Notes from the edge of civilization: September 22, 2024

DO NOT TRUST THE "EXPERTS;" Oh, and DON'T TRUST THE "SCIENTISTS;" and one more thing, DON'T TRUST THE "MEDIA." We had to shout it out — this week's Notes confirms, in no uncertain terms, we are right.

Back in May 2022, Dr. Jay Varma, the architect of New York City’s pandemic response, penned an article in The Atlantic entitled "How Public Health Failed America."

The irony of this headline is almost too much to bear given this week’s revelations in an undercover video, in which Varma gleefully reveals that while he told New Yorkers to socially distance and stay masked, he hosted hotel sex parties, went to underground dance raves, and indulged in illegal drugs to blow off steam.

Here’s how public health failed America, Dr. Varma — by lying to our faces and believing we were too stupid to ever figure it out.

Varma’s actions are a painful, disgusting reminder of how callous and disconnected our so-called leaders and experts are from the people they serve. It’s easy to make decisions that impact others when you’re in a position to make exceptions for yourself and when you know there will be no consequences for your own actions.

Hearing Varma laugh and joke about his behavior while trying to be cute for a (honeypot) date is stomach-turning, but unsurprising. This is just the latest in a string of betrayals underscoring what we have always known: the rules were never really about "keeping us safe." In the most raw sense, these measures were about control and power by those drunk on the privilege afforded to them as unaccountable, highly-paid bureaucrats.

All of this begs the question: how many more of these revelations do we need, collectively, before the façade of authority crumbles for good? And also before we understand what is being laid bare: these people are diabolical.

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The thing with liars is they don’t really know how to do anything else. And they’re relentless at sowing their deceit. That’s how we ended up with this headline two days ago, compliments of the propaganda arm of the British government, the BBC:

Genetic ghosts suggest Covid’s market origins

A team of scientists apparently recently declared that "beyond reasonable doubt" the COVID-19 pandemic originated from infected animals sold at a Wuhan market. Despite this claim, the study, based on genetic samples collected in early 2020, cannot offer any definitive proof. The article literally says this within three paragraphs of each other.

The animals in question — raccoon dogs, civets, bamboo rats — were identified as potential sources, yet no direct evidence links them to the first cases. Even experts from the Wuhan Institute of Virology have publicly stated that the virus likely did not start at the market. So the fact that this study is still being published, let alone being reported on, in September 2024 truly boggles the mind.

How dumb do they think we are?

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It was quite the week for confessions of hormonal ebullience.

Olivia Nuzzi, the Washington columnist for New York magazine, has been placed on leave after admitting to a personal relationship with former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Nuzzi denies the relationship ever became physical, but acknowledges that some of her communications with Kennedy crossed a line and should have been disclosed to her employer. (She apparently sent nude photos of herself to Kennedy, who later boasted about them to friends.)

In a statement to The Daily Beast, she wrote:

“Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”

The magazine says it conducted an internal review and found no bias or inaccuracies in Nuzzi’s coverage, but says it is still conducting a third-party investigation.

Kennedy’s team denied any romantic involvement, stating the two had only met for a single interview, which resulted in what Kennedy's camp called a “hit piece.”

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Quite honestly, the team at Collapse Life have little interest in the private lives of presidential candidates and the D.C. press corps. We only note it here to highlight the fact that the “trust horizon” — a term we first heard from fellow Substacker, John Rubio — continues to shrink with each passing month.

Trust is one of our most valuable assets, individually and collectively as a society. Given the sociopaths in positions of power, who have shown they’re only too happy to exploit that grant, our responsibility is to closely guard and not misplace or give away trust callously.

Each of us has a duty to question everything and call out the hypocrisy, injustice, and sanctimony of those who find themselves in (or seek out) positions of authority.

We can think of no one who does that better than WilliamBanzai7, a prolific and sharp-tongued satirist whose work appears regularly in Zero Hedge. We hope you enjoy the first of a two-part interview that Banzai graciously granted us. Stay tuned for part two coming soon.

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