<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Defeating Giants]]></title><description><![CDATA[Defeating Giants is the survival manual for the exiled so you may know how to live with coherence and resistance inside a system designed to keep you unaware.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QYva!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25a1c182-6b52-4351-b04f-b5044b0180ca_256x256.png</url><title>Defeating Giants</title><link>https://defeatinggiants.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 06:32:45 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://defeatinggiants.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Defeating Giants]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[defeatinggiants@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[defeatinggiants@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Gideon]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Gideon]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[defeatinggiants@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[defeatinggiants@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Gideon]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Carrots and Sticks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sovereignty.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/carrots-and-sticks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/carrots-and-sticks</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:02:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:70773,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/i/194978175?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vWD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7b271e1-2f81-46f3-85c3-5e93647829e7_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Sovereignty. It is more valuable than anything on Earth aside from life itself. It is more elusive than trying to catch the wind and its absence in one&#8217;s life carries the weight of a thousand bricks.</p><p>We live in a time where societies all over the world are weighed down, yet many if not most people believe they have in fact obtained sovereignty. This is precisely what the system expects from everyone&#8230;their belief. Said another way, faith in the system itself. In this reality one&#8217;s belief becomes faith in the system and then faith in the system turns into hope delivered by the system. However, deep inside the system, hope is merely misguided faith, predicated on illusions of opportunity that rarely if ever come to fruition.</p><p>What does such a life look like? It follows a model that&#8217;s existed for quite some time. A model that aims to extract as much energy as possible from the members of a society. The active labor is nothing more than a transference of energy that makes its way into the system for the purposes of creating vast amounts of wealth to further grow the system. The people within the system &#8212;much like serfs of the medieval age&#8212; are inconsequential. The only thing that is important is the need for more energy expenditure. The system doesn&#8217;t care where the energy comes from. It can come from natural resources, human labor, or as many are now learning, artificial intelligence.</p><p>Civilizations move through time and space that are bookended by eras. In one of the most recent eras the trades were highly valorized when industrialization needed energy in the form of physical labor. Later, college became valorized when the knowledge economy was in need of credentialed workers. Now, with the rise of A.I., trades are being re-valorized because capital has found a way to automate credentialed knowledge work. For those who&#8217;ve lived long enough to see all or much of this unfold, the whiplash received solely due to the needs of the system are unbearable.</p><p>I&#8217;ve talked to high school students who are terrified and deeply concerned about their future. They&#8217;ve realized our era is changing and there are no safety nets, guard rails, or simple answers to their plight. What is even more concerning are the parents who lack good counsel to offer as they have finally realized they as well have been nothing more than a cog in the wheel of a much larger machine. The direction that society has always advised was never about any one individual&#8217;s ability to flourish. It was about optimizing the needs of the system while dressing up the idea of optimization in the language of opportunity. Everyone is told that if you simply follow the advice of the system you&#8217;ll have an opportunity to obtain wealth and prosperity. As people line up to offer their energy in hopes of wealth and prosperity they&#8217;re disillusioned into thinking they&#8217;re operating out of true sovereignty &#8212;that they are the captains of their own ship. But serfs never truly posses sovereignty.</p><p>The system we live in simply dangles carrots on sticks as motivators for the members of the society. Hope in the brighter future encourages everyone to participate in a dependency system that largely benefits the small class responsible for ensuring the system stays in tact. Every day members of societies all over the world awaken to the alarm of the factory horn. Each person offering up their labor in exchange for the ability to participate in a global system that discourages ownership, wealth, and true sovereignty. For instance, the very money that is used today by the modern day serfs as a medium of exchange loses value every year. On April 5, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 which forced holders of gold to surrender their gold to the government. Many gold bugs learned the hard way that ultimately they need permission to possess sovereign wealth. Another example concerns homeowners who all over the United States know the reality of what it means to not truly own your home. They&#8217;re faced with this reality every single year as they pay property taxes in perpetuity, regardless of deed or land &#8220;ownership&#8221;. Ownership within the system is nothing more than the right to rent. Much like serfs who never owned the land they worked.</p><p>Ultimately what the system provides is a modicum of stability. In order to obtain that stability you must move in the direction that the system demands for the present era. This enables the capturing of value upstream by the few while the rest of society receive subsistence. In this era of artificial intelligence many people feel lost and are completely unsure of what the future will hold. This is for good reason. The current era is nothing like the previous eras as virtually every field will be impacted at some level with many people facing unemployment with no obvious alternatives. This has left some like Elon Musk to demand universal basic income, leaving the serfs forever dependent on a system controlled by its medieval rulers. Billionaires like Elon Musk can flippantly make such demands as they themselves will never have to live under the kingdom as a serf, chasing carrots on sticks for the opportunity to participate in a system that strips away individual sovereignty.</p><p>The carrot and the stick lifestyle that we&#8217;ve all grown accustomed to is not incidental. It is baked into the very structure of our society. Contrary to the belief of many, it is not the result of capitalism or corporate greed. Corporations don&#8217;t make people give up their sovereignty or discourage the building of sovereign wealth. In fact, the more wealth distributed across a society the more goods and services can be purchased by those who are wealthy, increasing the wealth of corporations. The system&#8217;s structure that serves as the underpinning for modern societies is antithetical to capitalism. Once again, this is why billionaires in their ivory towers can suggest the government deploy universal income schemes to put money into the pockets of its citizens. Because citizens without money to spend on goods and services means corporations will cease to exist. The only alternative is for corporations to be owned and or propped up by the government, placing corporations in the same state of dependency as the commoners.</p><p>No matter how you slice it, the system we live in owns everyone and everything. Sovereignty is an illusion. The closest anyone can get to breaking out of the system is to reject the idea of being a serf &#8212;one who owns nothing despite the energy expenditure derived from their labor&#8212; to one who begins to own things of value that can not be taken away. However, the things of value don&#8217;t fall into the familiar category of assets &#8212;stocks, bonds, real estate, gold etc&#8230; While liquid assets aren&#8217;t necessarily bad, they exist within a system that can be and are often manipulated. Real estate is an area where many are finding themselves priced out due to institutional buying and also exists within a system that can be and often is manipulated. In order to move from operating as a serf within such a highly dependent system, the common perspective on ownership needs to change.</p><p>What should true ownership look like? For starters, it shouldn&#8217;t require one&#8217;s full time presence in order to generate value. It should provide value that compounds and it shouldn&#8217;t be easily replicated or scaled out to eventually become tethered to the system. This includes more abstract ideas such as growing trust across a society. In our modern world we&#8217;ve all had to contend with the attention economy. While largely vapid, there&#8217;s an element that is valuable and that&#8217;s the trust aspect that influencers capitalize on. It&#8217;s one thing to have an audience of 10,000 people. It&#8217;s another to have an audience of 10,000 people that trust you and your opinions. This type of trust provides a platform where more value can be distributed to those looking for what you are willing to offer &#8212;for a price.</p><p>Another ownership idea concerns proprietary knowledge that can be structured as a system. Proprietary knowledge is only valuable if it can be packaged in such a way that it can be easily accessed and utilized by others. Over the last decade we&#8217;ve seen this idea exploited by scammers and swindlers packaging knowledge that is freely accessible to trick people into buying their &#8220;wealth building&#8221; course. I&#8217;m not advocating for that type of deceit. However, the point remains that packaging proprietary knowledge &#8212;something you&#8217;ve developed yourself&#8212; that others can benefit from moves you into the category of owner. No one can take this from you or keep you from profiting from what is yours.</p><p>One last idea I&#8217;ll cover concerns creating a business that is more relationship-dependent than transactional-dependent. Small businesses are much better at this than large corporate organizations due to their ability to be more responsive and agile. There&#8217;s also the benefit of being able to better manage a smaller scale of customers where relationships can thrive. However, the key is to structure the business in such a way that it doesn&#8217;t rely on your full-time presence in order for it to be successful. Nor does it rely on an injection of venture capital money.</p><p>There are other ideas that can enable one to move from chasing the carrot on the stick towards true sovereignty &#8212;escaping the system that demands dependency. It is important to capitalize on them while we all still have the chance. When society becomes completely dependent on a system for direction and guidance that is a sign that greater society has not actually obtained true sovereignty. The consequences of such a reality are disastrous. Entire nations filled with aimless, highly system-dependent, and distraught individuals only leads to chaos. Chaos that will need to be controlled through force and power by the system, as it will demand order and a servant attitude in order for you to continue participating. I do not desire to live this way inside such a system.</p><p>You shouldn&#8217;t either.</p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts. - Gideon</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The Dark Realm Podcast:</strong> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/@OfficialDarkRealm">YouTube</a> | <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/6O40Ck0sdElcLnoBSKCkT3">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-realm/id1889949449">Apple Podcasts</a></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/carrots-and-sticks?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/carrots-and-sticks?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heart of the Tribe]]></title><description><![CDATA[If all of your friends decide to jump off a bridge, are you also going to jump? This is a question I heard multiple times as a child.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/heart-of-the-tribe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/heart-of-the-tribe</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:35:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhDB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3cff4926-8a1f-45d6-84f5-a3f8fb390737_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhDB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3cff4926-8a1f-45d6-84f5-a3f8fb390737_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhDB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3cff4926-8a1f-45d6-84f5-a3f8fb390737_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhDB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3cff4926-8a1f-45d6-84f5-a3f8fb390737_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhDB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3cff4926-8a1f-45d6-84f5-a3f8fb390737_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhDB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3cff4926-8a1f-45d6-84f5-a3f8fb390737_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div 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stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><em>If all of your friends decide to jump off a bridge, are you also going to jump?</em> This is a question I heard multiple times as a child. It was my mother&#8217;s way of getting me to analyze my thought process so I would render in my mind that some decisions have grave consequences. Hive minded thinking &#8212;while socially acceptable&#8212; can eventually lead to decisions that could ruin your life, especially if not properly grounded.</p><p>In today&#8217;s world there are many hives occupied by like-minded individuals that share the same system of beliefs as their ideas are transported across neural networks. Each person deeply connected to one another which triggers a sort of calm to set in, instigating the parasympathetic nervous system. Everyone wants to belong as everyone seeks belonging. To belong is instinctively human as the very idea of desiring relationship is intrinsic to the entire species.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>What does it mean to &#8220;find your tribe&#8221;? How exactly does one find their tribe in this modern world? What exactly is a tribe? The proliferation of social media apps over the last two decades have delivered a powerful answer. Long gone are the days of rich, intimate social clusters called communities. In their place now stands extremely vapid echo chambers built on emotional foundations. Every echo chamber has their own rules but the rules are precisely the same for each chamber. Agreement at all costs is the price that is demanded. Reject the price of admission and you&#8217;ll find yourself outside looking in, left either to change your position or to seek another chamber&#8217;s acceptance.</p><p>Today&#8217;s tribes are powerful. Not in the sense that they accomplish much but, that their grip on the human psyche resembles a sci-fi movie where people&#8217;s minds have been taken over by a shadow group of elites. Those within their tribe believe it&#8217;s the other tribes that have been brainwashed. Tribal members are often hyper-emotional yet believe it&#8217;s the other tribes that aren&#8217;t operating with common sense intact. Each tribe believes it is smarter than the other. Tribes of today believe their tribe is the most civil despite their inability to exercise civil discourse concerning disagreeable topics. While these concerns are troubling, it&#8217;s not what we should be worried most about. The most disturbing is the gravitational pull tribes of today often have despite their lack of any meaningful depth.</p><p>Modern tribes are much like plants with dead and decayed roots &#8212;easy to extract from the ground. Yet, despite this phenomenon, it can become near impossible to leave a tribe.<br>Leaving a tribe can mean isolation and lack of validation. Many people find their identity within tribes. In the ancient world this was a good thing as a community&#8217;s shared identity was rooted in something much deeper than the physical world. Before the age of social media members of a society had to meet one another, face to face and have a conversation to understand each other. This social interaction &#8212;now considered crude and practically taboo&#8212; forced a mutual level of respect between the two parties. You could read facial expressions to discern the depth of someone&#8217;s belief. This interaction encouraged civil discourse to avoid creating unhealthy tension or physical confrontation unnecessarily. You were forced to look someone in the eye and see them as a whole person instead of a digital avatar expressed through a cold screen. It took effort to truly find your tribe. Today, that has all changed and the effort is left wanting.</p><p>All that is required today is to simply check off the list each tribe presents at the door. Your ethnicity&#8230;check. Your religion&#8230;check. Your political affiliation&#8230;.check. Your gender&#8230;check. There&#8217;s no nuance or context. There&#8217;s no conversation or debate. All that matters is that you co-sign whatever the tribe adheres to at a high level to gain acceptance. In fact, your ideas, your thoughts, and desires which could present opposition to the hive way of thinking are not wanted and can get you ostracized. Each tribe, while believing they&#8217;re grounded in the richness of the soil are instead, still void and without form.</p><p>This conundrum leaves a very rare breed of individual on the outskirts of society. The misunderstood, the outcasts, the lonely hearts in the middle of a crowd, the thinkers, the philosophers, the wisdom poets, the heralds, the grounded, the not easily deceived or distracted and those who can see through the simulation and powers of darkness. These individuals are few but, they walk among us all in search of their tribe. Their tribe is not easy to find because there are not many of them left and they&#8217;ve been scattered. This tribe attempts to hold on to the sacred much like the Native Americans did when they saw their land being desecrated and their people being fattened up like cows on sugar diets to be led to slaughter.</p><p>The inability to find one&#8217;s true tribe has led to many people acquiescing to today&#8217;s tribal fabrications of community, belonging and social warrior justice. They&#8217;ve had to bend their beliefs or morph into new characters in order to operate within modern society. In their heart of hearts, they know that if the world was different they wouldn&#8217;t throw on such a cloak of deception masking who they really are in front of the world.</p><p>Humans are relational beings. While some of us may often operate in isolation due to a lack of a true familial tribe, our greatness and contribution to the world can only be maximized by being connected to our tribe. The modern world has worked hard to fracture the familial and communal bond we as humans once shared within many of our societies. This is on purpose as humans are stronger together. Families are stronger together. Societies are stronger when its people are together.</p><p>If you&#8217;re looking for your tribe and are unable to find it still&#8230; look more deeply. Change from searching for minds and instead, search for hearts. There are not many of us, but we are still here, strong, resilient, and are carrying out the most important human mandate. We must. The survival of the entire human race depends on this tribe&#8217;s ability to stick together.</p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts. - Gideon</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The Dark Realm Podcast:</strong> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/@OfficialDarkRealm">YouTube</a> | <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/6O40Ck0sdElcLnoBSKCkT3">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-realm/id1889949449">Apple Podcasts</a></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/heart-of-the-tribe?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/heart-of-the-tribe?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"></p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Manufacturing Racism - A means to population control]]></title><description><![CDATA[I debated the idea of writing an article focused on the issue of racism for quite some time.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/manufacturing-racism-a-means-to-population</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/manufacturing-racism-a-means-to-population</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 13:30:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SH9t!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91726a4e-7977-4cfa-a163-e5cf76936edb_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I debated the idea of writing an article focused on the issue of racism for quite some time. The hesitancy behind my vacillation is that the topic is simply old, tiring, and frankly just exhausting. Making matters worse is that it&#8217;s an issue that shouldn&#8217;t even be an issue within our modern society. Considering the time we&#8217;re living in, I know that I&#8217;ll need to explain what I mean by that statement. I&#8217;m not stating that I expect racism to be eradicated from every corner of the earth. That&#8217;s just wishful thinking and I simply don&#8217;t have that much faith in humanity. What I am stating is that we should all be wise enough as a collective to no longer allow racism to be used as a weapon to drive a wedge within the human race. Yet, here we are in the year 2025 and people are still allowing themselves to be baited into heated arguments and debates which drive further division. The amount of vitriol and downright ignorance that I&#8217;ve witnessed as of late on social media regarding racism is insufferable. So much so that I&#8217;m highly considering now walking away from Substack &#8212;another platform where the hate virus has recently spread. I question if the human race is even up to the task of fighting back against the giants who manipulate us through manufactured racism, let alone defeat them.</p><p>If nothing else in this piece &#8212;which will live as my final thesis on the topic of racism &#8212;is made clear I want to press one important point; <em><strong>we are all being programmed to hate each other in order to make it easier for a global system to identify and control us by dividing us into factions.</strong></em> Ignorance filled with emotion is key to the success of this agenda. The ignorance riding on the backs of emotion within American society is the energy that is fueling the cultural breakdown, ushering us further into a divided human race. There are those who have been so consumed by this hate virus that they now believe separation of ethnicities &#8212;the human race&#8212; is necessary. They&#8217;ve been convinced that our differences are too vast and therefore homogeny should not be sought after. This is precisely the type of thinking the powers of spiritual darkness would hope we would adopt. Division is the point. The truth of the matter is we&#8217;re all bound together by first our humanity and second by our beliefs. It is important to note that beliefs are agnostic in regards to ethnicity. Beliefs don&#8217;t care about skin color or nationality. Beliefs can also be changed as they can be fluid and dynamic. We are all the same race &#8212;human. What separates us if anything is our belief systems. I believe that the very idea of a divided human race is pure evil and not of God. I choose to view all of humanity the same way God views us &#8212;impartial, equal, and a collective good to be used by Him. I dare not take the position of God and view His creation any other way.</p><p>I&#8217;m going to tackle just a few concerns in this piece. I will layout my thoughts concerning assumptions made against the &#8220;Black community&#8221;; the issue of statistics regarding crime, the topic of isolating ethnicities, solutions, and even the N-word. I believe these are all concerns that are being used to fuel hatred through ethnic programming. Throughout this piece I will be largely contrasting Whites vs Blacks because within these ethnicities the issue of racism is most stark. It is not to say no other ethnicities have racist subgroups. I feel it is important to call this out so no one is misled into thinking this article seeks to disparage those who are White. Some may want to lead with the assumption I have an axe to grind against White people or those of any other ethnicity simply because they&#8217;ve been programmed to project such thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have family members who are White, including a mother-in-law and subsequent brothers-in-law. I love them all. It would be incoherent to be an advocate for hatred towards those who are White as this would mean I am to advocate for hatred of my own family. I&#8217;ve spent most of my life around people of all ethnicities &#8212;with a good percentage of them being White. In a previous business I owned my co-founder was White. I&#8217;ve spent my entire tech career mentoring and working with White people &#8212;many who&#8217;ve been amazing individuals. I am a follower of Yahweh and recognize all people are equal and deserve the same level of dignity and respect regardless of ethnicity for we are all part of the human family. So the very idea that I personally have any angst against White people in general is simply an idea steeped in fallacy.</p><p></p><h2>My degree in racism</h2><p>It is important for me to lay a solid foundation if we&#8217;re going to wade into the choppy waters that is the topic of race. Far too often do I see people &#8212;particularly online&#8212; run head first into conversations chocked full of assumptions about me or all Black people because we all share dark skin and social media&#8217;s algorithms reward rage bait. Many people don&#8217;t realize they&#8217;ve been programmed to make certain assumptions about people that don&#8217;t look like them &#8212;whether Black or White. They operate foolishly and I give grace because of their ignorance as they often shoot first and never even stop to ask questions later. But, before I get to that, I want to first lay out some of my credentials as an expert on racism. Yes, I&#8217;m being sarcastic. But not really.</p><p>For starters, I&#8217;m Black. I&#8217;ve been black my entire life and have met real racism face-to-face several times. My introduction into racism dates back to my elementary school years where I spent a large part of my childhood living in Plattsburgh, New York.  There I attended a predominantly White school where I was constantly harassed and bullied by a special group of ignorant White kids for being Black. The word &#8220;nigger&#8221; was just one of the slurs I received almost daily. I got into physical altercations because White kids wanted to practice their new karate skills on &#8220;the nigger&#8221;. Years later when my parents received orders to move overseas to England I got an extra helping of racism. England to my surprise was an incredibly racist country. I remember a time my younger sister and I were walking home after being dropped off by the school bus when three random White British kids on bikes circled us, incessantly spat at us while calling us niggers before racing off.</p><p>My fun with racism didn&#8217;t end in childhood. I&#8217;m reminded of a time &#8212;back in the late 90s&#8212;when I was serving in the Air Force, stationed at Goldsboro, NC. I had traveled to Greensboro, NC with a few Air Force buddies of mine for a weekend. We visited the local mall that Friday evening to shop, however, things went sideways when local security started heavily profiling everyone who was Black. They accused us of loitering in the mall. The rule was that if mall security saw you more than once, you were in a group of three or more individuals, and you had not purchased anything within a certain timeframe you were to be considered loitering and would be removed. I know this was the rule because they stated it the first time we ran into them.</p><p>That weekend local security was kicking out anyone that was Black on &#8220;loitering&#8221; charges. I had known the mall to profile Black people before, but this weekend was particular different due to a higher volume of Black athletes who were in town for matches. Unfortunately, as some of us were waiting for one of our buddies to exit a store where he was making a purchase, mall security ran into us for a second time. My buddies and I &#8212;including my friend who had just made a purchase&#8212; were all kicked out of the mall for loitering. We had been there a total of 30 minutes. So there we were, United States servicemen, getting kicked out of an establishment in America because we were Black.</p><p>Several months later I learned a civil suit was filed against the owner by the local NAACP and it was found that the owner of the mall did in fact instruct local security to profile and exit Black people out of the mall to keep their presence to a minimum. There had been complaints of this practice for years but nothing was ever done about it. The owner was found guilty in a court of law and eventually sold the property. Under new management the profiling stopped. This was over 20 years ago and the mall is still operating successfully to this day packed with every ethnicity you can think of. Black people weren&#8217;t the problem. Prejudice was.</p><p>Let me make something clear. I know what it is like to be kicked out of an establishment in America, as an American who was serving the country by putting my life on the line everyday simply because of my skin color. Many people think this level of racism died during the Civil Rights Era. I&#8217;m sorry to inform, no it did not. I have several more stories of being either profiled or flat out refused service based on my skin color alone. </p><p> I&#8217;m not sharing these stories to drum up sympathy or to prove racism against Black people exists or to claim White people are exercising systemic racism. My point in sharing is to elucidate the fact that despite the amount of hatred I&#8217;ve had to endure throughout my life as a Black man, I still don&#8217;t hate White people nor do I view them as a monolithic group. I also don&#8217;t believe we need to live segregated lives. Throughout my life I&#8217;ve had some incredible relationships with White people &#8212;<em><strong>shout out to my first girlfriend</strong></em>&#8212; despite the hatred and ignorance a subgroup of them have displayed towards me. When I talk about racism I know the subject well because I&#8217;ve lived it. Many people who don&#8217;t look like me don&#8217;t know what it&#8217;s like to live in a country where you are always the minority, being looked down upon, harassed, assailed, and prejudged just because you exist. This is the world I and many Black people live in. You are guilty until proven innocent. This lifestyle has created thicker skin which is necessary in order to operate above the hate and ignorance. It is my view that regardless of ethnicity, we all should wear the same thick skin in recognition that there will always be ignorant and weak fools among us.</p><p></p><h2>Hate thrives on assumptions</h2><p>Today, we live in a time where social media has unearthed the fears of some White Americans as they now see violence and racism demonstrated against people that look like them. Unfortunately, we are all also witnessing a world where minorities appear to be given free passes to commit crime. To be fair, as a Black man, I know this isn&#8217;t a new problem. Many White people believe it is but, that is chiefly because in the past the &#8220;crime&#8221; was more isolated to Black communities and social media wasn&#8217;t as prevalent. Thanks to social media and Big Media people are becoming convinced some sort of uprising against White America is taking place &#8212;stoking irrational fear as people seem to forget the sheer numerical disadvantage Blacks have as a populace against their White counterparts &#8212;clocking in at a whopping 14% of the total population. This is after accounting for all Blacks, not just the one&#8217;s deemed as criminally violent &#8212;which brings me to my point about assumptions.</p><p>I&#8217;ve learned over the years that many of my White American counterparts assume ridiculous things about Black people. For instance, they assume all Black people are the same or that we operate as a monolithic people. I can tell you firsthand as a Black man, <em><strong>no we do not</strong></em>. </p><p>There are many cultural values that some Blacks hold that I and many other Black people do not hold.  We don&#8217;t all listen to &#8220;thug&#8221; music, live in the hood, talk with hood slang, sag our pants, hate White people, do drugs, condone Black violence, subscribe to a victimhood mentality, agree with DEI, love Al Sharpton, want to &#8220;return&#8221; to Africa, adore Obama, hate America, vote Democrat, shop at Walmart, enjoy fast food, worship sports, love chicken and watermelon or any other racist tropes people tend to believe about &#8220;Black&#8221; people because the media told them to believe it. These ideas are seeded simply by way of racial programming.</p><p>Black people are not a monolithic group and White people are not as special or different as some tend to believe. Many things White Americans believe in and desire are the very same things many Black Americans believe in and desire. Over the years I&#8217;ve seen statements such as, &#8220;<em>White people keep trying to move away from neighborhoods filled with Black criminals or thugs.</em>&#8221; Statements like this are bewildering to me. Guess what? So do Black people like myself. I know what it&#8217;s like to live in a depressed neighborhood as I was a victim of theft by a crackhead who literally lived next door to me. I&#8217;ve entered into depressed Black neighborhoods to do street evangelism before. I&#8217;ve done jail ministry &#8212;sharing the Gospel with Black men who desperately wanted to get out of the cycle of violence as they came from crime ridden communities. Most people who live in depressed communities don&#8217;t want to be there contrary to popular opinion.</p><p>Most Black people &#8212;even those stuck in such communities&#8212; don&#8217;t want to live in the very neighborhoods White people claim to be avoiding. The depraved and violent lifestyle displayed on social media isn&#8217;t one that most people enjoy living. Sadly, it&#8217;s just a part of the fabric of broken communities. It&#8217;s all they know. Such cultural phenomenas are present within every ethnicity. So when those who are not Black chime in with their &#8220;Black education&#8221; concerning communities and people they know nothing about it simply adds fuel to a fire that&#8217;s been long burning and makes them look even more ignorant. This is a goal of the programmers.</p><p>There are other assumptions often made as well about Black people. That by and large we somehow aren&#8217;t aware of the statistics that speak to the volume of violent crime committed in comparison to our White counterparts. This is staggering to me. To my White counterparts that believe Blacks are all uninformed, <em><strong>&#8220;Thanks for finally showing up! Crackers and club soda is to your right.&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>As I shared earlier, I&#8217;ve been Black my whole life and as a Black man most of us are raised with a bit of street smarts. We know not to go into certain hoods or areas we&#8217;re not from, especially at night when dealing with poorer Black communities. Many people my age grew up learning about the many gangs that existed from California to New York through friends, gang members themselves, family or &#8220;gangsta&#8221; rap music. We grew up watching movies like &#8220;Boyz n the Hood&#8221; and &#8220;Menace to Society&#8221;.  We&#8217;re aware of the fatherlessness problem many Black communities face and the increased risk this presents in males finding themselves dead or in jail. Most of us oppose the Welfare State and believe it was a system setup to destroy the Black family as it rewards single motherhood. This isn&#8217;t new information to Black people yet many people think it is. They&#8217;re quick to point out &#8220;the stats&#8221; online to &#8220;prove&#8221; the issue. But Black people didn&#8217;t need the internet to know what was happening across the country in certain Black communities. We knew well before the rise of social media. There&#8217;s an irony in all of this. </p><p>When Black Americans were complaining about these very problems dating back to the 1970s they were largely ignored. Black Americans were disparaged and everything they railed about were considered conspiracies. America was too busy continuing its practice of redlining neighborhoods despite the advent of the 1968 Fair Housing Act to care. When Black Americans were complaining that crooked cops were dumping guns and crack cocaine into their neighborhoods nobody cared and it was all chocked up as conspiracies. If common sense prevailed people would&#8217;ve realized Blacks didn&#8217;t own weapons manufacturing shops&#8212; especially poor Blacks, let alone shops to whip up cocaine.</p><p>Several books have been written &#8212;Dark Alliance by Gary Weber and Big White Lie by Michael Levine, for example&#8212; on the topic of the CIA being responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic that started in Los Angeles, California. Knowing what we all know about our &#8220;three letter agencies&#8221; today, it doesn&#8217;t sound so conspiratorial now. When Black Americans were complaining that White cops were gunning down unarmed Black citizens in urban communities nobody cared. Many were caught by surprise when the <em><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots">Rodney King riots</a></strong></em> ensued back in 1992. Black Americans who had been witnessing the abuse of power had enough and the Rodney King abuse and arrest was the straw that broke the camel&#8217;s back. White Americans weren&#8217;t informed because there was no social media and Big Media kept this issue hidden. There was a reason N.W.A wrote the song &#8220;Fuck Tha Police&#8221; in 1988. It wasn&#8217;t because they were bored. Cops were nicknamed &#8220;pigs&#8221; within the hoods because they were known to be dirty &#8212;instigating crime and setting up innocent Black men who were patsies. It was through Rap music that Blacks were able to communicate what was happening in their cities and neighborhoods. Black communities that were designated as depressed were being used as a means to facilitate crime at the behest of our government agencies while funding war efforts from the profits. But since these problems only impacted Black neighborhoods, people looked the other way. I&#8217;m of the belief the CIA is now operating their propaganda machine through social media. This way it looks as if the propaganda is simply citizen&#8217;s content &#8212;just like the crack-cocaine epidemic and gun trafficking was made to look like it was spearheaded by Black people living in poor communities.</p><p>It is a sad thing to watch many White Americans consistently take the race bait and decide to &#8220;educate&#8221; Black people on what&#8217;s happening. These individuals don&#8217;t understand the complex and rich history many Black American communities have faced. There seems to be an assumption all communities &#8212;White, Black, and everything in between&#8212; were originated the same way or that Black people operate as a monolithic group that condones criminal behavior. No. I and many, many Black Americans are tired of the depressed communities, the fatherlessness, the manipulation by the media, the manipulation by the government, the violence, the hatred, the trauma, the judgements, and people pretending to help while adding more fuel to the fire. </p><p>If we&#8217;re ever going to get past the hate then we all need to stop making assumptions about one another, ask more questions to learn about one another, and exercise grace with one another. We weren&#8217;t all given the same lot in life and everyone has a story. We&#8217;re all human.</p><p></p><h2>The Numbers</h2><p>While on the topic of violent crime, I&#8217;d be remiss to not address a very important point &#8212;the supposedly high rate of Black people within the Black community that commit violent crime. There&#8217;s an assumption that people like myself are simply outliers. But that is not true as the data doesn&#8217;t support that claim, nor has it ever. While it&#8217;s near impossible to know the exact number of murderers for any given year, enough data exists to present a rough idea. According to the <em><strong><a href="https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend">FBI&#8217;s crime stats</a></strong></em>, for the year 2023 there were <strong>9,299</strong> murders committed by Black Americans with White Americans accounting for <strong>6,333</strong> of murders. This is important as it concerns the &#8220;statistics&#8221; narrative. </p><p>There are roughly 48 million Black Americans living in the United States. This means that out of the total Black population only <em><strong>0.02%</strong></em> of Black Americans commit murder. <em><strong>That leaves 99.98% of Black Americans who are not violent, murderous criminals.</strong></em> So when people hop online and make claims that a large subset of Black people or even <em>Black poor people</em> are violent criminals they are not representing the facts. </p><p>The reality is, people like myself are not the outliers nor the anomalies. These are simply the facts. The numbers speak for themselves and anyone can look them up. Those who hope to encourage racist thinking are quick to point out the percentage of homicides committed by Black Americans in contrast to other ethnic groups without bringing to attention the actual number of total homicides or the number of criminals within the criminal&#8217;s particular ethnicity. The facts speak for themselves. Most Black people aren&#8217;t violent criminals and this includes those who live in economically depressed areas that subscribe to a culture that on the surface many Americans would think is violent. So when non-Black Americans make broad sweeping statements about &#8220;Black people&#8221; they are misinformed and out of touch with reality. </p><p>Unfortunately, social media is a popular medium for propagating much ignorance. It is the perfect honeypot to draw in hatred with an endless supply of videos showcasing Black on White crime or even Black on Black crime. These psyop videos have no dates or time stamps or even location but they live forever on the internet and are pumped by triggered individuals who fall victim to rage bait. To these individuals these videos are evidence of a full-scale attack by Black people all over the world on White people or they are &#8220;evidence&#8221; of the entire Black community acting like animals. </p><p>There is also one more issue we need to address since we&#8217;re discussing statistics. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic" width="1456" height="718" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WwzE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd3a28d3-e463-4568-9d61-af60d2d9ca35_2158x1064.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><em><strong><a href="https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend">FBI Statistics 2023</a></strong></em></figcaption></figure></div><p>There&#8217;s another narrative that exists solely for the purpose of driving more division by ramping up racism and that is the narrative of &#8220;Black on Black crime&#8221;. We&#8217;ve all been programmed to think that Black people are some sort of special subgroup of human that goes after its own kind while no other ethnicity shares this character trait. That is a false narrative. According to the FBI&#8217;s own data, most victims of homicides are of the same ethnicity of the offender. This is chiefly due to the fact that the offenders and victims are close in proximity to each other within a community. Said another way, people of the same ethnic group usually interact with each other more than with others outside of their ethnic group. </p><p>Black people don&#8217;t have a special or unique problem. All ethnicities have the same problem. White people will murder their own kind before they murder a Black person. A Black, Asian, or Hispanic will murder their own kind before murdering another. Over 90% of murders take place within the same ethnic group. In fact, I once had to stand trial as a witness to a triple homicide committed by a hispanic male. He drove all the way from Mexico to the United States for a girl that left him and murdered 3 other young hispanics &#8212;one being the girl&#8217;s boyfriend and another, her brother.</p><p>There is a big takeaway here and that is, the next time you hear about Black on Black crime, remember every ethnicity has the same exact problem. There is a White on White crime problem. An Asian on Asian crime problem. A Latino on Latino crime problem. We&#8217;re just not programmed to realize it thanks to Big Media and social media. There&#8217;s a key word I&#8217;ve been using that I hope is becoming apparent and that is &#8220;programming&#8221;.</p><p></p><h2>Ethnic Isolation</h2><p>I want to press this idea of social media propagating ignorance and really bad thinking because both are true. There&#8217;s a new thought that consists of ethnic isolation by White Americans that&#8217;s currently being peddled. I&#8217;ve also seen it peddled by Black Americans. </p><p>To be fair, it&#8217;s not really a new idea. Within the Black community there is the idea of Pan-Africanism &#8212;a movement dating back to its founder W.E.B. DuBois in the early 1900s established to draw unity and solidarity between all people that were of African descent. Jamaican political activist, Marcus Garvey, subscribed heavily to the idea and started a &#8220;Back to Africa&#8221; movement for all Black people to achieve this goal of unity. I remember growing up in the 90s where clothing with African colors and imagery became popular. There was a push towards understanding our African roots with a desire to &#8220;go back to Africa&#8221;. Eventually this idea, like a lot of bad ideas flamed out. </p><p>The idea of ethnic isolation is a peculiar one to me. Chiefly because when I hear White Americans use such language I&#8217;m quickly reminded of Black people that somehow think things were better back in Africa before slavery. For one, most Black Americans aren&#8217;t from Africa and two, Africans were chiefly the ones responsible for selling their own kind into slavery. It&#8217;s as if people become so emotionally charged that they forget all historical context behind their ethnicity and reimagine a reality that never was. Many people are starting to believe that isolating ourselves by ethnicity is the solution to our racial woes and social media is the vehicle for promoting such a bad idea. Again, with more programming.</p><p>Ethnic isolation doesn&#8217;t solve anything and the history books have proven this time and time again. Are we to pretend that ancient Mesopotamians didn&#8217;t war against one another? Should we set aside the civil wars that existed within ancient Egypt between the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms? Are we to pretend ancient Israel didn&#8217;t fall from within due to culture collapse? What do we make of ancient Rome that brought about its own demise within just a couple hundred years? Do we ignore the warring that took place between old African tribes or the Native Americans before Europeans took over the Americas? Should we pretend Communist China didn&#8217;t murder its own people? Did the Rwandan Genocide not happen? How about the murdering of Indian Christians by those in India who hate Christianity? Are we all to pretend that nations don&#8217;t eventually become greedy and corrupt and decide to invade other isolated nations? Did the Native Americans ask Europeans to enter their land and wipe out their ethnic isolationist way of living? Ethnic isolation doesn&#8217;t work and if it does initially, it doesn&#8217;t work for long.</p><p>There are countless examples of the ethnic isolationist theory falling apart. Why? Because ethnicity doesn&#8217;t dictate culture. Beliefs dictate culture. Within every ethnicity there are subcultures predicated on various ideas, desires, and systems of belief. The more nuanced beliefs become, the more nuanced the ethnic group becomes. So much so that it can result in the development of internal factions that create civil unrest and later civil war. I understand why some White Americans think isolation is the answer but, this utopic idea rests on flawed thinking. Thinking that history has proved is not steeped in reality. Isolation doesn&#8217;t provide safety and security. Our ethnicity doesn&#8217;t unite us. We are all united by our cultural values and ethnicity does not dictate one&#8217;s culture. Safety and security is predicated on the community&#8217;s belief system, not its ethnicity.</p><p></p><h2>The N-Word</h2><p>Understandably, there&#8217;s probably no other word within the human language that is more polarizing than the word &#8220;<strong>Nigger</strong>&#8221;. This word &#8212;once used&#8212; reaches back in time and snaps forward carrying more baggage than a Boeing 747. It is a word that packs so much hatred and vitriol that all other disparaging terms within the human language put together would struggle to match its ferocity and level of demonization. This word doesn&#8217;t just carry with it the remembrance of the Jim Crow Era. It connotes that its recipient isn&#8217;t even human &#8212;which is precisely how Black people were once viewed. So it is no wonder that when Black people hear this word it causes a visceral reaction that oftentimes elicits a hateful response.</p><p>I&#8217;ve learned over the years that it is nearly impossible for those who are non-Black to fully understand the weight of this word. Many who are White think it has an equivalent such as &#8220;Whitey&#8221;, &#8220;Honky&#8221;, &#8220;Redneck&#8221;, &#8220;Cracker&#8221; or other terms. What they fail to realize is that the word &#8220;Nigger&#8221; carries with it not only the assertion of not being human but it also makes a statement that whoever uses this word would have no problem enslaving the recipient of such word &#8212;and not just the recipient but the recipients spouse, children, and friends. It communicates &#8220;slave master&#8221;. While the user of this word may not intend to communicate such an atrocious thought, this is part of the baggage that comes with this word. It simply does not carry the same weight as other derogatory terms typically associated with White people or any other ethnicity for that matter. Furthermore, it matters not if non-Blacks agree with this position. What matters is how that word can be and is often received by people who are Black, especially when used by someone who is White.</p><p>My point in providing clarity around this word isn&#8217;t to &#8220;get White people to stop using it&#8221; as some may assume. We&#8217;re all adults and people can use whatever words they want. My point in providing clarity is to help those who struggle with <em>why</em> this word can elicit such an aggressive and even highly irrational response to better understand the why behind it. It&#8217;s not <em><strong>just another ethnic pejorative</strong></em>.</p><p>The next question that undoubtedly will be raised &#8212;particularly by those that are not Black&#8212; revolves around the usage of this word by Black people. For starters, not all Black people use this word. This is a misconception. Most of us hate this word and hate when other ignorant Black people use it either as a disparaging term or as a friendly salute. I can&#8217;t answer the question as to why some Black people use it but it is a cultural phenomenon. It isn&#8217;t a word used by certain Black subcultures. There&#8217;s a belief that the word was reappropriated out of the hands of racists in an attempt to claim the word&#8217;s power. So now it&#8217;s used as a dysphemism in a more neutral or playful way but, can also still be used as a pejorative.</p><p>I&#8217;ve seen White people struggle with the power play concerning this word. Many feel that they should be able to use this word without fear or harm of retaliation. It is a word that leaves some feeling like they don&#8217;t have the &#8220;power&#8221; to use it and that is precisely the point behind reappropriating the word out of the hands of those who historically used it against Black people while suppressing them. While I don&#8217;t believe anyone should use this word because we should all be better than that, I also believe people are free to use whatever words they choose without fear of being retaliated against. There will always be ignorant and hateful people on the planet but, I don&#8217;t want to live in a world where words are policed. </p><p>However, I believe this presents a very glaring problem which is the fact that anyone would even desire to use the word at all, especially as a racist pejorative. I have noticed that some people &#8212;particularly those who are not Black&#8212; feel as if they&#8217;ve been stripped of power by not being able to use it. This simply elucidates the point that the word does in fact have power and whoever is able to use the word appears to enjoy the power that comes with it. For the word to be stripped of its power, it simply needs to stop being used by everyone. But this word seems to hold people captive like the One Ring from Lord of the Rings. In this case, it is no longer about the term itself but, the power one wields from using it. This issue elucidates the inconsistency of belief I&#8217;ve seen concerning this term. Some would say it&#8217;s just a word and therefore Black people should ignore it. Yet at the same time these same individuals are irate that they can&#8217;t use the word and feel as if they&#8217;re being stripped of their power to use it. Either it&#8217;s just a word, or it&#8217;s not. It can&#8217;t be both.</p><p>I do want to add that I don&#8217;t believe this is exclusively a &#8220;White people problem&#8221;. I believe that if no non-Black person ever used this word again it would still be used by a subculture of Black people. Chiefly because it is so ingrained into certain cultures. Fortunately, there are those who have elevated above using this word. I see this as no different than those who are still staunch racists while others are not. Hopefully in time there will be even less racists walking the streets and also less usage of this word. One can only hope. But until then, freedom of speech should reign.</p><p></p><h2>Rebuilding</h2><p>There&#8217;s no denying the issues that do exist within poor Black communities. High crime rates, absentee fathers, drug use, and the promotion of death culture are very real concerns.  The problems these communities &#8212;and Blacks in particular&#8212; face are two fold. For one, there&#8217;s an enemy within which stems from the breakdown of the nuclear family causing young men and women to gravitate towards the immoral. The second problem is the enemy on the outside which can be understood as a sort of evil that seeks to undermine any progress made. To some this idea may sound outrageous or like &#8220;victimhood&#8221;. But there&#8217;s no doubt that over the last several decades there have been attempts to decrease the Black population. </p><p>The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 created a drastic disparity in sentencing between crack and cocaine. Being caught with five grams of crack would result in a five year prison sentence, however, it took 500 grams of cocaine to receive the same sentence. Crack was much more affordable in poor Black neighborhoods and more prevalent which resulted in disproportionate sentencing. There were other efforts to destroy Black communities such as the seeding of weapons and drugs by the government, the destabilizing of Black families through the invention of the Welfare State, the introduction of abortifacients to Black community church leaders, and many other unscrupulous acts. </p><p>Regardless of the evils that persist inside and outside of certain Black communities, if Black people who live within these areas truly want better lives then it will be up to them to create such a change. Each decision made whether it involves the committing of crime or having children out of wedlock are personal decisions. Ultimately, we are all responsible for the decisions we make in life. These are the same points I used to make when I would minister to young Black men in jails. Surprisingly, I never met anyone in jail that didn&#8217;t accept accountability for their actions. I believe in the moment it&#8217;s easy to rationalize criminal behavior but, later reality sets in and there&#8217;s a deep moment of introspection that appears to take place.</p><p>In order for change to take place within depressed communities there are beliefs that must be eradicated to end the culture of violence. Fathers need to be fathers and present in their kid&#8217;s lives every single day. Satanic music that glorifies murder, drug use, sexual abuse, and the objectification of women and men needs to stop. Furthermore, the victimhood mentality needs to be jettisoned and God needs to come first. The change that&#8217;s needed starts within the home. Strong communities are built one family at a time.</p><p></p><h2>How the System manipulates us</h2><p>I am a firm believer that American society is being groomed for a civil war. I believe this civil war will be replicated around the world where other dark-skinned individuals have permeated lands that were known to be predominantly European-ruled. I don&#8217;t believe it to be a coincidence that we&#8217;ve seen an influx of immigrants &#8212;mostly illegal&#8212; flooding European countries, protesting against the country and harming its citizens. One country is an unfortunate event. Several events is a coordinated attack. </p><p>I also believe that we are being divided not only by class but by ethnicity because we will become easier to control this way. Humans are an incredibly complex species. The only way to gain control of a species that is terribly complex and unpredictable is by designing predictability into the human experience. But this can only be done through pattern recognition and by preying on what is most important &#8212;the human desire to survive. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:118486,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/i/163172348?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5vL8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6429de6f-4837-4391-8912-7c9f04708eea_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Simply look at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and this becomes more apparent. One simply needs to first threaten our physiological needs, followed by our need for safety to disrupt an entire society&#8217;s way of living &#8212;creating chaos and uncertainty. This will prompt a response to seek order and certainty by any means. I believe our global society is currently facing a spiritual attack on the bottom two tiers. Once we&#8217;ve all been divided so we can be more easily controlled, the system will manipulate us even further by leveraging our family and friends against us. Society will desire belonging from the system it serves over friends and family as the system will serve as the community. If you&#8217;ve read the book, 1984, by George Orwell, then you may reflect back on the children who would turn their own parents in to Big Brother &#8212;giving their allegiance to the system. I believe the next step will be the destruction of our own inherit self-esteem. Esteem will only be found in the system and our dedication to it. Our reward will be based on our level of dedication which will elevate our self-esteem and sense of worthiness. Lastly, we will derive meaning from the system we serve. Our only purpose in existing will be to serve the system. Anything that threatens the system which could undermine society&#8217;s way of life will be exterminated. The goal will be to keep harmony and to avoid chaos. To anger the gods is to invite chaos  &#8212;something that the ancients knew all too well.</p><p>While humans are complex, we are easily programmable if our basic needs are threatened, just like the ancients. We will immediately leap into lizard brain because our will to survive will supersede all logic and reason, even if that means tossing our children into lakes of fire. Threaten our basic needs and what was once a very complex species becomes simple and highly controllable. It is my belief that we are all being controlled today. Many people who think they&#8217;re not being controlled are sadly some of the most controllable individuals. But that is the rub in being programmed. Once programmed you don&#8217;t know that you are in fact programmed.</p><p>Today, the internet is the highway that traffics propaganda &#8212;especially race baiting content seeded by bots and anonymous users who I believe work for one three letter agency in particular. This technology is also being used to surveil us and collect data concerning our personal habits. This very same technology will be used in an attempt to control our ability to have and spend money through ideas such as Central Bank Digital Currencies. This technology will be used to keep us all in line through the use of social credit scores &#8212;encouraging us to commit to the laws of the system we serve. We currently live in a time where we&#8217;re fighting for access to healthy food and the right to reject foreign substances from being injected into us like cattle. What I am saying is not farfetched. We are all being programmed and the lines of code are everywhere. </p><p>Racist, rage baiting content acts as a partition for society&#8217;s hard drive. It works to divide us into echo chambers. Once we&#8217;re in our echo chambers we can be more closely monitored as those within their respective chambers will share the same characteristics. Each echo chamber will exhibit different characteristics which will demand the deployment of different control measures for each chamber. If I was a psychotic, demon filled globalist this is precisely what I would do. This isn&#8217;t hard. Just herd the humans like humans herd the animals. Technology makes humans much more controllable because technology is controllable and humans rely on it. Manipulate the technology and you manipulate the human race. Why? Because we rely on it to survive. While there are other controls that operate as partitions such as political affiliation and class, racism is the most polarizing. It strikes at the very heart of humanity which is why it works so well to divide us as a species. It feels like a threat to our survival more than anything else. Hatred for those who are not &#8220;like us&#8221; eventually culminates into warring against those who are not &#8220;like us&#8221;. </p><p>It is of my belief that we must begin to operate above the concern of racism. It is not going away and the powers that be will continue to use it as a means to divide us all. But we do possess the power to do the opposite of what racism demands &#8212;which is to bind ourselves together through culture, love, and the desire to live according to God&#8217;s design, not our own. Failure to do so places us within the throes of the demonic realm and encourages the fall our species within this era. We are not the first human civilization. It&#8217;s either us or the giants and I prefer it to be us.</p><p>Peace, love, and grace to all of my White, Black, Asian, African, and Latino brothers and sisters. We&#8217;re all <em><strong>human</strong></em>, despite what the programmers may say.</p><p></p><div class="pullquote"><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>&#129303; Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>&#129297; <a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe">Upgrade to a paid subscription to keep me going.</a></p></li><li><p>&#128526;Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to reclaim our humanity.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/manufacturing-racism-a-means-to-population?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/manufacturing-racism-a-means-to-population?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Killing Baby Hitler]]></title><description><![CDATA[A moral dilemma?]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/killing-baby-hitler</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/killing-baby-hitler</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:57:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:100071,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/i/161844188?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qx7Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f3b0d79-349c-4a0a-b89a-7a928d08e358_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>If you could go back in time, would you kill baby Adolph Hitler?</strong><br>- The Internet</p></div><p>In light of the current cultural climate where many believe Nazis are falling out of the sky I thought it appropriate to address this question. It is often presented as a thought experiment in ethics to reveal some sort of moral dilemma. On its surface the question appears to be deep, meaningful, and worthy of careful examination. But the reality is this question is shallow and presents with the deck stacked against the hearer. Because we live in a time that is rife with bad thinking, many people take the bait in an attempt to work through their own moral disposition &#8212;eager to show that they walk on higher ground.</p><p>I&#8217;d like to show you, that in the world we live in there are many distractions &#8212;noise that demands our attention, leveraging our brain cells so we become more emotionally charged while failing to think critically. We live in a world where people are constantly attempting to stack the deck of an argument in their favor in order to gain an advantage. So let me explain why this question is absurd, sort of like asking, <em><strong>&#8220;If God can do anything, can He create a rock too heavy for Himself to lift?&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>In my past life, I was heavily involved in Christian Apologetics and street evangelism. Spending your time debating unbelievers in the streets and online sharpens one&#8217;s proverbial sword and critical thinking skills. You never really knew what type of environment you&#8217;d find yourself in. It was always a mixed bag of hostility, intimacy, real concern, fake intellectualism, pseudoscience, bravado, and interests in all things existential. I learned early on from other great thinkers and apologists that listening to someone&#8217;s argument is vastly more important than sharing your own. I also learned that people are really good at attempting to &#8220;stack the deck&#8221; in a debate in order to grant their position an advantage. This would often be done by creating a straw man or through presenting a circular argument that would &#8220;beg the question&#8221;.  As an example, I would often be asked to <em>&#8220;show God if He really exists&#8221;</em> by those who claimed to be atheist or agnostic. But what they were doing, was seeding assumptions about the ontological nature of God &#8212;that He must be visible; He must be present now; He must come when called; He must appear according to the ideas of what the non-believer thinks God is&#8212; and then they would proceed to attack the very notion of God because He didn&#8217;t present as they had demanded. They were stacking the deck and at times unknowingly. If God does not present according to their circular argument, then they claimed God must not exist &#8212;cards stacked in their favor. If you&#8217;re not careful and are too eager to present your argument you&#8217;ll find yourself falling victim to such poor argumentation, trying to defend your idea on someone else&#8217;s perch instead of your own. This is what I see in the question concerning killing baby Hitler. So how should we think about this question? What is the real problem with it?</p><p>The question first stacks the deck. In this hypothetical scenario it grants only certain things in order to corner the hearer into a perceived moral dilemma. We are to assume that if one could travel back in time or live as a predictor of the future when Hitler was a baby &#8212;as to prevent the Holocaust&#8212; that <em><strong>death is the only option</strong></em>. But if we can grant time travel or prediction of the future, then why can&#8217;t we grant another option besides murdering a baby to prevent the Holocaust? Should we not grant the possibility of convincing Hitler&#8217;s parents of his future horrors in attempt to have him placed on a different path? Should we not grant the possibility of presenting young Hitler with the details of his future failures to possibly dissuade him? Should we not grant the possibility of warning the Germanic Jews of their future fate so they may avoid it? Why do we immediately jump to murder and not kidnapping baby Hitler to raise him up in forest away from the effects of bad ideologies that lead to genocidal acts in the future?</p><p>While the question itself makes no explicit mention of its assumptions, they are carefully stitched within the moral fabric of the question itself. Hitler was a murderer, so the question is really meant to probe the hearer&#8217;s moral framework to assess where their propensity to murder may lay. The question could be better framed this way, <em><strong>&#8220;Under what conditions would you murder an innocent child?&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>As most people would consider themselves &#8220;better than adult Hitler&#8221; then murdering an innocent child &#8212;one who has committed no sin&#8212; appears to be morally sound. But that&#8217;s because the question is absurd. Baby Hitler and adult Hitler are not the same. Genetically they are but characteristically they are not. Failure to understand this opens the door to entertaining a ludicrous question that is posed as an intellectual wade into some sort of deep philosophical and moral exercise.</p><p>The second problem that I have with this question is that it desires the hearer to play God. But since it stacks the deck with murder being the only option, this god can offer no other solution. In this scenario you can only reign down hell fire on baby Hitler, or what kind of God are you to allow the future deaths of millions of innocent people? I believe this question could and should beg another question, <em><strong>&#8220;Why didn&#8217;t God stamp out Hitler the moment he turned murderous?&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>This new question is much more difficult to answer and requires a deeper internal assessment of one&#8217;s moral framework. This question places a certain demand on created beings that only a Creator can bear. This question is hard to deal with and reason through. It is much easier for the created to play fake God, go back in time, and murder people before they commit any sins. It is much harder to grant alternative options to murder to prevent the future crime, not because the options are hard in and of themselves, but because the human heart would rather repay with murder in light of the Holocaust. In short, it is easier for humans to murder their way to peace and utopia.</p><p>Make no mistake. The question concerning killing baby Hitler isn&#8217;t about stopping or preventing the Holocaust. If it was, then the question would be presented as such. The question at hand is solely about defining the justifiable means to killing an innocent baby. It is a thinly veiled attempt at ascribing altruism. There is no real &#8220;salvation of the greater good&#8221; in this scenario. On its face the question lacks coherency while stacking the deck. There is no moral dilemma and while very popular, it&#8217;s just an absurd question that should never be entertained.</p><p><em>Disclaimer: I understand that this is the internet. Thus I&#8217;m aware of the great possibility that trolls and individuals who lack critical thinking skills may interpret this article as some sort of defense for Adolph Hitler&#8217;s existence or a plea for Nazis to rise up. Some people&#8217;s minds are so poisoned they may even go as far as to claim this article was written in admiration of Hitler&#8217;s life, completely missing the entire point of the article itself while making its point more salient.</em> </p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to read the thoughts of critical thinkers.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>&#129303; Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>&#129297; <a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe">Upgrade to a paid subscription to keep me going.</a></p></li><li><p>&#128526;Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to reclaim our humanity.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/killing-baby-hitler?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/killing-baby-hitler?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/killing-baby-hitler?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[America's enemy from within]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to chaos.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/americas-enemy-from-within</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/americas-enemy-from-within</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:19:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:339137,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/i/159700958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3GhW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6babd99-2faf-4b6d-bf07-d26d4b96ad7d_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I&#8217;m quite astonished at the level of disillusionment that has seized the minds of so many people in our world today. The inability to discern right from wrong, reality from fiction, and truth from lies has reached a level of incomprehensibility I didn&#8217;t think was possible. When I was much younger I used to wonder how human beings could commit some of the most heinous and depraved acts imaginable throughout the course of history.  Humans are supposed to be smart. Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent life forms. Humans have been endowed with a moral compass. Humans are made in God&#8217;s image. Yet, when I look around it appears that many humans are simply operating as NPCs (Non-Player Characters) within the matrix we call home &#8212;programmatically moving and shifting through time as they play specific roles within a larger narrative before being eternally shuffled out of the game. </p><p>My perspective concerning humanity is not one that considers conservative vs liberal or right vs left. The perspective that I hold considers the whole of humanity and what it means to be human. Against this backdrop I have developed the belief that humanity is failing at the dominion task given to us by our Creator &#8212;evident by the love for chaos that has sprung forth in certain countries around the world but, also within our own. It seems blind hate has no bounds and with this understanding the answer to what can perpetuate unconscionable levels of human depravity can be rightly found.</p><p>When Donald Trump was sworn in as President &#8212;effectively taking the helm from the previously fractured and clueless administration&#8212; I was relieved. Maybe even hopeful to some extent. Don&#8217;t get me wrong. My hope didn&#8217;t necessarily rest in the hands of one man but in what appeared to be an awakening of American citizens, stumbling out of their decades long slumber. It seemed as if common sense could not stand against the many things Donald Trump campaigned on, regardless of how one may feel about him as a person. After-all, he was victorious in claiming a second term.</p><p>Who could really argue against the shrinking of the American military industrial complex and the establishment of our country as a beacon of peace instead of war? What kind of human would opt to preserve the most anti-life, anti-human position of destroying sacred life instead of seeking peace? What kind of person would desire to put the safety of the tribe at risk by allowing the illegal importation of foreigners &#8212;many hardened criminals&#8212; through an unsecured border open to the entire world? Who in their right mind would argue against equalizing tariff agreements to put an end to other countries taking advantage of America? Who would defend the government&#8217;s abuse and waste of the American tax dollar? </p><p>One would have to be a special kind of person that is employed by dark supernatural forces to fight against such efforts. But then I as watched Trump&#8217;s presidential address I noticed something &#8212;as did many Americans. There&#8217;s a certain type of human that refused to stand and honor the family of Laken Riley and a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor. This kind of special person does exist within the human species. But my questioning didn&#8217;t stop there.</p><p>I also questioned how it could be that people would choose disease over being healthy. I was blown away by the attacks RFK Jr. &#8212;while running for Secretary of HHS&#8212; had to fend off simply because he merely suggested following the science and exercising caution to encourage vaccine safety. His prerogative as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is to fight for the health and safety of Americans. Yet, he&#8217;s pinned as anti-vaccine and a threat to the American people despite admitting his own children have been immunized. How can someone be anti the very same thing they advocate for? </p><p>The reality is there&#8217;s a brand of disingenuousness people are willing to wear in order to portray themselves as some sort of freedom fighter. These fake activists and warriors are merely chaos creators. We live in a time where people desire and need an enemy to fight in order to function or find purpose &#8212;even if that enemy must be fabricated. While our nation has lost its competitive edge in manufacturing physical goods, it now dominates the globe in manufacturing propaganda so there&#8217;s always an ensuing war. Currently, the war is within our own country.</p><p>How could any sane citizen of any country be opposed to the cracking down of government waste, fraud and abuse &#8212;<em><strong><a href="https://doge.gov/savings">especially after seeing receipts</a></strong></em> just two months into the new administration&#8217;s efforts? Instead of applauding such efforts these chaos creators have homed in on &#8220;the execution&#8221;. Why? Because they can&#8217;t find fault with the initiative itself or the results. The fact remains the current administration is doing what the previous administration could not. So out of sheer spite born out of embarrassment the anti-DOGE, anti-Elon warriors are doubling down on their hatred.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic" width="1456" height="678" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:678,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:192630,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/i/159700958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCTq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a43d302-ca51-4770-a4d3-f4ab978921e7_2626x1222.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>What degree of stupidity must one succumb to in order to conclude that a man who is putting money in your pocket while revealing how you have been robbed, is only seeking to enrich himself with more money and power at your expense? This accused authoritarian greedy fascist thief &#8212;who is literally putting money back into the hands of the people&#8212; is already estimated to be the richest man on the planet. Yet, there are those who believe he seeks more money and power and is a threat to democracy &#8212;as always without evidence or basis for such ridiculous claims. To these individuals the previous administration which was robbing us all blind apparently was the bulwark against authoritarianism and greed. This is astounding to me considering the level of transparency Elon Musk has been exercising in front of the entire world from DOGE receipts to facilitating free speech across X &#8212;the social platform previously known as Twitter, a propaganda arm for the three-letter agencies directed by Joe Biden&#8217;s administration. The last thing the wealthiest person in the world would ever need is more money. And if anyone thinks I&#8217;m grifting, simping, or whatever asinine small amoeba brained derogatory trending epithet one would like to use, I don&#8217;t care for Tesla vehicles. I think they&#8217;re hideous and I have no plans to purchase any electric vehicle anytime soon. But I get why others do enjoy them and that doesn&#8217;t make them bad people.</p><p>The hate for Elon Musk is something out of the bellies of demons. Elon is supposedly a bad man because he was born into a wealthy family during South African apartheid. Dock one point because he didn&#8217;t control his origin &#8212;clearly a racist and authoritarian move. Yes, that&#8217;s sarcasm. Then there&#8217;s the myth that his family owned an emerald mine that was worked by slave labor. Yet the only person that has made that claim was Elon&#8217;s estranged father and everyone that knew his father stated it&#8217;s a lie he tells to embellish his status. Elon&#8217;s father merely imported <em>some</em> emeralds. But despite the lack of evidence that Elon&#8217;s family owned any emerald mines or the lack of corroboration around his father&#8217;s claim people want, need, and desire to believe the narrative because it gives them an imaginary enemy to fight. Thereby giving credence to their position upon the perch of moral high ground.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><p>How this has unfolded is quite remarkable. Elon Musk has been framed as the enemy by those who used to adore him, simply because he is no longer siding with the cogs in the wheel. To the cogs all of his endeavors now only exist purely for nefarious purposes. The very same people that were championing his cause to &#8220;better human civilization&#8221; by producing electric vehicles, continuing the development of technologies to further space exploration, providing free satellite internet to countries in need such as Ukraine, while working towards alternative energy sources for the purposes of developing a cleaner planet, now believe he&#8217;s just doing it all because he&#8217;s a Nazi fascists seeking power. These people are no longer onboard and are hoping his companies sink. What&#8217;s the real reason behind this hate? Musk is no longer a token for the left. He is focused on rooting out corruption within the government and mainstream media has indoctrinated the cogs within the machine to believe he is a threat. And they <em>have</em> to believe it because if they don&#8217;t, what purpose do they serve in life? None. This is at the heart of what&#8217;s happening in our country alone. Too many people have absolutely no purpose in life outside of fabricating monsters to fight. Take the monsters away and these individuals will create new ones because <em>they know not what to do with their lives</em>.</p><p>It&#8217;s quite remarkable when you think about how the machine we live inside of works &#8212;a bit like an organism. When its immune system perceives a threat to itself it quickly dispatches antibodies everywhere to dissolve the threat. However, the antibodies in this case aren&#8217;t intelligent enough to asses if the &#8220;invaders&#8221; are actually a threat to life or just the machine&#8217;s control. They simply attack what they&#8217;re told to attack because the machine&#8217;s immune system has given direct orders to do so. But in the event the antibodies fail to perform as they&#8217;re told, the machine will now reclassify them as invaders and dispatch a new set of antibodies to destroy the rebels.</p><p>As we&#8217;ve seen over the years violence is the first choice for those who&#8217;ve been indoctrinated with &#8220;conservatives are the evil invaders desiring to destroy the system&#8221;. Lately, we&#8217;ve been bearing witness to the heightened intelligence of these lost apes, seeking Teslas to destroy in an attempt to stoke a movement &#8212;doing the bidding for the system. This is all for the purposes of taking down Elon Musk. The logic behind this &#8212;and there really isn&#8217;t any real logic here to see&#8212; is to discourage people from owning Teslas by communicating the &#8220;sentiment of the people&#8221; to Wall Street. These kamakazi pilots believe that by damaging random vehicles they&#8217;ve caused Tesla&#8217;s stock to drop, erasing billions from Tesla and essentially Elon Musk&#8217;s net worth. If they were actually paying attention to Tesla&#8217;s stock over the last six months they&#8217;d know the stock had already been on its way down since Musk threw his support behind Trump, causing leftists everywhere to pearl clutch and seethe. If they knew anything about the markets they&#8217;d also know markets are easily manipulated by the media which is simply a propaganda arm to sway sentiment. In fact, if they knew <em><strong>anything</strong></em>, they&#8217;d know their domestic acts of terrorism aren&#8217;t contributing one bit to the drop in Tesla&#8217;s share price.  