Ah. maybe you aren’t aware of it. Don’t worry. You might read about it in a decade or two. As I have repeatedly stated; “the end will not be reported upon in the news”.

Today is Lantern Festival in China. Enjoy your “moon cakes” and Baijiu.

Let’s pick up on some amusing posts…

Civil War 2.0 Weather Report: They Hate You

From HERE

We are at step 6.

1. 1. 7. Common violence. Organized violence is occurring monthly.
      8. Opposing sides develop governing/war structures. Just in case.
      9. Common violence that is generally deemed by governmental authorities as justified based on ideology.
      10. Open War.

I’ve kept the Clock O’Doom the same, though tensions are certainly increasing.  The advice remains.  Avoid crowds.  Get out of cities.  Now.  A year too soon is better than one day too late.

Front Matter

Welcome to the latest issue of the Civil War II Weather Report.  These posts are different than the other posts at Wilder Wealthy and Wise and consist of smaller segments covering multiple topics around the single focus of Civil War 2.0, on the first or second Monday of every month.  I’ve created a page (LINK) for links to all of the past issues.  Also, subscribe because you’ll join over 710 other people and get every single Wilder post delivered to your inbox, M-W-F at 7:30AM Eastern, free of charge.  Most of today’s memes are free-range, and not originals.  The crop was really good this month.

Naming The Enemy:  You

Since Biden was sworn in, the relationship between citizens and the government has fundamentally changed.  Trump was like a game show host.  Biden is like a character from a Stephen King novel, and not one of the good ones.

The sheer hate shown by the Left, though, has replaced every bit of pretend love. Biden has set himself up not as the President of the United States, but, at best, the President of the Democratic Party. And that party, as well as all of the Left has let the mask slip.

How far?

This far:

Yes. That is a governor of a state, indicating that people who live in the state she is supposed to represent, should move. Admittedly, she looks like she’s auditioning for the role of Morticia for the “couldn’t get a date in high school players”. But since she (presumably) hasn’t (yet) Cuomo’d her staff, well, she’s the governor.

And she hates you.

You are her enemy. She has made that clear.

And so did Biden’s press secretary:

Merely voting for the “wrong” candidate makes you the enemy. You, too, can be a “threat to our democracy” if you don’t vote the way that Big Biden wants you to vote. I’m not sure why that upsets them, since the voting isn’t how they win elections, it’s the counting that wins them elections.

But I guess it sets you up to be an extremist.

What’s an extremist?

Anyone who doesn’t believe what (they) the Leftist “majority” believe. Simple, right? Don’t like chocolate? Extremist. Think that owning guns might be a right?

Extremist. Biden even said so. Again.

Last summer, he threatened his own citizens.

Apparently, he liked the results so much that he did it again.

I think Joe might have forgotten something:

But, seriously, he really, really, might have forgotten something:

And I thought he was on Ukraine’s side? But, regardless, he has this really weird view on weapons, and I think it can be summarized by this one meme:

And all of this nonsense was before his ill-advised 1930’s totalitarian aesthetic national speech. What did he want to talk about with his background that would have been appropriate at a May Day parade at Red Square in 1936?

Well, he had a lot to say. About inflation? No. About Russia? China? Ukraine? The energy crisis? The economy? No. Really just about how much he really, really hates anyone on the Right.

People on the Left were quick to join in:

So, you’re the Enemy of the Left. Congratulations! But I’m not so sure about Biden’s comments . . . .

Violence And Censorship Update

Just like the segment above, I had more censorship this month than I can work through.  In many cases, it is actively impacting writers like me, with (apparently) Google® doing quite a bit to throttle traffic.  This is nothing new, but as far as I can tell, it’s accelerating and becoming more brazen at all levels.

But on the bigger stage, “Gays Against Groomers” was shut down.  The person running “Libs of TicTok” was doxed as well, but still maintains their presence.  Why shut them down?

I’m guessing a narrative violation, since “Groomer” is now officially a hate word.

But that’s just a Twitter® account. It’s not like big tech is actively trying to shut down speech from the Right, is it?

Odysee® has been threatened by Apple® to not allow their app in the Apple© Appstore™ unless they strip voices on the Right from their content. Odysee™ has, so far, told ‘em to buzz off. That normally works pretty well until they come after the bank accounts. Which they will.

The FBI has done its best to join in:

Remember, the FBI searched Barron Trump’s bedroom before they searched Hunter Biden’s. And they leaked photos of Trump’s place, but not photos of the Epstein investigation. That probably tells you all you need to know about how political the FBI is.

But at least big tech is doing this on its own, right?

