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The Mises Institute site offers a transcript of the hilarious one-act parody of Rand and her circle -- Mozart Was A Red. It was written by Murray Rothbard and the transcript has an introduction by Jeff Tucker. And here is a performance of the play, with my late and much missed friend Dyanne Peterson performing the part of Rand. Dyanne was a "broad" in the Katherine Hepburn sense of that word: ballsy, super bright, streetwise, loyal, funny...

Hunter Biden Testifies. From the Epoch Times: Hunter Biden Admits to ‘Mistakes’ and Squandered Privileges in Opening Statement to Congress. Hunter Biden has released an opening statement before a closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill, admitting to ’mistakes’ and wasted opportunities and privileges. [Ed: political theatre.] From the Associated Press: Transcript of Hunter Biden's Deposition Is Out. Things got contentious between Biden, congressional Republicans. From Zero Hedge: Hunter Finally Admits Joe Biden Is "The Big Guy". How many more times would Trump have been impeached by now? [Ed: what about the email saying "10% for the Big Guy" re: a business deal.]

From Pet Buzz: Dad Tells His Dog “It’s Time To Take Your Medication”

From Politico.EU: Dutch farmers back Wilders as centrist nightmares come true. Far-right radical seen as last chance to avoid EU pollution rules. [Ed: farmers and truckers are the best hope for sanity on the green policies.]

From Zero Hedge: "Who Could Be Next": Top Canadian Pension Fund Sells Manhattan Office Tower For $1, Sparking Firesale Panic. Industry watchers see such shocking liquidations as an ominous sign for the market. [Ed: I'd say "it begins" but the process has been ongoing for some while.]

Mitch McConnell. From Politico.EU: As McConnell steps down, Ukraine loses a powerful GOP mega booster. The minority leader’s support for Kyiv has stood out as Republicans have increasingly fractured over funding. From the Babylon Bee: Ukraine To Lose Top Republican Senate Seat From Politico: McConnell lasted longer than most. But he couldn’t outlast Trump. It isn’t Mitch McConnell’s party anymore. [Ed: the prospect of 4 more years of Trump may have hastened McConnell's decision.] From the Hill: House Freedom Caucus mocks McConnell as ‘(D-Ukraine)’ after retirement news.

From Good News Network: Italian-Made Exoskeleton Gets Disabled Users Walking and Standing.

From the Babylon Bee: 9 Surprising Findings From Joe Biden's Physical. [Ed: ouch. Brutal. I like it.]

Ukraine. From Zero Hedge: "Americans Are Being Lied To About Ukraine" - Tucker Carlson Reflects On Putin, Zelensky, Navalny & Nuclear War. "There’s a war going on that is wrecking the US economy in a way & at a scale that people do not understand." From Dances with Bears: Scorching the Earth Westward--What Comes Next as the Ukrainian Army Collapses* [Ed: a must read.] From Gilbert Doctorow: More WION: What does Kiev’s need for $3 billion per month of foreign assistance tell us?

From Politico: There’s a Good Reason Haley’s Still Running – And It’s Not Trump’s Legal Problems. The answer might be buried deep in the Republican convention rules.

From the Bored Panda: “Well, I’m Bawling”: Fans React To Jon Stewart’s Story About His Late Dog Dipper

Palestine-Israel. From the Cradle: Leaked Gaza Ceasefire Proposal Is US 'Psychological Warfare', Hamas Says. While Biden claimed there could be a deal by Monday, Hamas responds that it's all a ploy... From antiwar: Netanyahu’s Last Battle Promises No Victory, Just Slaughter in Rafah. [Ed: I can hardly bear to think of this.] From the BBC: More Than 100 Killed After Troops Fire on Gaza Crowd. IDF claims most of the casualties were the result of a stampede after aid trucks arrived [Ed: other sources indicate the "opening fire" is what caused the deaths and the stampede. They say 104+ killed; 706+ injured.]

From Space: Total solar eclipse 2024: Live updates. [Ed: On April 8, 2024...]

