Free Republic

The First Opium War ended with China surrendering Hong Kong. The Second ended with China surrendering its dignity. Now, nearly two centuries later, the Third Opium War has just ended—and once again, China lost. But this time, they weren’t importing opium. They were exporting it. The Modern Opium: Fentanyl No sails. No gunboats. No treaties. Just chemicals—sent in barrels and disguised in powders—feeding a synthetic addiction that’s killed more Americans than all our wars combined. China didn’t need to invade. They simply flooded our streets. - Synthetic precursors shipped to Mexican cartels - Distribution routes subsidized by “strategic partnerships” -...

Before Doritos became dusted crack. Before Reese’s turned peanut butter into a dopamine drip. Before seed oils and soda trained your body to crave like a junkie… There was one humble snack that changed everything: The Barbecue Potato Chip. This wasn’t just a flavor. It was a formula. A gateway drug to lifelong food addiction. And no one saw it coming—until now. The Granddaddy of Biohacked Food Let’s make a bold claim: The barbecue chip was the first truly biohacked food. And it set the blueprint for modern edible addiction...

There comes a time in every man’s life when he must face the consequences of thinking for himself. For me, that moment arrived in a quiet digital knock at midnight—the “Community Guidelines Violation” email. Innocent enough on the surface. But it was the beginning of my journey through what can only be described as the Google Digital Re-Education Camp™. You think gulags are bad? Try being shadow banned so thoroughly your own mom can’t find your content. Welcome to Camp Compliance The invitation was simple: “Attend voluntarily or disappear algorithmically.” At first, I resisted. I figured I’d survive in the...

The AP calls it a “promising tariff reduction deal.” CNN calls it “a cooling of tensions.” I call it what it is: a 90-day white-flag window before China gets crushed. Forget the polite headlines. This isn’t a trade agreement—it’s an ultimatum. And if Xi Jinping doesn’t play it right, he won’t just lose Taiwan or the West. He might lose everything—including his grip on power. This Deal Isn’t About Soybeans. It’s About Sovereignty...

China’s homegrown passenger jet, the COMAC C919, was supposed to be a national triumph—a gleaming symbol of independence from Boeing and Airbus. But as the world looks on, one thing is becoming clear: this aircraft might just be the aviation equivalent of tofu dreg architecture. It looks smooth on the outside, sounds patriotic in the press release, and gives passengers a front-row seat to a grand experiment in airborne state-sponsored optimism...

There’s a lie we’ve been telling ourselves for decades: That free trade with China would civilize them. Make them richer, freer, better. It didn’t. It made them bolder. Hungrier. More dangerous. What the West called “economic engagement,” China saw as an opportunity for weaponization. And now, the bill is coming due—for everyone. They’ve used the profits of global trade to fund: - Re-education camps - A high-tech surveillance state - Mass internment of minorities - And a military machine backed by the promise of global domination All while selling us the cheap plastic they use to buy time. And what...

Michael Pento discussed the current state of the bond market and warned of the potential collapse of the US dollar due to the erosion of faith in the world’s reserve currency. He advised investors to sell long duration bond exposure and invest in short term US government debt. Pento also discussed the inflation and GDP acceleration, as well as China and Japan’s selling of US treasuries. He warned of the massive issuance and supply of US debt and questioned who will buy it, as the Federal Reserve is no longer buying and is instead selling their balance sheet, adding to...

October is National Lie to Your Pollster Month! It's time to put an end to polling madness. Before there was fake news, there was polling. Virtually all polling results released to the public is agenda driven astroturfing. We the public should lie to our pollster no matter what the issue or the questions being asked. It doesn't matter if you're right or left or libertarian. The goal is to make polling so inaccurate and fallacious that the media gives up on this not so subtle form of propaganda and manipulation. Remember, so-called poll results are not news, they are the...

Since we started talking with Martin Armstrong years ago, he's been adamant in his belief that the stock market was heading higher. And he's been right. Perhaps it hasn't gone up as fast as he expected, but it has continued to make new highs. He's not backing down now. Businesses and the wealthy are putting their money into the market because they've lost confidence in governments around the globe. They believe their capital is safer in the stock market than in government bonds, the Euro, European Banks and elsewhere. Governments are on a rampage against the populace. It's all about...

I interviewed Dale Bellis the person who's taking health cost sharing to the next level. It's becoming a movement and way to avoid the ravages of Obamacare and rising health care expenses. Liberty Health Share is defined as a Health Care Sharing Ministry and is specifically exempted from Obamacare. I signed up in August of this year and I'm saving $950 per month off my health coverage since I found LibertyHealthShare. I now pay $199 per month, have a $500 deductible and am covered for up to $1 million per incident. And best of all no Obamacare! Click Here To...