No. They colluded with the Biden Administration on a regular basis on “what to censor”, which in any real world would be a big deal. But who controls what’s on the net? Big tech. The idea that independent voices can get a large following is something they’re working desperately to control.

They’re trying to understand why you would avoid taking the science juice into your veins. Testing and actual data are too much to ask. Keep in mind that one statistic I saw showed that 44% of pregnant women who were in the science juice trial miscarried. And that it’s still recommended for pregnant women.

Even Bill Maher, who is no real friend to the Right, is stunned at the hypocrisy.  Me?

Not so much anymore.

Biden’s Misery Index

Let’s take a looks to see how we’ve done this month . . . .

Yup, up again.

Updated Civil War II Index

The Civil War II graphs are an attempt to measure four factors that might make Civil War II more likely, in real time.  They are broken up into Violence, Political Instability, Economic Outlook, and Illegal Alien Crossings.  As each of these is difficult to measure, I’ve created for three of the four metrics some leading indicators that combine to become the index.  On illegal aliens, I’m just using government figures.

Violence:

Violence ticked upward this month, though not to previous levels. I think it continues to be muted because the Left has kept their dogs on a leash.

Political Instability:

Up is more unstable, and it dropped a bit. We’ll see what impact Biden’s speech has.

Economic:

Economic indicators ricocheted down this month. Not promising, but this is a strange election season.

Illegal Aliens:

It set a new record for this time of year. But it was down. Must still be hot out. And Elon had something to say, too.

Shocks To The System

When the Russians invade Ukraine, I was mainly worried about the impact of losing the things that Russia and Ukraine made that would impact the outside world – things like wheat, or fertilizer.  I really didn’t expect the West to collectively decide, “breathing isn’t important” and cut off their own oxygen.  They did.  Natural gas is very important to the European economy, and without it, whole segments of what they produce have to get shut down – like COVID-level impacts, but because they decided not to buy natural gas.

Oops.

Whether intentional or not, it certainly has given a lot of data about shock testing of the economy of Europe:

Now it’s created such imbalances in the European energy market that electricity bills are skyrocketing. How do girls decide who they’re going to date?

Collectively, the governments are deciding that they want the ability to do (spins wheel) whatever they want to do in response to the crisis. Really.

Meanwhile, electricity shortages are showing up elsewhere. In Colorado, I think users got a credit for installing the remote-control thermostat plus an annual payment ($25?) but lose the ability to choose how warm their house is. Not horrific, but a sign, potentially of stresses to come.

As the interest rates go up, another stress goes up, too. Housing prices drop and the housing market starts to lock up. We’ve seen this before.

Economic stresses, especially energy stresses, have the ability to be incredibly destabilizing to a society, pushing it from near war to over the edge. Beware as the economy falls apart.

“War,” for Crowder, means sharp words on a podcast. “War,” for Breitbart, meant starting a website—the gif Crowder used came from a 2012 documentary, Hating Breitbart, about the launch of his eponymous Breitbart.com. Most of the shitposting about the need to “lock and load” is just that, and for all our negative partisanship and inflammatory social media use, Americans have yet to show ourselves at anything like a critical mass inclined to kill each other over politics.

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Civil War 2.0? Not On Techno-Totalitarians’ Watch

The Spanish Civil War was not about rivals within a system; it was about the system itself. This is why matters are so irreconcilable in the United States today. The Left has been captured by a revolutionary ideology that will not tolerate rivals at all, and in fact construes tolerance for dissent as an unacceptable compromise with evil. It is pushing the forces of the Right towards radicalization and illiberalism simply for the sake of self-preservation. 

...

This, I think, is why any talk of an American civil war is mostly just talk. 

The Regime -- meaning both the State and private institutional actors -- have the technological power to marginalize those it wants to marginalize. When we become a cashless society -- and the Regime used Covid as an opportunity to move us all towards that goal (remember the "coin shortage" bullshit?) -- it will be impossible to buy and sell if your card is disabled electronically.

From HERE

It's true that research also finds that the strongest partisans on both sides have the highest approval of the use of violence to achieve political ends. But it also appears that receiving even one pacifying message significantly drops the acceptance of violence, even if it comes from the leader of the disliked party. The lesson is that finger-pointing is at best misguided and at worst calculated for show; each side’s political elites have the power to push our society in a peaceful direction — if they choose.

Americans want to be led to common ground and progress. Even the slightest nod from political leadership can redirect the most hardened partisans away from violence and to a place where compromise is acceptable. When our leaders choose this path, their base may tell them they are weak, but a majority of the country sees a sliver of hope that we may be able to rebuild our crumbling institutions and overcome the lack of trust in them.

