I could not find this coin on the usmint.gov website. Not an issue since I would not consider buying gold at the inflated prices that the government is charging.

Pagan’s don’t exist.

Pagan is a term placed upon something that didn’t bother to really call itself anything because it was the default state of how people lived their life. You weren’t Pagan you were Athenian, You were Frankish, You were Rus, You w… you get my point.

No one from the time would’ve thought of their beliefs as such. It was just what they were, who they were, who their community was. The Gods were something else.

-For shorthand I will use the term “Pagan”, for Pre/non-Christian beliefs of various peoples for the duration of this article because typing “Pre/non-Christian Beliefs of insert group” is going to get old fast.-

One could be what we call a “Greek Pagan” and functionally venerate no Gods. The Cult of Poseidon, of Apollo, of Artemis, was something else.

This is the fundamental flaw of all modern pagan revivals. Because the function of Paganism is not the veneration of the Norse Gods, Hindu Gods, Shinto Gods, Greco-Roman Gods. Those were and are aspects of incredibly complex and varied cultures. Who had/have a “Way of Being” that was distinct to them.

Most modern pagan faiths skip this entirely, they have none of the foundation that allows one to be pagan, they only wear the skin of doing so.

This is where the grand third element of the culture comes into play. That of Secularization, Modernization and Deracination. After immense advancements, great movements of population, the splitting up of families by geography, work, school etc. What was once a default way of being is now comprised not of a shared life or cultural inheritance but of Pop Culture, Dogmas Dictated from the Classroom Slideshow and an arrangement of beliefs ranging from the pseudo-religious to downright anti-religious.

People of substance are often made up of two major components: knowing where they came from (Heritage) and knowing what they’re capable of (Experience). People who have never been challenged or have always defined themselves by what other people think of them are simply wearing religion as a ready made personality, no different from the likes of Harry Potter Fanboys or Crypto-bros. A deracinated individual can make up for their lack of a strong foundation by dealing with experiences that force them to come into their own, but this too is less common in the modern world.

So is hope lost for any sort of “Pagan” Revival?

Yes.

Because as I said at the beginning “Pagan” isn’t a thing. An “Irish Pagan” Revival is just an “Irish Revival” with or without Jesus Christ in tow. Most people are Christian for the same reason most people were once Pagan Cultists, it was just what you do. It is the normal, the same mentality that perpetuated tradition in Ancient Greece, Alpine Tribes and Irish Warbands is the same mentality that keeps Christians practicing. Keeping the flame of tradition lit, or less poetically habit.

As this ceases to be the Norm, as the One True God’s Will becomes “The Universe has a Plan for Me” and that too shall pass and the extra bits will shed like leaves on a tree and things will return to mean. As they always have. I guess you could call that a “Pagan Revival” if you wish. I’m sure at least some of the Gods will be along for the ride.

Read the entire post …

Roth Note: Jesus taught his followers a way of being – The Way. He wasn’t building a religion. This default state of how people lived their lives that he was encouraging was no different than the way the Germanic people lived theirs – shared life and cultural inheritance. The point I get from this post is that perhaps we should be more intent on living our lives as traditional Americans (what we were, who we were, who our community was – say early 20th Century?) than worrying about what each other believes about religion.

An interesting series of reports have shone light on China’s ‘quiet’ but revolutionary preparations for conflict with the US.

China has mastered the art of the silent observer. Legions of commentators spent years criticizing China for not being more active and involved in the global geopolitical theaters, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, particularly when tilting those conflicts in its own favor would have greatly benefited China.

But now portions of China’s strategy are finally coming to light, and revealing the country’s uniquely furtive approach to maintaining a semblance of balance while in actuality making unprecedented hidden preparations for the worst case scenarios.

This description summarizes the developments best:

Russian analysis: China has accelerated construction of a comprehensive national-resilience system intended to withstand sanctions, blockade, supply-chain collapse, natural disasters and potentially major war.

In effect, what is happening is that China is quietly watching and learning from the mistakes of all its counterparts, particularly Russia and Iran, and is restructuring its own internal policies and protective apparatuses toward avoiding the exact kind of traps that Russia had fallen into in Ukraine.

What “trap”, precisely, do we mean? One word suffices—it is the trap of vulnerability.