Trump's Legal Maze. From Zero Hedge: In Blow To Special Counsel Smith, SCOTUS Agrees To Hear Trump Immunity Appeal. "...would push the trial closer to the November election in tension with existing DOJ policies..." From Jonathan Turley: “Craven” and “Insurrectionists”: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Others Denounce the Supreme Court for Granting Review of Presidential Immunity. [Ed: insane reaction but, sadly, predictable.] From Politico: How the Supreme Court just threw Trump’s 2024 trial schedule into turmoil. Trump is now unlikely to face criminal charges for election subversion until late summer or fall, at the earliest.

From the Dogington Post: Dogs Jumps Into A Stranger’s Car And ‘Wouldn’t Get Out’ So The Police Had To Help

From Government Executive: Congress reaches fiscal 2024 funding deal, new stopgaps in hopes of averting shutdown. Lawmakers must act in a hastened and united fashion to pass the new CR before funding expires this week.

From the Washington Post: Welcome to China’s Cat Island, where lucky strays wait for a new home. [Ed: reader friendly.]

From Semafor: Google CEO calls AI tool’s controversial responses ‘completely unacceptable’ [Ed: of course, management knew about this development. Nothing gets done at this level without approval by several levels of management.] From Moonbattery: Exposure of AI Moonbattery Costs Google $90 Billion. From PJ Media: Google Still Doesn't Get It. [Ed: recommended.] From Jonathan Turley: Meta Adds Censorship Supporter to Board of Directors. [Ed: a notorious censorship supporter.]

From Sunny Skyz: Texas Court Unable To Find Jurors To Uphold $500 Fine For Feeding The Homeless [Ed: what a wonderful news item.]

From Reuters: Wendy's, blasted over CEO's pricing comment, vows no price hikes at busy times

From the Volokh Conspiracy: Second Amendment Roundup: Cargill Bump Stock Argument in Supreme Court. From Reason: SCOTUS Ponders the Implications of Prosecuting Gun Owners for a Crime Invented by Bureaucrats. Several justices seemed troubled by an ATF rule that purports to ban bump stocks by reinterpreting the federal definition of machine guns.

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #259: Anticipate Injuries and turn them into Favours.

It is wiser to avoid than to revenge them. It is an uncommon piece of shrewdness to change a rival into a confidant, or transform into guards of honour those who were aiming attacks at us. It helps much to know how to oblige, for he leaves no time for injuries that fills it up with gratitude. That is true savoir faire to turn anxieties into pleasures. Try and make a confidential relation out of ill-will itself.

My interpretation: I don't think I'm very good at this tactic but it is never too late to learn, I suppose. I have turned enemies into friends in the past...or, at least, I've turned them into allies of convenience. The first one was a lady I worked with but with whom I had nothing, nothing in common. She had a natural tendency to compete for the sake of competing...I guess it made her feel like a winner (or something). I had no interest in competing for anything about that job; I was there until I could make a more comfortable living as a writer. That's all the job meant to me. So I started agreeing with her on small things and I never brought up points of disagreement. (I only discussed minor matters at work, BTW, never important or overly personal ones.) Finally, we became co-conspirators; for example, I'd cover for her when she took a long, long lunch and she covered for me when I left early. And, yes, by "cover", I mean lie. But I don't think I would have ever trusted her enough to become friends.

Here is an article I wrote years ago to capture why I believe modern libertarianism is rooted in Rothbard. Rothbard as System-Builder: A Tribute to My Friend.

I want to repeat an insight I made in an earlier post. Something that history books will not capture and future generations may not understand is the profound and benevolent impact of Murray Rothbard's charisma on young scholars. Although reprints of his work display the stunning breadth and depth of his scholarship, they will give no clue as to the immense humor that made his listeners literally laugh for hours in after-conference sessions and gatherings at his home. When people finally walked away from Murray -- reluctant to leave a world in which ideas were so much fun -- they scattered to libraries and typewriters to research and write up the articles he had inspired. Murray Rothbard believed that ideas mattered. He infused you with this belief. I still hear his voice -- admittedly a squawky one -- insisting that a certain insight was "key! it's key to the issue!," and admonishing me to write it up. You walked away convinced that Western civilization could be changed for the good if only you were able to get this book review or article or commentary just right.