Far more concerning than a handful of Americans foreseeing civil war is what happens when our leaders choose not to use their platforms to unify people. When aspiring politicians see the most famous and successful of their ilk achieve their stature by manufacturing and repeating reasons to be afraid of their fellow countrymen, it is little wonder why they might eschew calmer, pacifying rhetoric. If our elected officials make this personally beneficial but publicly disastrous choice, we must not stand for it. We need to replace them through the democratic means enshrined in our system.

From HERE

OK enough of the silly talk.

People in America are unhappy. Unhappiness always leads to trouble. If you couple that with high taxes, inflation, lack of work, and tribalism, you will have a dangerous stew of discontent. This will result in calamity.

Home-Style Meatloaf

When it’s comfort that you seek, nothing satisfies quite like a classic meatloaf. And if you don’t have a go-to recipe, we offer you this one. It skips any fussy steps and avoids exotic ingredients. This is pure and simple, the perfectly seasoned, down-home version you remember from way way back. So next time you’re missing mama’s cooking or need a meal that’ll go over well with the whole fam, turn to this can’t-miss recipe.

Ingredients

Food Banks All Over The U.S. Are “Overwhelmed” As The Cost Of Living Pushes More People Into Poverty

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The food lines are back, and they are starting to get really long.  But this wasn’t supposed to happen.  We are being told that unemployment is very low, even though that is not actually true.  And we are also being told that the inflation rate is still only in the single digits, and of course that is not exactly true either.  All over the country, middle class Americans are watching their lifestyles be absolutely eviscerated by the cost of living crisis, and an increasing number of them are turning to food banks.  So we are seeing very long lines at food banks in major cities from coast to coast, and we are also seeing very long lines in rural locations such as northwest Montana…

Across the Flathead, food pantries are facing emptier shelves and scarcer donations as demand for their services grows.

“Our numbers have definitely been increasing,” Ann Bohmer, co-manager of the Columbia Falls Food Bank, said. “[There’s been an] influx of people and a shortage of supplies.”

The Columbia Falls Food Bank is now “overwhelmed” by the level of demand that it is experiencing, and unfortunately the same thing can be said for countless other food banks across the nation…

The problem of overwhelmed and understocked food banks is not unique to northwest Montana. Food and gas prices are skyrocketing across the country, forcing Americans to pinch pennies and limit purchases. As of last month, grocery store prices were up 10.8% from the same time last year. While supermarket tabs are getting higher, lines at food pantries are getting longer, as Americans struggle to put meals on the table.

You should never, ever look down on those that need to use local food banks.

Because the truth is that with a few bad breaks you could soon need to use one yourself.

Prior to this new economic crisis, a woman in the Phoenix area named Tomasina John had never visited a food bank before, but now her local food bank is an indispensable lifeline for her family…

Tomasina John was among hundreds of families lined up in several lanes of cars that went around the block one recent day outside St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix. John said her family had never visited a food bank before because her husband had easily supported her and their four children with his construction work.

“But it’s really impossible to get by now without some help,” said John, who traveled with a neighbor to share gas costs as they idled under a scorching desert sun. “The prices are way too high.”

Sadly, economic conditions have forced dozens of food banks all over the country to either shut down or reduce services at a time when they are needed more than ever.

Here are just a few examples…

Elsewhere in the United States, rising prices have forced dozens of charitable nonprofits to shutter, temporarily close, or reduce services. This spring, Nashville’s Little Pantry closed down after five years of operation. New Jersey’s Angels Community Outreach announced a temporary closure due to supply shortages. And Utah’s Tooele Food Pantry canceled an important food drive because of staffing and logistical issues. Among the food banks that remain open, some are putting limitations on how often people can visit and how much food they can get.

If our food banks are under this much financial stress already, what will things be like a year from now?

That is something to think about.

Across the Atlantic, they are dealing with similar problems in the UK…

Food banks are running out of supplies amid an “overwhelming” surge of new people falling into hardship during the cost of living crisis, with some charities forced to turn away families in need.

As I discussed yesterday, an unprecedented energy crisis has much of Europe on the verge of a full-blown economic collapse.

Energy bills have soared to unprecedented heights, and the cost of living has become extremely oppressive.  As a result, many in the UK are now skipping meals on a regular basis…

Four out of 10 Universal Credit claimants have admitted to missing meals over the summer in order to keep up with rising costs, research shows.

Some 41% of people on benefits admitted to skipping meals over the past three months, with a further 38% claiming to have had just one meal or gone a whole day without eating because they couldn’t afford to buy enough food.

The research was conducted by The Trussell Trust, Britain’s biggest food bank charity, which surveyed 1,846 UK adults claiming benefits between August 10 and 31 via YouGov.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning.

We are being repeatedly warned that the food shortages in Europe will soon get far worse.

