

The study analyzed data from 45 different studies involving more than 335,000 participants to find a complex relationship between screen time and nearsightedness risk. The analysis collected data from various digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, computers, and television sets, which were collectively referred to as digital devices.

The findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis, recently published in JAMA Network Open, highlight a growing concern over children’s screen usage.

“As children increasingly embrace smart devices at younger ages and spend more time on digital screens, there is an urgent need to better understand the association of digital screen time with myopia,” the researchers wrote.

In the United States, estimates show nearsightedness prevalence to be about 42 percent. Among children specifically, as much as 41 percent of children in urban areas and 16 percent of children in rural areas are living with the condition.

The results suggest that daily screen time should be limited to less than one hour to potentially reduce the risk of developing nearsightedness.

Building on Previous Research

A previous meta-analysis combining data from 11 studies that included 934 participants looking at the relationship between screen time on smart devices (such as smartphones or tablets) and nearsightedness revealed a significant link—time spent on smart devices alone was associated with a 26 percent increase in the odds of developing nearsightedness.

When this screen time was combined with computer usage, the odds increased by 77 percent.

However, another meta-analysis that analyzed screen time data separately for different categories found that time spent on computers and televisions was linked to nearsightedness, but time spent on smartphones was not.

The researchers involved in the new study noted that findings such as these highlight a need for more in-depth investigations into the safety threshold for digital device exposure.

Why the Increased Risk?

Nearsightedness occurs when the eye elongates from front to back. This causes light entering the eye to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, which makes distant objects appear blurry, optometrist Dr. Meenal Agarwal, owner of Pickering Town Centre Optometric Clinic, Stouffville Family Eye Care, and Promenade Optometric Clinic, told The Epoch Times.

“It’s counterintuitive,” she said. “But the theory is that focusing on close objects for extended periods can put stress on the eye’s focusing system, which may influence the shape of the eye, causing it to elongate more than it would naturally.”

She said this applies when looking at anything closer than 22 inches to the face.

When staring at a screen, your eyes are constantly focused on a fixed distance, usually one very close to your face. This prevents the natural switching between focusing on near and far objects that happens in a natural environment. This means your eyes maintain a consistent focus for extended periods, straining the muscles responsible for changing your eye’s focus and potentially contributing to nearsightedness because of the prolonged near focusing effort required.

Agarwal said this increased stress may also prevent the eye from fully relaxing when focusing on distant objects, which could lead to changes in how the eye grows over time.

Reducing Myopia Risk

To reduce children’s risk of developing nearsightedness, Agarwal recommended encouraging kids to spend more time outdoors.

“Studies have found that children who spend more time outdoors tend to have a lower risk of developing myopia,” she said. “This is because exposure to natural light and focusing on objects at various distances, as we do outdoors, may help prevent myopia.”

Agarwal recommended approximately two hours of outdoor time per day for both children and adults to help prevent or delay the onset of nearsightedness. Reducing near work and taking breaks while doing near work are also very important, she said.

To help relieve the strain of prolonged near work, Agarwal advised following the “20-20-20 rule,” which means taking a 20-second break and looking at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes.

“Lastly, if your child is already myopic, consider myopia control options with your eye doctor like myopia control glasses, contact lenses, or treatments like atropine eye drops,” she said. “These have all been proven to slow the progression of myopia.”

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit alleging that Facebook parent Meta favors hiring foreign workers over U.S. citizens can move forward.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler on Feb. 25 denied Meta’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which accuses the big tech giant of systematically preferring H-1B visa holders because it could pay them less than American workers.

The lawsuit, filed by three U.S. citizens, alleges that Meta’s hiring practices violate 42 U.S.C. § 1981(a) by discriminating against American citizens.

As Tom Ozimek reports for The Epoch Times, the lawsuit accuses Meta of abusing the H-1B visa program, which is intended to bring foreign workers into the United States to perform services in specialty occupations where there are insufficient U.S. workers.

The three plaintiffs allege they were passed over for jobs because Meta preferred to hire foreign H-1B visa holders to perform the work to maximize profit.

“When hiring for U.S. positions, Facebook considers United States citizens, lawful permanent residents (e.g., green card holders), and foreign citizens with proper work permits (e.g., H-1B or L-1 visa holders),” the plaintiffs’ complaint states. 

“But while visa holders make up just a fraction of the United States labor market, Facebook prefers to hire visa-dependent workers for certain U.S. positions, as it can pay these employees less than American workers performing the same work.”

