Doug Wilson

I have never heard of Doug Wilson before, but apparently he is a really scary dude pushing something called "Dominion Theology", following in the footsteps of the late R.J. Rushdoony.  I found his blog at Blog & Mablog (https://dougwils.com/), which looks pretty boring to me but I just glanced at it.  On the Wikipedia page for Dominion Theology, Doug Wilson isn't even mentioned. I think the folks at Alternet are just having fun inventing conspiracy theories.

Reminiscing

Lyrics:

Friday night it was late 
I was walking you home 
we got down to the gate
And I was dreaming of the night
Would it turn out right?
How to tell you girl...
I wanna build my world around you...
Tell you that it's true
I wanna make you understand 
I'm talking about a lifetime plan...

That's the way it began 
we were hand in hand
Glenn Miller's band 
was better than before
We yelled and screamed for more
And the Porter tune ("Night and Day")
Made us dance across the room
It ended all too soon
On the way back home 
I promised you'd never be alone...

Hurry don't be late
I can hardly wait 
I said to myself when we're old
We'll go dancing in the dark
Walking through the park 
and reminiscing

Friday night it was late 
I was walking you home 
we got down to the gate
And I was dreaming of the night
Would it turn out right?
Now as the years roll on...
Each time we hear our favorite song
The memories come along
Older times we're missing 
spending the hours reminiscing...

Hurry don't be late
I can hardly wait 
I said to myself when we're old
We'll go dancing in the dark
Walking through the park 
and reminiscing

The US has never defaulted on its debt — except the four times it did

 For reference: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/575722-the-us-has-never-defaulted-on-its-debt-except-the-four-times-it-did/

 “As much as I deplore this refusal to fulfill the solemn  promise of bonds of the United States,” wrote Justice Harlan Stone, a member of the majority, “the government, through exercise of its sovereign power…has rendered itself immune from liability,” demonstrating the classic risk of lending to a sovereign.

The Treasury could decide to create a new currency (or cryptocurrency) and then pay back its debts in the new currency.

That is what it did in the four times referred to in the article:

1. issue "greenbacks" in place of "demand notes" in 1862

2. issue paper currency in place of gold coins in 1933

3. issue federal reserve notes in place of silver certificates in 1968

4. break the US commitment to redeem dollars held by foreign governments for gold (under the Bretton Woods Agreement) and give them non-convertible federal reserve notes in 1971

Don't worry about the Big Beautiful Bill increasing the deficit

 Read: https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/05/20/carney-why-im-not-concerned-the-big-beautiful-bill-could-raise-the-debt/

I didn't watch the video but it would be worth watching.

Carney stated that the total amount of debt isn’t the issue, it’s the interest rate on it that creates pressure and causes long-term issues.  He added that even if tax cuts decrease revenue, they won’t cause interest rates to increase and that’s what we’ve seen over the past forty years where, even as the debt and deficit increased, interest rates didn’t until they were recently increased to deal with inflation.

I think he is correct.  This doesn't seem to make logical sense, but primary deficits don't matter, whether they are caused by tax cuts or by increasing spending.  What matters is the interest paid, which is correlated to interest rates.  And the Fed has proven that they have total control over interest rates, at least in the short run.  The Fed could cut rates if they want to, but they don't want to because their constituents, the uber-wealthy, like the free money, and also the Fed doesn't like the current president so they are trying to stick it to him.  They will cut rates only if forced to do so.  Which in turn incentivizes the president to say and do crazy stuff, even to intentionally cause a recession, to force the Fed to cooperate.  

Peace talk fiasco

 I find this hilarious.  The Ukrainians and Russians agreed to meet in Turkey but didn't specify which city.