But this nightmare won’t just be isolated to Europe.  There will be widespread food shortages all over the globe in 2023, and the head of the UN says that it is likely that there will be “multiple famines” next year.

So why aren’t more people getting prepared?

Top government officials all over the planet are openly telling us that there will be food shortages in 2023, but the vast majority of the people out there seem to assume that everything is going to work out just fine somehow.

Just because we have always had plenty of food in the past does not mean that we will have enough food in the future.

According to the World Food Program, 828 million people all over the world go to bed hungry each night, vast numbers of people in Europe are already being forced to skip meals because of rising food costs, and children are literally starving to death in Africa right now.

But here in the United States we will be immune from the global food crisis because we are so special, right?

If you want to stick your head in the sand and pretend that everything is just fine, go ahead and do so.

Meanwhile, the food lines are getting longer and longer, and crops are failing all over the planet.

Virus Control by China

China has shown that it is capable of mobilizing as a society from 0 to 100 towards a common goal in order to stop the virus ( Tbx | Sep 7 2022 16:28 utc | 114). 

This is all the more remarkable considering that China was the FIRST country to experience the pandemic. (The fact that recent, relatively small outbreaks have occurred after two years of essentially normal life strongly implies that the virus re-entered China from elsewhere.)

What's particularly maddening is that China provided a clear template of how to keep the virus under control, and this was widely ignored around the world because of "freedom" and more so "money". 

In the end, by prioritizing those things we have lost out on both counts, and to boot, life expectancy has been reduced.

I wonder what Darwin would have to say about all of this...

Posted by: farm ecologist | Sep 8 2022 14:16 utc | 12

United States “Leadership”

Yet another Global Times editorial positing the Outlaw US Empire isn’t fit to lead anyone, “A US not safe for own citizens is not qualified to lead the world”.

I find it very hard to disagree with that premise as the brutal reality tells us:

Eliza Fletcher, a mother of two, went for her regular early jog but never made it back to her kids. She was abducted and murdered. 

The tragedy in Memphis, Tennessee, triggered a public opinion storm in the US. Meanwhile, quite a few voices suggest that she shouldn't have been jogging at 4:30 in the morning.

This is what social order looks like in the US - going out in an "inappropriate" time, one could get killed.

In a TV program aired on Tuesday local time, Fox News host Tucker Carlson commented, "An American citizen should be able to live or walk anywhere in America without being raped or murdered for it, period. That is the baseline requirement for civilization. It's called order."

Unfortunately, that is not what the US has right now and Americans seem to have forgotten this "baseline requirement." 

There are too many violent crimes, and people have, to some extent, gotten used to it, taking the situation as a part for their normal lives. 

That's why many people's first reaction is suggesting that Fletcher should have chosen a different time, different route, taken precautions to defend herself, and some even said that she should have used a treadmill.

This is why Carlson lamented that "everyone knows the rules" - one should go to safe places in safe period of time - otherwise, "you run the risk of being raped and murdered. That's how things work in this country. So, adapt. Accept it. Move on." He also warned that the entire country will be Memphis if Americans don't put a stop to this insanity.

This is the US. 

On the outside, it is still a highly developed country. 

But on the inside, parts of the US look like Somalia, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. More and more common people who live in the US simply do not feel safe anymore. 

As Carlson put it, the US lost the baseline requirement for civilization, or order. [My Emphasis]

The editorial then gets into the epidemic of mass shootings, one of which occurred just after Flecther’s murder in Memphis. And as economic conditions deteriorate further, the violence will escalate.

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 8 2022 16:06 utc | 35

COVID and China

Did you know China has foregone all mRNA vaccines? The vaccines China administered to its people – along with massive lockdowns and what not – are Sinovax, not the Western types. They have expressed interest but have not followed this interest up with even literally a single deployment…

…research only.

Long, slow research, and cautious, and careful testing of the mRNA injections on animals.

Secondly, it has never been clear to me that COVID was ever going to be eradicated. Unless the entire world goes under the CCP or equivalent – it is simply impossible that China-type measures would ever hold up anywhere including Europe.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 8 2022 16:35 utc | 49

Figaro and Blaze

Figaro and Blaze were two kittens my sons found dumped in the middle of nowhere while on a day trip with their grandparents. Of course they brought them home to me 🤦🏻‍♀️ But honestly, who could resist those sweet little faces??

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Italian Sausage Soup

Warm and hearty! This rich Italian soup combines sausage, broccoli, tomatoes and, best of all, pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 lb turkey Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets
• 1 cup uncooked mostaccioli pasta (3 oz)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic whole peeled tomatoes with basil, undrained
• 1 can (18.5 oz) Progresso™ Vegetable Classics French onion soup