{"id":1625,"date":"2021-01-17T13:44:59","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T14:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/?p=1625"},"modified":"2021-01-17T14:03:58","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T15:03:58","slug":"the-6th-of-january-the-tech-companies-and-the-patriot-act-v-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/2021\/01\/17\/the-6th-of-january-the-tech-companies-and-the-patriot-act-v-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6th of January, the tech companies and the Patriot Act v. 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Continued from Part I<\/a><\/span>. Since the events on the 6th<\/sup> at the US Capitol, the tech companies have been busy banning people and groups, censoring anything that hints of violent speech, conspiracies and so forth, with Twitter purging over 70,000 accounts related to QAnon<\/a><\/span> alone, and this after banning Trump himself for life. This is a move that will haunt them for years to come<\/a><\/span>, as reaction has been swift, and the fall in the stock prices of Twitter and Facebook alone having tanked by $51 billion<\/a><\/span> as of this writing. Facebook has borne the lion\u2019s share of the lost stock price \u2013 karma, perhaps.<\/span><\/p>\n

The actions of the tech companies as a result of the 6th<\/sup> will spawn smaller tech companies. The bans have marked a turning point for the industry, indicated by the direct of Jupiter to the US Ceres (see chart in Part I). That Jupiter direction also shows the huge losses involved. Jupiter transits and directions can show worsening of conditions if other factors show stress. On the other side, that direction can also indicate a broader and more beneficial turning point, too, in that spawning smaller tech companies will mean more competition for the giants and will have the effect of bringing them to heel, rather than having to go through the legal hassle of breaking them up. That Jupiter direction to Ceres also shows a turning point for the US, too, especially related to services (6th<\/sup> house), tech (Uranus) and communications (direction of Jupiter from the 3rd<\/sup> house).<\/span><\/p>\n

While many people are cheering the bans on social media, it is being met with condemnation and outrage with others, especially overseas, with dismay that the President would be banned from a tech platform. Supposedly these moves are being done to protect the public, but if a state wanted to keep tabs on things, it would make more sense to leave these accounts in place. Freedom is ruled by Uranus as well as tech. A whistleblower at Twitter has videoed Jack Dorsey, CEO, saying the ban on Trump is only the start<\/a><\/span> of something much bigger, cue the 70,000+ bans on QAnon-associated accounts, the loss of Twitter followers reported by many commentators and so forth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. European leaders have expressed shock<\/a><\/span> at Big Tech\u2019s moves, noting that it should be the sovereign state that regulates content rather than the tech oligarchs, the latter having had antipathy with Trump from the beginning. These same tech companies have banded together to ban Parler<\/a><\/span>, a premier platform for conservatives, which could effectively ruin the company. Parler has filed an anti-trust suit against Amazon<\/a><\/span> in response to its ban. Stock shares in Big Tech have fallen sharply<\/a><\/span> as a result of the bans. The tech companies are already facing stricter regulation in Europe<\/a><\/span>, with threats of breaking up the monopolies based in Europe. These moves in recent days by the tech companies will only accelerate that process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the West, the public has reacted sharply to the tech companies, with people leaving apps like WhatsApp in droves (it is owned by Facebook), looking for apps that have strong encryption and giving the finger to the tech companies. Just a note here: If the app is usable via a cell phone or computer, then it can be monitored, regardless. There is no escaping Big Brother via electronic means if they really want to know what is going on. Signal has been called the most secure<\/a><\/span> such app, but even then, 100% security is not guaranteed. And a note to WhatsApp users<\/a><\/span>: After Feb 8th<\/sup>, all your user data, phone numbers, etc., will be made available to Facebook. There is no opt-out. If you don\u2019t want this, then you have to move to another platform, like Signal or Telegram. Privacy is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I have seen a flurry of people signing up for Telegram in the past days.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is one last remark regarding Uranus in the US chart, in that it has just started to receive a direction from the Pluto\/Asc midpoint, which is quite interesting, given events: \u201cA frequent change of environment<\/strong>, the misfortune to live in constant anxiety and restlessness<\/strong>. – Extraordinary incidents<\/em> and upsets, accidents<\/strong>.\u201d That direction will be exact in a year from now and it will be in effect all year. Thus, for people who like the roller coaster of change, it looks like \u201921 will be a good year<\/a><\/span>, in that there will be shakeups across the US this year. These have been years in the making. We can probably safely say the storming of the Capitol was an \u2018extraordinary incident\u2019. And the anxiety and restlessness will be felt primarily in the tech and services sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting on the 20th<\/sup>, in a few days, there will be a new sheriff in town, one Head Honcho Harris, having the deciding vote in the Senate, who will probably not take lightly to any foolishness in her neighbourhood. And that brings us to the latest in our saga from the 6th<\/sup>, and what is being likened by a few comments I have seen to the latest \u20189\/11\u2019 for America. There is something to that, which we will get to. The event itself on the 6th<\/sup> cannot be compared to the event on 11 Sep 2001, but the aftereffects domestically may rival what we saw foisted on the American public after 9\/11. And from what is emerging since the 6th<\/sup>, the violence on the Capitol was expected and even planned, and not by the mostly misguided men who were there for photo-ops. Some of those have since expressed regret for being involved<\/a><\/span>, claiming they were caught up in the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Referring back to the quote by Bernays at the start of part I this post, other clich\u00e9s and catch words have been used very deliberately<\/a><\/span> by Democrats and liberal media virtually across the board since the 6th<\/sup> in a prelude to what might be coming:<\/span><\/p>\n