While Zelenskiy waited in vain for Putin in Ankara, the Russian negotiating team sat in Istanbul with no one to talk to on the Ukrainian side. Some 200 reporters milled around near the Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus that the Russians had specified as the talks venue.  https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-trump-skip-ukraines-peace-talks-that-russian-leader-proposed-2025-05-14/

Meanwhile, they exchange insults.  Zelensky called the Russian delegation "theatrical" and a "laughing stock", while the Russians called Zelensky a "pathetic man", a "clown" and a "loser".  Russia mocks Zelensky over Putin no-show: "Pathetic loser"   Not a good sign.

$2 Trillion annual interest expense by 2034

 Read: https://www.crfb.org/blogs/adding-house-reconciliation-bill

As a result of these deficit increases, total yearly deficits would rise dramatically – from $1.8 trillion in 2024 to $2.9 trillion by 2034 under the bill and $3.3 trillion under a permanent version of the bill. As a share of GDP, yearly deficits would rise to 6.9 percent – or 7.8 percent if the bill were extended permanently. 

Interest costs alone would make up a large share of that borrowing. Interest costs would double from nearly $900 billion in 2024 to $1.8 trillion (4.2 percent of GDP) by 2034 under the reconciliation package as written, or to $1.9 trillion (4.4 percent of GDP) if temporary provisions are made permanent. Including dynamic effects – where higher debt boosts interest rates – interest costs would likely exceed $2 trillion per year.

Comment: This article is very confusing to read because it refers to both the House and Senate versions of the bill and then has both "As Written" and "If Made Permanent" numbers.  Still $2 trillion per year just in interest doesn't sound good, and we will be there in just 9 years from now.  For reference, in 2024, the net interest was $950 billion, so it will more than double in 10 years.

ISO 20022 for Dummies

 I just downloaded this for free - available from https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/184556/download .  ISO 20022 is the language that banks use on the SWIFT network.  The book doesn't actually go into the details, instead it is just an introduction.  ISO 20022 is - surprise - an XML format.  See also https://www.iso20022.org/ .

Anacyclosis

 The Greek historian Polybius was one of the first to document the cycle of civilisational birth and death via a process he termed “anacyclosis.”  Nor was this a purely academic exercise.  Born in 198BC, Polybius had witnessed first hand the triumph of a powerful Roman Republic over the city states of ancient Greece… Polybius himself taken to Rome as a hostage (although enjoying considerable freedom to observe the mechanics of the Roman system and even to accompany armies on their campaigns).  This allowed Polybius to claim that the Romans had discovered the secret sauce which prevented their decline and fall (although if he had lived a few decades longer he would have witnessed the corruption and conflict which caused the Romans to morph from a republic to an empire).

Polybius’s cycle comes in seven stages.  First, is a kind of distressed primitive anarchy in which nobody is in charge.  But sooner or later, in stage two, a warlord emerges to impose order, ushering in a monarchy.  Monarchy – particularly where it is heredity – gradually descends into stage three, tyranny, until such times as even the elites become fed up, and usher in stage four – aristocracy.  Aristocrats though, tend to become self-interested over time, leading to stage five – oligarchy.  Eventually, oligarchy is overthrown by a popular uprising which ushers in stage six – democracy.  But democracy is susceptible to corruption and grift, with representatives making false promises while imposing increased taxes at every opportunity.  Until ultimately – stage seven – the civilisation descends into chaos and a dark age ensues.

The Roman Republic appeared to have overcome this cycle by balancing the three positives – monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy in a way which prevented any one of the three negatives – tyranny, oligarchy, and anarchy – from breaking out.  And it is worth noting that both the British and the American empires in the modern era adopted similar checks and balances – Britain having an actual king (monarchy) a house of Lords (aristocracy) and a house of commons (democracy).  America a pseudo, presidential king (monarchy) a judiciary (aristocracy) and a congress (democracy).  But note also that over time both systems have been pushed remorselessly in the direction of democracy even as democracy has become ever more venal.  https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/2025/05/03/the-world-ended-in-1999/

A portrait of JD Vance

 Read: https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/trumps-trump-card-the-dangerous-ideology-of-u-s-vice-president-jd-vance-a-745736df-8c02-4ef0-b166-f51f31d48d82

This is interesting but I don't have time to read it.  Excerpt: "When FDR died shortly before the end of World War II, Vice President Harry Truman took over, who, in [Curtis] Yarvin’s narrative, wasn’t even close to having the ability to keep all the influence FDR had wielded inside the White House. This was the moment, according to Yarvin’s theory, that the power shift took place that continues to the present day – one in which a bureaucracy holds sway over Washington, no matter who happens to be sitting in the Oval Office. It was the moment that the "Deep State,” as Trump and Vance refer to it, was born."

