Opinion

The Knights Templar And The History of Friday The 13th

Published

3 years ago

March 13, 2020

*Disclaimer – This piece puts together some of the most famous theories on the origin of Friday the 13th and the Knights Templar

The unlucky Friday the 13th is one of the most well-recognized superstitions in the western world. This tradition is over 700 years old and has a very interesting origin. During the 12th century, there was a massive religious war that consumed most of Europe and Asia. Europeans referred to these times as “the crusades”. This war lasted centuries and allowed an elite class of knights to accumulate so much power and wealth that their influence rivaled both the monarchy and the church. The knights of the temple of Solomon, or more commonly known as “The Knights Templar” were the most influential political force of their time. They were the world’s first international bankers and were the corporate giant of the middle ages.

Photo: Gospel Coalition

The Templar Knights were a military force throughout the entire crusades, but didn’t become a strong political organization until they were given diplomatic immunity by the church in 1126. Their close relationship with the church was unusual for the time, as the lifestyle of a knight was usually associated more with the monarchy. The Knights Templar represented both the warrior and the priest, and were often referred to as the “fighting monks”. This best of both worlds diplomacy allowed the knights to form their own political dynasty which transcended the established powers of the time. They did not have to abide by the same rules as the church or the monarchy, but instead, they had the advantage and privileges of both institutions.

During the crusades, it was rumored that the Templars studied alchemy and discovered forbidden knowledge on their journeys. This would not be the first time that this has happened in history, it is actually quite common for conquerors to return home with ancient artifacts, just like Napoleon did with the Rosetta stone, for example.

Photo National Geographic

Some say that instead of offering their discoveries to museums the Templars kept the artifacts and knowledge within their own order. This is all speculation and legend, but what we do know for certain is that the Templars were sneaky military men and became the world’s first multinational bankers.

They had most of the known world caught in a complex pyramid scheme that is eerily similar to the scams that are being run by international bankers today. They collected taxes for protecting trade roads, bankrolled both sides of all the wars and exploited the massive peasant class, using them as workhorses to build their fortunes. Through these shady practices, the knights ended up having more money than the monarchy and the church combined. Both the church and the monarchy were deeply in debt to the Templars from loans they had taken out, so one would be able to argue quite easily that the Templars were the most dominant political institution of the time. Eventually, the monarchy grew very threatened by the immense power of the Knights Templar. The person to finally take action against the Templars was King Phillip the 4th of France.

Photo: Assassins Creed

Since the Templars were under the protection of the church, King Phillip needed papal permission to overthrow them. In order to get this blessing, Phillip covertly murdered 2 popes in less than a year until a candidate of his choice was in power. With all the necessary steps taken King Phillip made his move. On the morning of Friday, April 13 1307 there was a surprise raid on all the Templar offices. The knights were being arrested on over a hundred different counts of heresy and treason and confessed after being brutally tortured. After a short, rigged trial the Templars were sentenced to burn at the stake. The grandmaster of the Knights Templar cursed the king and pope before he was executed, and synchronisticaly both died within the year.

It is said that a fleet of Templar warships managed to escape France the night before the raids, and continued to control world events from behind the scenes. They apparently did this by changing their names and moving to various different parts of the known world. In fact, it is said by many that the Templars who managed to escape the inquisition fled to Switzerland and reestablished their international banking cartel there.

Photo: Bigbadtoystore

This theory makes sense considering that the country has been a safe haven for bankers and robber barons for centuries. There are over 500 major banking institutions in Switzerland, the majority of them are owned and controlled by various elite bloodlines and covert organizations that I’ll describe in detail later on. It is estimated that around 35% of all the private wealth globally is held in Switzerland. The world trade organization or WTO is also based in Switzerland.

Photo: WTO

These banks are among some of the only financial institutions in Europe who aren’t subject to audits and investigations from the new European Union government. The financial district in London called “the city”, as well as the Vatican in Italy is also given the same kind of protection and secrecy, but they are the only areas in Europe that have those kinds of privileges. It is also rather interesting that the Swiss Guard is responsible for guarding the pope (located in Italy, not Switzerland), a task that was once the job of the Knights Templar.

The flag of Switzerland is actually an inversion of the Templar’s shield, the flag being red with a white cross and the shield being white with a red cross.

The banking elite may have ties to the areas government and economy, but they have nothing to do with the people of Switzerland. They do not represent them and their actions should not be held against the people of this country. In fact, Switzerland is one of the best places on earth to live, and they also remain neutral in all major wars, but still, when there is smoke there is usually fire. Switzerland is just one of the many places where the elite has established a stronghold to operate from, the same goes for “The City” in London, the Vatican, Washington DC and Israel. The people that live in these places have nothing to do with the elite’s plans, aside from being used as workhorses, cannon fodder, and political pawns.

