Want Health And Sanity? You Can’t Trust Any Part Of This Dystopia

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“In a society where products are made to generate profit instead of wellbeing, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what goes into you. In a society where news media and punditry are produced based on the kind of ratings they will draw and how well they defend the powerful, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what kinds of news media and punditry you let into your mind. In a society where movies and shows are produced based on how much money they can make rather than how edifying and enriching they are, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what movies and shows you let into your senses.” (03/18/24)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/03/18/you-cant-trust-any-part-of-this-dystopia-if-you-want-health-and-sanity/

Croatia: Top Court Rules That the President Can’t Run in the Parliamentary Election Unless He Quits

Source: US News & World Report

“Croatian’s president can’t run for prime minister, take part in the upcoming parliamentary election or campaign in favor of an opposition party unless he resigns immediately from his current post, according to a ruling on Monday from the country’s top court. President Zoran Milanovic on Friday called a parliamentary election for April 17, but hours later announced that he would run for Croatia’s next prime minister on the list of the opposition Social Democratic Party. The surprise announcement has triggered a deep political crisis in the European Union and NATO-member country, with the state’s constitutional court called in to give its opinion on Milanović’s move to run in the parliamentary election.” (03/18/24)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-03-18/croatias-top-court-rules-that-the-president-cant-run-in-the-parliamentary-election-unless-he-quits

Marx, Class Conflict, and the Ideological Fallacy

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter

“Our present cultural landscape is filled with the language of class conflict, ideology, bias (conscious or unconscious), and the politicization of everything. While there are many contributors to this, we can largely thank (or blame) Karl Marx and his theory of class consciousness and class conflict. While not necessarily following Marx in his economics, these concepts have captured the imagination of many, especially in the modern Western world.” (03/18/24)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/marx-class-conflict-and-ideological-fallacy

Everybody Said “Never Again”

Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson

“The two most important campaigns of genocide in the world today are those directed against: 1) the Jews of Israel by Arabs who mean to annihilate the Jewish state as a polity and who will murder, maim, and rape as many individuals Jews as it takes to do this and then some; and 2) Ukraine, the elimination of which as a nation and as a polity is the stated aim of Vladimir Putin’s murderous and tyrannical regime in Moscow. The two genocides in progress have a great deal in common.” (03/18/24)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/everybody-said-never-again-130000178.html

Busting the Myths of Medicare Advantage

Source: Common Dreams
by Brandon Novick

“This year, the majority of Americans eligible for Medicare coverage chose to enroll in private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans rather than Traditional Medicare. Insurance companies that run these MA plans spend significant sums of money to blanket seniors with marketing that highlights the supposed advantages of MA like low upfront costs, supplemental coverage, and other unique perks like subsidizing gym memberships. However, the ads leave seniors in the dark on the downsides of MA like heavily restricted networks that damage one’s choice of provider along with dangerous delays and denials of necessary care. At the same time, both the Biden Administration and many members of Congress from both parties have voiced support for the further privatization of Medicare through growing Medicare Advantage.” (03/18/24)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/medicare-advantage-myths

India: Bank ordered to share electoral bonds data linking donors, recipients

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“India’s Supreme Court has ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) to submit all the details of electoral bonds, including the unique codes linking donors to political parties, just a month before the country’s general election. The seven-year-old election funding system, called ‘electoral bonds,’ allowed individuals and companies in India to donate money to political parties anonymously and without any limits. In February, the top court scrapped the opaque system, calling it ‘unconstitutional.’ In its order on Monday, the Supreme Court gave the SBI until Thursday to provide the Election Commission of India with the unique identification numbers of the bonds, so as to allow donors to be matched with recipients.” (03/18/24)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/18/india-bank-ordered-to-share-electoral-bonds-data-linking-donors-recipients

Ultra-Processed Foods: Health Hazards Revealed

Source: Palm Beach Examiner
by Karl Dickey

“New research is out regarding the health effects of eating a lot of ultra-processed foods, and it ain’t good. While we all strive for optimal health, it is difficult when we are bombarded with colorful packaging and instant gratification. A whole food plant-based diet is the best overall way to eat while eating mostly ultra-processed foods is one of the worst. The problem for many Americans is that eating whole foods often requires more time to prepare, while ultra-processed foods are quick, easy, and cheap. Gone are the days when processed foods merely consisted of canned goods and frozen desserts. We are now in a new era of ultra-processed foods, products that undergo a metamorphosis through industrial manipulation, laden with additives ranging from artificial flavors to preservatives to keep them on the shelves longer.” (03/18/24)

https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/ultra-processed-foods-health-hazards

Guilty! … But Not Really Guilty?

Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson

“In 2011, then Homeland Security Advisor to President Obama, John Brennan, swore before Congress that drone-targeted assassination missions near the Pakistani border had not led to ‘a single collateral death’. That was an obvious lie with grave consequences, given that Brennan was sworn under oath and was one of the top officials in the US national security community. Yet there were no subsequent repercussions. In fact, the opposite occurred. Brennan was subsequently rewarded with a 2013 appointment as CIA Director. But the next year, once again, Brennan lied to Congress, assuring the Senate Intelligence Committee that his CIA had not secretly accessed senate staffers’ computers. Again, there were no consequences for his repeated lies. Instead, Brennan, upon retirement, went on to be an MSNBC/NBC analyst who helped to promulgate the Russian collusion/laptop disinformation hoaxes.” (03/18/24)

https://amgreatness.com/2024/03/18/guilty-but-not-really-guilty/