GDP is now $30.0 Trillion

 See https://www.bea.gov/news/2025/gross-domestic-product-1st-quarter-2025-advance-estimate

The BEA headline says that GDP decreased by 0.3% but if you look at the actual data by clicking on "key source data and assumptions" it shows that Gross Domestic Product for 2025Q1 is 29,977.6, up from 29,723.9 in 2024Q4.

The ratio of Debt to the Public ($28.9 trillion as of 3/31/25) to GDP ($30.0 trillion) is now 96.3%. One year ago, the ratio was 97.0%, so this has decreased.  Over that time the GDP increased $1.7 trillion, and Debt to the Public increased by $1.4 trillion (from $27.5 trillion to $28.9 trillion).

What about 2 years ago?  On 3/31/2023, debt to the public was $24.7 trillion and GDP for 1Q 2023 was $26.5 trillion.  So the ratio then was 93.2%.  So this ratio has increased 3.1% over the past 2 years.

I like the trend.  I think we really have to wait until the 3rd quarter 2025, after the debt ceiling has been lifted and see what the ratio is then.

Top Cities in the World 2025 Edition

 For the first 50 cities, this is ranked by the number of Millionaires the city has, from this source: https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/wealthiest-cities-2025/top-50-cities-millionaires and the number following is the number of millionaires.

For the next 50, this is ranked by GDP from this source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_GDP  and the number in parentheses is the GDP in millions of US dollars per year.

I combined Shenzhen and Guangzhou. I also combined Washington DC and Baltimore. The original list said that there were 28,900 millionaires, but this is only for DC itself, and I estimated 200,000 in the entire Washington-Baltimore metro area.  