The plaintiffs cited a separate lawsuit against Meta by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that accused the company of discriminating against U.S. workers by reserving certain positions for temporary visa holders, including those on H-1B visas. To resolve those allegations, Meta agreed to a settlement involving payment of a $4.75 million civil penalty to the U.S. government and up to $9.5 million to eligible victims of the alleged discrimination.

As part of that settlement, Meta also committed to revising its recruitment and hiring practices to ensure greater transparency and accessibility for U.S. workers.

The current lawsuit claims Meta continues to favor visa holders, citing workforce statistics showing that 15 percent of Meta’s U.S. workforce holds H-1B visas, compared to 0.5 percent of the overall U.S. workforce.

“These allegations support the plaintiffs’ overall complaint that they were not hired because Meta favors H-1B visa holders,” the judge wrote in her order.

Meta has denied the allegations and previously sought to have the case dismissed. It argued that the plaintiffs failed to prove any intentional discrimination or that they would have been hired if not for the alleged discrimination. The company also moved to exclude from the lawsuit any references to the DOJ case and the settlement. The judge rejected Meta’s arguments.

“The plaintiffs are correct: their complaint relies on more than the DOJ allegations, and allegations that Meta favored non-citizen employees in another context are relevant to the plaintiffs’ claim,” the judge wrote in the order. 

“The court finds that none of the material that Meta seeks to strike is ’redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous.’”

Meta also sought to pause the discovery process, arguing that it should not be required to turn over hiring data while its motion to dismiss was still pending. The judge also rejected that request, allowing the case to proceed.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ordered the delay of a new rule updating the definition of “healthy” on food product labels.

The new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) final rule will not go into effect until April 28, a delay from the originally announced implementation date of Feb. 25, Kennedy said in an update on Tuesday.

Kennedy pointed to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which directs agencies to consider postponing the effective dates for pending rules to review them for “questions of fact, law, and policy that the rules may raise.”

“The temporary delay in the effective date until April 28, 2025, is necessary to give Agency officials the opportunity for further review and consideration of the new regulation, consistent with the memorandum described previously,” Kennedy said.

The FDA announced in late 2024 that it was updating the definition of healthy on food labels, in the first major revision since the FDA first defined the word in 1994.

“Given that nutrition science has evolved since the 1990s, this final rule updates the definition of ‘healthy’ to be consistent with current nutrition science and Federal dietary guidance to help ensure that consumers have access to more complete, accurate, and up-to-date information on food labels,” the agency said at the time.

Under the new definition, manufacturers could label certain foods as healthy that currently cannot be, such as salmon, while others that are currently eligible for a healthy label, such as sugary cereal, would become ineligible.

The framework established under the rule includes mandating that a vegetable product must have at least half a cup of a vegetable to be labeled healthy. A dairy product must have at least two-thirds a cup of dairy to meet the updated requirements.

Proteins such as eggs and some oils, including 100 percent oils, can also be labeled healthy under the rule.

The compliance date for the rule was to be February 2028. That date has not been changed, Kennedy said on Tuesday.

Manufacturers are welcome to start complying with the rule ahead of the compliance date, officials have said.

The FDA says the purpose of the healthy label is “to highlight those foods that, based on their nutrient levels, are particularly useful in constructing a diet that conforms to current dietary guidelines.”

Kennedy was recently confirmed by the Senate as health secretary. He campaigned as an independent presidential candidate on a “Make America Healthy Again” platform before dropping out of the 2024 race and endorsing Trump for president.

At Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony, Trump said that his confirmed nominee “is going to lead a great national mission to make America healthy again.”

A new leftist entity calling itself The People’s Union USA is calling for Americans to refrain from spending a single dollar anywhere on Friday Feb. 28. Branded as an “Economic Blackout,” it’s intended to lash back against a bucketful of woes that include economic injustice, low wages, high interest rates, outsourced jobs, and the growing abandonment of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It’s the first of several scheduled boycotts, with future ones targeting individual corporations.  

Here’s how 57-year-old founder and drum teacher John Schwarz describes the undertaking in an Instagram video: 

“For our entire lives, they have told us we have no choice … that we have to accept these insane prices, the corporate greed, the billionaire tax breaks, all while we struggle to just to get by.

February 28, the 24-hour economic blackout: no Amazon, no Walmart, no fast food, no gas, not a single unnecessary dollar spent … for one day, we are going to finally turn the tables.”