BREAKING...From CBS News: 'Surprise' Ruling Removes Trump From Illinois Primary Ballot. But Trump team says it will appeal

From Zero Hedge: Mapping All Of 2024's Global Elections. With almost half of the world’s population residing in countries holding executive or legislative elections in 2024, it’s set to be the busiest election year ever recorded. [Ed: I also think there will be a significant economic collapse in '24, which always makes elections less predictable.]

From Inspire More: Man Finds Tiny Puppy Living In Shoe And Gives Him Beautiful New Life.

Macron and EU Leadership. From Politico.EU: Macron wants to lead Europe on Ukraine, but France may not let him. French president faces blowback across the political spectrum for not ruling out a Western military presence in Ukraine. AND Scholz and Macron feud over arms for Ukraine. As Ukraine runs short on ammunition, the German and French leaders are at odds over military aid. [Ed: Germany is determined to avoid direct conflict with Russia.] From Gilbert Doctorow: Emmanuel Macron’s provocative advocacy of European troops on the ground in Ukraine. [Ed: Wow. Blistering. And well deserved.]

From Zero Hedge: "I'm Done With Google": Wholesale Loss Of Trust After "Unbelievably Irresponsible" Racist AI Goes Mask-Off. "It is beyond stupid to build a product which will explicitly put your company's social agenda before the customer's needs..." [Ed: I will be weening myself away from Google even tho' I truly like its 'search' feature.]

Crime. From Hot Air: Venezuela Homicide Rate Lowest in 22 Years As Its Gangs Migrate Here.

From Middle East Monitor: Yemen Houthis deny Israel claims they targeted underwater communications cables. [Ed: but, but...the Israelis wouldn't lie!]

Everyday Finances. From Zero Hedge: These Are The Median Down-Payments For A House In Each US State. ...housing costs vary across U.S. states, so too does the income required to buy a house, and the down payment associated with the purchase. [Ed: my family was of modest means but everyone owned a house. It was expected back then.] From the Epoch Times: Biden’s Net-Zero Agenda Spells Trouble Down on the Farm and at the Supermarket. From Off the Press: Pentagon Panics Over Biden Plan That Could Cost Taxpayers $10,000 Per Household. [Ed: proposed change in water standards.] From Mish Talk: Will a Money Hungry Government Take Away Your IRA and 401K? [Ed: if they can get away with it, hell YES!] From the Business Insider: A former US surgeon general says he went to the ER for dehydration and ended up with a $5,000 bill. He called the healthcare system 'broken.'

From Oil Price: Argentina Oil Provinces Rebel Against Milei's Austerity Plan. "Not a drop of oil will come out on Wednesday if they don't respect the provinces once and for all and take their foot off our back" [Ed: he is withholding billions of federal tax dollars from them. I'll be watching this fellow closely.]

From the Epoch Times: Majority Of Americans Now Back Trump-Style Border Wall: Poll. The percentage of Americans who are concerned about the border crisis stands at 84 percent... From NBC News: Biden and Trump to hold competing trips to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday. Biden, who last visited the southern border in January 2023, has been heavily criticized by Trump and Republicans for his handling of migrants crossing into the U.S. [Ed: popcorn, please!] From the Texas Tribune: Trump, Biden to visit Texas in competing border trips Thursday

From Zero Hedge: Playing With Fire: Zelensky Questions Trump's Patriotism In CNN Interview. "Supporting Russia means being against the Americans," Zelensky boldly said in a new interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. [Ed: I cannot tell you how much I detest this asshole.]

From Fortune and Freedom: It Has All Gone So Dreadfully Wrong For The Establishment. The Establishment, the Deep State, the Davos crowd, the Elites, the House of Lords, the Globalists, and whoever else you’d like to add to the totalitarian mix – they’re on the retreat, right across the board...

From Remix: Polish Truckers To Rejoin Farmers In Border Crossing Blockades. Polish farmers protesting against EU climate policies and imports of Ukrainian agricultural produce are being joined by Polish truck drivers protesting about unfair competition from Ukrainian trucking companies. [Ed: thank God for farmers and truckers.]

From CNN: Scientists Pursue Cancer Vaccines Tailored to the Genetic Makeup of an Individual's Tumor. [Ed: sounds expensive.]