1. New York City 384,500
2. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose 342,400
3. Tokyo 292,300
4. Singapore 242,400
5. Los Angeles-Orange County-Riverside-San Bernadino 220,600
6. London 215,700
7. Washington DC-Baltimore MD US, 200,000 estimate
8. Paris 160,100
9. Hong Kong 154,900
10. Sydney 152,900
11. Chicago 127,100
12. Milan 115,000
13. Beijing-Tianjin, China 114,300
14. Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe, Japan, 112,200
15. Shanghai-Suzhou, China 110,500
16. Toronto 108,400
17. Melbourne Australia 94,000
18. Houston TX 81,800
19. Dubai/Sharjah UAE 81,200
20. Frankfurt, Germany, 80,300
21. Zurich Canton, Switzerland, 77,800
22. Guangzhou-Foshan-Dongguan-Shenzhen 75,100
23. Dallas-Fort Worth, US, 72,400
24. Geneva Canton, Switzerland, 70,200
25. Munich, Germany, 69,800
26. Seoul/Incheon, South Korea 66,000
27. Seattle, US, 53,100
28. Rome, Italy, 51,800
29. Mumbai, India, 51,200
30. Vancouver, Canada 46,400
31. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 46,100
32. Boston, US, 45,000
33. Miami, US 38,800
34. Madrid Spain, 34,900
35. Perth, Australia, 34,600
36. Hangzhou, China 32,200
37. Austin TX, US, 31,500
38. Vienna Austria, 31,500
39. Taipei City, Taiwan, 31,400
40. Delhi, India, 31,200
41. Moscow, Russia, 30,000
42. Berlin, Germany, 28,400
43. Brisbane, Australia, 26,400
44. Nice France, 25,500
45. Manchester-Trafford UK, 23,400
46. Stockholm Sweden, 23,100
47. Tel Aviv, Israel, 22,600
48. Dublin, Ireland, 22,300
49. Lisbon, Portugal, 22,200
--------------------------
50. Rhine-Ruhr, Germany (634) 
51. Atlanta GA (571)
52. Philadelphia (558)
53. Chongqing (452) 
54. Phoenix AZ (398)
55. Nagoya/Chukyo, Japan (379)
56. Begaluru India (360)
57. Minneapolis/St Paul MN (351)
58. Mexico City (341)
59. Jakarta, Indonesia (339)
60. Detroit MI (331)
61. São Paulo, Brazil (319)
62. San Diego CA (315)
63. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood CO (312)
64. Stuttgart Germany (295)
65. Dhaka Bangladesh (285)
66. Wuhan China (281) 
67. Abu Dhabi UAE (278)
68. Istanbul Turkey (275)  
69. Hamburg, Germany (261) 
70. Chengdu China (260)
71. Charlotte, NC (256)
72. Busan South Korea (252)
73. Bangkok Thailand (252) 
74. Nanjing China (251)
75. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (244)
76. Tampa/St Petersburg, FL (243)
77. Brussels Belgium (237)
78. Buenos Aires (236) 
79. Ningbo China (234)
80. St Louis MO (227)
81. Qingdao China (222)
82. Kolkata, India (220)
83. Chennai India (219)
84. Portland OR (219)
85. Orlando FL (217)
86. Changsha China (208)
87. Nashville TN (205)
88. Montreal, Canada (203)  
89. Indianapolis, IN (199)
90. Cincinnati OH (199)
91. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (195) 
92. Pittsburg PA (194)
93. Zhengzhou, China (193)
94. Cairo, Egypt (190)
95. Sacramento, CA (190)
96. Hannover Germany (186)
97. Kansas City MO (186)
98. Fukuoka–Kitakyushu Japan (183)
99. Barcelona Spain (183)
100. San Antonio TX (182)
101. Columbus, OH (182)

I am not the Antichrist

 

Abdullah Hashem 

I stay away from religion on this blog, but this is too weird not to mention.  This guy named Abdullah Hashem was apparently born (of Egyptian immigrant parents) somewhere in the US on July 27, 1983.  He went to Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis where he studied comparative religion.  He started his own religion called AROPL (Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light), and he claims to be the successor of the Prophet Mohammed and he also claims to be the successor of St Peter and the true Pope of Rome.

His base of operations keeps changing, from Egypt to Germany to Sweden and now the UK (near Manchester). He has about 300 followers and makes YouTube videos.  In one of his latest ones, he denies being the Antichrist. (He says the United States is the Antichrist).

Reference:   The 'Antichrist' Just Denied It—Then Exposed the REAL One (YouTube)

Official Website of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

Divine Just State (online magazine about the Ahmadi religion)

The Kellogg Map for Ukraine

 

Source: https://www.unz.com/acrooke/the-kellogg-framework-is-a-disaster-for-trump/

The map doesn't make this clear, but the Zaporozhye (spelling?) power plant would be placed under US control.  Also, areas of Zaporozhye and Kherson beyond the contact line, which are already claimed (but not controlled) by Russia today, would remain in Ukrainian control.  Also, Ukraine would only recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, not the other four oblasts (Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia), so these would be an open wound.

Do you think either side would go for this?

Pope Pizzaball

Pope Peter Pizzaball?

 I am not Catholic, but I am rooting for Cardinal Pizzaball, soon maybe to be Pope Pizzaball, just because of his awesome name.  He is currently the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/pierbattista-pizzaballa/

Gold hits $3400

 

It seems like it only last month that it hit $3000 per ounce.  Remember that it was $1850 per ounce on 10/5/23.

When will it hit $4000?  It seems safe to say by the end of the year.