Read the entire Simplicius post …

Roth Note: One can hate on the CCP, but one also has to hand the Chinese credit for thinking long term and preparing for Western aggression. Looks like the PTB are intent on pushing everyone into WWIII. The question is … why?

Essentially, Trump has plunged into an escalatory trap, seemingly in part out of pique at his collapsing polls at home. He did, however, directly put himself in this situation by trying to “act cute” during the Khamenei funeral pre-occupations in order to try to gain a “quick win.”

How long will this escalatory episode last? Certainly, it will not lead to the opening of the Strait; nor bring a return of the status quo ante that preceded the war. As long as Iran maintains its ability to exert control over Hormuz, there is no basis to assume that the situation will return to what it was.

On the contrary, and more likely, the crisis will accelerate the onset of looming global economic crisis that could last until the economic pain becomes acute, as the drawdown on sour crude continues – and as the effects on the real economy in the West become visible.

With shortages of munitions and the drawdown on air assets from the Middle East already beginning, Trump probably lacks the wherewithal to go full “Iran War 3.0.”

At some point, the Iranian leadership seemingly came to the conclusion that Iran was being played by the US; that the MoU was a deception –

…and that the entirety of events since the announcement of the MoU reflected a US strategy based on the view that in the previous round of the war against Iran – [that the US and Israel] failed to achieve their objectives – necessitating a halt to the confrontation, albeit temporarily, in order to regroup and prepare “more thoroughly” for a new round when the right conditions arise.

And finally, a “black swan” now can be observed swimming in increasingly sunlit waters – Eric Katz writing in Notus writes that, “a draft report inside the US Treasury Department is set to warn of the risks posed by the artificial intelligence market, likening key aspects of it to the dotcom bubble that upended the US economy when it burst in the early 2000s.”

Treasury analysts wrote –

Career Treasury analysts found that AI firms are more deeply entrenched in the US economy than their dotcom predecessors and pose significant risk to the entire system if financial conditions change, productivity goals are missed or various choke points stymie growth.

A downturn in the AI market would send shockwaves throughout the entire economic ecosystem.

A market downturn in the US – exacerbated by an energy crisis – could spell disaster for Trump’s midterm hopes.

Read the entire post …

From Vox Popoli:

The Foreign Minister says that this time, for sure, Russia will stop believing that Clown World is going to pull the football away:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has announced that Russia will no longer believe the West when it claims to seek “negotiated solutions on Ukraine”.

Source: Russian propaganda agencies TASS and RIA Novosti

Quote: “We will no longer believe the West that it wants negotiated solutions. This reserve of goodwill and hope has been exhausted entirely.”

Details: According to Lavrov, the West is allegedly simulating readiness for negotiations on Ukraine while “now openly beginning to issue ultimatums to Russia”.

With all due respect to Mr. Lavrov, once you’ve determined that a party is “agreement incapable” then if you choose to believe anything that party says going forward, it’s really on you. I frankly have no idea why Russia or Iran continue to entertain “negotiations” with any of the Clown World entities at this point nor do I see what positive purpose any pretense at believing in the legitimacy of the fake negotiations serves their interests.

Granted, attrition is on the side of both Russia or Iran, so perhaps they’re simply playing along with Clown World’s desire to postpone its collapse in order to reduce any risks to the process. But if so, then what is the point of publicly declaring, again, that you don’t believe them.

Roth Note: Questions … Why has Iran quit attacking Israel? Why has Israel gone quiet? Why does Russia allow US and UK ISR to direct attacks against the Motherland when they could shoot down the planes directing those attacks? Why has Trump reneged on the MOU? What is the true state of the ‘oil crises’? Is an arranged famine in the cards? How much of the ‘news’ is just theater? If one puts all the dots on the board and connects them, what does one begin to see?

We cannot coexist with Islam or the Deep State. We MUST realize that the government of the United States is absolute evil. Their intent is to kill the goyim.

From Moon of Alabama:

The last week saw several rounds of tit-for-tat strikes exchanged between U.S. forces and the Iranian military. The strikes have now become more extensive and are hitting at more valuable targets.

Iran says that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. The U.S. has reinstalled its maritime blockade of Iran. Trump is demanding a 20% payment on all cargo passing the Strait. Oil prices are rising as are the chances for a new global depression.

The U.S. is incapable of acknowledging its defeat that had followed after it had attacked Iran (twice).