From the Daily Caller: House Republicans Subpoena DOJ For Biden-Hur Transcript. {Ed: what is the DOJ hiding? How badly does Biden come off in the interview?]

From the DoDo: Big Dog Can't Stop Worrying About Tiny Rescue Puppy.

From Zero Hedge: US Army Plans To Cut 24,000 Jobs Due To "Over-Structured" Woes. [Ed: that's about 5%. Of course, this may be a way to escape the embarrassment of falling WAY short of recruitment goals. No existing jobs are being cut.]

EVs. From Wheels Alive: EU plans to restrict repairs on older vehicles… [Ed: vehicles over 15 years old could be called "residual vehicles." Force people into EVs.] From Bloomberg: Apple to Wind Down Electric Car Effort After Decadelong Odyssey. From the Center Square: Report: US EV manufacturing faces 'extinction-level event'. [Ed: extinction-level event=Chinese competition.]

Trump's Legal Woes. From the Spectator: Engoron Goes Medieval on Trump. The judge’s decision against the former president amounts to an unconstitutional bill of attainder. From the Volohk Conspiracy: President Trump's Kafkaesque Civil Trial in New York State. [Ed: none of this will stand on appeal but that's not the point of the legal persecution. The point is to cripple Trump as a candidate. Backfiring, of course.]

From Newser: 'Come Early': Navalny's Funeral Set for Friday. [Ed: a round-up of news stories.]

Gaza. From MTV Lebanon: UN: One Quarter of Gaza's People One Step Away from Famine. [Ed: this is deliberate, of course.]

Big Economic Picture. From Zero Hedge: US GDP "Grew" $334 Billion In Q4.... That Growth Cost $834 Billion In Debt. It cost $834.2 billion in debt during Q3 to grow the US economy by $334.5 billion, or exactly $2.5 in debt for every $1 in GDP "growth." From Mish Talk: The Amazing Trajectory of the Federal Debt vs Population Growth. [Ed: it is startling to see the data laid out in charts.]

From Pet Buzz: Heartwarming evenings as homeless dog receives daily sandwich at Subway

Coming U.S. Elections. From Zero Hedge: Major Shot Across Biden's Bow: 100,000+ Michigan Dems Vote "Uncommitted". [Ed: I wonder if this trend will be sustained in other state primaries.] From the Associated Press: Longest-Serving Senate Leader Ever to Hang Up His Hat. It's been a record run in the job for Mitch McConnell. From the Washington Examiner: Trump leads in Wisconsin and overtakes Biden in all swing states. [Ed: If I were Trump, I'd worry about an assassination attempt. Seriously.]

Falling on Her Fani. From the Daily Caller: ‘Why Would You Speculate?’: Trump Attorney Grills Key Witness Over Text That Could Blow A Hole In Fani Willis’ Defense. [Ed: it did and it does.]

From Activist Post: Oxford County Council Forges Ahead With 15-Minute Prison Plans By Installing “Bus Gates”

From Amazing PandPH: They Took Their Dog On A Walk. But Take A Close Look At Her Back…

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #258: Find out some one to share your Troubles.

You will never be all alone, even in dangers, nor bear all the burden of hate or the displeasure of the many. Some think by their high position to carry off the whole glory of success, and have to bear the whole humiliation of defeat. In this way they have none to excuse them, none to share the blame. Neither fate nor the mob are so bold against two. Hence the wise physician, if he has failed to cure, looks out for some one who, under the name of a consultation, may help him carry out, the corpse. Share weight and woe, for misfortune falls with double force on him that stands alone.

My interpretation: while talk of carrying out "the corpse" puts me off, I strongly agree with the gist of this aphorism. And I think the message is a straight-forward one.

Day of Reckoning
by MN Gordon, Economic Prism

“Time is money says the proverb, but turn it around and you get a precious truth. Money is time.” – George Gissing

Divine Disorder

Time, like money, offers a unique marker. Something to count and compare. Something to use for measuring progress – and failure.

What is your annual income? How many hotdogs did Joey Chestnut eat in 10 minutes on July 4, 2021? What is the year-to-date return of bitcoin? What is the max MPH of a 1969 Ford Mustang at sea level?