Democrats grovel before the mighty Bukele

 First is Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland.  The Salvadoran government on Wednesday rebuffed Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) request to meet or speak with a wrongfully deported Maryland man, the senator said, accusing the Trump administration and others of lying about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s gang ties. Van Hollen said Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa told him the government had no information connecting Abrego Garcia to MS-13 but could not accommodate a visit to the notorious CECOT prison, known by its acronym in Spanish.  https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5252312-van-hollen-abrego-garcia-el-salvador/

But there are more Democrats on the way ready to be humiliated in a virtue signaling ritual.  Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), the No. 4 Senate Democrat, is planning his own trip, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss his travel plans. And in the House, Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said they intend to go to El Salvador “as soon as possible,” as has another Oversight Committee member, Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.). Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) mounted another push Wednesday through the House Homeland Security Committee.  https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/16/kilmar-abrego-garcia-congress-el-salvador-00295147

Ley de Emisión de Activos Digitales (LEAD)

The "Ley de Emisión de Activos Digitales" (Law of Issuance Digital Assets) is an El Salvadoran law passed in 2022 to regulate digital assets, including but not limited to cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.

The English translation is available here: https://cnad.gob.sv/documentation-library/legal-framework/#flipbook-ley-de-activos-digitales-2023-eng/1/ 

The regulating commission is CNAD (National Commission of Digital Assets).

See also: https://gfintegrity.org/changes-to-the-digital-assets-issuance-law-in-el-salvador/

Contempt

Noting that it would benefit from further argument on the issue, the Court pivoted to addressing Plaintiffs’ concerns “about imminent deportation.” Id. at 11. It asked the Government point blank whether there were any “removals under this Proclamation planned . . . in the next 24 or 48 hours.” Id. Government counsel said that he did not know, but that he could “investigate” and “report . . . back.” Id. Plaintiffs’ counsel then interjected that various “sources” had informed him that the two removal flights that were scheduled to depart that afternoon “may have already taken off,” including “during this hearing.” Id. at 12. So, at 5:22 p.m., the Court adjourned the hearing until 6:00 p.m. and directed Government counsel to find out whether the Government was in the process of removing people under the Proclamation. Id. at 13–15. It was. Although the Government has refused to provide the particular details, all evidence suggests that during the short window that the Court was adjourned, two removal flights took off from Harlingen — one around 5:25 p.m. and the other at about 5:45 p.m.

https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025cv0766-81

Update:  The Trump Administration is appealing.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.41957/gov.uscourts.cadc.41957.01208731409.1.pdf

Shortly after the hearing, at 7:25 p.m., the district court issued a minute order provisionally certifying a class and enjoining Defendants “from removing members of such class (not otherwise subject to removal) pursuant to the Proclamation for 14 days or until further Order of the Court.” Critically, the court’s written order did not direct Defendants to turn around planes or to return already-removed aliens.

So the Government is claiming that the Boasberg's order was not effective until it was issued in writing at 7:25 pm on March 15, and by that time the planes had already taken off.

One odd thing that nobody is mentioning is that this was on a Saturday, and the judge was doing an emergency hearing on Saturday night at 6pm.  Why didn't the judge just wait until Monday?

It is also very odd that the judge is threatening contempt even though the US Supreme Court vacated his TRO.  I think Judge Boasberg has overstepped his authority here.

Who is Paolo Ardoino?

 

Paolo Ardoino, President of Tether

Paolo Ardoino.  He was born in Italy, but guess where he lives? El Salvador

The world's coolest dictator

Nayib Bukele Ortez, El Presidente de la Republica de El Salvador

His name is Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, and he is the most important person in the world right now.

There is a lot to say on this but here is one fact point.

President of El Salvador says he won't return mistakenly deported man to U.S.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele told reporters during a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday that he would not return a man the Justice Department said it had mistakenly deported to his country. "How can I return him to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States?" Bukele said, sitting beside Trump in the Oval Office, when asked if he’d return Kilmar Abrego Garcia. "Of course I'm not going to do it. The question is preposterous."