A grab-bag of dimwitted leftist celebrities have endorsed the Economic Blackout, from Stephen King to Bette Midler. From our own observations, the campaign appears to have gained meaningful traction across social media. Hitting “share” on a boycott post gives leftists a no-effort clicktivism outlet for their rage that’s mounting daily as they watch Donald Trump and Elon Musk take a sledgehammer to all that’s cherished in their warped ideology. 

Of course, the real question is whether it will turn into anything even barely perceptible in a $29 trillion economy. “A lot of people dismiss the idea, arguing that a one-day spending freeze won’t move the needle for major corporations or the broader financial system,” 9i Capital Group CEO Kevin Thompson told Newsweek. “And I agree — it’ll likely have a minimal direct impact.” 

That’s especially true when you consider that a one-day boycott means a great many purchases of earnest participants will merely be accelerated to Thursday or deferred to Saturday. Yawn. Then there’s the near-certainty that some right-wingers will intentionally spend money on Friday just for the fun of undermining the stunt. 

I’m buying a new 100″ TV on Friday!
What about you? pic.twitter.com/Dwra1LJNEa

— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) February 26, 2025

As with any Marxist campaign, this one’s loaded with flawed logic, internal contradictions and questionable tactics. For example:

• Schwarz simultaneously rants that “mega corporations have driven up prices” and demonizes Walmart for “price gouging.” 
• While greedy corporations are among the group’s most-hated foes, Peoples Union USA doesn’t even want participants to spend money at small businesses on Friday — unless it’s for something essential. If the one-day “blackout” is supposed to hurt big businesses, that means the group is calling for pain to be inflicted on small ones too. 

The Peoples Union USA website itself offers a whole line of merchandise, with revenue pledged to “payroll” and other costs; we’re guessing the store will be open on Friday. In another contradiction, Schwarz discourages followers from using credit cards when buying essential items from anyone else — lest it create profits for banks — yet his own merchandise store offers credit cards as the first payment option. You can also pay via major corporations Google and Paypal.    

The group’s positively Antifa-esque, black goods include $29 Economic Blackout commemorative t-shirts and $69 flags. Taking a page from their Marxist playbook, ZeroHedge hereby arbitrarily declares that Peoples Union USA prices are SYSTEMICALLY UNJUST AND EXPLOITATIVE. Also, our store is much cooler.

The group says that, through Feb. 25, it’s raised $61,760 in donations accepted via GoFundMe or a PO Box in Ringwood, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Schwarz should spend some of that money to improve his craptastic website, and particularly this barely readable, center-justified clusterf**ck of an FAQ page.

People’s Union USA has laid out a schedule of follow-on blackouts, with several that target various companies for an entire week at a time. Here are the dates, the targets and their alleged sins, if specified: 

• March 7-14: Amazon, which is apparently so manifestly evil that no rationale is needed 
• March 21-28: Nestle, for “water exploitation, child labor, and corporate greed” 
• March 28: Economic Blackout #2
• April 7-13: Walmart, for “price-gouging” (aka, highly affordable products) and “worker exploitation”
• April 18: Economic Blackout #3
• April 21-27: General Mills, for “food industry corruption and the poisoning of our families” 

Schwarz has ambitions to “unionize the people” by creating national nonprofit organization, hiring lawyers, lobbying legislators, and develop independent media channels. Here’s looking forward to a comically anticlimactic Friday.  

Authored by Amy Denney via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

It’s been a rough, cold season for Mike and Cindy Gorbett. Mike had such a severe case of bronchitis in December that he was still coughing when they traveled out of town on Jan. 31 for their granddaughter’s softball tournament.

When they arrived, he crawled into bed, exhausted with a worsening cough, and stayed there until it was time to go home. Cindy developed a cough the following day.

It didn’t take long for the couple to realize it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill virus. Their coughing and fatigue were sudden, intense, and worsened, so they headed to a walk-in clinic. Tests confirmed both had influenza A—the dominant strain wreaking havoc on millions of Americans this month.

“We still both have coughs. His cough is worse than mine. Mine is a little tickle you feel like you need to clear out but it never really clears out,” Cindy told The Epoch Times. It was the first time she’s been officially diagnosed with influenza.

This year, the Gorbetts are among at least 33 million Americans who’ve been sick with the flu, which has caused 430,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths so far this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the highest flu severity season since 2017–2018—affecting all age groups—and it’s not over yet.