In fact, the tick tock of time all seems so systematic, arranged, and orderly. Almost a direct proof of deism. Sixty seconds make a minute, 60 minutes make an hour, 24 hours make a day, and one day equals one complete rotation of the planet earth.

Roughly every 30 days the moon orbits the earth – which is one month. Then every 12 months the earth orbits the sun – which is one year.

So far so good, right?

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[To access other glimpses through the "Window into the Past", please click on the Gadsten logo above.]

Stephan Kinsella has written up an account of The Great IP Debate of 1983 between J.Neil Schulman and me, which Stephan considers to be pivotal in the development of the intellectual property issue within the movement. His article is a slice of history.

Thanks to Victor Koman, who has a passion for preserving movement history, a high quality recording of the debate is also available for free and accessible at the same site as Stephan's article. Click here to access audio of the debate, which was used as a podcast by the Mises Institute. Also included in the article are links to articles by both me and J.Neil which were based closely upon the material presented in the debate.

From the Post Millennial: Over 100,000 Michigan voters choose ‘uncommitted’ over Joe Biden in Democrat primary.

Fani Willis Mess. From Zero Hedge: Biden Operative Inserted Into Fani Team According To Insider; Jim Jordan Reveals New Whistleblower. "He is the brainchild behind this. That is the connection to the White House." [Ed: operative is Jeff D. Santis. Breitbart is all over this situation, as is Jim Jordan...and he is a pit bull.] From the Hill: Trump Georgia prosecutor’s ex-divorce attorney to retake stand. [Ed: has knowledge of a long-standing sexual relationship between Willis-Wade. Judge has determined knowledge is not covered by client-attorney privilege.]

From Police1: ‘A true underdog': Netflix movie tells story of shelter dog turned K-9 hero. Thanks to Cpl. Daniel O’Neil, a rambunctious pup named Ruby overcame.

Lebanon-Israel. From Scripps: Israeli air force strikes deep inside Lebanon, killing 2 people. [Ed: Netanyahu wants a regional war; he needs one to stay in power.]

Gaza-Israel. From Politico: Biden’s Never Been Driven By Human Rights. This Time, It Might Cost Him. Don’t be so surprised about his response to the Middle East war. He’s always been willing to put human rights on the back burner. From Spiked:
We need to talk about Gen Z’s Palestine mania. There was nothing laudable about Aaron Bushnell’s tragic suicide. [Ed: by Brendan O'Neill. The hysteria and blind rage with which they are surrounding what is probably a just cause--defense of Palestinian civilians--is preventing real discussion and desperately needed solutions.]

Gaza Ceasefire. From Zero Hedge: Biden Talks Up Gaza Ceasefire By "End Of The Weekend" Even As Israeli Officials Downplay. Mumbles with ice cream in hand... [Ed: I saw this live. It was damned frightening. This guy is 'in charge'? I know he is not, of course...] From Newser: After Biden Talks Ceasefire, Israel and Hamas Are Puzzled. Both sides sound surprised at the optimism. [Ed: a round-up of news stories.]

Google Gemini. From Modernity News: Musk Warns "Google's Woke Bureaucratic Blob" Won't Allow Its AI To Be Fixed. “Given that the Gemini AI will be at the heart of every Google product and YouTube, this is extremely alarming!” [Ed: this is being called Google's Bud Light moment.] From Spiked: Google Gemini: a glimpse into our Orwellian future. AI is rewriting history to make it fit a preferred narrative. Where have we heard that one before? From the Post Millennial: Here are all the insane lies Google Gemini has told since its launch. An X user asked if Hitler could be determined to be worse than Jesus. Google Gemini could not come to a conclusion.

From Townhall: Jennifer Crumbley Shouldn't Have Been Convicted. [Ed: by the excellent John Lott.]

The Red Sea. From Zero Hedge: Houthis Have Knocked Out Several Undersea Internet Cables: Report. Conflicting reports emerge that underwater communications cables between Saudi Arabia & Djibouti struck out of commission... From Threadreader: 3 submarine cables cut in the Red Sea between Jeddah and Djibouti. [Ed: important acceleration.] From Antiwar: US Officials 'Surprised' By Houthi Military Capabilities. Without any Congressional approval, Biden has ordered strikes on Yemen nearly every day. [Ed: Congress has de facto relinquished its authority to declare war.] From Gilbert Doctorow: News Flash: Houthis attack underwater communications cables in the Red Sea. [Ed: important story.]