The liberal media (nearly all of it) as well as some Democratic congressmen have officially declared it \u201cincitement of insurrection.\u201d Other expressions that are popping up include \u201cdomestic terrorism,\u201d \u201csedition,\u201d \u201cright wing mobs,\u201d a \u201ccoup\u201d or a \u201cstorming\u201d of the building, all reportedly driven by incendiary language used by President Trump. Others preferred describing a \u201cbreaching\u201d of security or even a \u201criot\u201d or possibly \u201ctreason.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Such language is typically used to manufacture consent in the public for something they would not ordinarily endorse. Nancy Pelosi has further amplified the demonization of Trump, using words like \u201cderanged, unhinged, and dangerous<\/a><\/span>\u201d to describe him, even going so far as to bring up the old \u2018Russia is behind this\u2019 cadaver. Does anyone remember the \u201cW\u201d administration, with all the hysteria about WMDs and our invasion of Iraq, based on false evidence? Who is more unhinged, deranged and dangerous?<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump has been effectively ousted from the Presidency since the 6th<\/sup>, and silenced for the moment. McConnell has delayed the impeachment until after the inauguration, and Pence has poured cold water on removal by the 25th<\/sup> Amendment. In hindsight these moves to delay the process might come to be seen as the better part of wisdom, knowing full well that removing Trump before he finishes his term will only enrage his supporters and provoke more violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The push for these actions against Trump revolves primarily around stopping him from ever holding federal office again. That is what it really comes down to. It is not going down well with the over 70 million Americans who voted for Trump. And these are not stupid people, much as they are often portrayed, speaking of demonization. Many of the people at the event were middle class<\/a><\/span> and even elite. As a measure, \u2018liberal\u2019 readers would probably whole-heartedly agree with Pelosi\u2019s statements, preceding, while \u2018conservative\u2019 readers will see them as hysteria and hyperbole. Looking at this from the outside, as many foreign observers see it, both sides of the Red-Blue divide in the US engage in that sort of talk and see the hypocrisy on both sides of the fence. They look on Trump\u2019s impeachment as a kangaroo trial<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A phenomenon that rarely gets mentioned, as in never in the liberal press, is that many of the people who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 did so as a protest against a system they see as having failed them. Hillary represented that system to a \u2018T\u2019. They were not voting for the man when they voted for Trump, most of them probably not having studied his life, but rather for what he was saying. That Trump has not delivered on most of his campaign promises<\/a><\/span> for the average American is true enough, though he has greatly benefitted the wealthy and the Israelis.<\/span><\/p>\n

As to whether he is actually dangerous, I always remember a quote, I think it was from David Brooks, that the Beltway has a very effective immune system, speaking on the concerns about Trump after the 2016 election. We have seen that time and again with Trump, especially regarding foreign adventurism, where he has been consistently reined in from his wilder threats. As to domestic policy, Trump has been a faithful servant of the corporate interests and financial class, and his domestic policy has for a large part received bipartisan support, witness the passing of large defense spending bills, tax cuts, bailouts for corporations, etc., but little support for the average American. These things are all very telling. The consistent theme with elections in the US since the turn of this century is that people have voted for change, only to be disappointed time and again. This is the primary reason we see so much anger and polarization in the American public.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, returning to the astrology, Biden has said he wants to pass a law against domestic terrorism. We will likely see this happen within the year, with Pluto transiting opposite the US Mercury, the latter ruling the 7th<\/sup> house (legislation). \u00a0Supposedly, this is to counter right wing extremists<\/a><\/span>. It would only further the divide in the nation. The law would no doubt be used to stifle any sort of protest and, given past precedent, would more heavily target minorities and the protests like we saw recently in Portland. Police have a reputation<\/a><\/span> for favouring right wing groups over minorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all the preceding points in mind, there are two main lines of action that need to be watched and which we will probably see on the domestic front once Biden takes office, along with Biden\u2019s policy announcements:<\/span><\/p>\n