The mother of all government screw-ups is coming your way. Medical coverage will be reduced and the costs you pay are going to rapidly escalate. The "Death Panels" are coming and who knows what treatment they're going to allow you to receive. What happens to restaurant chains who can't afford to cover their employees, will their prices double? The affect on part time employees is even worse. More and more people will be involuntarily converted into part-timers to reduce employer insurance costs. Doctors will no longer be able to afford to be in business for themselves and they will become...

Peter Schiff is a regular guest on FSN. He was way ahead of all the so-called experts, predicting the real estate crash at a time when Wall Street was still raking in the profits. We ran into him in the Bahamas at the Global Economic Summit. While others believe that country can still be saved, Peter believes that only a currency collapse, along with a complete cessation of easy credit is the only thing that can bring America to its senses. While there are certainly dangers from such an approach, it may be the only way to get Americans to...

Some people never learn. New York City's Mayor Michael The Nanny Bloomberg is one of them. He's been a major gun grabber for years. Along the way he's gone after cigar smokers, transfats, baby formula and Big Gulp sodas. He has to be the all time greatest buzzkill. He likes his hot dogs, we like our fries, why can't we all just get along? But no sooner does The Nanny ban extra large sodas, now he's after your pain meds. He instructed New York City's socialized medical institutions to limit such prescriptions, even if it means more patient suffering. Who...

Congressmen come and go, but the Kleptocracy goes on and on. What would have happened had the parties not reached a deal. Probably nothing much different than now. But maybe the price of gold and silver would have gone down instead of up. This was a complete PR event, stage-managed from the get go to make you believe that higher taxes and increased government spending are the answers to what ails the country and the economy. In the end, none of the changes necessary to save the US and the world from a complete and utter economic catastrophy have been...

All the mainstream country club “Bow Tie” Republicans are shaking their heads and wondering. “What went wrong?” The answer is really as simple as it is overlooked. In 2010, Republicans were swept into control of the House of Representatives and were within a stone’s throw of Senate control. Were it not for a few candidates who did themselves in as well as being done in by the establishment republican types, there may well have been a tied senate. Just two years later, Obama is re-elected and the Republicans lose ground in the House and Senate. What on earth happened? Click...

Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio has done a ground-breaking recitation and analysis of all relevant gun control arguments and his conclusions are virtually unassailable. Guns cut down on violence, save lives and property and help protect the public. Over 2.5 million times per year, guns prevent robberies and armed assaults on the public. Stefan’s coverage of this always difficult subject, especially in the aftermath of the horrid Newtown Connecticut school shooting, puts the matter into perspective and helps us to understand that the best way to stop gun crime is by allowing honest law abiding citizens to responsibly own and...

Dave Kranzler started out like so many other college grads, on Wall Street. Then he saw the golden light and his life has never been the same. He started a fund that is 50 percent invested in physical gold and silver. The rest is invested in a concentrated mining stock portfolio. When an investor cashes they can receive their pro rata share of the physical metal portfolio. Dave loves going behind the government statistics to find the truth. And when it comes to the truth, the housing market is still in a depression. While the politicians lie, the numbers don’t....

Hello again! We’re broadcasting from Sunny South Florida. We made the move and couldn’t be happier. A two mile walk in the morning is great for your host’s semi-arthritic knees. And the weather, while we’ve had some rainy skies, has been wonderful. We talked about the Romney-Obama debate. While we seldom ever stray into the world of politics, this is a notable exception. It’s kind of like you discover this beautiful person one evening, they appear to have everything, but you’e in a dark restaurant and can’t see the whole picture. Next time you meet in broad daylight and you...

Once again the Nanny State backfires. Just when you thought it was safe to consume a big mac, along comes America’s First Nanny Michelle Obama. Mind you her favorite food is a cheeseburger and fries. But that’s not good enough for Johnny. You see while Johnny maybe a functional illiterate because he’s been deliberately dumbed down in a government indoctrination center, also known as a public school, Ms. Obama is insistent that this programmed failure is going to eat healthy, the way she doesn’t and how do we do this? By fiat or decree the same way her husband does...

Martin Armstrong is an iconic investor who has called more market tops and bottoms than just about anyone else out there. He believes that hyperinflation will not occur in the US so long as there’s a functioning bond market. He believes that the government will be forced to drastically cut spending and cut back benefits. Social security will be cut, along with all major government programs. The bond vigilantes won’t have it any other way. This will lead to a lost decade, with price inflation starting in 2014 and a real collapse occurring after 2015. Whether his vision will come...