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There was an episode of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" I remember where Boris and Natasha had jury-rigged a small American town with false fronts so it would appear to be Washington, D.C. as a means of fooling our heroes. That was done, but not before it appeared the citizens of the town were starting to buy into the fact that maybe it really was Washington.

My point being: this is where media literacy is so important. Like the media, Potemkin Villages are illusions created to advance sometimes nefarious means. And the sooner that people can be educated about them, the better.

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I'm afraid this sort of squirrel and moose game will never end, unfortunately.

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That was certainly thought provoking. Life was certainly a lot more honest before social media, but the false have always been with us. Just used to be a lot easier to spot. I worry for the next generation and a happy to be retired.

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I've been listening to some interesting theories lately from a few professors on the advent of social media and its polarizing effect on societies. Hopefully can find the time to share their ideas after reading more.

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This is probably the darkest post you have ever written - at least of all the ones that I have read. It brings a tear to my eye because you have outlined the possible demise of America and the reasons for our death and desolution. Most of the people I know, and most of the publications I read are written by people who have taken the blue pill. You obviously have taken the red pill, as have I and it is very lonely in our world. It is better to be alone, than in a crowd of those who do not know.

Every word of your post hit home with me, even your mentioning your trip to Cuba. America's treatment of Cuba borders on war crimes due to the suffering we have levied upon the Cuban population. How can the world's greatest military and economy be afraid of a small island with a few old bearded men talking about communism? What are our political leaders afraid of - Cuban cigars? Cuban rum? Or maybe beautifull Cuban women? Why should we not be able to show the Cuban's the wonderful American medical system - that has bankrupted so many people? Why should we not be able to tax Cuban rum and cigars? Not to mention, the wonderful American tax system that never provides enough money to feed our poor, but always has enough money to buy weapon systems that kill thousands - usually not white people?

On second thought, maybe Cuba should boycott America?

We do have a few publications that I feel are fairly truthful, but even these pubs have refused to really say what is happening. This idea of giving equal time to both sides of a story is total B.S. when one side is a lie. All this does is give credability to the liar and cast doubt on the truth teller. There are not two sides to the story when one side is represented by a flat earther and other side is presented by Neil Degrasse Tyson.

Our "Puppet Masters" are more clever than the old sci-fi novel, they hide behind the illusion of capitalism. Take the NFL's recent conversion to the joys of gambling. For years they talked about the horrors of gambling on sports. They said it should be confined to the great American Potemkin Village of Las Vegas. Now that they have been convinced of how much money the will get, sports gambling is everywhere. You can bet on possible activity that could possibly occur on a football field.

So much for my rant. I will be bloviating on my Substack posts, especially now that American has a Supreme Court with a code of ethics. I think this code was written by high priced mob lawyer.

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"It is better to be alone, than in a crowd of those who do not know." - It's lonely at the top (and the bottom I suppose.)

"America's treatment of Cuba borders on war crimes due to the suffering we have levied upon the Cuban population." - I would counter that a lot of it is self-imposed by their dictatorship (no fault of the people's of course), but yea, open trade would do wonders for that country. What a strange place to visit, that's why I went 3 times and started living abroad a few years later haha.

"This idea of giving equal time to both sides of a story is total B.S. when one side is a lie." - I still believe in the core of the idea but it's definitely a philosophical quandary as you outlined. I'm personally starting to think/come to the realization a lot of the big media is more guilty of lies by omission, regardless of bias. Of course, just plain old lying is also a feature of certain organizations, cough cough Dominion lawsuit loss.

What's up with gambling in the US? Haven't followed at all. On that subject, I think I wrote a bit about it before, but there is some fascinating psychology theories/studies on gambleholics and how their brains perceive near-wins as wins and how that leads to them bankrupting time and time again. I personally enjoy a gamble here or there a few times a year, but its mostly not legal in my country so I just stick to regular old occasional poker game.

Thanks for writing as always

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Which country do you refer to that does not allow gambling? Did they gamble with their citizens lives with the vaccine?

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Jeez thanks for that. It's going to take me six days to cheer up again. Great piece though, and spot on as always.

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And 7 days later, are you feeling better?

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Stop ruining my childhood memories. Going to forget I read this. By the way hope you have a good day.

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I appreciated your article because my dying husband entered a supposedly hospice focused residential care facility recently that I (to my everlasting regret) chose. I had reached burnout due to his care and my own disabilities and thought the home would be wonderful. Lovely to look at it really was a gulag not about comfort but control at every aspect of his care. On the third day I became so concerned that I planned to immediately remove him from this place with the help of my son.Then the phone call came my husband had died. Yes, his situation was terminal but his last days were not what I had hoped they would be. All the world is a stage and this proprietor was a very accomplished actor/liar presenting a false front and policies that were draconian which I learned to late and to the detriment of my husband. Be alert the world has become a Potemkin Village.

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