These &#8220;warriors against fascism&#8221; believe that if Musk becomes poorer than he will lose his &#8220;power&#8221; and give up fighting for the American people. This just highlights very bad thinking. Maybe I missed the memo, but I&#8217;ve never known Elon Musk to give up on anything he cared about.</p><p>Elon Musk wasn&#8217;t hired because he held any power, which by the way, he has none except what is invested in him by the president &#8212;as a government employee. Elon&#8217;s &#8220;power&#8221; is in the hands of the shareholders he works for. I understand how people can miss this point because the education system has largely failed America. But the reason Elon was hired is because he gets results, he&#8217;s incredible with money, and he can teach a masterclass on how to run an organization as efficiently as possible. How about receipts?  Something the chaos creators never have. <em><strong><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/tech/elon-musk-x-valuation/index.html">This from CNN</a></strong></em>:</p><blockquote><p>In October 2022, Elon Musk paid $44 billion to buy Twitter &#8212; almost certainly an overpayment &#8212; and he promptly made significant changes that plunged the company into chaos and sent its ad business and valuation into a tailspin. Two and a half years later, Musk appears close to pulling off a minor miracle: The company, now called X, may once again be worth about what he paid for it.</p><p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-19/musk-s-x-is-in-talks-to-raise-money-at-a-44-billion-valuation?sref=FXoxhseM">Bloomberg</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday reported that X is in talks to raise money that would value the company at $44 billion. The anonymous sources Bloomberg cited acknowledged that the ongoing talks could break down, and it&#8217;s not clear whether X will actually fetch that valuation.</p><p>But the report coincides with a sudden turn in fortunes for X. Big advertisers, who had largely abandoned X after hate speech surged on the platform and ads were seen running alongside pro-Nazi content, have begun to return. (X made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/16/tech/ibm-to-pause-ad-spending-on-x/index.html">several pro-Nazi accounts ineligible</a>&nbsp;for ads following advertiser departures.)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/611967/apple-resumes-x-twitter-ad-spending-boycott">Amazon</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/611967/apple-resumes-x-twitter-ad-spending-boycott">Apple</a>&nbsp;are both reportedly reinvesting in X campaigns again, a remarkable endorsement from two brands with mass appeal.</p></blockquote><p>Well this is odd. All we heard from the media years ago was how Twitter was going to fail and that Elon Musk was a clueless business owner. That Elon Musk wasn&#8217;t a Tesla founder and how he doesn&#8217;t do anything at the companies he runs. We were told that Musk fired thousands of employees who were critical to ensuring Twitter could stay afloat. I watched thousands of armchair wannabe entrepreneurs and self-proclaimed experts who&#8217;ve never ran a tech business let alone have any involvement with tech companies in any capacity lay out their case for why Musk didn&#8217;t know what he was doing.  Large advertisers who wanted to protect their brand image fled the platform. They all sat back waiting for the house of cards to fall. As someone who&#8217;s been in the tech industry for over 20 years, I placed my bet on Elon because he delivers. He may deliver late, but he delivers on things people have only dreamed of or talked about but don&#8217;t possess the guts to do. <strong>This is the reason Tesla&#8217;s share prices can be volatile or the stock deemed as overvalued. People are betting on him and the probability of his future success. Not Tesla&#8217;s P &amp; L statements.</strong></p><p>Here are the facts; Twitter was bloated and inefficiently ran, barely surviving on a never-ending stream of investor cash injections, not profitable, desperate for a revenue model, and heavily manipulated. Sounds just like the government doesn&#8217;t it? This is why Elon Musk was hired. Many people don&#8217;t understand this. I get it. The education system has failed the country and Big Media has supplanted what should be knowledge with hate and emotion. </p><p>Here&#8217;s the thing about blind hate. It knows no bounds. It spews from the bellies of demons hellbent on destroying any and everything in its wake for its own purposes. It can&#8217;t see, think logically, or rationally. It doesn&#8217;t seek evidence and any facts that run contrary to what the system has indoctrinated people with must be twisted, ignored or met with &#8220;what about&#8221; in order to circumvent reality. Hate must push back against the truth with every fiber of its being. Its wrath is a plague and a poison within humanity, denting every bone and corrupting every spirit. It warps the mind and leaves its victims inebriated and unfit to welcome reality. You see it everywhere; on the news, within social media echo chambers, television shows, and movies, dripping from the lips of those who despise the very idea of a human civilization that lives in harmony, playing out God&#8217;s decree in exercising dominion over creation.</p><p>Hate drives chaos. Chaos is the monster devoid of reason waiting to swallow an entire world in its flames. It is a dragon with nearly impenetrable armor and a blood lust that is insatiable. It only knows destruction. Chaos loathes order. When we look out and see people attempting to destroy a nation, people&#8217;s property, or the character of those they disagree with it is the chaos dragon at work, fueled by its hate for all things balanced and orderly. It will excuse its own behavior and posit any excuse for its actions because it must wreak havoc. America has an enemy from within and this enemy operates on every continent of the planet. It is the chaos dragon fueled by hate for humanity.</p><p>You can&#8217;t reason with the chaos dragon and because you can&#8217;t it expects you to concede to its wrath and power. It swallows its victims one by one, enlarging its stomach as it gorges on human flesh. This is precisely why so many people lack objectivity and are unable to reason through healthy discussion. Healthy civil discussions, reasoning, and rationality all stem from order which is the antithesis to chaos. The chaos dragon doesn&#8217;t care about truth. It cares about chaos and razing everything to the ground. It is happy when you are not.</p><p>This is why so many people in this world need enemies to fight. They thrive on chaos as they&#8217;ve been impregnated with the dragon&#8217;s seed of hate. These are the type of people that lead humanity into levels of deviance that are almost impossible to imagine &#8212;such as denying biological genders. This is how humans instigated some of the worst historic nightmares on the planet. Blind hatred.</p><p>The only way to fight the chaos dragon is by exercising what it hates; this is love, order, and above all imaging God. Conducting ourselves in this manner will undoubtedly cause the chaos dragon to gnash its teeth in anger, lie, ignore reason, reject evidence, lash out with its claws and tail, and spew more hatred. Why? Because it must war. This is all it knows how to do. To defeat the chaos dragon one needs wisdom which only comes from God. One needs to learn to be objective and to exercise humility. Defeating the chaos dragon takes superhuman strength because it is a supernatural enemy. Let me be clear, there are powers at be that hate humanity. The country is merely in the way.</p><p>The chaos we are seeing in our nation serves as a distraction to incite more hatred and more violence. Its desire is to seep into the heart of everyone regardless of your political bent or cultural affiliation. It will turn family and friends against each other. It will convince you the real enemy is the person that has come to your aid, lifting you out of despair and those that create harm are your friends. It is irrational, devious, conspiring, full of malice, and unceasing. Guard yourselves wisely from the enemy within.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>&#129303; Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>&#129297; <a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe">Upgrade to a paid subscription to keep me going.</a></p></li><li><p>&#128526;Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to reclaim their humanity.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/americas-enemy-from-within?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/americas-enemy-from-within?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This is how you protect your brain...and your body]]></title><description><![CDATA[Autophagy.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/this-is-how-you-protect-your-brainand</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/this-is-how-you-protect-your-brainand</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:46:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ppHh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F80aad8fe-8a8a-48d5-81c2-9f84a48fd608_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Autophagy. Its importance is often overlooked, chiefly because it isn&#8217;t peddled by Big Pharma or Big Food as the self-preservation process that it is. Big Pharma and Big Food can&#8217;t line their pockets with fat revenues from a society that is educated on autophagy. They can, however, line their pockets with fat revenues from a society that chases every new dietary trend or pharmaceutical that encourages minimal autophagy. So today I&#8217;m going to tell you exactly what you need to do in order to achieve peak human status and why most people are unable to.</p><p>So what is autophagy? Simply put it is your body&#8217;s natural process of cellular recycling and repair. It is the body&#8217;s ingenious method for seeking out dysfunctional, broken, or dying components of a cell and repairing them if possible. Cells that can&#8217;t be repaired are consumed by white blood cells known as &#8220;phagocytes&#8221; &#8212;which break down the dead cells in an attempt to enable the body to recycle the cell&#8217;s components. This process is called <strong>apoptosis</strong> and takes place without damaging any nearby cells. </p><p>The body &#8212;being the remarkable specimen that it is&#8212; also implements its own natural detox process every night during sleep to remove toxins and other harmful substances from the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and the digestive system. This along with any other waste is collected and exits the body by the passing of stools or urine. All of this is in a best case scenario, or what we&#8217;d call the &#8220;happy path&#8221;. This is how your body is meant to work. When it works well your mind and body operate at peak human.</p><p>The reason why most people aren&#8217;t operating at peak human is because these processes aren&#8217;t taking place as they should. There is a breakdown in the body at the cellular level and these cells face necrosis &#8212;which is irreversible damage to the cell caused by disease, autoimmune disorders, poisons, injury or even lack of blood flow. Unlike apoptosis, when a cell is in necrosis it erupts and spills its toxic contents to nearby cells generating inflammation, causing damage to neighboring cells.</p><h2>Cell Function</h2><p>Since we&#8217;re discussing cells, it&#8217;s important to touch on a critical aspect of what enables them to function properly. Every cell consists of organelles located within the cytoplasm known as mitochondria. Mitochondria are like little machines or factories that produce a cell&#8217;s energy which gets stored as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the energy source &#8212;or currency&#8212; the body then uses for all of its physiological and biochemical processes. For this to take place, the mitochondria breaks down nutrients from the foods we eat. This eventually leads to the creation of ATP &#8212;energy. A mitochondria&#8217;s failure to produce ATP creates low cellular respiration and eventual death of the cell. If the body starts experiencing unhealthy cellular death it can and often does lead to disease. Cancer is a great example of this.</p><p>In the case of cancer cells, they&#8217;re deprived of oxygen and attempt to survive on an alternative energy source such as fermentation. When this happens the cells become dysregulated and start dividing. The dysfunctional mitochondria which is now the culprit of the dysregulation can ultimately result in the development of a tumor. Contrary to popular belief, cancer is absolutely not genetic. This has been proven through the <em><strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4493566/#:~:text=The%20rationale%20for%20the%20nuclear,described%20(Seyfried%2C%202012d)">Nuclear Mitochondria Transfer Experiment</a></strong></em>:</p><blockquote><p>Cancer is widely considered a genetic disease involving nuclear mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. This view persists despite the numerous inconsistencies associated with the somatic mutation theory. In contrast to the somatic mutation theory, emerging evidence suggests that cancer is a mitochondrial metabolic disease, according to the original theory of Otto Warburg. The findings are reviewed from nuclear cytoplasm transfer experiments that relate to the origin of cancer. The evidence from these experiments is difficult to reconcile with the somatic mutation theory, but is consistent with the notion that cancer is primarily a mitochondrial metabolic disease.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Researchers have discovered that if you take the nucleus of a mutated cancer cell and place it within the cytoplasm of a healthy cell (where its original cell was removed) with normal mitochondria and then place that cell into a mouse or rat, cancer will not spread. This is even with the cell containing a tumor nucleus. However, if you place the nucleus from a healthy cell into the cytoplasm of a tumor cell which had its original cell removed, then place that into a mouse or rat then the cancer grows. This proves that the origin of cancer is not in gene mutations but in the cytoplasm with the mitochondria.</p><p>It is the mitochondria that enables all cells to function to obtain metabolic homeostasis. This is all important because in America alone, only <em><strong><a href="https://revitalizemetabolichealth.com/93-of-american-adults-are-unhealthy-a-deeper-dive/">6.8% of the population is metabolically healthy</a></strong></em>. However, this isn&#8217;t an &#8220;American&#8221; problem. It is a global problem &#8212;<em><strong><a href="https://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/S0026-0495(24)00226-9/abstract">Global burden of metabolic diseases, 1990&#8211;2021</a>:</strong></em></p><blockquote><p>Common metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), have become a global health burden in the last three decades.</p><p>In the 21st century, common metabolic diseases are presenting a significant global health challenge. There is a concerning surge in DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) and mortality associated with these conditions, underscoring the necessity for a coordinated global health initiative to stem the tide of these debilitating diseases and improve population health outcomes worldwide.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>When mitochondria become dysfunctional it leads to metabolic disease. We now know that cancer is a <em><strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3941741/">metabolic disease</a></strong></em>. But not just cancer,  also neurological diseases such as Alzheimer&#8217;s Disease &#8212;<em><strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10001958/">Metabolic Syndrome as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer&#8217;s Disease: A Focus on Insulin Resistance</a>:</strong></em></p><blockquote><p>In addition to genetics and environmental factors, AD is highly associated with metabolic syndrome, defined as the combination of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Among these risk factors, the connection between AD and T2DM has been deeply studied. It has been suggested that the mechanism linking both conditions is insulin resistance. Insulin is an important hormone that regulates not only peripheral energy homeostasis but also brain functions, such as cognition.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Disease is something that should be <em><strong>incredibly rare</strong></em>. However, in our society we&#8217;ve all been indoctrinated with lies concerning human health which have made us dependent upon the medical industrial complex. The programming has largely been effective with humans everywhere forgetting that our species has lived and thrived for many thousands of years without the medical establishment. Now that we live in &#8220;modern&#8221; times we&#8217;ve been told that we need the medical establishment to keep us from dying out. There was a time when the human race didn&#8217;t wake up everyday worrying about their health, fiber intake, macros or calorie count. We&#8217;ve all bought into the nonsense around &#8220;preventative care&#8221; where well-meaning doctors probe our family history to seek out any potential future genetic diseases. It is a fear driven scheme. It is time to take our health and our lives back. It is time to live as peak humans once again.</p><p>While there can be different causes for mitochondria dysfunction, they&#8217;re mostly external and not genetic. Some causes can include toxins, radiation, intermittent hypoxia and viral infections. These things can disrupt mitochondria function. In order to become peak human, popping supplements and eating more fruits and veggies isn&#8217;t going to solve the root problem behind any illness. It is necessary to do the work that involves uncovering what is causing the dysfunction. But that doesn&#8217;t mean you can&#8217;t boost your mitochondrial function so it operates with superpowers in the meantime.</p><p>To be healthy our mitochondria need to function at peak. This is why understanding autophagy is so important. Through autophagy the body attempts to prevent disease as it performs cellular cleanup and repair. Without healthy, functioning cells driven by healthy mitochondria disease will eventually ensue. A body that is in constant autophagy is a body that can prevent and even heal from disease &#8212;granted the root cause has been eliminated.</p><p>Autophagy is a process that everyone experiences throughout the day at varying degrees. The goal should be to experience as much as humanly possible. To reach <em><strong>maximum autophagy</strong></em> all you need to do is place your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state that enables the body to produce ketones as its fuel source instead of carbohydrates. Autophagy enhances this process. Ketones get produced in the liver when fat is broken down. This is what&#8217;s behind the Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting (IF) becoming popular. People began to use IF as a means to throw their body into ketosis to burn fat while taking advantage of autophagy. But there&#8217;s a downside to this approach. Fasting means you&#8217;re not eating. It means you&#8217;re not consuming nutrients. It means you&#8217;re depriving the body of what it needs to function at peak &#8212;all for the purposes of seeking fat burning and autophagy. It&#8217;s counterproductive and a luxury modern people have because we&#8217;re no longer hunting and gathering. It&#8217;s easy to refuse food when you can walk to the fridge at any time. </p><p>While the body can burn different types of fuel sources, it highly prefers fatty acids over carbohydrates. Cell mitochondria are able to run more efficiently on fatty acids and ketones. This was proven with a <em><strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8348615/#B8-ijms-22-08292">study conducted by the late Dr. Richard Veech</a></strong></em>:</p><blockquote><p>Following a similar line from Dr. Veech&#8217;s lab, Suissa et al. explored the effect of a ketone ester in altering brain mitochondrial bioenergetics in mice. Among their several results, they found that exogenous ketones (via the ketone ester) increased brain citrate cycle intermediates, suggesting greater available energy. Further, they showed that higher ketones resulted in diminished brain glucose use, hinting at a competitive use and even perhaps a fuel preference (i.e., ketones over glucose). In the end, they provide evermore evidence that the ketone ester should be considered in the therapeutic approach to neurological disorders. </p></blockquote><p></p><h2>Eat More Fat</h2><p>Regardless of what you may have heard about fat being harmful, the body actually prefers it and runs more efficiently in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is now being used as a therapeutic measure for patients with neurological diseases. Why? Because the brain is made up of 60% fat. It is the fattiest organ in the entire body and we&#8217;re now learning that energy deficiency is what leads to neurological disease &#8212;a result of cellular dysfunction. When the body is placed into ketosis, diseased brains are able to function better due to the more efficient fatty fuel source. </p><p>In order to reach ketosis one must limit carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams. But that&#8217;s not all. A high increase in fat is necessary for ketosis to be effective because fat will become the primary fuel source. Many people do ketosis wrong. They decrease their carbohydrate intake while still attempting to eat lean. That&#8217;s a recipe for disaster and disease because the body is being starved of energy, not just nutrients. This means cells receive inadequate energy for the mitochondria to do their magic which will lead to cellular dysfunction.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been following my work you know that I&#8217;m a huge fan of what&#8217;s called the Carnivore Diet &#8212;eating mainly beef and liver. It&#8217;s not really a diet but, more of a way of eating, however, that&#8217;s the moniker that&#8217;s been assigned to it. I&#8217;ve been eating this way for a couple of years and can attest to the transformation the body goes through when switching to this way of eating. And this isn&#8217;t a result of switching from an unhealthy diet. In fact, I spent the last two decades eating &#8220;cleaner&#8221; than most people you&#8217;ll ever meet; lean meats only, low to no salt, nuts, seeds, oats, no butter, coconut and avocado oil, spinach salads, whole fruits, whole veggies, gallon of water per day, beet and watermelon juice, no refined sugar, supplements, weightlifting, cardio, etc&#8230; It all damn near killed me which is what caused me to go carnivore. I now enjoy <strong>the</strong> human species appropriate &#8220;diet&#8221;. I started eating what we&#8217;ve all been told was bad for us &#8212;only meat and fat. The transformation which the entire carnivore community can attest to is astounding. Eating this way means my body is always in ketosis and is always going through maximum autophagy. This gives my cells the best chance on earth at healing, repairing and recycling regardless of what I&#8217;m dealing with. This is how you protect your brain and your body &#8212;by building a strong foundation at the cellular level. </p><p>Despite subscribing to the carnivore way of eating &#8212;which is essentially anything animal based&#8212; I&#8217;m not advocating that in order to reach ketosis this is the only way to eat. In fact, many people in the carnivore community are not in ketosis because they consume a lot of dairy, as dairy is still animal based. I, however, have a problem with dairy. But eating a high fat low carbohydrate diet is key to entering ketosis and we&#8217;re not talking jars of avocado and coconut oil. No, we&#8217;re talking meat. The good stuff; steaks, bacon, lamb, bison, sausage, dark meat chicken, fatty fish and eggs. Fatty meat and low to no carbs. Your body will thank you for it.</p><p></p><h2>Methylene blue</h2><p>I want to leave you with one more thing as I wrap up. Albeit I&#8217;m not big on supplements as I believe meat provides all the nutrition the body needs to thrive, there is one product I would highly recommend and that is methylene blue. <strong>However, it is NOT recommended for people that are on medications such as SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, and TCAs that increase serotonin. Doing so will elevate serotonin to dangerous levels.</strong></p><p>Methylene blue has resurfaced as a popular product lately. That&#8217;s most likely due to the video of RFK Jr. using methylene blue on a flight making its rounds on the internet. I came across this synthetic dye about 20 years ago before it was popular. It was incredibly hard to find a consumer grade version back then and it was expensive. In the more recent years it&#8217;s been used as a fish tank anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, and disinfectant.</p><p>Methylene blue was developed in 1876 as a textile dye. However, a couple decades later a biochemist, Paul Ehrlich, decided to use it as a means of staining to better examine specimens. He quickly learned that certain bacteria were susceptible to this dye. This eventually lead to methylene blue being used as an effective treatment for malaria during World War I. It was later used as an antidote for cyanide poisoning and methemoglobinemia. Methylene blue has a remarkable ability to target cells with impaired mitochondria function. It boosts mitochondrial production of ATP &#8212;our energy currency&#8212; and thereby increases cellular energy. Because it has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier it works to improve neuronal function and overall brain health. There are many studies that speak to its efficacy; <em><strong><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0006322387901946">depression</a></strong></em>, <em><strong><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0006322386902659">bipolar disorder</a></strong></em>, <em><strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5732444/">mitigation of neuroinflammation</a></strong></em> and many others. In fact, yesterday <em><strong><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TS_Withdrawal/comments/1ha1v3b/its_not_topical_steroid_withdrawal_its/?share_id=ktz_sa6p2qXDKLC8plHud&amp;utm_content=2&amp;utm_medium=ios_app&amp;utm_name=ioscss&amp;utm_source=share&amp;utm_term=1">I came across an interesting post from a father on Reddit</a></strong></em>. For the past two years he and his wife had been battling an autoimmune issue their daughter was experiencing. The pictures of her inflamed skin are hard to look at as a parent. After two years of being jostled around by the medical industrial complex he came across methylene blue. After administering it to his daughter, her skin cleared up in a few months. The before and after is quite amazing. I don&#8217;t want this article to be longer than necessary as this topic can be an article itself but, I would highly recommend researching methylene blue. It is proven to support mitochondrial function while also killing bacteria such as Staph. Combined with light therapy you&#8217;ve got a powerhouse team.</p><p>Autophagy; support the body at a cellular level so it has the capability to heal and rebuild where necessary. Ketosis; so you can enter into <em><strong>maximum</strong></em> autophagy. Fatty meat and low to no-carbs; so you can enter into ketosis while maximizing nutrient density. And if you&#8217;re unsure about eating fatty red meat and you&#8217;d like some receipts, feel free to check out my article <em><strong><a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/meat-keeps-you-alive-which-is-why?utm_source=publication-search">Meat keeps you alive; which is why you're told to avoid it</a></strong></em>. </p><p>Now go become a Peak Human being!</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>&#129303; Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>&#129297; <a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe">Upgrade to a paid subscription to keep me going.</a></p></li><li><p>&#128526;Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to reclaim our humanity.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/this-is-how-you-protect-your-brainand?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/this-is-how-you-protect-your-brainand?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/this-is-how-you-protect-your-brainand?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The AI trap: The technology that caused everyone to forget]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Neural Cost of Convenience]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-ai-trap-the-technology-that-caused</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-ai-trap-the-technology-that-caused</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2025 22:43:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qbfI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f5046ac-9555-4da5-8fa4-c6a86155415b_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qbfI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f5046ac-9555-4da5-8fa4-c6a86155415b_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qbfI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f5046ac-9555-4da5-8fa4-c6a86155415b_1456x816.heic 424w, 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stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I cannot overstate the importance of protecting one&#8217;s brain health. The brain is our interpreter, visualizer, navigator, memory bank, and doorway into the world we know as reality. When the brain fails to function properly it can no longer interpret, visualize, navigate or remember correctly &#8212;resulting in the creation of a false reality. Our beliefs do not constitute truth. So if the brain is unable to operate as designed it will become beholden to what isn&#8217;t, failing to properly decipher what is true. Protecting our brain health is vital to our very existence.</p><p>Ever since cell phones became ubiquitous I&#8217;ve been concerned for my brain health. Over the last two decades I&#8217;ve noticed a change in the way that we as humans process, store, and recall information. The changes started slowly with the advent of the smart phone which led us all down the path of loading contacts into shiny devices tucked away in our pockets. While this removed the need to memorize crucial phone numbers it also left us with a problem &#8212;the struggle to remember phone numbers when desired.</p><p>A&nbsp;2020 Panda Security survey dubbed&nbsp;this phenomena&nbsp;"<em><strong><a href="https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/news/digital-amnesia-survey/">Digital amnesia</a></strong></em>," &#8211;the effect of a&nbsp;technology dependence&nbsp;that inhibits one's&nbsp;ability to remember things. In fact, this &#8220;amnesia&#8221; effect is so bad that over 20% of mobile phone users have to Google their own phone number because they can&#8217;t remember it.</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpTC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f9ff496-8707-4b19-8db7-3cea37814b68_1448x1318.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpTC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f9ff496-8707-4b19-8db7-3cea37814b68_1448x1318.heic 424w, 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpTC!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f9ff496-8707-4b19-8db7-3cea37814b68_1448x1318.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpTC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f9ff496-8707-4b19-8db7-3cea37814b68_1448x1318.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpTC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f9ff496-8707-4b19-8db7-3cea37814b68_1448x1318.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>According to the <em><strong><a href="https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/what-is-my-phone-number">latest data from whistleOut</a></strong></em> about 50% of mobile users only have 2-5 numbers committed to memory &#8212;with those over the age of 55 remembering the most numbers. This is most likely due to the younger generation&#8217;s overreliance of mobile technology.</p><p>This is just one simple example of how technology is used to offload important information. Another clear example would be the overreliance of global positioning systems &#8212;also known as GPS. There was a time when we relied on our built-in wayfinding to locate a new destination instead of GPS. Sometimes this included the use of travel maps. I still remember the days when my family would take cross-country trips. My dad would pull out his latest giant map to plot our path ahead of time, overlaying the highways and interstates with bright highlighted markings. </p><p>By the time I started to drive &#8212;around the late 1990s&#8212; an internet mapping service known as MapQuest was becoming popular. MapQuest used satellite imagery which allowed users to print directions to a destination from their website. It was an amazing technology at the time &#8212;as long as you remembered to print out the directions before hand and as long as the roads hadn&#8217;t changed since the last satellite image was taken. However, this technology provided an opportunity for the cognitive offloading of very important information and the very necessary skill of being able to spatially orient oneself within an environment. </p><p>A few years later and with the advent of smart mobile devices and enhanced GPS technologies, users began to put their minds on cruise control and wait for the audible instructions to tell them where to turn. Some navigation apps such as Waze took it up a notch. Waze went as far as warning you of nearby police that were camping along the interstate just waiting for speeders. This allowed for even more cognitive offloading as it alleviated drivers from scanning the roads for police while closely watching their speed. I remember thinking this technology was a godsend as I was a heavy commuter with a lead foot at the time. Due to what I&#8217;ve learned while working in tech I no longer share such sentiment.</p><p>I started my tech career in 1999 and over the last two decades I&#8217;ve watched society morph into what appears to be several steps back for humanity &#8212;increasing our reliance on technology. Regrettably, I was part of the social-tech revolution that polluted the internet with social check-in apps, replete with gamification and GPS tracking. The explosion of social media, the endless stream of content in an &#8220;always-on&#8221; and &#8220;accessible everywhere&#8221; service world has caused a fundamental shift in how we all approach life as we&#8217;re constantly glued to our screens. When we look at how children are being trained up in today&#8217;s world this societal change couldn&#8217;t be more obvious. I am one of the many tech sages that greatly minimize my kid&#8217;s access to the internet. Most people have zero idea as to how technology and social applications in particular are reshaping the brain. Everything is built on human psychology.</p><p>A <em><strong><a href="https://trojournal.com/3304/opinion/why-dont-kids-go-outside-anymore/">National Trust study</a></strong></em> found that the current generation &#8212;kids aged 6 to 17&#8212; spend nearly half as much of their time outside than their parents generation. A survey conducted in the U.K. <em><strong><a href="https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/children-today-62-percent-less-likely-to-play-outside-than-their">found that just 27% of children</a></strong></em> said they regularly play outside their homes, compared to 71% of the baby boomer generation. This matches my experience over the last two decades. My family has lived in different neighborhoods across different states and the streets are always quiet, even on weekends. While some tend to think the shift is a result of kidnapping fears that have swept the globe &#8212;and there&#8217;s some truth to it&#8212; I can&#8217;t say that I fully agree with it being the main cause for the shift. When I was a kid the same fears existed which is why we were told to never take candy from a stranger, don&#8217;t hop into stranger&#8217;s cars, don&#8217;t talk to strangers and always travel in pairs. Parents used to go through Halloween bags to ensure candy was safe for their children out of an abundance of caution. When we all went out to play, everyone knew to be home or at least close to home when the streetlights went out. While I believe parents today are more fear driven and overprotective, the concern for child safety has always existed. What didn&#8217;t exist however, was a world where information technology is plugged into everyone&#8217;s lives and never shuts off. Because of this shift, there&#8217;s mounting concern that our brains are slowly changing for the worse &#8212;becoming atrophic.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><p>If you&#8217;ve been keeping up with my work you&#8217;ll know that I&#8217;m a big believer in the idea of cosmic cyclical timing &#8212;the idea that time is not linear but is instead cyclical, repeating at particular points in order to reset the proverbial stage. To some the idea can seem a bit far-fetched. This is because we&#8217;ve been indoctrinated with the narrative of linear progression bolstered by macroevolutionary theory. The story that the human race started at 0 and will now progress towards infinity is seared deep into the minds of most people. But for years I&#8217;ve sensed that something is off in the world. I believe the continuum of infinite progress we live in is nothing more than an illusion. It is a fake reality that&#8217;s been meticulously curated by dark spiritual forces for the purposes of distraction. We&#8217;re all staring at the shiny object, worshipping our technology &#8212;Babel reborn. It is the very same technology that will usurp the human mind, causing us to yet again forget our past. You&#8217;re probably wondering how? I&#8217;ll try to explain.</p><p>With the current rise of artificial intelligence we are beginning to offload more of the brain&#8217;s cognitive functions. Such functions strengthen and maintain the brain&#8217;s ability to think critically and solve problems. Researchers are becoming concerned and have recently become more vocal about this potential danger. A National Library of Medicine <em><strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11020077">opinion article released in 2024 concerning the&nbsp;impact of artificial-intelligence chatbots (AICs)</a></strong></em> on cognitive health had this to say:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>AICICA (AIC Induced Cognitive Atrophy) refers to the potential deterioration of essential cognitive abilities resulting from an overreliance on AICs. In this context, CA (Cognitive Atrophy) signifies a decline in core cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, analytical acumen, and creativity, induced by the interactive and personalized nature of AICs interactions. The concept draws parallels with the 'use it or lose it' brain development principle (Shors et al.,&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11020077/#B14">2012</a></strong>), positing that excessive dependence on AICs without concurrent cultivation of fundamental cognitive skills may lead to underutilization and subsequent loss of cognitive abilities.</p><p>People may reduce their effort or shed responsibility while carrying out a task if an automated system performs the same function. It has been suggested that using technology convinces the human mind to hand over tasks and associated responsibilities to the system.<strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6534180/#b7-ptj4406320">7</a></strong>,<strong><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6534180/#b8-ptj4406320">8</a></strong>&nbsp;This mental handover can reduce the vigilance people would typically demonstrate if carrying out those tasks independently.</p></blockquote><p>I found this opinion article pretty fascinating but also incredibly worrisome. It delves into the topic of EMT (Extended Mind Theory) and describes how technology is used as an extension to our cognition. It&#8217;s pretty disturbing.</p><blockquote><p>The EMT, proposed by Clark and Chalmers (1998), challenges_ the traditional boundaries of cognitive processes being confined within the human brain. According to the EMT, cognition extends beyond neural architecture and infiltrates into the tools we   employ. Within this complex interplay, AICs assume a pivotal role, transforming from a mere artifact into an active contributor to our cognitive functioning. This symbiotic relationship between humans and AICs could promote cognitive offloading, a mechanism through which individuals utilize external aids to alleviate cognitive burdens. AICs facilitate this process; enabling individuals to delegate complicated cognitive tasks, supporting them navigate the complexities of modern life. Powerful AICs, such as Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer (ChatGPT), Google Bard, Bing Chat, Perplexity AI, equip users with remarkable abilities, empowering them to conquer complex problem-solving, generate creative outputs, and instantaneously access vast amounts of information (Dergaa et al., 2023). Just as excessive reliance on the Internet has produced unintended cognitive consequences (Grissinger, 2019), uncontrolled cognitive offloading through the utilization of AICs necessitates critical examination. However, the impact of AICs, based on their output and nature of interaction, may pose a substantially negative effect on cognitive health. Unlike general Internet use, AICs engage users in a more personalized, interactive manner, potentially leading to a deeper cognitive reliance.</p></blockquote><p>The article suggests that AI Chatbots illicit an overreliance in the context of trust. Because chatbots mimic human intelligence people develop a tendency to trust what is being communicated, thereby deepening the personal connection to the technology. This deepened connection increases cognitive reliance and the result is more cognitive offloading. It becomes a vicious cycle and extremely concerning when we take into consideration this technology&#8217;s ability to get it wrong. One of the chief concerns when using LLMs (Large Language Models) such as ChatGPT is their propensity to hallucinate depending on the subject matter. When these Ai models hallucinate they essentially fabricate false information so caution must be exercised when using them. I do believe however, that the error or hallucination rates will decrease over time as the technology improves. But this will only increase our reliance.