That’s why experts say it’s important to adopt healthy habits that can help you prevent getting sick and manage your symptoms if you do catch a respiratory virus to avoid hospitalization.

When Is the Flu an Emergency?

Dueling social media posts among nurses in one community illustrate the complicated nature of managing influenza. One nurse advised people to recuperate at home, rest, and drink lots of fluids—to prevent spreading the virus and to alleviate an already-burdened health care system.

The other nurse criticized that approach, noting a local child’s death from the flu justifies taking a trip to the hospital if you don’t feel well.

Influenza differs from a common cold in that it comes on quickly with fever, chills, cough, sore throat, aches and pains, headaches, fatigue, and a runny or stuffy nose. A cold tends to have a gradual onset with a runny or congested nose.

Ms. Gorbett, who is a nurse in a health system but works offsite, knew influenza numbers were running quite high when she got sick. She received a system-wide email encouraging expedited discharges to make room for the high influenza admissions.

CDC data show influenza levels were extremely high or high in 45 states earlier this month. The week ending Feb. 15, showed 43,367 patients with influenza admitted to hospitals, down from 50,382 admitted the week prior.

It is important to reduce the influenza burden on hospitals that can have overcrowded emergency rooms, limited bed availability, and strained staff when flu numbers are high, said Lisa M. Lee, an infectious disease expert and senior associate vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech, told The Epoch Times.

However, she said unresolved symptoms may warrant a trip to urgent care or the emergency room—particularly during peak flu season in high-risk populations like the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Of particular concern are high fevers that aren’t coming down, troubled breathing, and anything that feels extremely uncomfortable, she said.

“Even if you already know you have COVID or influenza, if it’s bad enough, go seek care. You might go there and you’re sent home, but if you go home and you continue to have a high fever or severe symptoms, go back.”

Prevent Hospitalization

Whereas colds don’t typically result in serious complications—like bacterial infections, pneumonia, and hospitalizations—the flu can pose these risks.

“Hospital care can be needed,” said Dr. David Brownstein, a family physician and holistic practitioner. “But my job is to keep someone out of the hospital and to not allow them to get close to where they can’t breathe.”

Maintaining optimal levels of nutrients—particularly vitamins A, C, and D—can support the immune system to protect against illness, according to Brownstein, author of “A Holistic Approach to Viruses.”

He’s used the same protocol for 25 years in his practice to aid the immune system in fighting viral illnesses, including COVID-19.

Researchers pointed out in a 2020 Nutrients study that vitamin D’s ability to ward off infection would be useful during the pandemic for both COVID-19 and influenza.

Vitamin C may also help prevent severe illness.

“Vitamin C is an essential substance for the human body. We can’t manufacture it. We have to get it in the diet. Every cell in the body needs vitamin C. Vitamin C requirements go up when we have illnesses, including viral illnesses,” he said, adding that his supplement protocol for viruses is “one of the best things I do in my practice,” said Brownstein.

Brownstein advises that adults take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C every hour when flu symptoms first begin. For vitamin A, he suggests taking 100,000 international units (IU) daily, and for vitamin D, 50,000 IU. The protocol can be used for four days. He also recommends taking iodine, which has proven successful in reducing influenza transmission in animal studies, and boosting fluid intake—water with added electrolytes or salt.

While malnourished people are more susceptible to infections, megadoses of single vitamins aren’t proven to help the immune system. Micronutrient deficiencies—including vitamins A, B6, C, and E, among others—alter the human cellular immune response.

Micronutrients ensure the body’s mucosal barriers and immune cells are working correctly. Children, the elderly, and those whose immune system is compromised by infection, stress, or pollution may need higher micronutrients, according to a review published in Nutrients, particularly vitamins C and D and zinc.

Effective ways to strengthen your immune system may include:

• Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Quitting smoking
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Avoiding heavy alcohol use
• Getting plenty of sleep
• Minimizing stress
• Getting vaccinated with the flu shot

Read the rest here…

And pick up some IQ Biologix Emergency Immune Support here…

Television magnate David Smith’s purchase of The Baltimore Sun last year has reshaped the paper’s editorial direction, focusing on crime coverage in Brandon Scott’s crime-ridden Baltimore City and critiquing Maryland’s radical Democratic leadership in Annapolis. Under Smith’s ownership, the newspaper has intensified its scrutiny of radical progressive policies, contributing to twin economic and energy crises. Further exacerbating Maryland’s challenges, the Department of Government Efficiency’s downsizing of the federal bureaucracy is expected to spark significant economic headwinds for a state (such as credit downgrade) that relies heavily on federal workers and lacks any real sizeable private-sector economy. 