From Moonbattery: Moonbats Come After Toilets. [Ed: oh, Lord. Most civil libertarians want gov. out of their bedrooms. First and foremost, I want it out of my bathroom.]

From Politico: ‘I’m Not Trying to Cause a Scene. I Just Want to Get Off This Plane.’ A former senior Boeing employee on why he still won’t fly on a MAX plane.

From the Bored Panda: 30 Examples Of Unconditional Doggo Love That Will Melt Your Heart

Ukraine. From Responsible Statecraft: CIA in Ukraine: Why is this not seen as provocation? An explosive new NYT report shows how Washington needlessly fed into Russia’s worst fears and precipitated the invasion, justified or not. [Ed: I think it is seen as a provocation but Russia is tight-lipped.] From Politico: Russia warns NATO of certain war if West puts troops into Ukraine. Allied leaders rush to distance themselves from French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that allies could put boots on the ground to help Kyiv. [Ed: if that was a straw in the wind Marcon threw, then it has blasted back in his face and up his nose.]

The Border/Migrants. From Law Enforcement Today: Border Patrol drops hundreds of migrants at bus stop in San Diego after $6M in funds from the county runs dry. [Ed: dump the problem on society at large.] From the Babylon Bee: Facing Low Approval, Biden Promises To Start Pretending To Care About The Border.

From Jonathan Turley: “We Don’t Do That Here.”: Former NY Times Editor Blasts the “Gray Lady” for Bias and Activism. [Ed: one in a series of exposees by former employees.]

Big Picture Economics. From Real Investment Advice: This Is Nuts – An Entire Market Chasing One Stock. "...we may be at the 'this is nuts' stage of market exuberance." [Ed: Nvidia, of course. I am preparing for a collapse. Not Big Picture preparing because I'm not a Big Picture gal...but preparing.]

From the Hill: Senate GOP fears Speaker Johnson headed toward shutdown wreck.

From the Epoch Times: ‘The Constant in It All’: Rescued Cat Obsessed With Owner’s Twins Doesn’t Leave Their Side.

Everyday Finances. From CNN Business: Kellogg’s CEO: Let them eat Corn Flakes for dinner. [Ed: advice is not being well received.] From the Hill: Why tech companies are laying off thousands of workers [Ed: of course, there is a ripple effect by which companies that rely on money from tech firms, including lunch counters, will be laying off people or closing.] From CBS News: Half of College Graduates Are Working High School Level Jobs

Navalny. From Dances with Bears: Navalny Organization Splits into Whites and Reds as Lies Multiply. [Ed: a must read.]

From People: Dog Missing in Arizona Desert for 9 Months Is Found Safe Thanks to Community Help

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #257: Never let Matters come to an Open Break

for our reputation always comes injured out of the encounter. Every one may be of importance as an enemy if not as a friend. Few can do us good, almost any can do us harm. In Jove's bosom itself even his eagle never nestles securely from the day he has quarrelled with a beetle. Hidden foes use the paw of the declared enemy to stir up the fire, and meanwhile they lie in ambush for such an occasion. Friends provoked become the bitterest of enemies. They cover their own failings with the faults of others. Every one speaks as things seem to him, and things seem as he wishes them to appear. All blame us at the beginning for want of foresight, at the end for lack of patience, at all times for imprudence. If, however, a breach is inevitable, let it be rather excused as a slackening of friendship than by an outburst of wrath: here is a good application of the saying about a good retreat.

My interpretation: take this one to heart. There are rare occasions when a clean break is necessary and productive. As far as I can tell, salutary clean breaks come when you can walk away from the egregious person and not have to deal with him/her again; that is to say, the person is not family, a co-worker, a part of a shared circle of friends or an otherwise ongoing presence in your life. I recently did so with an old friend who seemed unable or unwilling to stop making sexual advances toward me. I have zero tolerance for such behavior and far too old for this ****. When he would not stop after two warnings, I made a sharp departure from his life. But his life is/was quite separate from my own and I don't experience any consequences other than relief.

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