</p><p>I also came across an interesting article covering <em><strong><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-50096-001?doi=1">a scientific paper out of the University of Monterrey</a></strong></em>&#8212;that looks at the concern of Ai supplanting human cognition. The same fears are shared:</p><blockquote><p>But Dom&#237;nguez&#8217;s paper warns of the potential risks associated with integrating AI so closely into our cognitive processes. A key concern is &#8220;cognitive offloading,&#8221; where humans might become overly reliant on AI, leading to a decline in our ability to perform cognitive tasks independently. Just as muscles can weaken without exercise, cognitive skills can deteriorate if they&#8217;re not regularly used.</p><p>The danger, as Dom&#237;nguez&#8217;s paper outlines, is not just about becoming lazy thinkers. There&#8217;s a more profound risk that our cognitive development and problem-solving abilities could be stunted. Over time, this could lead to a society where critical thinking and creativity are in short supply, as people become accustomed to letting AI do the heavy lifting.</p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p>&#8220;Many people argue that there have been other technologies that allowed for cognitive offloading, such as calculators, computers, and more recently, Google search,&#8221; Dom&#237;nguez explained. &#8220;However, even then, these technologies did not solve the problem for you; they assisted with part of the problem and/or provided information that you had to integrate into a plan or decision-making process.</p><p>&#8220;With ChatGPT, we encounter a tool that (1) is accessible to everyone for free (global impact) and (2) is capable of planning and making decisions on your behalf. ChatGPT represents a logarithmic amplifier of cognitive offloading compared to the classical technologies previously available.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p></p><p>This is quite problematic when we think about how the brain works. If you&#8217;ve been around long enough then you undoubtedly have participated in cognitive offloading. As a species we are slowly handing over cognitive tasks to AI as we become more dependent on it. There are many people that are extremely wary of AI and as someone who has spent over 20 years in tech, I believe it&#8217;s warranted. </p><p>I recently watched a clip of Vice President JD Vance, where he spoke at the Paris AI Summit in France. He extolled what he believes are future opportunities that AI will provide while stating that fears and excessive regulation around the technology will work against human &#8220;progress&#8221;. As much as I like JD Vance, and again as someone who has spent two decades working in tech, I believe he couldn&#8217;t be more wrong.</p><p>AI will replace a lot of jobs, period. When we talk about artificial intelligence we&#8217;re not talking about the creation of more dumb machines on an assembly line and faster rockets. AI doesn&#8217;t mimic physical tasking. It mimics cognitive tasking. Integrating an artificial intelligence layer within our world will drastically change how we live and interact as a human species, not just how we work. Why? Because we will no longer solely interact with just each other. Our dependence on AI and its decisioning will increase as well as our trust. I believe this will lead to the development of human relationships with AI and a deeper dependence on these relationships. A dependence on AI which can cognitively outperform a human will mean deeper relationships with AI instead of humans.</p><p>I don&#8217;t subscribe to the idea that humans will become more productive due to AI. In fact, I believe all we&#8217;ve done since the dawn of time is shift energy production around. Sure, those living in a developed world no longer need to farm all day or hunt for food. Those activities demanded a certain level of energy expenditure to keep society in motion. But we&#8217;ve simply shifted all of that energy into commuting through smog filled cities only to sit at a desk as a slave to technology. We&#8217;ve transformed the way that we live by transferring human energy production into what we&#8217;ve built, with the hope that our technology would alleviate the need for human energy to keep society in motion. But I&#8217;d argue the energy still exists and we&#8217;re no more productive than we have been in the past. We&#8217;re simply doing different things &#8212;less physically demanding things&#8212; that have been disastrous to the human race.</p><p>We spend less time with our families, we incur more stress, we spend less time operating in our natural environment and we&#8217;ve polluted and damaged the earth for productivity sake. The energy we once produced is now offloaded and transformed for our technology to use and this has come at a cost. I would argue that as a species we are busier than ever as we attempt to juggle a million things at once, but we are far less productive and more stressed. I measure productivity based on outcomes, not outputs, as should everyone. However, we unfortunately live in a time where people have confused outputs created by our technology as equal to more or better outcomes.</p><p>If humans were batteries &#8212;which I&#8217;m hoping you&#8217;re seeing that we are acting as such&#8212; then artificial intelligence is coming to siphon off the last bit of our energy which is our cognition. As the brain faces atrophy, we will rely on AI to fill in the gap. AI will drain every last bit of our cognitive energy as we continue to offload human energy to be stored and used by our technology. I don&#8217;t see how a society can become more productive while facing brain atrophy. I do see how our technology and more specifically our machines can give us the appearance of being more productive. It&#8217;s because we&#8217;re still dealing with outputs only.</p><p>I&#8217;ve stated several times before that humans are not living according to God&#8217;s decree.  And if humans aren&#8217;t living according to God&#8217;s decree &#8212;laid out in Genesis 1:26&#8212; then that means man will be pursuing what he&#8217;s not meant to pursue. This can only end in disaster just like the Tower of Babel event. There is no other option. When something is designed for a specific purpose and is able to fulfill its purpose the result will be harmony and order. To the contrary, when whatever has been designed rejects or fails to fulfill its purpose the result becomes chaos. There&#8217;s a necessary chaos and order balance that is built into the cosmos with an abundance of examples for when chaos strikes; a guard dog that fails to guard during an attack on its owner; a car that fails to start; a screw that fails to secure; soap that doesn&#8217;t clean; food that doesn&#8217;t satiate; medicine that fails to heal; an alarm clock that fails to go off; a bridge that buckles under the weight of cars; a dam that fails to hold back a river. All of this leads to chaos. Human beings failing to fulfill their purpose is no different. The only question left to answer is, when will chaos strike humanity again? And with an overreliance on our machines coupled with our inability to think critically about our world, in the future who will be left to remember what once was?</p><p>As I wrap up here, I want to share with you some things that I am doing to better protect my mind. Feel free to implement these tips and add others in the comment section.</p><ol><li><p>Work on your spacial awareness: This can be done by playing video games with large maps a character must traverse, driving around without navigation in unfamiliar areas, or hiking.</p></li><li><p>Work on your problem solving abilities: This includes completing puzzles and math problems. </p></li><li><p>Improve neural connections: This can be done by taking time out of your day to learn something new. Improving neural connections will help strengthen problem solving abilities, memorization, and critical thinking skills.</p></li><li><p>Be wary of cognitive offloading: When you use AI attempt to minimize cognitive offloading as much as possible. Remember to always be the &#8220;brain&#8221; behind AI.</p></li></ol><p>As I stated earlier, I&#8217;ve spent quite some time in and around technology. Not just as a user but as a developer and engineer. I&#8217;m a big believer in leveraging technology in ways that can augment human tasks but with the caveat that it enables us to be better stewards of the Earth, not simply make bigger toys which encourage laziness. Yet, I&#8217;m also incredibly cautious because I understand just how dangerous AI can be. I think it&#8217;s important to remember that technology itself can be neutral, but it is built by humans hands that often have certain agendas, biases and motivations. AI will undoubtedly reflect the characteristics of its master. I see a potential future where  ambition and hubris create a world with humans enslaved to their very own technology. I see this ending in disaster with a reset of the species and planet becoming necessary to restore natural order &#8212;the defeat of chaos. This may give rise to a future civilization completely unaware of the mistakes made in the past &#8212;only to eventually repeat the same cycle as they chase human progress. </p><p>But hey, maybe I&#8217;m just tripp&#8217;n.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>&#129303; Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>&#129297; <a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe">Upgrade to a paid subscription to keep me going.</a></p></li><li><p>&#128526;Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p><p></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to reclaim their humanity.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-ai-trap-the-technology-that-caused?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-ai-trap-the-technology-that-caused?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-ai-trap-the-technology-that-caused?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Rockets of Human Progress Fall From the Sky]]></title><description><![CDATA[What will you do?]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-rockets-of-human-progress-fall</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-rockets-of-human-progress-fall</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jan 2025 22:07:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:253566,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5yD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F056a2351-6a76-4c4c-b428-d3c60cc3485e_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The famous quote &#8212;belonging to Neil Armstrong&#8212; was delivered once he stepped foot on the moon. While an extremely popular quote, it isn&#8217;t quite what Armstrong said as the letter &#8216;a&#8217; was hard to hear during his transmission. His actual quote was, <em>"That's one small step for &#8216;<strong>a&#8217;</strong> man, one giant leap for mankind."</em> However, the sentiment of the more popular version of the quote has been embraced by many over the decades. With each new SpaceX rocket that dons one of Earth&#8217;s orbits with a new satellite &#8212;rocket booster recaptured with incredible precision&#8212; wide-eyed progressionists clap and cheer as they envision the stars drawing that much closer to their grasping hands. Humanity, moving forward.</p><p>Many people aren&#8217;t familiar with the term &#8220;progressionist&#8221;, yet they heavily subscribe to what it means &#8212;a belief in the biological progression or evolution of the human race. It is a desire to be more than what we are and to have more than what has been graciously allotted. If we were to meditate on the spectacularity of what we&#8217;re part of it becomes obvious that a rock, spinning in deep space sustaining all life is beyond human comprehension. While we can realize what is happening as a fact, the how and why behind it all boggles the human mind. But, one thing is certain if we&#8217;re honest with ourselves and that is nothing appears to be by mere accident. Move just one of our planets and the gravitational disruption alone is enough to destabilize every planet including Earth. Yet, despite the exactness, wonder, and awe of what is our home we still desire more &#8211;reaching for the stars.</p><p>Up until now humans have accomplished incredible feats through the use of technology &#8212;no matter how crude&#8212; with the ultimate goal of creating as much efficiency as possible. Yet, it seems efficiency is no longer the goal and I&#8217;ve begun to question if it ever was. When I look out at the world I don&#8217;t see a family of human beings working together to exercise perfect dominion over its planet. Instead, I see something else &#8212;a species constantly trying to break free from its purpose and role. For example, humans aren&#8217;t meant to live forever, but living forever is the desire. Humans aren&#8217;t meant to live on other planets, but living on other planets is the desire. Humans aren&#8217;t meant to be half-cyborg, but transhumanism is now the desire. Humans aren&#8217;t meant to be gods, yet here we are, attempting to manipulate life as if it were a sci-fi Hollywood movie. I believe we&#8217;ve taken our eye off the ball &#8212;pun intended&#8212; in our pursuit of progress.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><p>The story of humanity attempting to be more than it is traces back to our beginning. The Adam and Eve account most people are familiar with captures the great temptation resting at the core of man&#8217;s heart &#8212;the desire for more than just Eden and to be more than just a gardener&#8212; discontent with his position in life. Adam and Eve wanted out of the Garden before they were ready. In the biblical account Yahweh creates humanity as His image bearers to exercise dominion over the earth. Pleased with His labor that took place over the course of 6 days He finally rests. The ancient Babylonian account of creation captured in tablet VI of Enuma Elish puts a different spin on the human creation story. In this account humanity is created specifically for the purpose of doing the work of the gods &#8212;work that was considered drudgery. The creation of man would relieve the gods to focus on the rest of the cosmos. But in both accounts we see man was created with a purpose and duty to work the earth.</p><p>However, the temptation to not live out God&#8217;s decree doesn&#8217;t stop at the Edenic event. It continues with the Babel event which takes place post flood as man unites to build a ziggurat &#8212;a divine temple&#8212; in order to bring the divine realm to the earth. Since man could not reach the gods, the idea was to establish a way to bring the gods down to them. This causes Yahweh and his divine council to descend but, only to address man&#8217;s disobedience by confusing the rebel&#8217;s language, followed by separating them into nations. Once again we see humanity discontent with its purpose and job of stewarding the earth. It rejects God&#8217;s decree to fill the earth and exercise dominion over it &#8212;the same decree given to Adam and Eve.</p><p>But oddly, it&#8217;s not only humans who have a problem with sticking to the plan. In the biblical account, the catastrophic flood event known throughout the ancient world was a consequence of the planet becoming corrupted. The corruption was a result of the supernatural sons of God copulating with humanity &#8212;causing women to bear a new species known as the Nephilim who led humanity to depravity. This depravity spread and fully corrupted our planet. This is important to note because we see supernatural beings also refusing to follow their purpose which was to maintain the supernatural realm. Instead, many attempt to interfere in the business of humanity on earth in order to live as humans. The problem &#8212;and there are really many&#8212; with not being God is the absence of knowledge and wisdom known only to God. As a species we seem to never learn, much like a hard headed, belligerent child that kicks and screams in the grocery store because they&#8217;ve been told, &#8220;no candy&#8221;. </p><p>As a species we often make things worse in our attempt to make things better as if the cosmos needs our help. We&#8217;re quick to start a work, only to leave it half done before we jettison off to the next thing to disrupt. Should we be surprised that when humans attempt to do more than what is required it finds itself closer to chaos and destruction? Whether it is the advent of agricultural technology which causes destruction to the planet and increases disease through poison peddled as food; the field of medicine that rakes in billions annually while not actually curing anyone of anything; innovation in nuclear weaponry meant for deterrence yet we&#8217;re closer to using them than any point in history; or digital technology which is used by governments to create honeypots for its citizens or disseminate false information to manipulate whole societies; it is clear to me that humans usually start out with good intentions only for those intentions to quickly erode. We&#8217;re like little fire starters, setting everything ablaze wherever we go and then we wonder why it&#8217;s all on fire. Instead of putting out the previous fire, we set a new one somewhere else. We tell ourselves that the work we do must be done for the betterment of mankind and that we <em>mean well</em>. But there&#8217;s a familiar saying, <em>&#8220;The road to hell is paved with good intentions.&#8221;</em> I believe this is a saying that we all need to start taking seriously as it concerns our progressionists efforts. I&#8217;ve written on the declining health of the human race several times before so I won&#8217;t do it here, but if after all we&#8217;ve built we&#8217;re losing our bodies, minds, and souls, then maybe, just maybe we need to hit pause on this movie we&#8217;re all in and start questioning our actions.</p><p>Where are we going? This is a question no one can answer but, my senses tell me that humans just want to simply do whatever they want, not <em>whatever they should</em>, all at the expense of human lives and the cosmos. Human accomplishments are normally couched in language around ideas such as bettering society, progressing the human race, or advancing human civilization. But none of this actually means anything as there&#8217;s nothing substantive behind such ideas. It&#8217;s language that puffs up the ego of humanity while leaving everyone blinded by pride. A destination can only be determined if there is a clear understanding of what that destination happens to be in relation to the point of origin. And how will we know when we&#8217;ve arrived? Who is in the driver&#8217;s seat? The human race appears to be white-knuckling a steering wheel motoring through space and time with no real idea of where it is going, yet thinks because it has created new technology it is somehow progressing. Who determined humanity needed to &#8220;progress&#8221;? Who gets to determine what defines progression? Who gets to play God with the human race? Why can&#8217;t we get our own house in order before we destroy something else?</p><p>The danger of technology doesn&#8217;t lie in itself, but in the hands of those who wield it and have become enslaved to it. Artificial intelligence and rockets aren&#8217;t a sign of human progress as there is nothing which can &#8220;progress the human&#8221;. The human is a wonderfully created spectacle fashioned by the ingenuity and grace of an amazing God. The earth was and is a gift bestowed upon the image bearers of this God to steward and protect. The obviousness of this fact is etched into the soul of every human being that realizes we are connected to the planet we live on. Nothing else no matter how shiny enables such a bond.</p><p>Absent from the conversation of human progression is the concern of the human heart. The pride of humanity attempts to subvert the issue we all know exists &#8212;depravity&#8212; by focusing on technological progress. We often ignore the proverbial elephant in the room. But the many ills we face in the world aren&#8217;t due to a lack of technology but a lack of love towards the human race and a rejection of God&#8217;s will. World hunger isn&#8217;t a result of food lack. It is a result of poor stewarding of the earth&#8217;s resources. Disease isn&#8217;t prevalent because we need better medicines or new technology. It is prevalent due to the creation of toxins and poisons that are a net result of our modern living &#8212;compounded by our refusal to live according to nature&#8217;s laws. Poverty isn&#8217;t a result of technological lack. It is a result of the poor use of citizen&#8217;s tax revenue and corrupt government officials that depress an economy. </p><p>I&#8217;m reminded of ancient Israel that implemented a system to ensure that those who were poor could glean from the fields of those that set aside a certain percentage of their harvest &#8212;which was commanded by God. Furthermore, every seven years ancient Israel practiced what was known as Shemittat Kesafim &#8212;the release of monies&#8212; which meant the forgiveness of all debts. This was essentially a reset of the economy and every 50 years Jubilee was celebrated which alleviated all debt, enforced the return of land to the original owners of those who sold it to pay off debt and also to free anyone that was a slave. This was a 50 year reset of the entire nation. Socialism not required. But this kind of &#8220;progress&#8221; requires a change of the human heart and it is a type of progress that carries with it a lack of interest in our day. Man always thinks his ways are loftier than his Creator&#8217;s.</p><p>Real progress in life demands real sacrifice. It is the type of sacrifice humanity has been unwilling to bear since its creation. Since the dawn of time humans have sought after ways to build until it can touch the sky, foolishly thinking that by playing God we can progress past what we are. But no matter how many supplements one swallows, botox procedures one endures, green smoothies one drinks, rockets we blast, robots we build, medicines we create, or planets we touch, if the human race still carries the same rebellious heart the end result will be chaos. We can try to convince ourselves that we&#8217;re different, better than those who came before us and that we&#8217;ll never make the same mistakes such as starting a world war. But, I&#8217;m willing to bet everyone before us thought the same.</p><p>Each and every one of us are caught in what I call the chaos cycle. I believe time is in fact not linear, but cyclical and it includes resets. The great lie is that the story of the human race is linear and it is this lie that keeps everyone focused on the wrong thing &#8212;eyes only forward reaching for what&#8217;s past our grasp. It is akin to a driver who never uses their rear or side view mirrors. It is akin to a horse with blinders on. The more the system we all live in keeps us distracted with the false narrative of progress the higher our chances are of heading towards disaster like those who came before us. Human pride would have us believe we who live today, are at the precipice of the human race. But everyone that came before us was able to make that very same claim during their time. Kingdoms rise and fall. Civilizations come and go. The earth morphs and shifts, hiding its past from those who live in the present &#8212;leaving everyone to wonder what was.</p><p>The system we live in is designed in such a way that we believe it is necessary for us to survive and thrive. The deceptive mantra is, &#8220;build or die&#8221; so we blindly keep churning as cogs in a wheel seeking ways to optimize our output. What would the world look like for each of us if we simply stopped trying to build and started stewarding what exists today? I believe a world  exists where our mental and physical health does not take a nose dive. A world where stress is no longer king as we worry about things beyond our control. A world where we use our ingenuity to improve the conditions of our planet while eating a species appropriate diet. A world where we find better ways to mediate economic energy so waste doesn&#8217;t create unnecessary poverty. A world where we can stop inhaling and lathering in toxins. A world where we all seek ways to share instead of storing up what we can&#8217;t take with us when we die. There&#8217;s much work that can be done to help the human race and our home but, solutions don&#8217;t start with star gazing at the technology built by wayward people.</p><p>I know what I&#8217;m proposing may sound like an attempt at utopia but I don&#8217;t subscribe to the idea of a utopic earth &#8212;not until the return of Christ and the remaking of the earth. We will still have wars, people will fall ill, die, and there will still be corruption. But the point, is that we should be striving to get our own house in order while our &#8220;modern&#8221; civilization has a chance. If not, we need to ask what will we do when the rockets we&#8217;ve built start falling from the sky, only for the next civilization to wonder what was.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please restack and share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>&#129303; Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>&#129297; <a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe">Upgrade to a paid subscription to keep me going.</a></p></li><li><p>&#128526;Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-rockets-of-human-progress-fall?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-rockets-of-human-progress-fall?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-rockets-of-human-progress-fall?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Flu. The invisible weapon.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Once you notice a tear in the very fabric we call reality, you can&#8217;t avoid peeking through the dark curtain.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/flu-the-invisible-weapon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/flu-the-invisible-weapon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:15:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:230832,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tWFB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F05c4b7f6-1f4d-4f8f-98c8-97a2c7a2a727_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" 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y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p>Once you notice a tear in the very fabric we call reality, you can&#8217;t avoid peeking through the dark curtain.</p></div><p>The mantra I live by is &#8220;question everything&#8221;. This includes sickness &#8212;which we&#8217;ve all been taught at an early age to be a normal part of life. While it may be part of life, I&#8217;m not convinced the majority of illnesses we face today are in fact <em>normal</em> or naturally occurring afflictions. While there are certain sicknesses that can be contributed to pathogenic &#8212;disease or illness causing&#8212; bacteria, that doesn&#8217;t mean all sicknesses should be assumed to exist as a naturally occurring phenomena. I believe the reason why most people are convinced otherwise is because we&#8217;ve been programmed to accept the idea of illness as a necessary reality of the human condition. We&#8217;ve all been brainwashed with the ridiculous notion of exposing ourselves to bacteria and viruses in order to &#8220;build up&#8221; our immune system. We&#8217;re taught that getting sick is a good thing. To me, this is lunacy and an outright demonic lie. Common sense argues that <em>not</em> getting sick is a good thing. Furthermore, just because the immune system can be tricked into recognizing 70 different viruses doesn&#8217;t make the immune system stronger. If one&#8217;s immune system is weak the body can still become gravely ill &#8212;sometimes to the brink of death&#8212; despite the immune system being able to recognize a legion of viruses. The fact that you may have licked the bathroom floor of a department store when you were 3 yrs of age isn&#8217;t going to do squat for you later in life if you find yourself with an autoimmune disorder, where simple stress will throw your body out of wack &#8212;leaving you severely vulnerable to practically every illness possible. Children today receive more vaccines &#8212;north of 70&#8212; than any other time in history yet have the most <em><strong><a href="https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/autoimmunity-in-adolescents-tripled-in-recent-decades">immune system disorders ever recorded</a></strong></em>. So much for &#8220;more is better&#8221;.</p><p>As someone who&#8217;s had to battle chronic illness for quite some time, I find the flu particularly intriguing. It&#8217;s one of those mysteries of life that I feel I&#8217;ve never received an adequate answer as to why it exists. Why does the flu magically go full retard around the same time every year &#8212;the winter? Why is it that people who stop getting flu shots seem to stop getting the flu altogether? From where does this nightmare originate? How and why does it leap from one person to another with such voracity as it reeks havoc on its unsuspecting victim?</p><p>Well I decided that once and for all I was going to spend a bit more time researching flu and cold viruses because frankly &#8212;like many narratives in this world&#8212; I&#8217;m convinced the narrative around these illnesses are false. So like any world genius, I decided to start my research on Google. Besides, if it&#8217;s on the internet then it must be true.</p><p>Eventually I found myself on Flu.com which I found a bit disturbing because there&#8217;s an entire website dedicated to this one virus. Apparently Flu.com exists as an educational resource for those wanting to learn more about the flu &#8212;specifically its origins, prevention methods, latest news, and wait for it&#8230; available vaccines. I immediately became curious as to who would build such a site. </p><p>It turns out that Flu.com is &#8220;sponsored&#8221; by CSL Seqirus, a biotechnology company and global vaccine provider with manufacturing plants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. According to their own website, they were created when &#8220;<em>their parent company, CSL Limited, acquired the Novartis influenza vaccine business and combined its vaccine subsidiary, bioCSL</em>&#8221;. This explains who&#8217;s behind the website.</p><p>CSL was established in 1916 in Australia and when the Spanish flu struck the country just two years later, CSL was there to deliver 3 million doses of a mixed bacteria vaccine. It wouldn&#8217;t be until 1944 that CSL was able to produce an actual influenza vaccine which was then deployed to Australian and British troops. In 1951 the World Health Organization designated CSL as an Influenza Reference Lab to enhance Southern Hemisphere Influenza surveillance. Eventually in 2002 they would expand into the Northern Hemisphere furthering their reach.</p><h2>Flu Origins</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:121594,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o2ra!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F039c3272-19ea-4764-b108-909c1d750f31_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The chief questions that I really wanted answered concern the origin of the flu and how humans contracted the virus. The website goes on to say:</p><blockquote><p>Some scientists hypothesize that humans probably acquired influenza when they began domesticating animals like birds and pigs. The rise of agriculture and permanent settlements provided ideal conditions to trigger a flu epidemic. </p></blockquote><p>We see that scientists have a hypothesis which means they don&#8217;t know for sure how humans acquired the virus. I find this hypothesis a bit wanting considering humans have been in close contact with animals well before domestication, evident by the hunter gatherer age. But this doesn&#8217;t answer where the flu came from or how humans contracted it.</p><p>The authors of the website reference what could be potential evidence of a flu-like virus dating back to antiquity:</p><blockquote><p>In his sixth book of &#8220;Epidemics,&#8221; the Greek physician Hippocrates describes a highly contagious disease with flu-like symptoms. Modern doctors believe this may be the first reference of influenza (412BC).</p></blockquote><p>However, they also make the following claim:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;While the flu has most likely been around for ages, no definitive historical records exist.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p></p><p>I decided to read the Epidemics so I could ascertain how the authors were drawing this conclusion. But from what I read, Hippocrates wasn&#8217;t describing what we commonly know as the flu. For starters, the illnesses that are described in the Epidemics are actually prevalent in the spring and summer unlike in our day where fall and winter are known as cold and flu season. Hippocrates goes on to say:</p><blockquote><p>The whole season&nbsp;being wet, cold, and northerly, people were, for the most part, healthy&nbsp;during winter; but early in the spring very many, indeed, the greater part,&nbsp;were valetudinary.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Furthermore, what Hippocrates presents are cases that don&#8217;t look anything like the flu except the mention of fevers, coughs and chills which existed along side other symptoms. He goes on to describe what he calls a disease with symptoms such as things floating in thick cloudy urine, hemorrhaging from the nose, black bowels, vomiting bile, jaundice, eye squints and many others. This doesn&#8217;t sound like the flu or a common cold.</p><p>The website makes several other attempts to trace the history of the flu. It references the 1357 &#8220;La fluenza&#8221; epidemic:</p><blockquote><p>In 1357, people called an epidemic in Florence, Italy &#8220;influenza di freddo,&#8221; which translates to &#8220;cold influence.&#8221; This may be a reference to the possible cause of the disease.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Once again we see the use of words such as &#8220;may be&#8221; and &#8220;possible&#8221;. So this is another unfounded guess. However, the site goes on to claim that most epidemiologists agree that what took place in 1580 is the earliest recorded influenza outbreak. This means everything that you just read concerning the history of the flu you can pretty much forget. Sorry and your welcome.</p><p>It goes on to say this:</p><blockquote><p>Most epidemiologists agree that the 1580 influenza outbreak is the earliest recorded flu pandemic. It began in Asia during the summer before spreading to Africa, Europe, and eventually across the seas to the Americas. While the total death toll is unknown, it killed 8,000 people in Rome.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>As I researched into this pandemic I wasn&#8217;t able to find a cause for the illness nor are there a lot of details concerning the illness itself. However, there is plenty of information regarding the impact that this mysterious illness had on soldiers over the course of various wars within different empires. This illness would weaken soldiers making it difficult for them to either mount an offense or defense against their enemies. This same theme runs through the 18th and 19th centuries &#8212;soldiers falling victim to illness giving their healthy enemy an advantage.</p><p>If we fast forward a century things really begin to pick up regarding this illness. In 1918 a new virus strain is discovered and is known as the Spanish flu. This is the deadliest pandemic in the 20th century &#8212;decreasing human life expectancy by 12 years. What we know at this point is that there is a flu virus, however, we still don&#8217;t know its origin.</p><p>In 1957 yet again we get a new strain and more deaths with the Asian Flu. Around this period there was a rise of vaccinations in order to limit the severity and spreading of the illness. The flu would continue to plague humanity in the following years and in 2009 H1N1 &#8212;also known as the Swine flu virus&#8212; spread which encouraged the CDC and WHO to work together to develop a vaccine. </p><p>In the end, Flu.com fell short in explaining the origins of the flu &#8212;which was surprising. Not that I&#8217;d expect a non-biased origin story from a Pharma supported website. However, I would expect <em><strong>a</strong></em> story. I decided to pivot slightly to researching the common cold since the symptoms are similar. My thinking was that it could put me in the ballpark concerning  the origin of flu-like viruses.</p><p></p><h2>The Common Cold</h2><p>While researching the common cold virus, <em><strong><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120073115.htm#:~:text=11%2F081120073115.htm-,A%20virus%20that%20causes%20cold%2Dlike%20symptoms%20in%20humans%20originated,deadly%20viruses%20emerge%20in%20humans">I found a study from 2008</a></strong></em> that suggests this illness is a recent phenomena &#8212;arriving just 200 years ago:</p><blockquote><p>A virus that causes cold-like symptoms in humans originated in birds and may have crossed the species barrier around 200 years ago, according to an article in the Journal of General Virology. Scientists hope their findings will help us understand how potentially deadly viruses emerge in humans.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Once again we&#8217;re left without a smoking gun. This particular virus &#8212;the Human Metapneumovirus, or HMPV&#8212; like certain flu viruses, also purportedly started with birds, yet only 200 years ago. This study had some interesting findings:</p><blockquote><p>"Human metapneumovirus may be the second most common cause of lower respiratory infection in young children. Studies have shown that by the age of five, virtually all children have been exposed to the virus and re-infections appear to be common," said Professor Dr Fouchier.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>"We have identified sites on some virus proteins that we can monitor to help identify future dominant strains of the virus."</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>Human metapneumovirus is related to the respiratory syncytial virus, measles, mumps and parainfluenza viruses.&nbsp;</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>It infects people of all ages but is most common in children under five.&nbsp;</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>Symptoms include runny nose, cough, sore throat and fever. Infection can also lead to more severe illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia, which can result in hospitalisation, especially in infants and immunocompromised patients.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Coincidentally, the symptoms related to HMPV seem very similar to those of the flu.  But out of all this, I couldn&#8217;t find a smoking gun. It seemed as if there wasn&#8217;t an origin for the flu or colds. No matter how hard I attempted to press on this issue the matrix just spit back the same answers &#8212;that the flu virus exists and that scientists &#8220;think, may have, possibly&#8221; started with animals. But this wasn&#8217;t what I was asking. I wanted the origin story for the virus itself, not just who caught it first &#8212;the animals. For example, <em>how did the animals get it?</em>  </p><p>While there&#8217;s no actual cure or causation for these viruses there are plenty of colorful sweetened remedies sold to the general public. It is expected that the global OTC Cold, Cough and Allergy industry will reach $66 billion in growth by 2032. It is currently at $42 billion. When comparing the revenue generated globally, the United States leads with US$11.19 billion as of 2024. The global influenza vaccine market is expected to reach $17 bil by 2032. There&#8217;s a lot of money being made to mitigate the symptoms of illnesses that apparently have no origin and no cure.</p><p>Despite being left empty-handed I&#8217;m not one to give up. I lucked up and found an archived paper by David R. Wessner, Ph.D. published in Nature Education written in 2010. His paper outlined <em><strong><a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/the-origins-of-viruses-14398218/">three competing theories as to the origin of viruses</a></strong></em>:</p><ol><li><p>The progressive, or escape, hypothesis postulates that viruses evolved from sections of DNA or RNA that &#8220;escaped&#8221; from the genes of larger entities. In this way, they gained the ability to become independent and move between cells.</p></li><li><p>The regressive, or reduction, hypothesis suggests that viruses started as independent free-living organisms that became parasitic &#8212;needing a host in order to replicate&#8212; after losing genetic information over time.</p></li><li><p>The virus-first hypothesis suggests that viruses may have been the first replicating entities on earth. They eventually evolved to become more complex and enzymes for the synthesis of membranes and cell walls evolved, resulting in the formation of cells.</p></li></ol><p></p><p>This paper from 2010 still left me without a clear explanation for the origin(s) of viruses as the conclusion was simply more theories that competed with each other. History has shown that when a new viral disease emerges, determining its origin is always a guessing game. For instance,&nbsp;<em><strong><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-01205-5">experts believe</a></strong></em>&nbsp;SARS-CoV-2 originated in bats and then spilled over into humans. It seems it&#8217;s always the same story &#8212;nobody knows, but it probably came from an animal with wings. What we do know, is that these pathogenic viruses exist and we also understand how they work. But unlike pathogenic bacteria, they seem to have literally appeared out of thin air. </p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><h2>The Evolutionary Advantage</h2><p>I question the evolutionary advantage of theories that try to explain how things in nature work &#8212;particularly when I believe they lack coherence. </p><p>One such theory is that viruses exist to control the population of species. However, this seems to require a sentient state of being for these entities considered to be non-living, or at a minimum for nature to be sentient and therefore commissions these entities to do its bidding. </p><p>People love to anthropomorphize nature to &#8220;explain&#8221; how nature works but nature isn&#8217;t a sentient being. To simply say, &#8220;viruses exist to cull the human population&#8221; is to present the notion of <em>purpose</em>. Who specifically determines the purpose for culling the human population and to what degree? Furthermore, how would this benefit the virus? How does killing off the host that the virus inhabits ensure the survival of the virus? If the virus were to spread to all of humanity with the goal of eradicating every human, the virus would eventually die as well. For the theory of population control to be true, viral entities must be working as a collective unit towards one common goal, at the expense of themselves and under the direction of a sentient purposeful being. While some scientists attempt to suggest that population control could be a result of viral activity, that certainly can&#8217;t be used to argue that must be the purpose for their existence.