It is now trying to renegotiate the Memorandum of Understanding it had to sign by using the same tools is had used when it had lost the war. This is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

The overwhelming outpour of mourners at the burial of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has shown that Iran is willing to resist all U.S. pressure.

I find it somewhat inexplicable why the Saudis decided to reignite the conflict in Yemen now that their exports are solely depending on passing a route controlled by Yemen.

Today the NY Times published a rather curious story about an alleged Mossad recruiting of the former president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinjad.

Details in the entire post …

Related: Zerohedge – Trump Formally Notifies Congress Of Iran War Resumption – Third Consecutive Night Of Strikes Ensue

From Vox Popoli:

A Swiss journalist travels to Kiev to take the measure of the popularity of the regime that rules the remnants of Ukraine, and what he finds there is not really encouraging for anyone.

There are countless radio and television stations, but they all present a single point of view. All opposition stations in Ukraine have been shut down. Even a completely harmless discussion about the causes of the conflict can lead to criminal prosecution and actual prison sentences. Some journalists have managed to flee and are now operating from outside Ukraine. But they have only very limited influence on the people inside the country; I explained the reasons for this earlier.

The same applies to political organizations. They all conform to the prevailing opinion. In the Rada, the parliament, there are various parties, but only one political direction. There is no political force capable of considering all sides of the conflict and serving as a guide for the citizens of Ukraine.

Many readers will ask: How much support does the Ukrainian leadership have among the population?

None of the people I spoke with expressed open support for the Ukrainian leadership. For some, given their specific living circumstances, this can certainly be seen as an expression of personal resistance. Others simply want to hang in there and be left in peace. Still others, who openly supported the government just one or two years ago, are now conspicuously reluctant to make such statements. What they all have in common is a longing for a normal life, without war.

Based on what I was able to gather during my few days there, the regime does not enjoy broad support. It is perceived as a small group of criminals who, with the help of the West, have a firm grip on the structures of power, know how to exploit them brutally, and base everything else on that.

Unfortunately, this leaves Russia with no choice but to end this conflict on the battlefield by military means—a conflict that should never have started in the first place.

The problem, of course, is that the leadership isn’t Ukrainian. The regime is foreign, and is observably less interested in the wellbeing of the Ukrainian people than the Russian leadership is.

This is why empire is a short-sighted endeavor and why permitting foreigners to join the national elite is always a stupid and fatal mistake for a nation. Foreign rulers always come to view the nations over which they rule as tools to be utilized as they please, and will never hesitate to destroy the people if they happen see their destruction as being in their own interest.

Roth Note: Does America have foreign rulers?

Security analysts poring over satellite photos of China have shared a surreal image: There’s a detailed, full-scale replica of a US Navy destroyer in the middle of a remote stretch of Chinese desert.

Thousands of miles from the nearest ocean, the mockup sits amid the sands of a missile-testing range near Ruoqiang in Xinjiang Province. It’s an exceedingly precise replica of a 510-foot-long US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. That type of vessel is a core workhorse of the US Navy, and is involved in air defense, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and attacks on land-targets.

Roth Note: Now why would they do that?

Read the entire post at Zerohedge

What concerns us most is that the underlying forces driving these movements are not going away. Neither party has yet found a convincing answer to the frustrations that fuel populism.

Roth Note: Here’s some ideas. Tell the truth. Legit voting. Do what the voters actually want when installed in office.

Economic insecurity remains widespread. Institutional trust remains low. Political polarization continues to deepen. Younger voters are increasingly skeptical of traditional leadership. Social media amplifies anger faster than solutions. These are not temporary conditions. They are structural challenges.

As strange as American politics has seemed over the last decade, we should not assume we have reached the end of the story. We may only be in the middle chapters. The populist wave that transformed the Republican Party did not stop with Eric Cantor’s defeat. It gathered strength over time. The same could happen on the Democratic side.

We hope we are wrong. We hope both parties rediscover the value of practical problem-solving, responsible leadership, and the political center. Our country needs strong institutions and leaders willing to govern rather than simply mobilize outrage. But history suggests that once public confidence in elites begins to break down, the forces unleashed are difficult to contain. David Brat’s victory was not the cause of the populist transformation of the Republican Party. It was a symptom. What happened in New York may be another symptom. And if that is true, American politics is about to get a lot more unpredictable.

The tide is rising. We may not be able to control it. But we would be wise to understand it.

Read the entire post at Zerohedge