The absurdity in the sanctuary state that prioritizes illegal aliens and transgenders was realized in recent days when radical leftist lawmakers in Annapolis prioritized a bill to install condom machines in elementary schools. These unaccountable politicians purposely overlooked solving the energy crisis that is bankrupting Marylanders at a shocking rate. According to local outlet WMAR, out of 1.3 million power customers in Central Maryland, more than 264,000 are behind on their bills. 

Maryland Democrats are pushing a bill to put VENDING MACHINE CONDOMS in KINDERGARTEN

Literally beyond parody pic.twitter.com/Ynd5X15vzP

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 26, 2025

In addition, far-left Gov. Wes Moore is well over his head as he struggles with a budget crisis and death spiral that threatens to push the state into a “deep recession.”

Maryland’s Death Spiral: Reckless Democratic Lawmakers Spark Budget Crisis Fears As “Deep Recession” Looms https://t.co/reReKpxTsN

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) November 28, 2024

Returning to Smith’s transformation of The Baltimore Sun, which now delivers quality commentary on local politics that Marylanders actually want to read instead of years of toxic wokeism, a guest op-ed by House Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R) and House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy (R) titled “Democrats Don’t Have Answers for Maryland’s Energy Crisis” highlights Maryland Democrats are “clearly in denial” that their policies have backfired and risks the Illinois 2.0 moment.

How times have changed for the local paper – now offering readers critical op-eds on Democrats: 

Many Democrats in Annapolis — from the governor to the House and Senate leadership — are clearly in denial. First, we saw it with the budget deficit — some Democrats attempt to blame former Gov. Larry Hogan, and others insist that the $10 billion Blueprint for Maryland’s Future plan has not contributed to the shortfall. Now, as Maryland’s ratepayers are getting crushed under the weight of high electricity costs, Maryland Democrats are, in the governor’s case, ignoring the problem or, in the case of the General Assembly, feigning shock, blaming others and offering false “fixes.”

For many years, Maryland ratepayers have been the metaphorical frog in the pot of water. Through their reckless environmental policies that sacrifice our ratepayers on the altar of clean energy, the Democrat-controlled General Assembly has been gradually increasing the pressure on energy prices. Now, those rates have spiked at a time of increased usage, and our ratepayers are finding themselves in boiling-hot water.

In response to the outcry from families crushed by high energy bills, those who have advocated for the foolish policies responsible for these rate hikes have offered a series of measures they claim will provide affordable, reliable energy to lower utility bills. That sounds great, but the reality is these measures do not achieve any of those goals — they merely double down on Maryland’s green energy obsession that got us here in the first place.

The Next Generation Energy Act (H.B. 1035) declares the state’s support for nuclear energy while offering no incentives for nuclear investment and discouraging new nuclear projects with expensive labor construction requirements and unnecessary DEI policies that do nothing to reduce energy costs. It also includes provisions for natural gas plants, but only those with a long-term plan to convert to hydrogen or biofuel, making the projects less feasible and more costly. These policies won’t provide immediate or long-term relief to ratepayers.

Another of the Democratic leadership’s bills, the Renewable Energy Certainty Act (H.B. 1036), furthers the push for more solar farms but restricts local governments’ ability to manage them. It also makes rooftop solar systems more expensive by adding regulatory burdens on both systems and installers, ultimately doing nothing to help ratepayers reduce their energy bills.

The Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act (H.B. 1037) expands state government to create the Integrated Resource Planning Office within the Public Service Commission (PSC) tasked with developing a 25-year comprehensive energy forecast. The bill also requires the PSC to adopt regulations requiring power companies to develop an integrated resource plan. While increased planning may be a good idea, the priority of this measure is clean energy, while affordable rates are again an afterthought. This is yet another piece of legislation that places the needs of Maryland’s families and businesses after the needs of Maryland’s Democratic leaders to please the ever-present green movement in Annapolis.