</p><p>Another common idea within scientific circles is that pathogenic viruses simply operate based on their <em>coding</em> like little machines &#8212;supporting the idea that viruses are essentially non-living entities. I struggle with this idea as well as it implicitly posits that viruses are an anomaly in the world as they operate in a dysfunctional destructive manner. If they were derived naturally as some sort of aberration of evolution I find it complexing that nature hasn&#8217;t course corrected it. Nature appears to operate in such a way that keeps balance and harmony, providing healing where necessary. I struggle with the idea that naturally occurring pathogenic viruses get to roam free and unchecked unless humans step in with vaccines which don&#8217;t appear to stop them anyway.</p><p>While we&#8217;re taking a look at pathogenic viruses such as those like influenza, it must be stated that there are actually <em>good</em> viruses. One such virus that appears to keep the planet alive are called bacteriophages or phages for short &#8212;operating like predators&#8212; that devour bacteria. Bacteriophages keep harmful bacteria under control within different ecosystems, only attacking certain strains. Bacteriophages are harmless to humans and are considered a <em><strong><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00245-8">new weapon in the fight against antibiotic-resistant, pathogenic, and biofilm-forming bacteria</a></strong></em>. Phages are different from the flu and cold virus as the latter don&#8217;t appear to exist as a benefit to the planet. Meaning, their absence doesn&#8217;t appear to be detrimental to the world we live in. The cold and flu virus like any other pathogenic virus have one objective which is to bring destruction to their host. These pathogenic viruses don&#8217;t exist to kill other pathogenic entities within the host, thus providing a benefit to the host. Instead, they are the Kamakazi pilots of the viral world, annihilating themselves and anyone else involved.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:160135,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bKgN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbea4c6-78da-4c5c-aabd-11b1ab08e0f2_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><h2>Created?</h2><p>All of this brings me to a certain disposition on viruses. I believe pathogenic viruses are actually created. Sure, I could be wrong, but I don&#8217;t think so. I remember watching the interview of RFK Jr. on Tucker Carlson&#8217;s show where RFK Jr. mentioned that he believes immunizations are created to mitigate the blowback from bioweapon leaks out into the world. This may sound like crazy talk until you think about what happened across the globe starting in 2019 and the result that followed. The outbreak came from a biolab in China. Then big pharma decided to create a mitigation solution. </p><p>Back in 1962 there were only 5 immunizations required by the CDC. Now there are over 70 with many of them containing ingredients such as neurotoxins, aborted fetal cells and contaminated DNA. <em><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/world/partly-false-claim-vaccines-contain-toxic-levels-of-aluminum-polysorbate-80-y-idUSKBN22H2N7/">But despite these facts the supposed &#8220;health experts&#8221; have determined that the risk of exposure to such substances are low.</a></strong></em> The larger question we need to ask is, &#8220;<em>what has happened over the last 60 years that has required an increase in immunization development?&#8221;</em> And if this doesn&#8217;t make you question the matrix, ask yourself why Congress passed a measure in 1986 to remove all liability for immunization related injuries from manufacturers. It&#8217;s as if our government was clearing the runway.</p><p>When you look at how bioweapons have been used over the centuries the topic becomes more interesting. Dating back to the 1100s you&#8217;ll find events like the Emperor Barbarossa poisoning water wells with human bodies in Tortona, Italy. In the 1300s you have the Mongols catapulting bodies of plague victims over the city walls of Caffa in the Crimean Peninsula. And in 1495 the Spanish mixed wine with the blood of leprosy patients to sell to their French foes in Naples, Italy. These are just a few examples but there are plenty more. </p><p>Over the years biowarfare has become more sophisticated. Pathogens have been exploited and then engineered to be made more deadly. They&#8217;re then used as weapons and we saw a proliferation of this during the time of the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Examples such as anthrax, the Marburg virus which was part of the Soviet bioweapons program, Tularemia, Cholera, Encephalitis, food poisoning, Glanders, Tyhpus and many others. All of these were exploited and engineered for weapons use. That&#8217;s right, sickness used as a weapon to incapacitate an army or an entire society.</p><p>It&#8217;s currently believed that there&#8217;s a bioweapons arms race taking place, chiefly between China and United States. <em><strong><a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/feb/28/inside-ring-china-grows-domestic-bio-weapons-tech-/">This from the Washington Times</a></strong></em> earlier this year:</p><blockquote><p>Recent virology studies &#8220;demonstrate that&nbsp;China&nbsp;is now able to operate its own dual-use virology research agenda on-shore and without international inputs or considerations,&#8221; according to a new report by the Chinese Communist Party Biothreats Initiative, a think tank.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p> &#8220;China&nbsp;now has robust domestic capabilities that potentially provide Beijing with a range of asymmetric options against perceived adversaries,&#8221; the report said.</p></blockquote><p>China has been known to be militarily outgunned compared to the US by conventional means and bioweapons level the playing field a bit. Despite the lab outbreak in China they&#8217;re still continuing high-risk pathogen research on SARS-CoV-2.</p><p>But this isn&#8217;t really frightening. I mean, it&#8217;s not good, but it can be much worse. Ask me how much worse. Nanobyte technology worse. Also from the report covered by the Washington Times:</p><blockquote><p>China&#8217;s&nbsp;nanotechnology research is also linked to military capabilities that include weaponizing nanomedicine, tiny robots and autonomous weapons, the report said. These arms can include &#8220;nano-bioinformatics for biological warfare, nano-cyber biological weapons, covert assassination and targeted biological warfare,&#8221; the report said.</p></blockquote><p>If this wasn&#8217;t enough, it is believed that China has the largest stock of bioweapons on the planet. And while China is gearing up for an extinction level event, the Pentagon has implemented a strategy to also leverage advanced technology. According to the report, the Pentagon&#8217;s Defense Science Board is working on developing new strategic weapons and capabilities that will provide asymmetric advantages for continued U.S. military &#8220;operational dominance.&#8221; This pretty much sounds like the nuclear arms race all over again.</p><p>All of this is happening unbeknownst to the average citizen. This is why when someone like President Putin starts making claims about the existence of biolabs in Ukraine people think he&#8217;s making things up. However, the Pentagon has admitted that it has operated 46 biolabs in Ukraine handling dangerous pathogens, after previously dismissing the charges as Russian propaganda.</p><p>Despite the existence of the Biological Weapons Convention which is a legally binding treaty that outlaws the creation of biological arms, no verification or inspection procedures to verify compliance exists. Any state or country with enough capital can spin up a bioweapons program in secret. It&#8217;s literally the &#8220;wild wild west&#8221;. The runway effectively cleared for all countries who participate in creating bioweapons technology.</p><p>Now when I look at all of this it&#8217;s obvious to me that as a human race, we&#8217;re on a certain trajectory that doesn&#8217;t end well. It&#8217;s apparent that we keep creating technology that is always posed as an augmentation to human life, only for it to end up endangering our very existence. Our love for technology has become parasitic in a way. But more on that at another time.</p><p>So we&#8217;re left with one major question at this point. If what I&#8217;m claiming is true &#8212;that pathogenic viruses are really bioweapons&#8212; and I 100% believe they are, <em>&#8220;what can we do about it?&#8221;</em> While I can&#8217;t tell you what to do, I can tell you that I&#8217;m doing whatever I can to keep science experiments out of my body and away from my family. For me, there are too many concerns that signal we&#8217;re trapped in some sort of 1984 nightmare, ruled by a government that is beyond the pale of honesty. </p><p>For me, the math isn&#8217;t math-ing. The billions of dollars raked in by Big Pharma to medicate contagious people with OTC drugs; the billions made from immunizations; the rapid increase in immunization delivery to the general public; the lack of liability in the event anything goes wrong; the absence of an evidence based origin story the scientific community can agree upon; the lack of bioweapons oversight; the fact that countries have been using bioweapons in warfare for centuries; the lack of cures for our viruses; the lack of an evolutionary advantage for the existence of pathogenic viruses and the earth&#8217;s inability to eradicate them; what happened at the Wuhan lab in 2019 and let&#8217;s not forget the bioweapons arms race between nations. </p><p>Am I buying the notion that pathogenic viruses are a natural phenomena of our world? No, and you shouldn&#8217;t either. </p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>Upgrade to a paid subscription.</p></li><li><p>Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/flu-the-invisible-weapon?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/flu-the-invisible-weapon?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/flu-the-invisible-weapon?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🍁 A warrior's appreciation]]></title><description><![CDATA[I want to thank you for being a subscriber.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-warriors-appreciation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-warriors-appreciation</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 28 Nov 2024 20:56:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PO6m!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0c9fb52-3d7b-430f-abba-ba6be71edee6_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PO6m!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0c9fb52-3d7b-430f-abba-ba6be71edee6_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PO6m!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0c9fb52-3d7b-430f-abba-ba6be71edee6_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PO6m!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0c9fb52-3d7b-430f-abba-ba6be71edee6_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PO6m!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0c9fb52-3d7b-430f-abba-ba6be71edee6_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PO6m!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0c9fb52-3d7b-430f-abba-ba6be71edee6_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I want to thank you for being a subscriber. I truly don&#8217;t take subscriptions lightly. My desire is to continue creating content that brings people closer to the truth concerning the cosmic architecture of our world as well as what it means to truly be human. There&#8217;s so much to say, the topic is vast and some of it is hard to grapple with due to our modern day social conditioning. Yet here you are. A subscriber to a newsletter that started from a sincere place of wanting to pull back the curtain and reveal the frauds that have been manipulating humanity for several millennia. Thank you for caring enough and for wanting to consume what I create. I hope you&#8217;ll continue on this journey of discovery with me.</p><p>I also hope that you can absorb the beauty that is today, the chance you and I have to keep moving, and the opportunity afforded to us to make a difference as Image Bearers. Time is short and so incredibly valuable. I hope you use it well. We get one shot here on earth and there are no second chances. Earth is our home and we shall not allow the darkness to devour it. The future is counting on us.</p><p>Happy Thanksgiving. </p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>Share my work far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>Upgrade to a paid subscription.</p></li><li><p>Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p><p></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-warriors-appreciation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-warriors-appreciation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The end of democracy or downfall of society?]]></title><description><![CDATA[We can choose.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-end-of-democracy-or-downfall</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-end-of-democracy-or-downfall</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 27 Oct 2024 22:00:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:304592,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!umVH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F012f9e91-fedf-436a-946b-17b1abb2ae63_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>We&#8217;re just over a week away from election day. Many are hoping that their nominee will emerge victorious for their cause &#8212;ushering in a better way forward for the country &#8212;losers be damned. Yet, for me, I get the sense that November 5, 2024, will be the day that society irreversibly spirals downward into an abyss of psychosis regardless of who wins. And if so, when and will we ever be able to pull ourselves out? It&#8217;s anyone&#8217;s guess.</p><p>It&#8217;s been said, <em>the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn&#8217;t exist</em>. I&#8217;ve always found that quote quite ridiculous since according to biblical tradition the devil has never attempted to be hidden. However, the idea of the devil operating covertly to convince people he doesn&#8217;t really exist has become part of our current culture. But, if we were to peg a quote to the devil that was truly accurate it should be, <em>the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that our real enemy is each other.</em></p><p>Ideas are powerful and when properly seeded, can blossom and sway an entire society towards a new direction. But ideas need checks and balances or else they can lead to silly quotes that people embrace as absolute truth. True checks and balances can only be implemented in a society that places a fair degree of importance on the use of logic and reason. Such a society will then be empowered to engage in healthy civil discourse and even heated debate concerning divisive or difficult issues. Much is being said today about democracy and free speech but not much is being said concerning what is necessary to enable such ideas to take root within society. The lack of critical thinking that many people exhibit today has ushered in a new kind of human operation consisting of infinite screen scrolling, short attention spans, hyper-emotionalism, instant gratification, and a constant foaming at the mouth over any disagreement. Rational thinking and discourse are no longer prized virtues. And while many people would agree that this is the current state of affairs, most people wouldn&#8217;t dare believe that they&#8217;re part of the problem. It&#8217;s <em><strong>always</strong></em> everybody else, never <em><strong>me</strong></em>.</p><p>The society of today celebrates one-liners, hot takes, zingers, shaming, dethroning and boiling tempers. <em>How</em> you say something is much more important than <em>what</em> you say. Your words need to be pithy, ripe with emotion and a touch of false humility so you can connect with those within your silo. Send someone a hot take supporting their view and the content will be consumed like a Crumbl Cookie devoured by a sugar addict. However, send a video that forces one to think differently about a subject and people can&#8217;t scroll or click away fast enough. Long gone are the days of appreciation for deep critical thinking, nuance in thought, and meaningful conversation. Just ask yourself who are some of the greatest thinkers of our day. Count them on your hand. You&#8217;ll be lucky to get past 2 fingers. But you could undoubtedly name ten influencers ranging from motivational speakers, politicians, journalists, business moguls, YouTubers, writers, activists, actors and athletes without batting an eye. The art of thinking has been replaced with the art of status. You&#8217;re assumed to be &#8220;smart&#8221; simply based on a job title or status. In some instances, you&#8217;re assumed to be &#8220;right&#8221; based on the very same things.</p><p>So it is no surprise to me when I hear people make ridiculous claims such as <em>the election of Donald Trump will spell the end of democracy</em>. I am not surprised when I see groups of people standing on the corner holding their Harris/Waltz signs proudly. None of this angers or upsets me, but it does sadden me to a degree. Why? Because I know how we all arrived at the doorstep of unfettered ignorance as many people have simply been psyop&#8217;d &#8212;or put another way&#8212; programmed to believe certain ideas. But not just any ideas. Really, really bad ones.</p><p>It is obvious to me that our society has divorced itself from deep critical thinking, and instead are wading in the shallow waters of emotion and logical fallacies, oblivious to how much they&#8217;ve been programmed to <em>feel</em>. Unfortunately, feelings are everything to people in our day. To make matters worse, nobody can ever be wrong and if they are, they&#8217;ll never admit it. Why? Because we no longer live in a period where we can all freely exchange ideas without being demonized by someone who disagrees. The net result becomes less ideation. The less ideas exchanged, the less we&#8217;re all able to embrace different ways of thinking without feeling attacked, shamed or embarrassed for being wrong. Changing one&#8217;s mind becomes difficult if not impossible no matter the facts. </p><p>I saw a quote by Mark Cuban on X the other day:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic" width="522" height="315.2041884816754" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/de1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:692,&quot;width&quot;:1146,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:522,&quot;bytes&quot;:44582,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YXz5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde1d14fb-ee34-43ec-87c1-1d8b332e7d99_1146x692.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><blockquote><p> &#8220;A grandma is undocumented. She has lived in the USA 30 years. Not even a ticket. She has 4 kids, all American born. As are her 12 grandkids.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p></p><p>He then presented a poll with options to:</p><ul><li><p>Deport her immediately</p></li><li><p>Send her to a migrant camp</p></li><li><p>Find a path to citizenship. </p></li></ul><p>This is an example of bad thinking along with an attempt to gaslight those who don&#8217;t hold his view. Because Mark is positing a weak position he first attempts to bolster it through appealing to emotion by including a grandma in his scenario. Who doesn&#8217;t love grandma? The goal is to get you to focus on the little old lady and her family, not the fact that she&#8217;s lived in the United States for 30 years and for some reason never sought citizenship. He doubles down by claiming she&#8217;s never even committed a single crime. She&#8217;s a perfect &#8220;citizen&#8221; who has never committed a single crime, but for some reason has lived in the country undocumented for 30 years, which I might add is illegal. </p><p>Knowing the current political climate concerning immigration, Mark draws a false equivalency between sweet ole grandma and illegal immigrants who&#8217;ve recently crossed the border knowing many of them are here fleeing from the law in their own country, released from prisons, or are here to continue a life of crime carrying out gang activity or even terrorism. It&#8217;s no secret people have crossed our borders only to murder American citizens.</p><p>Mark is attempting to suggest therefore, that all immigrants should be provided with a path to citizenship and nobody should be sent back. If you send back the more recent illegal immigrants then in order to be &#8220;fair&#8221;, you should also send back poor undocumented grandma &#8212;separating her from her family. And that&#8217;s just morally unjust, cruel, and inhumane. Again, this is just bad thinking and many people can&#8217;t see the fallacies for what they are. But bad thinking doesn&#8217;t start or stop with Mark Cuban. It&#8217;s everywhere, like a parasite eating the minds of those within our nation.</p><p>I remember all of the headlines and talking points during Donald Trump&#8217;s first run at the oval office. This was the advent of the chicken little phenomenon. People screamed the stock market was going to crash, the 500 KKK members in Georgia were going to reignite all racists across the nation, WWIII would ensue, a pre-civil rights era would emerge, a global financial collapse would take place, all non-rich white peoples would become economically depressed and the nation would fall. And then&#8230;crickets. None of this happened under his presidency. </p><p>There were no wars, the stock market didn&#8217;t collapse, inflation was low, blacks had their best economic period in several decades and the handful of KKK members went back to playing bingo and duck hunting. However, the chicken littles couldn&#8217;t believe all of their nightmares didn&#8217;t come true but the pandemic gave them a glimmer of hope &#8212;a life line of sorts because they couldn&#8217;t admit they were wrong and had been played.</p><p>As the world struggled with a global pandemic which effectively shut down every nation&#8217;s economy, the chicken littles stretched their brains to conflate the fallout from it in order to tie something, anything disastrous to Trump. The pandemic provided an opportunity to validate their blind hysteria despite it not being true. In their eyes, correlation meant causation. A global economic downturn ensued. So they seized the event to portray Trump as the villain responsible for the economic downturn of our own nation towards the tail end of his presidency. And did those who were fueling the hysteria ever stop to think about the progress of the nation before the pandemic? No, because it went against their narrative and they couldn&#8217;t admit to themselves, friends, and family that they got it wrong. Instead, they double downed on the only thing they could do, blame him for anything bad that was happening so they could save face&#8230; until January 6. </p><p>After the insanity of trying to pin the deaths of millions of people on Donald Trump &#8212;as if he was the 4th horseman of the apocalypse&#8212; for &#8220;mishandling&#8221; a global pandemic started on the other side of the world, the chicken littles quickly jumped on the narrative of a coup d'&#233;tat on the Capitol. This became their golden goose and was supposedly spearheaded by insurrectionist leader, Donald Trump. Despite Trump voluntarily leaving office after losing, he was called out for disputing the loss. The media would have you believe Trump had to be apprehended by security and forced out due to refusal to leave. Apparently contesting a loss had never been done before&#8230;except for when Hillary Clinton did it four years earlier when she lost to him and spent the next four years calling him an illegitimate president. Except for when Samuel J. Tilden, Aaron Burr, Al Gore and others contested their loss. But I digress. Let&#8217;s dig into the January 6 incident a bit more because this chicken little nonsense gets worse.</p><p>People who are opposed to Trump failed to look into the January 6 incident on their own accord to better understand what took place. They just continued to be programmed by mainstream media. If they had taken the time to do 30 seconds of research they would&#8217;ve learned that despite the inciting headlines, <em><strong>there wasn&#8217;t a single armed civilian at the Capitol that day</strong></em>, many people were simply let in to the building by security to take selfies, one person died &#8212;not 10&#8212;and that was due to a gunshot wound inflicted by an officer on an unarmed civilian. More importantly, despite all of the lies that have been spread about that day, Donald Trump did in fact call for peaceful protest and did everything he could to keep it that way. Now, I get it. Some of you reading this may think I&#8217;m blowing smoke as I must be some kind of MAGA apologist. I truly get it as that&#8217;s the programming talking. But I always bring receipts which is something the programmers hate.</p><blockquote><p>WASHINGTON - Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) revealed that days before January 6, 2021, President Trump met with senior Pentagon leaders urging them to do their jobs to protect lives and property. The transcripts released show Trump gave senior Pentagon leadership directives to keep January 6 peaceful - including using the National Guard - which the Pentagon leaders ignored. This revelation directly contradicts the conclusions drawn in the flawed DoD IG report on January 6, 2021.</p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p> &#8220;The President just says, &#8216;Hey, look at this. There&#8217;s going to be a large amount of protestors here on the 6th, make sure that you have sufficient National Guard or Soldiers to make sure it&#8217;s a safe event.&#8217;&#8230; [POTUS said] I don&#8217;t care if you use Guard, or Soldiers, active duty Soldiers, do whatever you have to do. Just make sure it&#8217;s safe.' [SecDef] Miller responds by saying, 'Hey, we&#8217;ve got a plan, and we&#8217;ve got it covered.'&#8221;</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Here are the facts; the former President, Donald J. Trump, met with the Pentagon <em><strong>days</strong></em> before January 6 and asked for support to ensure the safety of the people and property. His request went ignored. Let me repeat this. <em><strong>His request went ignored</strong></em>. </p><p><em><strong><a href="https://cha.house.gov/2024/9/transcripts-show-president-trump-s-directives-to-pentagon-leadership-to-keep-january-6-safe-were-deliberately-ignored">You can read the transcript yourself.</a></strong></em></p><p></p><p>So for all of those who believed the insurrectionist narrative, how was the former president attempting to lead an insurrection, when just days before he was requesting the use of any and everybody &#8212;active duty soldiers, national guard, police&#8212; to ensure a safe and peaceful event? In case this question has anyone wrapped in knots, let me help. He wasn&#8217;t<strong> attempting, leading, encouraging or spearheading </strong>any such thing. If anything, he was doing whatever he could to <em><strong>prevent</strong></em> such activity. But things went south and due to bad optics on the Pentagon officials who were in charge of providing safety, Trump became the fall guy. Why? Because everyone had already been primed for the past four years to think this guy was evil, so it was easy for the average citizen to believe he was the mastermind behind some major coup &#8212;and not that your government failed you. <em><strong>Everyone grab your skirts and clutch your pearls! It&#8217;s Hitler reborn and he&#8217;s a threat to democracy!</strong></em></p><p>The information I just shared with you isn&#8217;t hard to find. It&#8217;s available online and is free to access. But most people don&#8217;t know what I just shared because it isn&#8217;t a pithy soundbite, or scathing remark denouncing someone with content promoted by an algorithm. It isn&#8217;t MK-Ultra reinforcing the programming. </p><p>Finding the truth these days requires the ability to think independently as an autonomous being. It takes work. It means you have to go out and search for the information instead of expecting an algorithm to present it to you on a silver platter. It demands a desire to gather as much information as possible about an event to ensure you have all of the facts. Not just the facts others want you to have or promote and certainly not just the facts you agree with.</p><p>What is sad, is that I could go on and list event after event where American citizens have been programmed to think wrongly about this one man. I could and would bring receipts, too. But the truth of the matter is, most people who oppose Donald Trump wouldn&#8217;t care because the programming has been too effective. They simply hate him. And they hate him for reasons that are devoid of critical thought. Let&#8217;s look at another example of what I mean.</p><p>Supposedly Trump is a racist. As a black man I&#8217;ve thought for years that this was more meaningless bait. Let&#8217;s say that the guy who signed a congressional resolution condemning white supremacy and an <em><strong><a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-combating-race-sex-stereotyping/">executive order to combat race and sex stereotyping</a></strong></em> was in fact racist &#8212;insert eyeroll&#8212; why should I or you even care? What does that have to do with policy? </p><p>A President doesn&#8217;t need to like or agree with everyone in order to be effective at their job. They simply need to be able to exercise the role of commander and chief in a way that benefits everyone equally as they lead the nation. Their personal views matter not. You and I can&#8217;t control someone&#8217;s personal views. Their personal views don&#8217;t matter. The policies they enact do. Case in point; contrary to the lies floating in the ether, while Donald Trump is against abortion, his policy on this subject is to <em><strong>allow the states and their voters</strong></em> to decide if it should be legal or not. He is not taking his personal belief and attempting to enact a nationwide abortion ban. This is how it should be. As president one must tow the line between their own personal beliefs and the beliefs, needs, and desires of a multicultural nation.</p><p>The reason why there are many more blacks voting for Donald Trump this time around is because they&#8217;ve realized the policies from the last four years are worse than the previous. People are hurting financially. They&#8217;re finally learning to separate personal belief and character from policy. They no longer care about the narrative as they can barely afford to buy groceries. Who wants a president that adores black people while pushing policies that harm the black community? The black community is now learning to care about the legislation that gets passed instead of being hoodwinked and baited. It&#8217;s a hard lessen to learn, but an important one that everyone needs to learn. Thinking prevents being gaslighted. There are politicians who hope you never figure this out while you continue to vote your sovereignty away because it feels good. </p><p>Currently, the choices are between a President who has an actual track record of success and someone who has sleazed their way to the top. <em>Save democracy</em> seems to be the battle cry from those who support Harris yet none have stopped to think about who voted for her.</p><p>Did &#8220;we the people&#8221; vote for Kamala Harris? Nope. Does that sound like democracy to you then? The democratic party kicked President Joe Biden out and replaced him with Harris despite lying to the nation that he was fit for another four years. Just a few years ago there were calls for Joe Biden to get rid of Harris since she was such a horrible VP. Yet, somehow we&#8217;ve now entered an alternate world within the multiverse where she&#8217;s some sort of savior for humanity. I&#8217;m confused. Precisely what did Kamala Harris do to suddenly convince everyone that she&#8217;d make a great president despite being a horrible VP? That&#8217;s right, she did nothing. Nobody can point to a single thing that she did that caused their minds to change. What really happened? Everyone was programmed because they can no longer think for themselves. Project MK-Ultra never dies, it just respawns under a different moniker.</p><p>Kamala Harris is of a different ilk. She thrusted open the borders of our nation to allow millions of illegal immigrants to flood in, putting citizens at risk by leaving us all vulnerable to cartels, terrorists, and child sex-trafficking. Apparently, for her and her supporters this is all overblown and not a big deal. To those who support Kamala Harris, all of this nonsense <em><strong>feels like</strong></em> democracy.</p><p>Here&#8217;s the problem we all currently face. Our society is made up of many, many people who can no longer exercise the rational part of their brain. Despite having a nominee in front of them who has already been president, with a successful track record they&#8217;re either undecided or opposed. People have been so hoodwinked they believe that they&#8217;re taking the moral high ground by not voting for the &#8220;rapist and convict&#8221; so to hell with the country.</p><p>This is another issue most people have never taken the time to research. The words &#8220;rape&#8221; and &#8220;sexual assault&#8221; are triggering as everyone has been programmed by the MeToo movement to never ask any questions. And the culture has created so many beta males they&#8217;re all unwilling to speak out because they&#8217;ve become afraid of the women we&#8217;re supposed to protect.</p><p>So when a civil suit just happens to pop up 25 years later, right when Trump decides to run for office by a woman &#8212;who to this day he says he never even met, let alone slept with&#8212; who is coincidentally releasing a book at the same time that mentions his assault, nobody bats an eye. Now I understand this is where some would attempt to challenge what I&#8217;m saying because I&#8217;m not supposed to talk about rape or sexual assault as we&#8217;re always told to believe the &#8220;victim&#8221;.  So once again I shall bring receipts so we&#8217;re all clear here &#8212;Trump was not convicted or found guilty of rape. He was found &#8220;liable&#8221; for battery based on preponderance of evidence. That is not the same thing nor is it even splitting hairs. If you don&#8217;t believe me, then believe people who are experts in litigation:</p><blockquote><p>"Liability for sexual assault means that the jury has concluded that the plaintiff has satisfied the preponderance of the evidence standard and that the defendant must pay damages to compensate the victim. There are no criminal consequences to a finding of liability."</p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p>The word "liability" is also key. As Notre Dame Law School professor Jay Tidmarsh, an expert in complex civil litigation and civil procedure, told&nbsp;<em>Newsweek</em>, "civil cases do not speak of 'guilt' or 'innocence'" but instead "use the language 'liable' or 'not liable,'" as reporting of the&nbsp;<em><strong><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/trump-trial-sexual-assault-ejean-carroll-lawsuits-1799377">jury's verdict repeated</a></strong></em>.</p></blockquote><p>So what was the case really about? </p><blockquote><p>So, we can establish that Trump was not found "guilty" of rape as he was not criminally charged, nor was he found liable for rape. Further, the civil claim was on a battery tort but brought forward using an extension of the statute of limitations for crimes including rape.</p></blockquote><p>You can read more about <em><strong><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-was-donald-trump-found-guilty-rape-1799935">this here</a></strong></em>.</p><p></p><p>Why is this important? Because words matter. Calling someone a convicted rapist when they&#8217;re not matters. The civil trial brought forth was not even a rape trial. It was not a criminal case. Now, I&#8217;m not arguing that his actions &#8212;if true which is all too coincidental&#8212; are ok in any way, nor am I an apologist for his actions. I do have standards. Men shouldn&#8217;t violate women in any way and they should be taken to task if they do. I&#8217;m simply stating that words matter. Running around claiming people are convicted rapists and criminals when they are in fact, not, matters. Thinking matters. Integrity matters. Without these things a society can not move into a place of healthy discourse.</p><p>As I mentioned earlier, I continue to hear about the end of democracy from people who haven&#8217;t noticed the government has already been weaponized against a citizen. They cheer because Trump is their enemy, not realizing they&#8217;ve enabled their own government to strip away the rights of its citizens which includes them. Trump was simply the poster child. They won&#8217;t be cheering when it happens to them. They&#8217;ve failed to realize who the real enemy is, which are the elite puppet masters parading around an unqualified nominee who is fleecing people&#8217;s emotions. This is the greatest trick ever pulled.</p><p>Those kowtowing for Kamala Harris are supporting a presidential nominee with a poor track record as District Attorney in California, has no presidential track record, has flat out stated she desires to control abortion at the federal level, wants to restrict legal gun ownership from law abiding citizens, give legal immigration status and resources to people who&#8217;ve entered the country illegally all while flatlining the economy with her bro Joe Biden. Despite all of this, they believe Donald Trump is the real threat to all human civilization. This is nothing short of absurd. People think this is a hard decision? Look, life has many, many hard decisions that must be made but this is just not one of them. If this is hard, it is because people have been programmed to stop thinking critically and rationally. It is hard because people are willingly making it hard. Many simply can&#8217;t bring themselves to admit they were wrongly fed information so at best they will retort that both candidates are evil. It&#8217;s akin to apologizing when you don&#8217;t really mean it.</p><p>While the decision in my opinion is not hard, I do understand one position as to why someone would choose not to vote. Their reasoning is also part of my angst. It seems that without a doubt there are larger forces at play. Therefore, even if Trump wins the elite who&#8217;ve been trying to take him out will continue to try and take him out while manipulating our entire nation towards an Orwellian future. And if Kamala Harris wins, well it&#8217;s the same fairy tale ending for us all. But we must all ask ourselves if we&#8217;re willing to actually fight back any way we can, or simply rollover while complaining. We currently live in a time where we <em><strong>can</strong></em> fight back. Imagine a world where you can&#8217;t. The more that people rollover or become programmed, the closer that day comes.</p><p>Is this the end of democracy or society I wonder. Because regardless of who is voted in, I believe as a society we are in serious trouble if we can&#8217;t return to clear rational thinking. If our first response is to debate the man and not the issue at hand; if our deepest desire is to win the argument instead of winning the person; if we must rule with our fist and be led by our feelings &#8212;if all of this must be true, then society will eat itself, and I pray something will be left within the rubble to rebuild it.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please share it! 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fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[All gods are real... we've just forgotten.]]></title><description><![CDATA[For years I often wondered what caused people in our particular milieu to look down their nose at our ancestors.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/all-gods-are-real-weve-just-forgotten</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/all-gods-are-real-weve-just-forgotten</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:57:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:172198,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lft2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c0ffc63-043e-4a88-8106-6f87604f708f_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>For years I often wondered what caused people in our particular milieu to look down their nose at our ancestors. Those who managed to survive all that the world threw at them &#8212;the harsh conditions, barbaric wars, lack of modern technology, natural disasters, plagues, and famines. Not only did our early ancestors survive, they managed to thrive &#8212;building impressive temples, traversing the planet after megafauna, developing writing systems, populating the earth, constructing aqueducts, and navigating the land plus seas simply by learning the stars. What we owe our ancestors is incalculable. We are clearly forever indebted to their genius, resourcefulness, determination, and grit. </p><p>The older I become, the more I realize just how indebted we are and also how much our modern day society <em>belittles</em> our ancient family. While we might appreciate their efforts, we don&#8217;t really appreciate their beliefs or ways of life. I understand why as we&#8217;re not taught to hold such an appreciation for them. We&#8217;re taught to care about their physical contributions that made it possible for current day humanity to live a more progressive and easier life. We care about their technology.</p><p>Starting in our youth we&#8217;re taught to view ancient history through the lens of indifference. Therefore, the only parts of their history that are deemed important are the parts that support the narrative of human progress. Everything else &#8212;their culture, religious beliefs and subsequently entire way of life is disregarded as nice to know, but irrelevant to our modern day society. Asking the existential question of &#8220;why&#8221; is often avoided in our society as answering the &#8220;what&#8221; is so much easier.</p><p>The linear progression narrative of the human race is indoctrinated within each and every one of us the moment we enter grade school. Here is where it all starts. We&#8217;re all taught about the evolution of man spawning from non-existent primates. Supposedly before us <em>Homo Sapiens</em> there were other species that walked the earth and we&#8217;ve progressed into what we are today. Growing up, I always found this narrative a bit lacking. However, the intelligentsia will comment that you&#8217;re a fool for disregarding the &#8220;evidence&#8221;.