European Union's $11 Trillion Defense Plan. A Corner-Crossing Court Decision.

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at the Western European Defense Surge.

The European Union’s $11 Trillion Defense Plan

Reader Tim M. sent this: EU slams the door on US in colossal defense plan.

And in related news: EU Commission unveils plan to channel €10 trillion of citizens’ savings into strategic investments. Some key points were buried in this euphemism-laden article:

“Under the Savings and Investments Union, the Commission will address barriers preventing insurers, banks, and pension funds from investing in equity. It will also review the EU’s rules on securitization, ‘focusing on due diligence, transparency, and prudential requirements for banks and insurers, as this will free up resources from banks and allow better support for companies, the Commissioner said.”

JWR’s Comments: Reading between the lines: They now plan to steal bank reserves for their $11 trillion USD defense plan. Whenever you hear a politician talking about an “investment” in a program, beware. It almost always means dipping into Other People’s Money. In this case, it is fractional bank reserves, that are nominally there as protection from bank failures and bank runs.

“At the corporate level, media companies and pharma giants were joining forces, even lobbying Congress together to loosen long-standing restrictions on pharmaceutical advertising. Until then, she noted, advertising prescription drugs on television was not just rare—it was illegal. ‘This was forbidden, against the law,’ she said, and it remains forbidden in most countries around the world. But in the U.S., the rules were changed. And the result was staggering: billions, and eventually trillions, of advertising dollars flowing into the media industry.

That flood of money didn’t just affect commercials—it began influencing what stories could and couldn’t be told. ‘We were starting to feel the effects of it in the news division at CBS,’ she said. ‘Lobbyists from the corporation at CBS went together with pharmaceutical industry lobbyists on Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress.’

The outcome, she warned, was devastating for public health. While pharma worked to increase profits, the media—now financially entangled—stopped holding them accountable. ‘They’re funding their non-investigation,’ she said. ‘It largely influences the [news] stories that don’t get done.'”

A Duo of Gun Rights Bills Debut on Capitol Hill

At Liberty Nation News: A Duo of Gun Rights Bills Debut on Capitol Hill. The Constitutional Carry bill already has 178 co-sponsors! Here is A brief quote:

“The House Judiciary Committee is preparing several bills for markup today, March 24, among which are two measures aimed at protecting and advancing gun rights. Both bills – the Firearm Due Process Protection Act and the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act – would remove barriers that infringe upon the lawful exercise of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”

JWR’s Comment: Please contact your congressman and senators, and ask them to support this legislation! Phone the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

A Corner-Crossing Court Decision

The left-biased Washington Post reports; ‘Corner-crossing’ to reach public lands is legal, appeals court rules.

Young Pot Users 6 Times More Likely to Have a Heart Attack

Cannabis users under 50 are 6 times more likely to have a heart attack, new study shows. Here is a quote:

“Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) documents that people under the age of 50 who consume marijuana are about 6.2 times more likely to experience a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, than non-marijuana users. Young marijuana users are also 4.3 times more likely to experience an ischemic stroke and 2 times more likely to experience heart failure, the study shows.

Researchers surveyed over 4.6 million people under the age of 50, of which 4.5 million do not use marijuana and 93,000 do. All participants were free of health conditions commonly associated with cardiovascular risks, like hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and a history of myocardial infarctions. The study also excluded people who use tobacco to eliminate another potential risk factor.”