Over the last six years, Maryland has lost 6,000 megawatts of energy generation through the closure of fossil fuel power plants, not including the pending closures of Brandon Shores and H.A. Wagner power plants. Over that time Maryland has only gained 1,600 megawatts of new energy generation. Maryland imports over 40% of our energy needs from out-of-state locations. This energy deficit has been exacerbated by a demand surge brought on by the electrification policies pushed by the Democratic leadership, who simply ignore the benefit of natural gas and other proven energy sources. Nothing in the leadership’s plan makes any of this better. The hard reality is that providing immediate rate relief to Marylanders in the short term is a daunting task. This problem was created over many years with the passage of numerous pieces of reckless legislation. Significant damage has been done to our energy market and it will take time and willingness to reverse these policies and even longer to bring new energy generation online.

The best way to end Maryland’s energy crisis is to end our obsession with green energy and its impossible and expensive goals. The members of the House Republican Caucus are offering numerous initiatives to end Maryland’s expensive green energy addiction. This includes legislation exempting public safety buildings from green energy requirements, prohibiting state and local governments from increasing energy costs through frivolous global warming lawsuits, limiting the provisions of the Climate Solutions Now Act to the extent economically practicable, and eliminating costly “green energy” subsidies that show up on your utility bill. We all want clean energy — but people have to be able to afford it. Until that day comes, all options have to be on the table.

Local lawmakers Buckel and Pippy, who penned the op-ed, should’ve added a section about the DOGE-related disaster coming down the pipe that will likely create even larger headaches for the state locked in a dangerous death spiral.

As we’ve previously noted, our recent conversation with a large asset management firm in the region revealed the state’s dire fiscal situation and how their clients are being told not to add Maryland munis to their bond portfolio. Some clients are being advised to find residency in conservative states amid fears Democrats will enact out-of-control tax hikes as the state implodes. 

What a shitstorm. This is what happens when leftist activists run the state – not actual managers – everything turns to shit. 

Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute,

In recent days, President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Senator Rand Paul, and some others have pressed for an audit of the US gold reserves, with a special focus on the gold at Fort Knox. This is perfectly reasonable given that the US gold reserves – which are the property of the US Treasury and not the Federal Reserve – have not undergone even a partial audit in at least forty years.

Part of the reason for the audit is to discover if any of the gold has been stolen. The US Mint, the government agency that acts as custodian of the gold, has reported for many years that the official size of the gold reserve is 8,133.46 metric tons of gold. Since there has been no audit in so many decades, though, the Mint’s position is essentially “trust us, bro.” Trusting federal bureaucrats has never been a particularly wise policy, and this is why there are ongoing demands for some sort of transparent audit.

If the total size of the US’s gold holdings is revealed to be a number below the official number, then it will just be the latest reminder that there a great many thieves and incompetents among the people running the US federal government. After all, if there is less gold than reported in the US gold reserves, it was presumably stolen at some point.

This would be a fitting destiny for the US government’s gold since much of that was stolen to begin with. When I say “stolen,” I don’t even mean in the sense that “taxation is theft” and that the US bought the gold using tax dollars. In truth, the way the US Treasury acquired much of its gold hoard is even more underhanded than ordinary taxation.

Rather, it is likely that most of the gold at Fort Knox, as with the US regime’s gold in general, is gold stolen from ordinary Americans as a part of Franklin Roosevelt’s efforts to end the gold standard and confiscate private gold holdings in the United States. That is, the US gold reserves are a legacy of the way the US government reneged on its promises to redeem US dollars in gold. Rather than pay out the gold that was owed to holders of US dollars, the US government hoarded it instead. That stolen gold is what the auditors will be counting if the US government ever allows an honest accounting of the Treasury’s gold reserves.

Where Did the Gold at Fort Knox Come From?

In his 1994 article for The Journal of Economic Education, economist William C. Wood writes that “the Fort Knox depository is now an artifact of gold standard days.“ He then adds, “The gold currently in Fort Knox came from the melting of Depression-era gold coins, from lend-lease arrangements in War II, and from government operations under the gold standard.”

That reference to “Depression-era gold coins” is telling. Most of those gold coins were likely the coins confiscated from private owners by the US government following Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102 which outlawed the private ownership of gold. Few Americans owned gold bars, of course, and the gold that was in non-institutional private hands was mostly gold coin. Roosevelt’s edict required that private citizens hand this gold over to the US government in exchange for what was effectively below-market prices. And what if you would rather not give up your property to the US government? Too bad.

Moreover, private banks and the central bank held gold in the form of coins for dollar holders who, prior to confiscation, would occasionally present US dollars for redemption in gold. This is, in part, the gold in Fort Knox that that Wood classifies as gold held for “government operations under the gold standard.” After 1933, however, banks did not need to hold onto any gold coins for this purpose since Roosevelt’s effort to end the gold standard included a prohibition on banks paying out gold.