</p><p>I often wondered where the smoking gun was for such a claim &#8212;that humans evolved and iterated through several species before modern man arrived. The truth is, the evidence has always been lacking. In fact, there&#8217;s only roughly 6,000 human fossils that have been dug up and used as proof for the evolution of Homo Sapiens theory. </p><p><strong><a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils#:~:text=From%20skeletons%20to%20teeth%2C%20early,represented%20by%20thousands%20of%20fossils.">This from the Smithsonian National Museum of History:</a></strong></p><blockquote><p>From skeletons to teeth, early human fossils have been found of more than 6,000 individuals. With the rapid pace of new discoveries every year, this&nbsp;<em><strong>impressive</strong></em> sample means that even though some early human species are only represented by one or a few fossils, others are represented by thousands of fossils.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>The word <em>impressive</em> is used but considering there are currently over 8 billion people living on the earth I don&#8217;t think 6,000 human fossils is impressive. Not even a little bit. While one could easily argue that the earth didn&#8217;t hold as many humans thousands of years ago, to claim that 6,000 human fossils, scattered across <em>millions of years</em> is impressive is honestly a bit insulting to the intelligence of a thinking person. At times, just one human fossil has been used to represent an entire human &#8220;species&#8221;. It&#8217;s really just a game of &#8220;fill in the blank&#8221;. And the elite within academia are the ones who get to play.</p><p>Imagine 10 million years from now, one human fossil from our Homo Sapien species is found, but that one fossil is of a human born with a deformity. Does that one fossil represent all of the Homo Sapien species? Obviously the answer is no, however, this is precisely how &#8220;science&#8221; is done. We&#8217;re all told to except such ridiculousness and if you don&#8217;t you must be a crazy young earther.</p><p>I knew something was wrong with this narrative when I was a child and I didn&#8217;t need any religious indoctrination to encourage me to think differently. It just seemed obvious to me there wasn&#8217;t enough evidence to make such claims about people who apparently existed millions of years ago. As usual with science it changes, shifts, adapts or simply buries earlier proofs. I&#8217;ve learned that &#8220;science&#8221; &#8212;and I&#8217;m putting it in air quotes to personify it like everyone does these days&#8212; always has a &#8220;Get Out of Jail Card&#8221; because it&#8217;s science. So I wasn&#8217;t surprised when the narrative shifted from <em>humans evolving from a single line</em> to <em>evolving from a branch of earlier species</em>. The reason the narrative changed was because the limited amount of fossil records obtained couldn&#8217;t support the earlier claim of humans evolving over millions of years from one line of human species. So in order to fill the gap, the old narrative was replaced with fossils representing different eras of the human species. The intelligentsia then tied a bow around this idea by claiming we&#8217;re bound to our ancestors via an ancient family tree &#8212;each branch representing different fossils or species.</p><p>You and I are supposed to believe this <em><strong>new</strong></em> narrative as if the previous narrative never existed and push on with our lives. We&#8217;re supposed to ignore our gut instincts which will eventually lead to a hardening of our natural instincts and senses. That&#8217;s the goal of the system that we live in. This way, we forget. And sadly we&#8217;ve all forgotten. </p><p>I believe the narrative concerning our ancient ancestors has been redefined, reshaped and molded in such a way that we no longer share an affinity with our ancient human family. We use terms like &#8220;early man&#8221; to describe them as if we&#8217;re cut from a different and better cloth. Everything we do as humans is through the lens of progression and the need to move forward. We can&#8217;t go a day without thinking about the advancement of the human race  through the developments of new technology and science. Technologies that can be used to create new medicines to prolong our lifespan or even jettison us off the planet into the stars. We&#8217;re taught that the old is no longer relevant. </p><p>I believe we&#8217;re still being lied to. Not only do I reject the idea of the human species evolving &#8212;which by definition actually means loss of genetic information for the purposes of adaptation, <em><strong>not</strong></em> the gaining of new genetic information for preservation&#8212; I also reject the notion that every ancient civilization, while brilliant, was also so stupid that they invented gods to cope with life. There&#8217;s zero evidence of this. No ancient person has ever claimed gods were invented and used to cope with life, yet our modern intellectuals have decided to claim it for them. That&#8217;s a problem. A thinking person, with integrity, would first ask why people of antiquity believed in gods and then search why from their own words. You don&#8217;t fill in the blank with your own answer. And if you don&#8217;t know why, simply say you don&#8217;t know why. It is hard for people to think this way today. Why? Because of <em><strong>progress</strong></em>.</p><p>We have no problem creating stories around the supernatural, the paranormal, or believing in the existence of superior alien species that look like they&#8217;re on their death bed flying advanced technology. But mention the gods of old and people scoff, laugh, and claim they&#8217;re myths. People ignore the thread running throughout all of humanity. The thread that ties humanity to the supernatural. This is easy to do when you avoid the hard work of trying to determine why and focus solely on the what.</p><p>Why does academia get to define the stories of old as myths? Who gave them that right? </p><p>It reminds me of the very popular but naive atheist line, &#8220;If God is real then show me.&#8221; </p><p>&#8220;Who am I to command God to show himself&#8221;, I would rebuttal. </p><p>And so it is with the supernatural world. Despite the countless supernatural stories from around the world since the dawn of humanity, people today still scoff at such claims as myths or figments of one&#8217;s imagination. From a heart of arrogance and ignorance the intellectual retorts, &#8220;Show me the supernatural if it is real.&#8221; As if any human can simply command beings from another realm to appear.</p><p>The inability to command the supernatural at will isn&#8217;t just a modern day dilemma. Ancient man couldn&#8217;t just summon the supernatural for coffee and donuts by snapping their fingers. I&#8217;ve come to realize modern humanity does not know what a supernatural being is. It&#8217;s as if people think such beings are like pets, or animals kept in a zoo. All you have to do is show some treats or yell a command and here they come! Ready to perform non-stop tricks for our enjoyment. I often worry about our species. I&#8217;m not sure we&#8217;re going to make it.</p><p>Pretty much every ancient society worshipped and had some relationship with a god or gods. So much so that they were willing to wrap their entire culture around their cultic beliefs. They often went as far as sacrificing their own children to appease the gods &#8212;communicating that they were willing to give up anything in return for their god&#8217;s favor. This often left a society guessing what their god demanded in return for such favor. This happened across all ancient civilizations except one. </p><p>There was only one God throughout all of ancient history that made His commands clear and Himself known through a personal relationship. That was Yahweh, the God of Israel and subsequently all creation. This relationship with Israel was different from the business transactions other nations experienced. When God issued the 10 commandments it wasn&#8217;t to make Israel aware of right and wrong. They already knew right from wrong. It didn&#8217;t take the issuance of the 10 commandments for the Israelites to realize being held as slaves was wrong. They served a different purpose. God issued the commandments onto two stone tablets to show there was a contractual agreement between Himself and Israel, plus what was required to keep the legal agreement valid. A stone for each party &#8212;which was customary in the ancient near east as a way to bind treaties&#8212; was produced. This is something no other god had ever done. And contrary to popular belief, actually delighted the Israelites and made the other nations jealous (Deuteronomy 4:5&#8211;8).</p><p>Why would the other nations be jealous? Because the other nations believed Israel&#8217;s God was real. People of antiquity weren&#8217;t monotheists. They didn&#8217;t believe only one god existed. They were in fact monolatrists &#8212;worshipping their own god or gods while believing in the existence of other gods they didn&#8217;t worship. Monotheism is a modern day concept. It is an idea we&#8217;ve all been <em><strong>programmed</strong></em> to believe.</p><p>A prime example of monolatry in action is in the story of Jonah &#8212;the prophet who runs from God after being told by Yahweh to call Nineveh to repentance. Upon the ship where Jonah was hiding, were sailors who worshipped other gods. During a great storm the ship&#8217;s captain calls on Jonah to cry out to his God in hopes that He will spare them, while the other sailors cried out to their gods. This is a clear cut example of monolatry in action. The other sailors accepted the fact other gods existed. And when the sailors found out that Jonah was running away from Yahweh &#8212;the one who created the land and the sea&#8212; they panicked and tossed him off their ship. The sailors understood there was a hierarchy of gods within the cosmos and Yahweh was top brass. To anger Him meant trouble for everyone involved.</p><p>We see another example of monolatry in the story of Moses and Pharaoh. In ancient Egypt it was believed that Pharoahs existed as vessels for the god Horus. In this historic event there was a battle of the gods that took place with Yahweh besting the gods of Egypt.</p><p>Fast forward into the 3rd century and you&#8217;ll find one of the early church fathers, Tertullian&#8212;in his famous Apology&#8212; writing to the Romans that their &#8220;gods&#8221; were really demons parading around as gods. Tertullian didn&#8217;t reject the gods of the Roman pantheon. He simply claimed they were posers.</p><p>The people of antiquity didn&#8217;t debate the existence of other gods and whose religion was true. These are modern day ideas fabricated to create division within humanity and to encourage forgetfulness of how the cosmos is actually architected. The ancient debates around religion were centered around whose god was the best or most powerful.</p><p>What&#8217;s important to note here, is that humanity has always believed in the existence of gods and recognized their role within the cosmos &#8212;good and bad. The litany of ancient scriptures, stone tablets, temples, stories passed down, and carvings left in caves by ancient civilizations scattered across the globe can&#8217;t simply be written off as myths. I believe doing so is a major reason why our current world has the problems it has today. We, as a human race, have become arrogant and allowed humanity to fall under the influence of demons due to our worship of technology &#8212;the machine. These beings work covertly because currently it is the most effective way to work as they cull the human race. Unfortunately, we live in a modern society that loves to make bold claims concerning things that happened millions of years ago. We dismiss the evidence our ancestors left for us because it&#8217;s hard to believe. We speak for the dead and make assertions as to why they believed what they believed. We&#8217;ve become increasingly ignorant and arrogant while chasing technological progress. All while moving backwards.</p><p>As I wrap up I want to share something. There&#8217;s not a moment that goes by that I don&#8217;t wonder what else we&#8217;ve been lied to about. While I have my own suspicions as to why we&#8217;ve been lied to and where we&#8217;re all going, I still can&#8217;t shake the feeling that there is so much more hiding in the dark. My challenge to you, is to start questioning what you&#8217;ve been taught about the human race. Don&#8217;t take what you&#8217;ve heard on the humble simply because someone used the word &#8220;science&#8221;. A word that humans made up. Don&#8217;t fall for the narrative of progress. I fully believe we&#8217;re living in a fabricated reality and the workers who built this machine aren&#8217;t imbeciles. In fact, I&#8217;d argue that they&#8217;re geniuses not to be underestimated.</p><p>Gods are real. Our ancestors weren&#8217;t crazy or ignorant fools. We&#8217;ve just simply been programmed to forget. And everything they left behind was to ensure future humanity remembered.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, please share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>Upgrade to a paid subscription.</p></li><li><p>Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/all-gods-are-real-weve-just-forgotten?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/all-gods-are-real-weve-just-forgotten?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/all-gods-are-real-weve-just-forgotten?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cycles of the World]]></title><description><![CDATA[An update on what I'm reading, doing and building.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/cycles-of-the-world</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/cycles-of-the-world</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:48:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uait!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb24358c-036d-4da8-b9f0-7ce91a7f3f11_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uait!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb24358c-036d-4da8-b9f0-7ce91a7f3f11_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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This past year has been more difficult than expected due to my health challenges. It&#8217;s put a damper on many things I&#8217;ve been working on which is incredibly frustrating for someone that hates being idle &#8212;not to mention my family and personal life. Thankfully, I&#8217;ve been turning a cor&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[If Kamala Harris is our hero, the Devil is our god.]]></title><description><![CDATA[You will sacrifice everything to be happy.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/if-kamala-harris-is-our-hero-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/if-kamala-harris-is-our-hero-the</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Aug 2024 18:31:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-3Ev!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff28d7032-59f6-430c-a8b2-53eba7866750_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>As I watched and listened to the DNC speech delivered by Kamala Harris &#8212;an ingenious and poetically waxed fabrication of reality thrusted upon mind controlled minions&#8212; I wondered how on earth we arrived at such a dystopian destination. Mind boggling falls short as an apt description of the situation the United States is currently facing. An individual nominated to be president of what is supposed to be the most powerful nation in the world &#8212;this can be debated once you exclude military might&#8212; has somehow climbed the ranks without a single vote from the general populous being cast in her favor. We'll just ignore this totalitarian state action and pretend we didn't witness a dictator move. I don't need to recirculate the failures that have followed the Border Czar's career as the internet is rife with these truths. But just as it was when Barack Obama was running for office, it wasn't truth that people wanted. I learned this lesson the hard way back in 2009, when I was told I should vote for him simply because he's black and I'm black. Never-mind the idea of judging people based on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Something many black people to this day can't stop impulsively parroting like an electronic toy that keeps turning itself on in the middle of the night.</p><p>As the musical carried on, Harris sang her beautiful song of lies and the people accepted the sweet poison deep into their hungry souls. Her lying remark about armed protestors being sent to thwart the Capitol on January 6th fell on hardened hearts. The obvious bait trap laid for people of color deceptively couched in name dropping civil rights leaders was swallowed up like baby birds begging for worms. And the pandering to women as if they're treated like second class citizens while bragging about her brown-skinned, 19 year old mom, immigrating to the U.S. completely alone, building a family, obtaining a degree and experiencing middle class life was a master class on how to declare, "<em><strong>I am the puppet master</strong></em>." But no matter how many times we've seen this movie, people keep sacrificing all they have to see it again and again with no results to show for it. And sadly, all that we have to give is the actual price of admission. </p><p>But how did we get here?</p><p>I started hearing about postmodernism in the early 2000s from Christian apologists who were proselytizing on college campuses. What was being pushed in academia was the idea that truth was ultimately subjective and whatever one believed was only necessarily true for the one holding the belief. A good example of this was the declaration made by Oprah Winfrey that there are many ways to Jesus regardless of what you call God or how you follow Him. Her declaration isn't derived from an objective source of truth but was based in what she wanted to believe was true for everyone else, regardless of what the Bible said. I always thought this was an odd take considering I'm sure the name written on her checks matter. Writing a check to me won't magically make it to her bank account. She's also known to be quite vocal about how her name and brand is represented to the world but never-mind what God thinks about His name or His demands.</p><div id="youtube2-noO_dCWtB1E" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;noO_dCWtB1E&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/noO_dCWtB1E?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>I remember engaging in many apologetic debates with non-believers who simply believed that what was true for me was true for me, and what was true for them was true for them. So if they believed upon death that their body would ascend into space to be consumed by a purple two-headed goat, then that was true for them. And if I believed we'd all eventually meet God for ultimate judgement with no goats involved then that was true for me. Evidence be damned. </p><p>During this time I noticed what I'd describe as a loss of logic and reason, perpetuated by institutions that were supposed to be the cornerstones of advanced education. It was apparent to me and many others that people were becoming accredited with less intellectual prowess. Simply put, college students were paying large sums of money to be made stupid. But the attacks on logic and reason were necessary for the desired generational shifts within our society to take place. <em><strong>Truth was no longer absolute</strong></em>, as said by many while making an absolute truth statement. I watched this shift take place within the minds of the early millennial generation. During this time I also learned that conversations religious or philosophical in nature were easy pathways to understanding someone's reasoning abilities or lack thereof. I noticed that America was losing this skill as a society and instead started relying solely on fake intellectualism and science as its replacement. Every answer to every question back then was "ScIEnCe saYs So". No thought, no reasoning, no questioning &#8212;just accept the science and the emotionalism the sentiment carried. The mantra still exists today. This was the beginning of the great indoctrination of America.</p><p>Watching Kamala Harris's speech brought back those memories. A sea of people kneeling at the alter of convenience which provided a foundation for their subjective worldviews. America has long since given up the idea of truth in pursuit of radical individualism. But how these individuals who disregard truth when it&#8217;s convenient operate is a bit intriguing. Their movements belie the imagery of unity so often projected. It's akin to the movie Resident Evil &#8212;where scores of zombies are really out for themselves but there's a greater benefit to each individual if they can move as a pack. This very same idea began to play out when the LGBTQ+ community <strong><a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article182322956.html">hijacked the civil rights movement</a></strong> to bolster their agenda. For decades black people had to hear that their concerns of racism were far overblown &#8212;we had a black President after all&#8212; but when the gay and lesbian community felt they weren't getting enough traction or support for their worldview, racism was promptly placed on the table and made into a parallel issue. Apparently it is still a raging problem as opined by Oprah Winfrey during her speech at the DNC. Need I remind you she is a black woman with a net worth close to <strong>3 billion USD</strong>. The truth is it doesn't matter if a problem actually exists or not. What matters is what people are led to believe.</p><p>Another great example of the pack eating its own is the ousting of President Joe Biden by his own party. It's been long known that he wasn't mentally fit to run the nation, however, his party needed a prop to support their greater agenda. A sacrificial lamb if you will. Once his part was fulfilled, he was attacked by his own parasitic party and made to step aside. For the greater good of course. </p><p>Sadly, it appears that there is an army of American citizens who simply don't possess the mental fortitude or capability to engage in honest debates or civil discourse that goes beyond how someone feels in any particular moment. Because today, feelings are all that matter and euphoria rules the day.</p><p>The postmodernism movement was also a crucial and necessary ingredient for dethroning objective morality in America. If truth is no longer objective and science is the new god, then morality is what we all make it out to be. It means there are no dangers in adults parading in nudity publicly during pride month with children present. It means there is no present danger in irreversibly butchering the body parts of children in the name of the gender identity movement. Opening your borders to take in violent criminals who've been let out of prisons to flood America is a moral good because it shows we are a nation standing against hatred and bigotry. The corrupt government taking more money from the rich through taxation is also a moral good, regardless if the government continues to squander it by refusing to properly allocate it towards necessary resources. And lying is certainly a much appreciated American virtue if its directed towards President Trump while berating him for being a liar. In America, it's ok to lie to get what you want if you believe its for the greater good. Or in other words, lying benefits your own personal situation. This in effect means that reality is whatever we make it to be. It is this common customary way of being that encourages people to seek out their own selfish gain while pretending to operate altruistically. It is evil in every sense of the word. </p><p>Evil has become our nation's god. It has been a slow and meticulous grind to indoctrinate a good percentage of our country. This indoctrination has also made its way to other parts of the earth to include Canada, United Kingdom, France, Australia and others. I believe the evil we see sweeping across the world is of a supernatural nature, perpetuated by dark supernatural forces. Such forces that people of modernity have spent much of their lives ignoring or laughing at as archaic ideas belonging to the ignorant age of humanity. </p><p>But as the DNC spent days mesmerizing millions of people it became crystal clear to me as to how we arrived at this destination. The countless eyes that were glazed over, enamored not with Kamala's stellar resume &#8212;<em><strong>because why does a Presidential candidate need that</strong></em>&#8212; but by the fact she's a black woman who can stand as a symbol against the patriarchy. The millions of zombies who stayed up late on the final night, waiting for a Beyonce performance to affirm they're on the right side of history. The promises made by the democratic party cosplaying as "Robinhood" who will fleece the crooked rich and give it all to the poor. The fabricated savior who will give her all in order to fix the moral underpinnings of our nation. It was a speech and a time of epic proportion where celebrities simply told the audience what they wanted to hear, knowing full well the audience is not capable of thinking for themselves and therefore will never hold any of them accountable for when they fail to deliver. And they do plan on failing to deliver.</p><p>It is not pessimism to admit the human race and particularly America has reached a point of no return. There are no permanent truth serums to administer to the general public. I am sorry to inform everyone that we are not going to wake up tomorrow as if none of this tomfoolery is taking place. The minds of many people on earth are currently being held captive by entertainment as they scroll endlessly on their devices. These same devices house social applications largely monitored and controlled by big media and government for the purposes of installing new narratives within the human operating system. You and I see this plague which has already captured much of America's youth. The inability to create has been supplanted by the need to consume. This same virus has convinced millions of Americans that it is the government that will provide their fleshly needs. The only thing that it requires is that you sacrifice everything. </p><p>The idea of a great correction is one that I believe is a possibility. But this will not come without a great war. A battle between good and evil. A war over humanity. What that war looks like is anyone's guess. But I believe it will be the only chance not just this country, but also many others have in dethroning the powers of supernatural darkness so we may return to a morally objective existence where greater humanity can flourish.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you found it helpful, please share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>Upgrade to a paid subscription.</p></li><li><p>Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/if-kamala-harris-is-our-hero-the?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Defeating Giants! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/if-kamala-harris-is-our-hero-the?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/if-kamala-harris-is-our-hero-the?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the opposition plants their flag in your land.]]></title><description><![CDATA[You've been conquered.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-the-opposition-plants-their</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-the-opposition-plants-their</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:23:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:256756,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_MG9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecd4de18-e0e7-419a-8bc6-04088af9e8c0_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Anti-American joyfully burning the American flag while raising the Palestinian flag. Source: REUTERS</figcaption></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>By now you've seen the imagery of Hamas supporters &#8212; living in the United States&#8212; burning the American flag at our nation's capital as well as defacing our monuments. To be completely honest with you, I have mixed feelings about it all, but probably not for reasons you'd expect. </p><p>My mixed emotions spring partly from the fact that I'm a military veteran. Like many others I share great dissatisfaction and even distrust with our current government. However, the tremendous sacrifices that many have endured over the centuries in order to protect the freedoms of American citizens is immeasurable. The lives lost, the trauma carried and families broken in order for America to stand as a pillar of freedom and hope to the world seems to have been either forgotten or simply disregarded.</p><p>There's a part of me that is angered by the display of degeneracy that took place at our nation's capital. That anger laid squarely at those who commit such a betrayal towards a nation that has provided them with freedoms, only for them to act like a pack of wild jack asses on whiskey.  But I also feel sadness and great disappointment in the citizens who stood around filming, jockeying for social media street cred instead of intervening. These are the people that I and many others put our lives on the line for. All of it makes me question if it was ever worth it. I see a nation who took what was given to them &#8212;freedom by way of blood&#8212; as a gift for granted.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:206874,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XQrf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F215aab75-24e0-45c7-b3f5-8de731927859_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Anti-American defacing American monuments and promoting a terrorist group in front of social media experts. Source; REUTERS</figcaption></figure></div><p>If you've followed my writing than you'd know that I am in staunch opposition to the demonic genocide that is taking place in Gaza. It is nothing short of apartheid which has been smoothed over by mainstream media's insidious twisting of the truth. Anyone with half a good eye trapped in a dark room can see that there's no such thing as a real conflict. </p><p>It's been reported that the <em><strong><a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/daily-death-rate-gaza-higher-any-other-major-21st-century-conflict-oxfam">daily death rate of Palestinians in Gaza is higher than any other major 21st century</a></strong></em> "conflict", with over 250 people killed per day. These aren't Hamas soldiers being slaughtered by the boatload either. They are mainly civilians. This is a slaughter perpetuated by cowards who wrongly believe God is on their side. When you see <em><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/gaza-palestinian-children-killed-idf-israel-war">children being used as target practice by Israeli snipers</a></strong></em> the only conclusion one can come to at this point is Israel and its supporters have slipped into blood lust. This is demonic influence at work. Period. And I don't give a rat's ass how anyone feels about my declaration of the truth. With that being said, I also don't support Hamas. I do understand their grievance against Zionism and I also share it. If anyone is confused, you can see it on full display in Gaza. However, terrorism is also cowardly, sinister, and evil.</p><p>As I watched the circus of anti-Americans burn our nation's flag and raise their own, I couldn't help but wonder where the Americans were? The fact that this act was allowed clearly telegraphed the fact that our nation isn't just divided by political faction or ideologies, but also in spirit. How is it that non-Americans &#8212;yes, you are non-American if you're burning our flag and defacing our monuments&#8212; can boldly unite and commit such an atrocity in America, yet Americans just stand around and watch? Where is our courage? Where is our unity? Where is our fight? How did we become such a docile nation that allows anti-Americans in so they could ransack our homes? Millions of dead military veterans are rolling over in their graves right now. To think we all served for such disrespect. It's bad enough that veterans are often treated like second class citizens but this, this is some next level ish.</p><p>Many may not be willing to admit it so I will &#8212;America's spirit has been broken. I can't think of any other government that would allow foreigners in, bus them to their nation's capital, and allow them to burn that nation's flag and deface their monuments in broad daylight. I mean WTAF? </p><p>If you were reading about the latest events that are taking place in a history book, you'd assume that America had been defeated. Why? Because raising your own flag in another nation's capital or capturing another nation's flag meant you had conquered that particular nation.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:134350,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!itl2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c79bbbf-93dc-4520-96a6-6fc9707c5b80_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Union soldiers pose with Confederate flags that they captured in battle during the Civil War. Each was&nbsp;awarded a Medal of Honor for grabbing the enemy&#8217;s flag. Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:169837,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!azUY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F10eb258f-586d-4119-a425-77f3b11dd7eb_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">U.S. Marines with a captured Korean flag from the Korean conflict with the Joseon Dynasty of 1871. Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:134408,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fXRy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F413c6643-e0f8-4b0d-87dc-66c9a12c9a52_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">U.S. troops capturing Spanish guns at Malate Fort in Manila, Philippines. (U.S. Army photo) Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag/">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:160729,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vUof!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c2ef32-b7c1-49b3-bcec-8bb7082b07bd_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">U.S. soldiers with a surrendered Italian flag at Paestum, Italy. (U.S. Army photo) Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:186115,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P6mN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca09aef-7a2f-4b27-818b-846093bea2aa_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">American Paratroopers pose with a captured Nazi flag after landing in Normandy. (U.S. Army photo) Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:167403,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xQZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe70f82-2bbf-41da-91b7-e226e7960e79_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">U.S. troops during Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama, in December 1989. (photo by Ron Busch) Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:75718,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nc1W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba702783-82ba-4d60-9769-2c04c3b244e5_1456x816.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">U.S. Army Lt. Col. Rod Coffey holds the flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the&nbsp;precursor to ISIS, in Diyala Province, Iraq, 2008. (photo from Rod Coffey) Credit: <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/13-photos-of-us-troops-with-enemy-flag/">wearethemighty.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>I believe the severity of what we're all witnessing has been lost on many people. The burning of our nation's flag and the raising of another is not just some trite, disrespectful act. It is a very clear message that America has been broken, dethroned and conquered. Everyone in the world received that message. The entire world saw America's citizens too scared to fight back or intervene, paired with an inept and frankly corrupt government who has allowed this to happen on U.S. soil. How a society can become so outraged when their presidential nominee isn't elected, or an unarmed black person is murdered by a cop, or 2A rights are threatened, yet when people who hate us and our country walk in and give us the middle finger and everyone tucks tail is really freaking bewildering to me. </p><p>The only way opposition can plant their flag in another nation&#8217;s soil is when the spirits of a conquered people are broken. For all of the bravado, I see a docile country that has become too comfortable on the verge of a major collapse.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you found it helpful, please share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>Upgrade to a paid subscription.</p></li><li><p>Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/when-the-opposition-plants-their?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thank you for reading Defeating Giants. 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fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Neurological disease is the #1 cause of disease burden globally.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yes, you can prevent it.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/neurological-disease-is-the-1-cause</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/neurological-disease-is-the-1-cause</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 01 Jun 2024 16:07:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:227591,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5js!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc56406c1-8b26-4a06-9410-146cb45157a3.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p>We were told &#8220;the mind is a terrible thing to waste&#8221;.  <br>Then they filled our food supply with poisons to waste our minds.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>The year was 2001. I was sitting in my primary care's office after a long day at work. I was there for a routine checkup. Back then I didn't mind visiting my doctor. Kim was nice, sharp, quick, and a professing Christian like myself. She was almost like a big sister to me. I usually enjoyed the visits. But not that day. In fact I wasn't enjoying much of anything. I was in a dark place and she knew me well enough to pick up on the fact that something was seriously wrong. I imagine I must have said something to suggest I was not going to be a citizen of Earth much longer due to her next set of actions. </p><p>Kim asked me to step into her real office &#8212;not the exam room. I assumed she wanted to talk about what was bothering me. After I entered her office she asked me to give her a moment. It was there she made a phone call. To whom, I didn't know. I wasn't really paying attention because I was focused on the darkness that was swallowing me. Kim asked if I was willing to take a drive with her. Again, I assumed she just wanted to chat to figure out what was going on with me. Before I knew it, we were at the hospital. Kim said she needed to first meet with a few colleagues so I followed her in. While I had visited this hospital in the past, I quickly realized I was in an unfamiliar section. I followed Kim into a room and inside a few people were waiting. The door closed. Kim broke the news that I was staying and she was leaving. She stated that she was concerned for my safety so I was being involuntarily committed. <em>That hit me like a ton of freaking bricks.</em> I remember anger boiling up inside of me, at her, and at everyone including God. Frankly, I didn't even care that I was being committed. I was so focused on the sudden betrayal by a friend that being committed to a suicide prevention center didn't even register in my mind. The betrayal on the other hand, that was like a knife in the back, twisted and turned until it reached my beating heart. I was in crisis mode and for some reason Kim thought I was worth saving. I didn't share her perspective.</p><p>Twenty-four hours later the darkness lifted and I was authorized to leave. This was based on the condition that I would see a psychiatrist &#8212;who prescribed some happy pills for me to take. While the pills did alter my mood into a zen-like state, they also encouraged suicidal thoughts. The pills made me indifferent to the idea of ending my own life. The experience was trippy as hell so I ditched the pills and after a few sessions, the psychiatrist. </p><p>If you've read my book then you already know I experienced the sort of terror that would pillage the fear from any Hollywood horror flick. This is partly the reason why I refuse to watch horror movies. To me, none of them are actually scary as they all pale in comparison to the real supernatural evil that exists. A terrorized childhood and an extremely stressing young adulthood does something to a person. I can say first hand that I know what it is to experience mental illness. The day I was admitted to the psych ward was the day I was going to end it all. It was by God's grace that I didn't. To this day, I still don't know what happened in that ward to cause me to want to live again. At least nothing physical or natural that I could attribute the change to. </p><p>While there are rare cases such as mine resulting from extremely traumatic events such as being haunted by demons as a child, I don't believe that most cases of mental illness &#8212;which comes in different forms&#8212; can be contributed to such experiences. Like many things in our modern world we've all been led to believe that mental illness is simply a part of life, often the result of stress, brain chemistry, age, the environment or even genetics. But the truth is scientists don't really know what causes mental illness and that's a hard fact.</p><blockquote><p>Despite the overwhelming body of research to which new findings are added almost every day, we scientists still don&#8217;t understand what happens in the brains of mentally ill people. We don&#8217;t really know yet which brain regions and connections are malformed or undeveloped, or when the brain goes awry or why. <a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-1" href="#footnote-1" target="_self">1</a></p></blockquote><p></p><p>We've all seen this movie before. A new disease or illness arises, the causes are virtually unknown but, the general public is provided with so-called associated risk factors that are believed to act as contributors to the illness. Your job is to <em><strong>bob and weave</strong></em> in between all of the risk factors throughout your life in order to avoid the illness despite not knowing what actually makes you ill. <em><strong>Tell me if that makes any logical sense.</strong></em>  As always, there are no cures, but there are plenty of treatments. None of them free.</p><p>The victims of today's illnesses can find their entire life savings wiped out seeking treatment while researchers and pharmaceutical companies make billions in their pursuit of creating a "cure". All of this comes at an extraordinary expense to humanity. In the United States alone that moneybag weighs in at <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-04-24/282-billion-what-mental-illness-costs-america-each-year#:~:text=Mental%20illness%20costs%20the%20U.S.,average%20economic%20recession%2C%20researchers%20report.">approximately $282 billion annually in costs to the economy</a> from mental health illnesses alone. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic" width="1456" height="821" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:821,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:66010,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s8iw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F259c7acf-371d-4bed-92bb-b3e5fd0f273f.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In just North America, the psychotropic drug market is expected to reach USD 13.5 billion by the year 2032.<a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-2" href="#footnote-2" target="_self">2</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic" width="1456" height="830" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:830,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:35014,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R9DC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9a717-edc1-4c8c-961e-8942d28c6061.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There's an incredible amount of money to be made when a society is sick whether physically, mentally, or even spiritually. I often wonder what our modern day world would look like if the energy, money and resources that are used in an attempt to improve our health weren't directed towards such an initiative. Especially considering that the majority of illnesses we face today &#8212;including mental illness&#8212; are of our own doing. You're just not supposed to know that little secret. Because the more you learn that most of our illnesses are fabricated the less likely you are to rely on the system that keeps this whole charade we call life going at our expense.</p><p></p><div><hr></div><p></p><h2>Fighting for your mind</h2><p>I became seriously interested in mental health about two years ago. I was influenced by the carnivore community as I was seeking a way to heal my body once and for all. Over the years I noticed I was accruing what's known as "brain fog". My mental acuity started declining and I was struggling to find simple words to express myself when speaking. While I had other health issues that were concerning to me, this one truly tripped me out. It's all fun and games until your brain stops operating correctly. </p><p>Now, for normal mere mortals brain fog may go unnoticed or perhaps deemed insignificant. But I like to consider myself as one from the upper echelon of polymaths blessed with an insatiable proclivity and aptitude for learning. When this debauchery started I was running a YouTube channel that was practically academic in nature, enrolled in a school of theology, reading various educational books on the side, just published my own book and was working a full-time job as a product manager in tech. So obviously my brain deciding to take an unauthorized leave of absence sent me into a panic. I thought maybe I was doing too much and was burning out. I have a habit of that as I'm wired to work hard, take risks, and never rest. But doing less didn't seem to help. I then thought I needed to read and write more. Perhaps taking up a new language or memorizing more words from the dictionary will improve my cognition but I couldn't get anything to stick. Nothing I did solved the problem. In fact everything I tried made it worse. My melting brain felt as if I was trapped in a haze and for someone that used to be a lyricist &#8212;and a damn good one in my previous life&#8212; I was having trouble stringing basic sentences together.</p><p>This all changed when I went carnivore. I had read about the healing effects on the brain from people who had switched to this WOE (way of eating). But the healing snuck up on me. I was a few months into my new WOE before I realized out of nowhere that I could think again. That my vocabulary was no longer made up of ums, uhs, likes, and dead silence as my brain searched feverishly for the word I was looking for to complete a thought. I also noticed my mind was no longer racing which seemed to make it easier for me to snatch appropriate words from the super highway of the english language. The fog was lifting and it was amazing. This gave me evidence that our brains can indeed heal if provided the right nutrients and a healthy environment. It also revealed to me that the brain can be damaged by the very foods we eat. Yes, even the so-called healthy ones.</p><h2>Whole Lies &#127807;</h2><p>Before I switched to carnivore I was a "health nut". The last time I ate the standard American diet I was a child. I transitioned into carnivore from what would be considered the healthiest diet on the planet. I ate plenty of leafy greens, nuts, seeds, grains, colorful vegetables and abstained from simple carbohydrates. I tracked my macros and caloric intake. I didn't eat sweets, avoided pork, only ate lean meats such as baked chicken, turkey and salmon. I ate superfoods, chased antioxidants, drank beet juice, and ingested minimal fruits and almost a gallon of water per day. This was my diet for years &#8212;the healthy whole foods diet. Along side this diet I also weight trained several times a week. My friends and co-workers were mesmerized by my discipline to stick to such a regimen. They would come to me for meal prep and workout advice. I honestly could've started a health and fitness business like thousands of others content creators if I really wanted to. Nah...I wasn't feeling it.</p><p>I'll make this plain. That way of eating was toxic and over the years my body was deteriorating. I've since learned that the "healthy diet" is precisely why so many people who do eat this way an attempt to avoid diseases still end up with the very same diseases they were trying to avoid. I believe this is chiefly due to two factors. </p><p>The first is this garbage "whole foods" psyop diet idea that is woefully deficient in healthy fats &#8212;and no coconut and avocado oil don't cut it. This WOE starves the body to include the brain of it's desired fuel source, wrecks the endocrine system, elevates insulin levels and eventually can lead to a mitochondrial disease effecting the brain, pancreas, liver, heart, nerves and more. The second issue that is often left out of the discussion concerning a healthy diet, is that these "whole foods" contain phytotoxins which slowly poison the body. The current education system ensures we're ignorant about food but all of those ancient neanderthal grunts were completely knowledgeable. It's how we've survived for thousands of years as a human race. We're not told you <em><strong>can't</strong></em> cook out all of the toxins or that nutrients in plants are locked and not bioavailable to humans. Great! Kale has folate and vitamin B6 &#8212;that you're not getting much of&#8212; but you're also not told it's an accumulator of toxic metals that your body will store. I&#8217;m living proof of such accumulation as I&#8217;ve been oxalate dumping for an entire year. You're not told that a plant's defense chemicals keep nutrients locked up in the plant. People often think everything is fine because the toxins we ingest are in tiny doses. However, they fail to realize that when your diet is 95% plant based you're not ingesting tiny doses of poison. You're downing large, vast amounts of poison. Every fake milk, alcohol, hot or cold cereal, cup of coffee, tea, spice, french fry, dessert, piece of chocolate, protein bar, seed, grain or nut comes from plants. Plants that create toxins to defend themselves. Toxins that wind up in the body, overloading it.</p><p>We're not even told the idea of "vegetables" is made up. There's no such thing as vegetables people. There's only fruits which house seeds and then there are plants. Vegetables are nothing more than a marketing ploy to get people to eat foods of scarcity like a bunch of starving peasants because it's cheaper to mass produce. The downside is that it makes people sick, physically and mentally.</p><p>Plant toxins accumulate in the body and often lead to autoimmune diseases. The seriousness of this issue is often overlooked. If you haven't, I highly recommend watching the talk by Dr. Anthony Chaffee,&nbsp;<em><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1cqNDDG4aA">Plants are Trying to Kill You</a>. </strong></em>The title is purposely provocative to drive the point home. Today, many people have an emotional attachment to food thanks to addiction and indoctrination. This causes them to act irrational and continue to eat what kills them despite the biological facts concerning plant life. This is a form of mental illness. </p><p>Malnutrition and toxicity can lead to various neurological disorders. It's no different than the effects endured after years of substance abuse. After all, toxins <em><strong>are</strong></em> poisons. Poisoning the body doesn't improve health regardless of what all the health and nutrition blogs and influencers tell you. And over time, the steady ingestion of these defensive chemicals coupled with the lack of nutrition will begin to erode the mind along with the body. </p><p>According to the most comprehensive neurological study to date, diabetic neuropathy is the fastest-growing of all neurological conditions. Neurological conditions are also the leading cause of ill health and disability globally. And the number of people living with, or dying from, neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and meningitis has risen substantially over the past 30 years.<a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-3" href="#footnote-3" target="_self">3</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic" width="1456" height="1190" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1190,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:169031,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MLng!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d9d7382-dc00-4633-af17-4146b7ff93df.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><em><strong><a href="https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/library/global-burden-conditions-affecting-nervous-system">See Infographic</a></strong></em></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Just like the issue of metabolic dysfunction, this change started over the last few decades. Clearly, something is happening to our brains and pinning the cause on old age and genetics is beyond preposterous. Humans have always aged. It's part of life. All living things age. <em><strong>Aging doesn't equal the causation of any illness.</strong></em> The evidence shows that our health is in rapid decline all while scientists and doctors fumble around like people searching for a light switch in the dark. The cause alludes them all. But there is plenty of money to be made while humanity is culled while searching for fake cures.</p><p>The silver lining in all of this and the secret the giants don't want you to know, is that the brain holds a remarkable ability to heal itself. There are glimpses of this within the scientific literature. For example, it's now known that a Ketogenic Diet which consists of low-carbohydrates and high-fats and protein, can improve cognitive function in those with diseases caused by neuronal damage. <a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-4" href="#footnote-4" target="_self">4</a></p><p>A recent study that was done on Parkinson's Disease (PD) induced mice provides a bit more evidence for the importance of such a Ketogenic Diet (KD). Part of the abstract reads:</p><blockquote><p>Our results showed that a long-term medium-chain triglyceride KD (MCT-KD) significantly reduced MPTP-induced damage to dopaminergic (DA) neurons, exerted antioxidant stress through the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 pathway, and reversed oxidative stress in DA neurons. The MCT-KD also reduced mitochondrial loss, promoted ATP production, and inhibited the activation of microglia to protect DA neurons in MPTP-induced PD mice. MCT-KD altered the gut microbiota and consequently changed the metabolism of substantia nigra neurons through gut microbiota metabolites. ... This study shows that MCT-KD has multiple protective effects against PD.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Could the many mental health issues and neurological diseases we are all facing be blamed on the foods we eat? It's quite telling that by just adjusting one's diet to consume the very foods we've all been programmed to hate &#8212;meat and saturated fats&#8212; the brain can heal and protect itself against disease. Should we really be surprised that eating toxic foods for our entire lives results in neurological disorders? Do we live in the Upside Down?</p><p>I am one example of someone who has managed to regain cognitive function by eating the foods deemed bad for our health and ditching the so-called healthy, scarcity foods of modern-day peasantry. <em><strong>Yes, the class system is real. It&#8217;s why most people in the United States alone are in debt.</strong></em> But as a member of the carnivore community I constantly see examples of other individuals who've also managed to heal a litany of neurological issues:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYSK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F985ed943-e188-4152-b4bc-b4d2be960365.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYSK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F985ed943-e188-4152-b4bc-b4d2be960365.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYSK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F985ed943-e188-4152-b4bc-b4d2be960365.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYSK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F985ed943-e188-4152-b4bc-b4d2be960365.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYSK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F985ed943-e188-4152-b4bc-b4d2be960365.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYSK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F985ed943-e188-4152-b4bc-b4d2be960365.heic" width="1456" height="289" 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href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic" width="1456" height="305" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:305,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:42264,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC28!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b1612a6-064f-44bc-bf16-41ab6ef4bafc.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic" width="1456" height="240" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:240,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:33008,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3aWu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d6069b-88a8-4c8b-bfc7-02512aed0445.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic" width="1456" height="412" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:412,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:70942,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eA6n!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa35f2d15-1334-4f76-9eee-5376738c5950.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" 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x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic" width="1456" height="318" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:318,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:58597,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qeZ0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e75ab1c-6d4a-49b6-951c-ee8190198a4e.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Slowly, one by one, people are awakening to the fact that we've all been lied to. The reason why the human race has become so incredibly ill is because of the recent change to a poor, nutritionally deficient, and toxic diet from a superior, species appropriate diet.</p><p>A fictitious narrative of the <em><strong>great agricultural age</strong></em> that alleviated humanity from the stresses of the hunter gatherer life and starvation was spun up and sold to each and every one of us. I've written about this false narrative of human progression before. Paint a horrific picture of a past you and I never lived and it will influence us to believe that anything in the present is progress. </p><p>Every day, millions if not billions of people are attempting to sustain the human body on scavenger food, seasoned, sweetened and doctored up to keep the gag reflex from activating while choking down toxic plants. But the body is smart. It will try to store and compartmentalize the toxins in a fight for survival. Just before you reach middle age is when it can no longer keep up and the toxicity begins tearing down the body. You find yourself allergic to foods you could once eat, and allergic to the earth in general with seasonal allergies. You notice joint pains, body stiffness, poor sleep, memory problems, skin issues, autoimmune concerns, digestive problems, migraines, uncontrollable weight gain, metabolic syndrome, issues with your gait and more. You're told that it's just old age or genetics. There's a pill or injection for that. It is at this point, after making Big Food billions of dollars from eating scavenger food, that we're transitioned into the hands of Big Pharma in hopes they will cure whatever is ailing us, or at least give us "medicine" to help us cope. However, the joke is on us as we continue to ingest the poisons that are making us all sick while seeking treatment for the diseases we bring on ourselves. Eventually, as you're moved down the line for eventual slaughter you wind up feeble and severely neurologically damaged. You become a liability for the human race and no longer a productive asset. This cycling of "in with the new and out with the old" keeps the machine going and works to keep population growth from getting out of hand. It provides a sort of calculable balance to the world economy. It is a means to budget a global society. People produce energy and energy makes money. So you and I are told that no one has a cure for today's diseases and no one knows the cause, meanwhile the elite are benefiting from our demise.</p><p>Well... at least that's what the giants want you to think. I believe the chief cause for mental illness is right under our noses &#8212;literally. And it is the same cause for most of the diseases humanity is currently facing. You don't need the scientific or medical community to tell you to stop eating toxic foods if you want to keep your mind and body intact. But you do need them to coach you on what drugs to take when you begin to lose them.</p><p>It's your mind and we only get one. Fight like hell to keep it. Because once it&#8217;s completely gone, that&#8217;s it. And the system will move on to the next child for grooming and energy siphoning into old age.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. If you found it helpful, please share it! Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>How you can support my work</h2><ul><li><p>Share my articles far and wide so we can help other humans.</p></li><li><p>Upgrade to a paid subscription.</p></li><li><p>Leave a comment so the Substack algorithm thinks I&#8217;m more important and popular than I really am.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/neurological-disease-is-the-1-cause?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thank you for reading Defeating Giants. This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/neurological-disease-is-the-1-cause?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/neurological-disease-is-the-1-cause?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowers people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p><div class="footnote" data-component-name="FootnoteToDOM"><a id="footnote-1" href="#footnote-anchor-1" class="footnote-number" contenteditable="false" target="_self">1</a><div class="footnote-content"><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-neuroscientist-who-lost-her-mind/201804/we-scientists-know-so-little-about-mental-illness">We Scientists Know So Little About Mental Illness</a></strong></em></p></div></div><div class="footnote" data-component-name="FootnoteToDOM"><a id="footnote-2" href="#footnote-anchor-2" class="footnote-number" contenteditable="false" target="_self">2</a><div class="footnote-content"><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/psychotropic-drugs-market">Insights: Psychotropic Drugs Market</a></strong></em></p></div></div><div class="footnote" data-component-name="FootnoteToDOM"><a id="footnote-3" href="#footnote-anchor-3" class="footnote-number" contenteditable="false" target="_self">3</a><div class="footnote-content"><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-neurology-neurological-conditions-now-leading-cause-ill#:~:text=The%20most%20prevalent%20neurological%20disorders,growing%20of%20all%20neurological%20conditions.">The Lancet Neurology: Neurological conditions now leading cause of ill health and disability globally, affecting 3.4 billion people worldwide</a></strong></em></p></div></div><div class="footnote" data-component-name="FootnoteToDOM"><a id="footnote-4" href="#footnote-anchor-4" class="footnote-number" contenteditable="false" target="_self">4</a><div class="footnote-content"><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9247494/">The Effect of the Ketogenic Diet on the Therapy of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Its Impact on Improving Cognitive Functions</a></strong></em></p></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The fall of a nation.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Is it America's turn to fall?]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-fall-of-a-nation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-fall-of-a-nation</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 17:16:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:231069,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Statue of Liberty head&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Statue of Liberty head" title="Statue of Liberty head" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hLm3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa4d19327-bb63-4fac-a4a3-b6bf34f7a488.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p>For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - <strong>Ephesians 6:12</strong></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>I was born and raised in America. My mother and father were also born and raised in my home land and so were their parents. Both of my parents served the country by enlisting and eventually retiring as veterans of the United States Air Force. I spent four years in the same branch of the armed forces before deciding that I had enough of military life. I don't know if there's anything more patriotic than signing away your sovereign rights as a person to the government of one's country to be used as an instrument of power. But it was something I voluntarily did and in <em>some</em> regards proud to have done it. </p><p>Like the majority of Americans &#8212;and I imagine like many natives of other countries&#8212; I grew up under the belief that my country was the greatest regardless of its past transgressions. America, we're taught, is the ultimate symbol of freedom, purity, democracy, moral correctness, liberty, power and wealth. It is essentially Rome reborn and we're all told that if you work hard enough there's absolutely nothing you can't accomplish or obtain under America's banner. Your dreams can become reality with enough grit and determination. This country, my country, which has designated itself as the beacon of hope for all lands across the globe has an almost irresistible pull. So much so that every year millions of people immigrate to America in hopes of obtaining <em>the dream</em> &#8212;often risking their lives. To be fair, if I lived in a country that didn't offer such hope I too would consider fleeing to America in pursuit of a better life. </p><p>Despite the opportunity to live in or visit different countries as a military dependent and veteran, I was still molded solely in the image of America, complete with horse blinders. From the moment we enter the public education system we're indoctrinated with the victor's story of conquering and progression. America is always the victim turned hero or savior in every narrative. From the fleeing of persecution under the powerful fist of England's Church to the holy work of redeeming the souls of African savages made into slaves, America we're told, embodies the quintessential spirit that all nations should aspire to embrace. Yet, this is the land that fought for its own freedom while denying the same hope from many others.</p><p>While we may acknowledge our country's sins, American programming has hardened our hearts towards its own moral failures. This is by design and it is precisely why we will continue to repeat past sins. We're all indoctrinated to simply focus on the future, the road ahead and to not mind what is caught in our peripheral. We're told to seek the stars so we may leave Earth behind. These blinders &#8212;which are represented in the education system, media and government&#8212; work as distraction mechanisms to encourage the idea of human and societal progress. This type of ideology provides permission for a country to run roughshod on the basis of altruism without giving any thought to the consequences. When damage is later assessed like the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, it is minimized. Why? Because of <em>progress</em>. We're told that we have to prepare for the possibility of a more deadly and future global threat. Who has time to admit mistakes when there's progress to be made? Yet, much time has been given to the fostering of what appears to be mass formation psychosis of its citizens. Much energy is directed towards ensuring the herd shares the same mentality. Failure to comply will result in the culling of the herd. And so progress marches on.</p><p>Despite the lack of so-called <em>scientific evidence</em> of such a psychosis which is thought to cultivate mob mentality, I stand by my belief that many humans are disconnected from reality. Chiefly because part of our programming consists of erasing the story of our human history. This is why in our modern era people are still searching for ancient truths regarding humanity. Despite the mountain of archaeological, paleontological and recorded human data, we're still a lost civilization. </p><p>Programming is why we have humans today who disregard the supernatural as a reality. People have been indoctrinated to believe the supernatural stories of old should be considered <em>myths</em>, which is simply ancient history wrapped in lies and ignorance. These lies are packaged and peddled to humanity as a sign of intellectual progression. Anyone caught believing in the stories of old is discounted as an unintelligent caveman. This is the psychosis. This is the true disconnect. It is the failure to know what it means to even be human. To ignore this supernatural reality is to strip away the honor, dignity, sovereignty, and value of humanity. This is the aim behind forcing a society to wear horse blinders. The goal is accomplished when we simply focus on the future as we're told the past is where failures and mistakes lie. The past is full of ignorance and absent technological advancements. The past is devoid of science and discovery. The past is full of struggle and hardship. Keep pressing at all costs has become the motto and I believe America is championing this global cause. So here we all stand, gathered as one human race without a unified origin story with no understanding of our past and absolutely no clue as to where we're being jettisoned, yet marching with absolute certainty into the unknown. The failure to recognize what is tantamount to a reprogramming of the human civilization has grave consequences for America and all other nations.</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/afd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:262817,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;ancient city of Rome&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="ancient city of Rome" title="ancient city of Rome" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdb2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafd30044-067d-41e3-a5a4-1984845370c7.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>I haven't been alive for half a century yet, but I've been around long enough to see the declining of America&#8217;s &#8220;Pax Romana&#8221;. There's seems to be something significant about the 200 year mark as my country is clearly spiraling out of control. My programming tells me I should be more optimistic and that with enough grit, determination and high performance the ship can be turned around. But my spirit tells me something is amiss. And it's at this precise juncture that what I'm about to share will be immensely difficult for those who reject the full meaning of what it is to be human. Because to some, all that exists is the programming. Nothing else can exist without it.  </p><p>I don't believe it is a coincidence that America &#8212;like Rome&#8212; grew to be the most powerful nation in the world, built on a river of blood, only to last two centuries before experiencing a cataclysmic downfall under the sheer weight of its own corrupt power. In fact, I think it is supernaturally orchestrated and there appears to be evidence of such previous activity given to us by our ancient ancestors. I understand that some will find it hard to believe. To wake up one day and realize everything you thought you knew about life was a total fabrication can lead to a mental breakdown. I get that the supernatural is a concept that is hard to believe. And I get that many people still believe nobody can truly know the truth about this realm and its relation to humanity &#8212;that's part of the programming. It's a door most people do not want to go through. I understand it is easier to live in the Matrix then outside of it. However, the uncanny account I want to share speaks for itself. And to be frank, we're getting our asses handed to us as a human race because our pride won't allow us to acknowledge our true reality. It's time we start digging deep for real answers because what we're doing now and the worldview that's been fabricated to lead us all astray isn't making anything better.</p><p>In fact, something I find to be incredibly fascinating is how humanity keeps pushing for progress while not realizing it is moving backwards. The level of mastery over the human race exhibited by certain supernatural beings is nothing short of mind-bending. There's a level of insidious genius that is overlooked and under-appreciated. We're not moving forward. We're all moving backwards and back into the clutches of the supernatural darkness our ancestors warned and wrote to us about. I'll explain.</p><p>Many people believe the story of the Son of God dying on a cross was merely about covering sins. That is because the programming has seeped into the church so the narrative has been altered to remove the full supernatural backdrop our ancestors once understood; the reality of the supernatural war, which had the Son of God lead a rescue mission under the cover of deception to reclaim humanity out of the grasps of its supernatural rulers. These entities &#8212;good and bad&#8212; are real and our ancestors wrote about them because they are real, not because they needed an explanation for how water falls out of the sky. Not only are these entities real, they also effectuate change on the earth, influencing human decisions and going even further such as ushering in the rise and fall of nations.</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:141457,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Greco-Persian War&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Greco-Persian War" title="Greco-Persian War" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DPlT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfd74fe-711e-4614-80d0-4699c80388a0.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>One of the clearest examples of supernatural entities perpetuating the downfall of nations is captured in the book of Daniel. For the sake of brevity &#8212;as this topic can get quite academic and lengthy&#8212; I will narrow our focus down to a specific bible passage while offering what could be considered the cliff notes version of the event.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>20 Then he said, &#8220;Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince. <strong>-Daniel 10:20-21</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><p>While the timing of when the book of Daniel was written has been debated for years &#8212;6th or 2nd century&#8212; the events of chapter 10 appear to focus on the 6th century which would be during the Babylonian exile. During this time Daniel was offering up prayers to God, seemingly to no avail. Eventually, he is met by a supernatural entity named Gabriel &#8212;sent by God&#8212; who was "held up" by the Prince of Persia (Daniel 10:12-14). Prince is a title given to supernatural sons of God that were given cosmic geographic jurisdiction over areas of the earth after the Tower of Babel event, which resulted in the spread of humanity across the globe. Each nation had a presiding supernatural overseer. The prince of Persia is not a human prince. Humans can't withstand an archangel and Gabriel mentions another prince, Michael, which appeared to have jurisdiction over ancient Israel &#8212;at least at some point&#8212; who fights by his side. Where things get really interesting is in Gabriel's message concerning his return. Not only does he originally state he was fighting the prince of Persia, but that he is fighting the prince of Persia so that the prince of Greece may get ushered in to rule. Daniel's supernatural visitor needs to return in order for Persia to be defeated and give rise to Greece. Eventually, Greece also falls and gives rise to Rome &#8212;another apocalyptic prophecy called out in the book of Daniel. The rise of Rome sets the stage for the supernatural arrival of the conquering king known as Jesus.</p><p>As I mentioned previously, the dating of the book is debatable and depending on one's position it can also be debated that Daniel was given an account of the future. That's a topic for another day. The point that needs special attention, is how the ancient writers viewed the geographical landscape of the cosmic realm in addition to the influence of its participants. This perspective can have massive implications on how we view the world around us and the things happening within our own country if we're willing to concede to this reality. The consequences of rejecting this worldview will only lead to further confusion as to why America and the world at large is experiencing some of the most mind boggling transformations, which appear to be driving humanity towards a rejection of moral objectivity and self-culpability. I believe humanity was created with a sort of sense to know when the creation we were given to govern is out of alignment. Many of us see the world transforming in front of us in such a way that there's no normal, earthly or human explanation. Many of us can recognize that there's been a loss of connection with reality in America alone. Common sense, logic, and even what we see with our own eyes are no longer instruments to be used as a means to know what is true. This is part of the programming. How long can a blind nation last? We will soon find out.</p><p>To be honest, I am not convinced America &#8212;like Rome&#8212; is meant to last a millennium or longer. As much as people like to tout America was built on Christian principles, God didn't establish a covenant with this nation. For the record, America is not a theocracy; it is not a "Christian" nation nor was it ever. And it has always welcomed pagans into its seducing arms.</p><p>While I believe that America is not meant to last, I am not saying that this necessarily means another country will invade, plant their flag at our nation's capitol and rename the country. However, what it could mean, is that everything we once knew and believed about America's guiding principles &#8212;even though established on a river of blood&#8212; becomes a distant memory. It could mean that America, further institutionalizes and centralizes every aspect of its citizen's lives in order to rule with an Orwellian Big Brother fist. It could mean that America takes its seat at the table of the globally unified nations who use their authoritarian power to further control humanity.</p><p>America, like many other nations have lost their way. I am reminded of when ancient Israel lost their way and the just punishment they received &#8212;the loss of their nation. A corrupt nation that stands tall and mighty is only an oppressor to its people. A global power house with such might becomes an oppressor to the world. Like ancient Israel I am not convinced God should allow such a nation to stand. This has caused me to think heavily about the future of humanity from a long term perspective, but also my own future in the near term. I would suggest everyone run through this same exercise.</p><p>I mentioned earlier that America is quite good at molding citizens and fitting them with horse blinders. Over the years I've learned to take them off and see the earth for what it is. The entire planet is our home and the human race has survived by recognizing periods of opportunity and how to take advantage of them. I believe it is incumbent upon everyone to realize where better opportunities for survival may lie. I understand that many people love their nation and hold allegiance to it. But love and allegiance didn't keep Rome from falling.  I'm not suggesting that everyone should pack up their bags and leave &#8212;I'm not doing that just yet&#8212; but I do think it wise to start considering an exit strategy for the survival of one's self and family. Don't get me wrong; while I don't believe America is meant to last for many more centuries to come, I'm not entirely pessimistic about its direction. <em><strong>I'm just not... optimistic.</strong></em> Anything can happen, but I've lived long enough to learn that many things aren't solely controlled by humans. Just like the fall of ancient Israel and just like the collapse of Rome, some things are influenced by powers much greater for purposes we may not understand. In short, it may be time for America to fall.</p><p>As America and other nations mutate into Orwellian states only to be shells of their former selves, what is your next move and are you prepared for that possibility? This is a question I believe we all should wrestle with. </p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-fall-of-a-nation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thank you for reading Defeating Giants. This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-fall-of-a-nation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-fall-of-a-nation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowering people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A sickened society is too weak and feeble to fight its oppressors.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The poison is in the cure.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-sickened-society-is-too-weak-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-sickened-society-is-too-weak-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 23:27:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:208446,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1XGv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54eefc3e-5b93-4462-b66c-65791751f262.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>I spent the earlier part of this week laid up on my couch dealing with an upper-respiratory infection. Despite my battle with chronic inflammation (CIRS) I actually don't find myself getting sick much these days thanks to going carnivore. But when I do, it wrecks me since my immune system is already under siege from an "always on" low level baseline of inflammation. It also pisses me off as I don't like contracting illnesses. My wife calls me grumpy but internally I'm at Threatcon Delta, or what's now called FPCON Delta. As far as I'm concerned my body has been infiltrated by microscopic, suicidal, gremlin bombers. So to me, this is war and I'm willing to chew through my enemy's chest until I reach their spine so I can floss with the splinters of their vertebrae &#8212;that kind of pissed. </p><p>With that being said, my fellow warriors, I had a completely different article teed up for release. However, out of frustration I was tempted to sideline another majestic mosaic of brilliant word tapestry so I could vent the hatch over the limbic system. Or in short, let off some steam. So this is me delivering fair warning, that today I'm just not in the mood. I was up all night sharpening my weapons. I like things that slice. Guns are cute but they're not intimate. They've taken the warrior out of the war. And when warring against giants I desire the intimacy of an up and personal kill. Where I can look them dead in their murky eyes and read their entire history from birth while knowing I'm doing the world a great service by eviscerating their soul from the body. And the older I get, the less "in the mood" I'm finding myself because I'm tired of witnessing what appears to be an entire race of mortal human beings captivated under a spell of willful ignorance and pleasure. Seriously. You f'cking know donuts can kill you! So stop eating the little poisonous sh!ts so you can live! I digress.</p><p>As I stewed like a pot of roast beef over the last few days I kept asking myself why I was sick. Yet, I already knew the answer. It's tantamount to asking why my skin is black. <em>Simples, futon brain, your parents are black. Why are you asking?</em> But I wasn't really asking because I needed an answer. I was just caught up in a rhetorical game of self-torture that kept raising the temperature of my fever the more I asked. <em>You know the answer futon brain! It's because viral illnesses of today are the result of man made biological warfare weaponry</em>. </p><p>I've believed this for decades. People thought this was all conspiracy theory nonsense until COVID-19 hit and the truth finally let out about its origin in Wuhan, China &#8212;coincidentally the same place that houses the Wuhan Institute of Virology. People really became flabbergasted when they learned the United States was funding <strong><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/57932699">virus research in Wuhan, China</a></strong>. Then in an effort to save face <strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-suspends-federal-funding-wuhan-lab-over-non-compliance-2023-07-19/">federal funding of the Wuhan Institute of Virology was suspended in 2023</a></strong>:</p><blockquote><p>"The move was undertaken due to WIV's failure to provide documentation on WIV's research requested by NIH related to concerns that WIV violated NIH's biosafety protocols," an HHS spokesperson said in a statement.