So, these coins ceased to have an immediate market value among banks. Where did all these gold coins end up? Most ended up with the US Treasury after the Treasury seized the Federal Reserve’s gold in 1934.

Evidence of this can be found in the nature of the gold that is now held at Fort Knox. Wood further explains that the gold there is not the type of gold usually found in gold bars used for international transactions: “The gold resulting from melting of coinage has considerably lower quality than the ‘fine’ or ‘good delivery’ gold commonly used in international trade. The majority of the gold in Fort Knox is the lower-quality coin gold.”

The legacy of the US regime’s gold theft is not limited to the coins that happened to be in private hands in 1933, however. Much of the gold that is in the US gold reserves today is gold that would have been paid out to the private sector had the US government not reneged in its promises to pay war bonds in gold. 

The 1934 Default on Gold-Based Liberty Bonds

Every time there is a debate over the so-called “debt ceiling,” various servants of the US regime like Jerome Powell or Janet Yellen claim that “the United States has never defaulted.” This is a lie. 

Arguably, it was a default, in the broad sense, when Roosevelt’s regime refused to make good on its obligations to dollar holders under the gold standard. The US also defaulted in a formal and legal sense when it refused to pay its World War I Liberty Bonds in gold as promised. Specifically, in 1934, the United States defaulted on the fourth Liberty Bond. The contracts between debtor and creditor on these bonds was clear. The bonds were to be payable in gold. This presented a big problem for the US, which was facing big debts into the 1930s after the First World War. As described by John Chamberlain:

By the time Franklin Roosevelt entered office in 1933, the interest payments alone were draining the treasury of gold; and because the treasury had only $4.2 billion in gold it was obvious there would be no way to pay the principal when it became due in 1938, not to mention meet expenses and other debt obligations. These other debt obligations were substantial. Ever since the 1890s the Treasury had been gold short and had financed this deficit by making new bond issues to attract gold for paying the interest of previous issues. The result was that by 1933 the total debt was $22 billion and the amount of gold needed to pay even the interest on it was soon going to be insufficient.

So how did the US government deal with this? Chamberlain notes “Roosevelt decided to default on the whole of the domestically-held debt by refusing to redeem in gold to Americans.”

In other words, thanks to its profligate deficit spending, the US government was running out of gold by the early 1930s. So, the regime defaulted on the gold bonds. The gold that would have passed into private hands was hoarded by the federal government and declared off limits to the public. Much of that gold remains in the US gold reserves today.

Defaulting on International Gold Obligations

Not all of the US Treasury’s gold is stolen from ordinary Americans. Some is stolen from foreign governments. Another illustration of the dishonesty of the “we never defaulted” narrative is the fact that the US government defaulted in 1971 on its obligations to foreign government under the Bretton Woods system. That is, rather than pay what was owed to foreign governments, the US government once again decided to steal this gold and simply said “tough luck” to everyone with a legal claim to the gold. Or, as Treasury Secretary John Connally said at the time, the dollar “is our currency, but it’s your problem.”

US Gold Reserves: A Legacy of Theft and Lies

The gold reserve was never supposed to be a static, untouchable hoard of the US federal government, as it is now. It was supposed to be there for Americans and other users of dollars who traded in their dollars for gold. Gold was supposed to flow in and out. Then, the US government slammed the doors of the federal gold vaults shut and declared “the gold is all ours forever.” 

Like most everything else the US government “owns,” the gold in the US gold reserves is there due to many years of lies, gaslighting, and deception. The gold is there because the US regime defaulted on its debts and reneged on its promises to back dollars in gold.

If a true auditing team is ever allowed to actually examine the US regime’s gold, it will be examining the evidence of crimes from long ago. The auditors will be counting the gold stolen from our ancestors to enrich the state and its friends.

The Trump administration’s epic purge of federal workers is shaping into one of the most significant job cuts in a generation. Early indicators suggest Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland may be in the beginning innings of an economic downturn, as jobless claims rise and a surge in active housing listings signals a very ominous outlook.

On Thursday morning, Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo, joined Bloomberg TV, warning, “The consensus expects total DOGE-related job cuts to be 300,000 … However, studies show that for every federal employee, there are two contractors.” 

“As a result, layoffs could potentially be closer to 1 million,” Slok noted. 