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>It really gets suspect when you consider in 2019 The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation hosted Event 201. What was Event 201 you might be asking? It was a high-level simulation exercise for pandemic preparedness and response. I present to you <strong><a href="https://www.weforum.org/press/2019/10/live-simulation-exercise-to-prepare-public-and-private-leaders-for-pandemic-response/">the press release straight from WEF</a></strong>:</p><blockquote><p>The exercise will bring together business, government, security and public health leaders to address a hypothetical global pandemic scenario. It will also feature&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/">a live virtual experience</a></strong>&nbsp;from 08.50 &#8211; 12.30 EDT to engage stakeholders worldwide and members of the public in a meaningful conversation of difficult high-level policy choices that could arise in the midst of a severe pandemic.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>And in a wild twist of coincidence, irony and fate stylized in Kabuki theatre COVID-19 broke out and delivered a global pandemic. Right on cue. Yet our own government in conjunction with the media was trying to <strong><a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/covid-origins-hearing-wrap-up-facts-science-evidence-point-to-a-wuhan-lab-leak%EF%BF%BC/">convince the world that there's no evidence the pandemic stemmed from any specific incident at the lab and that it's origination was owed to the "natural origin" theory</a></strong> &#8212;spawning from an animal in the wild. And why would there be any evidence? There's a reason no smoking gun &#8212;aside from good ole fashion common freaking sense&#8212; was &#8216;ever found.</p><p>Enter the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which is a legally binding treaty that outlaws the creation of biological arms. Thus far, there are 183 states-parties with 10 who have refused to sign or ratify the treaty (Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Israel, Kiribati, Micronesia, Namibia,&nbsp;South Sudan and Tuvalu). I'm not going to call out the obvious oddball in that list. Wait, I guess I just did.</p><p>And there's a major problem &#8212;since the inception of the BWC there have been numerous "violations" which oftentimes leaves the offending parties looking like this:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic" width="586" height="534.2279129321383" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:712,&quot;width&quot;:781,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:586,&quot;bytes&quot;:84738,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s7TL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4729ef-39ae-4534-89f2-3d4720a47749.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Here's why:</p><blockquote><p>Since the <strong><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Biological-Weapons-Convention">Biological Weapons Convention</a></strong>&nbsp;(BWC) has no existing verification or inspection procedures to verify compliance by its signatories, cheating on the treaty might be done with no outside proof to the contrary. It is entirely possible that even a small and relatively poor state might successfully&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/embark">embark</a></strong>&nbsp;on a biological warfare program with a small capital investment and a few dozen biologists, all of which could be secretly housed within a few buildings. In fact, a biological weapons program might also be within the technical and financial reach of a terrorist organization. In summary, the degree of biological weapons proliferation is highly uncertain, difficult to detect, and difficult to quantify. <a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-1" href="#footnote-1" target="_self">1</a></p></blockquote><p></p><p>So without any true method for verification, how is compliance really handled? Simples! The parties use the honor system.</p><blockquote><p>The treaty regime mandates that states-parties consult with one another and cooperate, bilaterally or multilaterally, to solve compliance concerns. It also allows states-parties to lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council if they believe other member states are violating the convention. The Security Council can investigate complaints, but this power has never been invoked. Security Council voting rules give China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States veto power over Security Council decisions, including those to conduct BWC investigations. <a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-2" href="#footnote-2" target="_self">2</a></p></blockquote><p></p><p>This is South Park level comedy. </p><p><em><strong>States-Party:</strong>  ((Ring ring))</em></p><p><em><strong>UN Security Council:</strong>  &#8220;Sup homies?&#8221;</em></p><p><em><strong>States-Party:</strong> "Yes, UN Security Council, we believe one of our states-partners is developing bioweapons and violating the treaty."</em></p><p><em><strong>UN Security Council:</strong> "Again? Please submit a formal complaint and someone will get back to you at their earliest convenience. Maybe. Yeah probably not. OK look, definitely not. You probably should just call them up and sort it out amongst yourselves. But file that complaint homie!"</em></p><p></p><p>This mean we should immediately drop whatever fantasies we've been led to believe about the boundaries of biological warfare. There's zero oversight and absolutely no accountability. While Russia is often blamed as a previous violator of the treaty &#8212;because Russia&#8212; what do we find in Ukraine? That's right, bio-labs funded by the United States &#8212;the hero in every movie! A couple of years ago, the idea that Ukrainian bio-labs existed was lumped under the conspiracy theory banner so you'd appear as an inebriated lunatic for believing such lies. Then Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drops this gem during a <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYPVjTds_2s">Tucker Carlson interview last year</a></strong></p><blockquote><p>"But now, when you do develop bioweapons, it needs a vaccine so you develop them side by side because in 100 percent of the cases when you deploy a bioweapon, there's blowback. Your side also gets sick." </p></blockquote><p></p><p>Vaccine! Wait! Did somebody say vaccine? More vaccine please!!!</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic" width="512" height="667.4428794992175" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1666,&quot;width&quot;:1278,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:512,&quot;bytes&quot;:302920,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hXvl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4a17667-efcd-454b-a863-88c21f033fd1.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>What another coincidence. More vaccines keep getting created and administered every year. We're led to believe it's because the earth and all it's animals are becoming more increasingly dangerous to humanity. Birds, monkeys and pigs everyone! Birds, monkeys, and freaking pigs! </p><p>I hope you're following the rabbit trail I'm leaving because there's f'n pellets everywhere at this point. These demons are doing this in plain sight. And for the record, the <strong><a href="https://ua.usembassy.gov/embassy/kyiv/sections-offices/defense-threat-reduction-office/biological-threat-reduction-program/">U.S. Department of Defense has a Biological Threat Reduction Program in Ukraine</a></strong>. If you want to believe it's only for the sole purposes of baking sugar-laden blueberry pies to fatten up little Ukrainian children before their fed to the witch, then I've got an invisible bridge with a direct path to Heaven's gates to sell to you.</p><p>The deal is, nothing is verified, validated, corroborated, fact-checked or even given a glance in this world filled with power hungry demons who are creating biological weapons right under our mucus filled noses.</p><p>If humans needed this kind of vaccine protection in order to avoid extinction we would've already been dead thousands of years ago. The reason why you get sick, why I get sick, why you can sneeze, cough or breath into the air and 100 people around you catch your plague, is because it's a biological weapon administered to you, a rat in a lab.</p><p>I've learned to listen to my gut over the years because frankly I've seen some really hairy, unexplainable sh!t. Like watching my family on lockdown for months only for some random @ss cough to start with one of my children. Then for it to spread to another kid, and then another. When nobody's stepped outside for months. Only to watch the cycle happen again, in the same exact order, starting with the same child months down the road, causing my wife and I to think this isn't a virus but some harbinger of death that operates on a cycle we don't yet understand. Perhaps it's living in the shadows like a super villain, hiding under beds or pillows powered with the ability to eternally respawn itself back into the game once defeated. It's like a ticking time bomb just waiting for the perfect opportunity to raze everything in its vicinity.</p><p>Look, I picked this lock a long time ago. We've all got some deadly weaponry that is idle yet relaunches at an appointed time. I know what you're thinking. T, you're losing it man. No, I told you I'm done and ya'll need to know what the hell is actually going on in this world. </p><p>Over a decade ago my oldest daughter was vaccinated according to the "proper schedule" at her 18 month visit. Two weeks later she loses her ability to walk and her mood completely changes. She's more emotional and nothing like herself. We thought maybe it was a phase and that she just reverted to crawling out of comfort. However, by the second day we started getting concerned because she was not for being up on her feet. Thankfully by the end of the second day whatever it was lifted. Just as quickly as it came it was gone. She became her normal self.  Neither one of us thought much of it, especially since we were new parents without any idea as to what to expect with kids.</p><p>That was until our second daughter went in for her 18 month vaccination cocktail. Two weeks later like clockwork, while my wife is changing her diaper she starts screaming and panning the room like she's being attacked by invisible hobgoblins. She kept looking past my wife as if she was seeing something. My wife eventually got her to calm down after several minutes but then noticed her refusal to walk. Whenever she tried to stand she lost her balance, just like her older sister. Her mood changed and she spent the next several hours crawling around. But just like with our first daughter, she snapped out of it and was herself again. Luckily the episode didn't last for two days. It was then my wife realized it was the 18 month vaccine that caused the same exact issue at the same exact time in two of our children so she refused to follow the CDC schedule going forward. We had no spastic, loss of balance, irate freak-outs with our subsequent children since rejecting that demonic CDC schedule. This is why whenever I hear vaccine advocates speak about the improbability of vaccine induced injuries I begin to space out and only hear the voice of Charlie Brown's teacher in my head. It makes me want to build a spaceship out of legos and convince them to take a ride on it so they can visit another planet with brilliant scientists who also believe eating shards of glass is a top tier treatment to curing hemorrhoids. Why? Because no peer-reviewed studies seem to suggest it's not! So what you witness with your own eyes doesn't count. Yay for science glass eaters!</p><p>The advantage my wife and I have, is that she made the amazing decision to give up a career in order to stay at home and raise our children many years ago. This means that everything involving our children gets caught. Things that would've been hidden within the confines of a daycare center are exposed. I know for a fact kids are reacting to these immunizations but a lot of parents aren't aware because they don't have eyes on their children in our hyper-feministic world.</p><p>All of this plays into cultivating a mindset of illness normalization. Nobody bats an eye at the 79 immunization doses children receive. Every year, like mindless zombies people line up at the pharmacy to get their annual flu inoculation knowing damn well that virus has already mutated 90 ways until Sunday before the needle hits their arm. Why? Because it's already been programmed to mutate so we're all just dogs chasing our tails.</p><p>Nobody bats an eye anymore at the list of drug side effects that takes the entire length of an advertisement to even name, thus leaving drug companies to just plop them up on the screens in tiny font or they simply recommend you speak to a doctor about them. I remember a time when you could name a drug&#8217;s side effects and none of them involved strokes, seizures,  paralysis, growing a second head or creating an entirely new illness prompting you to get a new drug with more side effects. This is how non-drug addicts become drug addicts.</p><p>Nobody bats an eye at the fact that the Cancer industry is an industry at all or that its drug market will <strong><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oncology-cancer-drugs-market-size-010000971.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJjcDlpExDC28P07EtRL6ZlS0_hXpRkVfbCmrTBhcrgFqhLqMEG75cWfX5xGqSekTYgDhCbQgDvoD0COLyM1ev2-OdlMbCc2JXTXhojKa20aQXPC2D79J3FV9Euu7tB4P3EJznUMWdc-NA3O20Ke6FWdMzU8aAzFc-h0mK89yTwk#">reach USD 311.81 billion by 2032</a></strong>, yet there's still no cure. Well, there is a cure &#8212;just nothing that is FDA approved by our demon overlords to make money from. And it's like this with everything. There aren't any cures and the entire human race is under a global health crisis. There's just more drugs, more vaccines, more "medicines", more bullsh!t and everyone keeps falling for it out of desperation and fear. It's time to come out of the matrix and stop feeding the beast. The human race couldn't have survived and thrived up until now if this was all necessary.</p><p>We've allowed illness to become way too normalized. Being sick is not normal! Fluids dripping from your face is not normal. Your head pounding in a raging fit is not normal. Your skin breaking out in hives, boils and blisters is not normal. Being obese is not normal. Arthritis is not normal. Losing your appetite is not normal. Brain fog is not normal. Getting the flu is not normal. Being on the spectrum is not normal. But we've allowed the demonic overlords to convince us it's all normal.<em> Hey are you sick? Simply pick up some decongestant or headache medicine on your way to infect your co-workers with only God knows what is ticking inside of you. </em></p><p>No. How about this? When you get sick, keep your crusty @ss at home. You and your crusty children. It's not normal and none of us truly have any idea as to what weaponry we're carrying around. The next time you waltz down the pharmacy aisle, tell yourself this is how the beast is fed. They're laughing and mocking each and every one of us. All of it is a scheme from the pit of hell that we pass onto our children to repeat the cycle. Out of the hundreds of synthetic concoctions wrapped in brightly colored boxes designed by some hungry portfolio building intern, not one actually cures a damn thing. The hope is you'll be quick to make a purchase to alleviate your immediate symptoms and later return several times to find the perfect mix of lemon juice berry flavored "do nothings". No. Instead, focus on self-healing. Become a detective to discover how you fell ill. Eat a proper human diet. This is what we would've done 500 years ago. Getting sick would be an emergency. The whole tribe would be at risk if we allowed walking viral contagions all up in everyone's space. Hello quarantine? Put your body into nutritional ketosis and put down the friggn donuts, mucinex and moo-moo tea. It's all poison. Even the medicines are poisons.</p><p>A few days ago I came across a video of a man dying of cancer. His wife had shared their family saying goodbye to each other with the world. Frankly, it ticked me off. My anger wasn't based on the sharing of the video but of this family losing a husband and a father to some demonic horsesh!t that can be prevented. And I realized in this moment, that so many people cry out to God and wonder why He doesn't intervene in such tragic affairs. Doesn't this upset Him? I know it does. Then it hit me like Mike Tyson biting off Holyfield's ear. It's us! It ain't Him. We chose to live our own way and we can't now b!tch about the consequences. We're not angry enough with the results and we should be and personally I&#8217;m well past angry and coddling feelings.</p><p>God gave us this planet to steward &#8212;in a specific way&#8212; while being fruitful and multiplying and instead of picking up our spears and tossing them into the heart of every giant that is working to subject us to hell we fold like a house of cards. The human race seems to be really good at throwing tantrums and playing the victim. We're more likely to take someone's head if they cut us off in traffic, break into our homes or steal the last Krispy Kreme we've been eying. But assault the human race by wrecking our food supply; pollute our bodies with toxins; inject us with bio-weapons;...mnah we good. Just walk it off homie. Follow the science homie! Just take some mucinex homie! Email your congressman homie! They'll find a cure eventually homie! Just run another marathon and give a donation homie! <strong>#insertnewkeyboardwarriorhashtaginsteadofpickingupajavelin</strong></p><p>We're not angry <em>enough</em>. This is <em><strong>our</strong></em> planet and <em><strong>our</strong></em> responsibility. We're one family. We've been given one job by our Creator. We need to man the hell up and start flipp'n doing it because we're allowing ourselves to be casually taken out as a species while fantasizing about spaceships on Mars.  And truthfully, the way we're going the only creatures that will be left to pilot the damn things will be the birds, the monkeys and the pigs.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic" width="640" height="360" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:360,&quot;width&quot;:640,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:22925,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MYwv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18c9a410-2e6b-438f-9f76-703625a8f0af.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-sickened-society-is-too-weak-and?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thank you for reading Defeating Giants. This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-sickened-society-is-too-weak-and?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/a-sickened-society-is-too-weak-and?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowering people to fight back</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><div class="footnote" data-component-name="FootnoteToDOM"><a id="footnote-1" href="#footnote-anchor-1" class="footnote-number" contenteditable="false" target="_self">1</a><div class="footnote-content"><p><strong><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/biological-weapon/Biological-weapons-in-history">Biological Weapons in History</a></strong></p></div></div><div class="footnote" data-component-name="FootnoteToDOM"><a id="footnote-2" href="#footnote-anchor-2" class="footnote-number" contenteditable="false" target="_self">2</a><div class="footnote-content"><p><strong><a href="https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/bwc">Arms Control Association</a></strong></p><p></p></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why American Christians support genocide in Gaza.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tucker Carlson's incredible interview with a Palestinian Pastor.]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/why-american-christians-support-genocide</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/why-american-christians-support-genocide</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 22:20:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic" width="1456" height="798" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:798,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:116828,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!21cy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61c52910-99b5-4426-8f7a-b87eeb13e499.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p>If you wake up in the morning and decide that your Christian faith requires you to support a foreign government blowing up churches and killing Christians, I think you've lost the thread - Tucker Carlson</p></div><p></p><p>For those of you that follow my work you're undoubtedly aware that I'm a Christian albeit I struggle with that label. Ancient followers of Christ actually referred to their faith as "the Way" (see Acts 9:2, 19:23, 24:14), not Christianity, and subsequently themselves as "people of the Way" &#8212;the Way meaning the way of the Lord as the exclusive means to salvation. I'm more fond of this language because it cuts through the clutter and baggage of modern Christian labeling and roots out the specifics of what it means to follow the Lord. Today, the term Christian means a million things &#8212;often steeped in secular philanthropy and political ideologies&#8212; that have nothing to do with Christ. But the Way speaks volumes to the specific position of the heart one must possess which demands alignment with the ancient scriptures. By current society's definition of Christianity, it is entirely possible to be a Christian and yet not follow the Way. This has led some Christians down the path of deconstructionism in an effort to strip the religion from modernity in pursuit of truth and holiness. </p><p>One of the great and popular passages from the book of Hosea is:</p><blockquote><p><strong>6</strong> My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;&nbsp;because you have rejected knowledge,&nbsp;I reject you from being a priest to me.&nbsp;And since you have forgotten the law of your God,&nbsp;I also will forget your children. -  <strong>Hosea 4:6 (ESV)</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><p>Knowledge is important, but in the context of Hosea specific divine knowledge is key to life with God&#8217;s way being the point of reference. It humanity&#8217;s North Star. To lose this knowledge is to invite disaster upon a society. This is the current state of affairs within America&#8217;s Christian community. Over the last couple millennia new religious terms have been assigned, new denominations created, new traditions turned to doctrinal law and ancient history along with truth dismissed and forgotten. I believe the greatest asset in any war is information. Used strategically it becomes possible to convince an entire nation to lay waste to another under the guise of rectitude and honor, despite motives to the contrary. Propaganda built on ignorance can only house fools ready for instruction. And fools ready for instruction do the bidding of the powerful and morally corrupt. This is the state of the country and unfortunately the disposition of many Christians in America &#8212;a people who've forgotten the ancient scriptures&#8212; now ready to lay waste to another nation, despite that nation being the home of brothers and sisters of the Way. I understand how as a nation and as a religion existing in America we got here. I too was once a fool ready and waiting to receive instruction.</p><p>If you haven't watched <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHayOkXe5ig">Tucker Carlson's latest interview with Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac</a></strong>&#8212; a Palestinian pastor&#8212; then you're missing out on an incredible red pill moment. Almost decades ago I subjected myself to the very same red pill concerning the conflict in the Middle East. It was a very humbling experience. Like many Christians I had been duped by the "support Israel at all costs" narrative. The belief in this narrative sat against the backdrop of really bad eschatology led by the evangelical church mixed with mainstream media propaganda. One evening while sending tweets into the social universe, showing my support for Israel &#8212;who was fighting against the "Islamic terrorists"&#8212; I was direct messaged by a Palestinian man. He asked me point blank, "Why do you support genocide of Christians? Aren't you a Christian?" His question confused the hell out of me, not gonna lie. He explained to me that he was a Christian and that his family and many other families have roots tracing back thousands of years in the land he called home. He explained the relationship dynamics between the Muslims, Christians and Jews who all lived together in harmony, and had for many centuries. He also took the time to explain Zionism to me and Israel's continued encroachment of their land. We talked for quite a while as he helped me understand the real nature of the conflict and that by supporting Israel&#8217;s attacks I was supporting the genocide of Christians as well as others. That conversation has stuck  with me to this day. It was an eye opening experience and one of many red pills I would swallow over the next several years.</p><blockquote><p>"...some of it is the theology of Christian Zionism that teaches Christians must support Israel because the bible teaches that. And often times that is part of the larger theology of the end times in which they view the presence of the Jews in the land as preparing for the second coming of Christ, they see it as a fulfillment of prophecy, not realizing again what that means on the ground. I always say it's as if the land is empty to them. They are excited about certain events without understanding the consequences of these events on real lives. The irony is that many of these positions actually believe &#8212;and many evangelicals believe&#8212; at the end times and after Jews have been gathered in Palestine, two-thirds of them will be massacred. Only for the others to convert to Christianity and somehow they consider that a Jewish friendly theology." - <strong>Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><p>This was precisely my line of thinking. I had been caught up in the form of Christianity that supported Zionism. Many, many Christians today are as well. In a lot of my writing I stress the dangers of not knowing our ancient past because I realize the criticality of possessing truth and the horrors humanity will and often do face in its absence. The forgetfulness of who we are as a human race tethered to apathy of our ancestors only breeds death, not prosperity, enlightenment or societal progress &#8212;whatever that even is. </p><p>The Christian faith many know today in the West is nothing more than a shell of its former self. This is due to the indoctrination promoted by Western church leaders and Christian academics &#8212;which I believe originally had well intentioned motives&#8212; who wanted to protect and preserve the faith from heretics since the advent of Jesus. This type of behavior isn't exclusive to Christians as the 2nd Temple Jews attempted to shield their religion as well. This is why there were a number of Jewish sects &#8212;Zealots, Essenes, Pharisees, Maccabees and others&#8212; that disagreed with each other. Islam also has this issue.</p><p>Bad theology bolstered by an ignorance of ancient scriptures is what leads to conflicts such as the one in Gaza.  As I've stated before, humans are being pitted against one another and the wars are instigated by supernatural forces of evil. Our gaps in the historical timeline of humanity combined with our rather short lifespans make us susceptible to their schemes.  Thus, chaos ensues as men and women go to battle against one another incited by lies, wielding their swords in a blind rage. So blind that many Christians don't even realize the state of Israel is not the Israel in the bible. Not by a long shot. And because they don't know this they unfortunately conflate the two and consequently support genocidal efforts.</p><p>Israel in the scriptures concerned a territory of land that stretched from Egypt all the way to what is modern day Syria. This land was promised to Israel by way of the Abrahamic covenant. Many think Israel's inheritance of this land came by their stealing or conquering the land of innocent nations. But this is due to the many church leaders who've failed to teach the ancient scriptures through a proper ancient historical lens. Ancient Israel's expansion involved their conquering of the giant clans &#8212;nephilim bastard spawns&#8212; which were a plague to humanity. The Israelite's job was to rid the lands of the giants and keep it all as their inheritance and reward. But that's a story for another time.</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic" width="402" height="637.572" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:793,&quot;width&quot;:500,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:402,&quot;bytes&quot;:70501,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Israel's Land&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Israel's Land" title="Israel's Land" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s0OK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4784f2c-515f-4899-8a20-a2d8c14175c2.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><blockquote><p><strong>18</strong>&nbsp;On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, &#8220;To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, - <strong>Genesis 15:18 (ESV)</strong></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><strong>31</strong>&nbsp;And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. - <strong>Exodus 23:31 (ESV)</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><p>As I've written about before in <strong><a href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/the-israel-hamas-war-and-the-giants">The Israel-Hamas War And The Giants That Deceive Us</a></strong>, The Israelites forfeited all of their land because they eventually strayed away from Yahweh, breaking their covenant with Him. Their expulsion from the land was promised by God as curses (see Deut. 28:15-58). By God's own decree the Jews have no land to call their own. Zionism is an attempt to thwart God's decree by usurping a land people previously lived on, and then claim it is by God's divine providence that the Jews have "returned home". The tiny swath of land we all know as Israel today is simply not the same Israel and nation represented in the bible. What we are all witnessing &#8212;and why Hamas is warring&#8212; is a satanic effort to undue God's decree. While I vehemently disagree with terrorism and what Hamas is and has been doing, it is critical to understand why they exist. If you read <strong><a href="https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp">their very first charter</a></strong> you'll find they are at war with Zionism, not Christians, not Jews, not Americans or whoever else the mainstream media and political giants want to insert as victims to gain support for the destruction of the Palestinian people.</p><p>From Article Thirty-Two of the charter:</p><blockquote><p>World Zionism, together with imperialistic powers, try through a studied plan and an intelligent strategy to remove one Arab state after another from the circle of struggle against Zionism, in order to have it finally face the Palestinian people only. Egypt was, to a great extent, removed from the circle of the struggle, through the treacherous Camp David Agreement. They are trying to draw other Arab countries into similar agreements and to bring them outside the circle of struggle.</p><p>The Islamic Resistance Movement calls on Arab and Islamic nations to take up the line of serious and persevering action to prevent the success of this horrendous plan, to warn the people of the danger eminating from leaving the circle of struggle against Zionism. Today it is Palestine, tomorrow it will be one country or another.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>What many Christians in America fail to understand is that our government doesn't care about them. The war in Iraq displaced millions of Christians &#8212;despite pleas to reject the war&#8212; but we never heard a peep about it in the media. The same happened in Syria and Ukraine and of course in Palestine which consists of a decimated Christian community. Palestinian Christians are losing their homes, land and lives to the Zionist state of Israel. It was Israel who <strong><a href="https://wck.org/news/preliminary-investigation">recently bombed humanitarian vehicles</a></strong>, leaving the CEO of the World Central Kitchen to <strong><a href="https://wck.org/news/idf-investigation">demand an independent investigation</a></strong> into what happened. It was <strong><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/20/war-crime-israel-bombs-gaza-church-sheltering-displaced-people">Israel that bombed a Greek orthodox church</a></strong> last year. And these are only the large scale attacks that can't be hidden under the carpet so easily. There are other incidences such as Israeli <strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/gaza-palestinian-children-killed-idf-israel-war#:~:text=In%20Gaza%20City%2C%20three%2Dyear,targeted%20by%20an%20Israeli%20sniper.">snipers using Palestinian children as target practice</a></strong>. Yet despite these types of atrocities committed by Israel there are people in America such as ex-Pastor GOP Rep. Tim Walberg that suggest Gaza needs to be <strong><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gop-rep-tim-walberg-suggests-gaza-handled-nagasaki-hiroshima-rcna145752">handled 'like Nagasaki and Hiroshima'</a></strong>. How could a Christian advocate for nuclear warfare which would annihilate innocent men, women and children? This isn't of the Way.</p><p>The answer to the question lies in the misunderstanding of the scriptures, which Rev. Isaac points out in the interview. Christian Zionism infused with really bad eschatology that equates modern day Israel with ancient Israel is the problem. This issue is compounded by the political establishment that aims to steal all Palestinian land. Because many naive Christians conflate the two Israels, they believe the conflict is warranted and ordained by God as this land belongs to "modern day Israel", the same Israel in the bible. But this is false. The state of Israel is akin to bandits who've broken into someone's home, evicted them at gun point, and then extolled "God's work" as "righteous and prophetic". The truth is, Israel doesn't see Christians or Muslims for that matter. They simply see Palestinians through their blinders. The same blinders many American Christians see through. Everyone is lumped together, along with Hamas terrorists and therefore everyone should be destroyed.</p><p>So what is the solution to this problem? I wish it was as easy as telling Christians to stop supporting Israel. To a Christian steeped in the modern day version of Christianity wrapped in Zionism, that call will sound like "stop supporting the bible". The issue is much more nuanced and demands a re-education of sorts within the evangelical Church in the West so Christians can learn the actual movement known as the Way. There are people in this space who are leading this charge such as the <strong><a href="https://awkngschooloftheology.com">AWKNG School of Theology</a></strong>, founded by the late Dr. Michael Heiser. A man sorely missed within the faith. It is imperative for Christians in America to learn how to read the scriptures in their proper ancient Jewish context instead of through the lens of modern evangelical Christianity, often intertwined with one's political ideology and love affair of their favorite passionate preacher.  This is foundational to better understanding the architecture of the cosmos. This is vital to understanding mankind's true enemy. </p><p>An additional step that I believe should be taken, is for those that do have a firm grasp on the situation in Gaza to speak out, especially if you are a Christian. No one, and I repeat, no one should be apathetic or ok with genocide. That is not of the Way. That is the way of demons regardless of what your beliefs attempt to justify. Full stop. </p><p>The veneration of Israel as chosen or special also needs to die. Ancient Israel is no more and God was never a God of partiality to begin with.</p><blockquote><p><strong>17</strong>&nbsp;For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. - <strong>Deuteronomy 10:17 (ESV)</strong></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><strong>21</strong>&nbsp; I will not show partiality to any man&nbsp;or use flattery toward any person. - <strong>Job 32:21 (ESV)</strong></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><strong>21</strong>&nbsp;So they asked him, &#8220;Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. -  <strong>Luke 20:21 (ESV)</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><p>It is this unbiblical, zionistic view of Israel that places everyone else &#8212;to include Christians&#8212; in an inferior position. This is part of the reason why Christians are apathetic to the destruction of other Christians by Israel. This unholy view leads to the excusing of Israel's atrocities as if they can do no wrong or that "God approves". Israel is not special. God's people are special and all who follow Christ are in the same vine. Those who reject Him are eventually gathered for the fire and burned (see John 15:5-6).</p><p></p><div class="pullquote"><p>When the state of Israel was created it was not created on an empty land. It was created on a land that had millions of indigenous Palestinians there including Palestinian Christians. In that state they celebrate it as a fulfillment of prophecy despite closing Christians churches and expelling them from their homes. - <strong>Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac</strong></p></div><p></p><p>Christians in America have an identity crisis. The conflict in Gaza is simply elucidating the problem and placing it on the global stage. True identity is found in Christ. However, cleaving to a fundamental misunderstanding of the ancient faith known as Christianity will only continue to breed disaster around the world.</p><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave comments as I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts.</strong></em></p><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/why-american-christians-support-genocide?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thank you for reading Defeating Giants. This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/p/why-american-christians-support-genocide?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/p/why-american-christians-support-genocide?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowering people to fight back.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Refer a friend&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://defeatinggiants.com/leaderboard?&amp;utm_source=post"><span>Refer a friend</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[An update for my awesome subscribers]]></title><description><![CDATA[SUP peoples!]]></description><link>https://defeatinggiants.com/p/an-update-for-my-awesome-subscribers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://defeatinggiants.com/p/an-update-for-my-awesome-subscribers</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Gideon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:25:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:16614,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UeGg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2c45de8-4c72-405a-b445-6a4376c944d0.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>SUP peoples! &#128075;&#127998;</p><p>I wanted to take a break from the normal giant head bashing and warrior equipping to update you on a few things.</p><h2>Friggn CIRS</h2><p>My cadence in releasing articles &#8212;and subsequently my Substack engagement&#8212; has declined over the last couple of months due to a couple of reasons. First, as many of you know I've been battling a condition called CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) and am undergoing a protocol to rid my body of biotoxins I accumulated during my service deployment in the late 90s. It's a long process and about 3 months ago I slipped into a really bad state of insomnia due to increased flaring in my body. There were periods of time where I would literally be awake for 48 hrs or more and simply could not shut down for sleep. As you can imagine this impacts everything in one's life physically and mentally. Good news is I seem to have finally figured out how to kick this issue and I have been insomnia free for the last few weeks. Not gonna lie, <em><strong>ish</strong></em> was rough. I was losing track of time and felt like my entire existence was an out-of-body experience. Lately, I'm dealing with a spike in tinnitus volume so all I hear is EEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee every waking minute. But at least I&#8217;m sleeping. Please be gracious with me as I attempt to create and engage more.</p><h2>Chat</h2><p>Speaking of engaging more, I've considered opening up the Substack Chat feature for Defeating Giants. I'll be honest, I don't have specific goals or objectives for what Chat could look like. I&#8217;m approaching it as a discovery item. I'm open to suggestions. At a minimum I thought I could at least use it as a means to send updates to all of you. Let me know if you&#8217;d see value in this feature being opened up.</p><h2>Video</h2><p>I'm debating on getting back on YouTube and expanding the Defeating Giants content there. I'd love to hear your thoughts on if you'd like to see this. I know everyone is busy and attention is at a premium so if I do this I need to ensure it's done right and for the right reasons. I&#8217;m honestly not a fan of YouTube&#8217;s garbage algorithms and censorship. Maybe there&#8217;s a better alternative or way to think about all of this. I&#8217;m still trying to figure out what video could look like in 2024. Nothing is etched in stone at the moment as I need to make sure I can commit to it from a health perspective as well but again, I&#8217;m open to hearing your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.</p><h2>Entrepreneurship</h2><p>I've kept this close to the vest, but I've been building a clothing brand since last fall in my "spare time". It's primarily faith-based and for my Yahweh following brothers and sisters.  I&#8217;m pretty stoked but it requires time. I'm hoping in the next few months I can bring the first few pieces to market for those that are interested.</p><h2>Feedback</h2><p>I appreciate all of you that have subscribed, liked my content, re-stacked and left me comments. My goal is to create content that is helpful to you that you feel compelled enough to share which helps and empower others. If you have ideas on how I can create better content that you'd like to see, just lemme know. I'd love to hear your feedback. </p><p>Thank you all. Keep your swords and spears sharp. &#10084;&#65039;</p><p>-Terrence</p><p></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://defeatinggiants.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Defeating Giants is a newsletter that exposes what&#8217;s really behind the world&#8217;s chaos and empowering people to fight back</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>