Watch Slok’s interview…

Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo, examines the potential level of federal job cuts that may be seen from the Department of Government Efficiency and says stagflation is “the backdrop for the conversation that we’re having in markets at the moment” https://t.co/w75JWgHA0u pic.twitter.com/RgKzIM4Ow7

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) February 27, 2025

New jobs market data this AM showed that DOGE-related layoffs are beginning to filter through. Now comes the tsunami…

DOGE Wins As DC Jobless Claims Soared Last Week https://t.co/ISgKiUOW67

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 27, 2025

Dominic Konstam, head of macro strategy at Mizuho, asked: “DoGE-led recession risk?” 

The market is focused on a negative economic fallout from Federal spending cuts. The level of potential Federal job losses is too small to derail growth, but overall government spending has been egregiously high in recent years. There has also been excessive job growth in the “government” sectors, including federal, state, and local government, as well as in education and health. If DoGE sets a precedent on jobs and achieves spending cuts that ricochet through the quasi-public sector, it is likely that new economic headwinds will develop. ​​

Oh wow, where have we seen this? Just 3 weeks ahead of the curve.

And now the official narrative is set. https://t.co/IVA9GG8qxG pic.twitter.com/FJU0G92Q3H

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 27, 2025

Earlier this month, BofA’s Michael Hartnett commented: “Washington, DC recession begins.”

“Government Recession Begins”: DC Active Home Listings Soar, Jobless Claims Spike As DOGE Drains Swamp https://t.co/1vP15sKxff

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 16, 2025

New data from Bright MLS, one of the most extensive multiple listing services in the US, shows that DC’s active listing continues trending around 25% compared to the same week one year ago and is up 4% from one week ago. 

DC active listings are trending well over levels seen in the past three years and could be ripe for much more upside as DOGE-related layoffs ramp up. 

Active listings in DC with price decreases are also on the rise. 

As the spring selling season begins, median prices in DC are still trending above the last few years. 

Callie Cox, chief market strategist at Ritholtz Wealth Management, called the situation unfolding in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland as the “largest job cut in American history (by a mile).”  

Google searches for “recession” remain tame across the country, but DC is currently searching for it the most… pic.twitter.com/QImaoN5EKk

— Bespoke (@bespokeinvest) February 27, 2025

And it begins. 

Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

Police in Loveland, Colorado have arrested a suspect who allegedly vandalized a local Tesla dealership several times, and who left incendiary devices at the scene.

Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, a transgender person who goes by the first name Lucy, was arrested Monday night without incident.

The arrest stems from a Lovement Police investigation into attempted arson that took place at a Tesla shop shortly after midnight on Feb. 7. In addition, police said that various vehicles and the Tesla building were vandalized with graffiti messages, some of which were offensive and hateful in nature.

A radical trantifa activist has been arrested in Loveland, Colo. for allegedly carrying out a series of violent attacks on @Tesla property using incendiary devices.

Lucy Grace Nelson, a man, has been incorrectly booked into the jail as a “female” by @LarimerSheriff. I can… pic.twitter.com/TLDpCVcMlN

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) February 27, 2025

Police had already received similar reports on Jan. 29 and Feb. 2, but those incidents were less serious than the Feb. 7 attempted arson, they said.

“On Monday evening, Nelson again returned to Loveland Tesla while in possession of additional incendiary devices, along with materials attributed to vandalism,” Loveland Police said in a press release.

“Detectives apprehended Nelson prior to further damage occurring.”

Nelson was booked into the Larimer County Jail on the following charges: Explosives or Incendiary Devices Use During Felony, a Class 2 felony; Criminal Mischief $2,000 < $5,000 Business, a Class 6 felony; and Criminal Attempt to Commit Class 3 Felony, a Class 4 felony.

A judge issued a $100,000 cash surety bond for the alleged trans terrorist.

Police said they worked with the ATF on the case.

Mainstream media, including Fox News, was widely panned for reporting the suspect’s gender as female.

Dear everyone,

Lucy Grace Nelson aka Justin Thomas Nelson, is NOT a woman.

That’s a man @FoxNews

I thought we were done lying about transgenders and feeding into their delusions?

“Lucy” vandalized a Tesla dealership several times and brought incendiary devises. https://t.co/yT96kou0L9 pic.twitter.com/GWCwnjonj9

— Kristi L. Talmadge (@KristiTalmadge) February 27, 2025