Since the days of their fall from grace, the Templar Knights and their predecessors have learned their lesson, and have continued their work in secret. Even if the official order went underground, their business model and diplomatic strategies are still very much alive today and have a deep impact on our way of life. The Templars became an all-powerful “invisible government” by mastering and manipulating politics and finance, much like the bankers that influence world events today. In fact, today’s multinational bankers follow the Templars model precisely and use all of the same age old tactics to exploit the masses.

Opinion

Which Dictator Killed The Most People?

Published

1 year ago

December 28, 2021

JP Steinberg

A popular infographic on the site memolition compares many different ruthless dictators through history, and shows their death counts illustrated by drops of blood to represent one million people killed.

Mao Zedong is at the top of the list, having directly or indirectly led to the deaths of 78 million people, followed by Joseph Stalin with an estimated 23 million, and Adolf Hitler with 17 million.

However, there are many scholars who suggest that these numbers are not so cut and dry, and may not offer an entirely accurate representation of what took place. To start, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong were both ruling over much larger populations, for a much longer time than Adolf Hitler, and many of the deaths that were caused under their regime were caused indirectly through poverty and famine.

Of course, Russia and China during these eras had brutal police states, where citizens were routinely killed or thrown into prison for defying the state. The primary goal of those regimes was maintaining power, which is fairly common of authoritarian regimes. However, with Hitler and the Nazis, the genocide was targeted at specific ethnic and social groups, and eugenics was at the forefront of the regime’s philosophy. Many scholars have argued that even though the Nazi regime killed fewer people than its communist counterparts of the time, they represented a unique danger because they were seeking to use military force to reshape the genetics of the world.

Leopold II of Belgium, who has been mostly forgotten by mainstream history, was also listed in the graphic. Leopold is said to be responsible for an estimated 15 million deaths. The vast majority of the killings took place during Belgium’s colonization of the Congo in Africa, where the country controlled a large number of mining operations. To encourage higher production at the mines, Leopold’s regime is said to have cut off the hands of men, women, and children when quotas were not met.

Each of these people were ruthless murderers, regardless of the circumstances, and many of the people who are in leadership positions in government today are not much different.

(Click the picture for a larger version)

Disclaimer: There is a mistake in this infographic. Turkey as a country exists since 1923, before that region the infographic refers to was known as an Ottoman Empire. Also, İsmail Enver Pasha wasn’t a dictator, he was a general in Ottoman army and a leader of the 1908 Young Turk Revolution.

Opinion

More Celebrities Are Starting To Voice Their Support For Donald Trump

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2020

Mark Horowitz

Last week, 50 Cent created a huge controversy when expressing his support for US President Donald Trump, but he is just one of many celebrities who are sticking their necks out to put the power of their platforms behind the sitting president. Many of them, like Ted Nugent or James Woods will come as no surprise to anyone, but some of these names are a bit shocking, such as punk rock legend Johnny Rotten.

Each of these celebrities offer different reasons for their political leanings, and some of them don’t give any reason at all. However, all of these people are millionaires, so they share some of the same class concerns, as 50 Cent noted last week when he expressed his frustration with Biden’s tax plan for the wealthy.

Below are a few of the celebrities who have voiced support for Donald Trump.

1. Kelsey Grammer

Kelsey Grammer, Getty

Allen Kelsey Grammer is an actor, comedian, singer, producer, director, writer and conservative political activist, best known for his two-decade-long portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier. He was very open about voting for Trump in 2016.

2. Roseanne Barr

Rosanne Barr, Getty

Roseanne Barr is an actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom Roseanne. She has been openly supportive of Donald Trump for years, and has stirred up controversy as a result.

3. Dean Cain

Dean Cain is the star of the show Lois & Clark and he endorsed President Trump during the 2016 election. More recently, he defended Kirstie Alley against attacks for her support of Trump.

In case you missed it@RealDeanCain on Kirstie Alley’s backlash for supporting Trump. #FoxandFriends https://t.co/pfNnY53cl0

— Joy (@missjoynicole) October 20, 2020

4. Kristy Swanson

Kristy Swanson, Getty

Kristen Noel Swanson is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer and appeared in the 1996 film The Phantom. She has been very vocal about her support for Donald Trump.

https://twitter.com/KristySwansonXO/status/1237064590871035915

5. Robert Davi

Robert Davi – Getty

Robert Davi is an actor whos is best known for his roles in The Goonies, Die Hard, and Licence to Kill. Davi is a vocal Trump supporter who has even contributed to Breitbart News.

Forgive some of my language pic.twitter.com/RznYqDoJlx

— Robert Davi (@RobertJohnDavi) July 24, 2020

6. Ted Nugent

The former rock artist Ted Nugent called President Trump the “greatest president of our lifetime” at a recent Trump rally in Michigan.

7. Johnny Rotten

Johnny Rotten is best known as the lead singer of the late-1970s British punk band the Sex Pistols, but has recently made headlines over his support for Trump. He was even photographed wearing a Trump shirt.

8. Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke in the first three seasons of the series Grey’s Anatomy. Washington supports the #WalkAway campaign, a movement urging people to “walk away” from the Democratic party and recently told Fox News that he supports Trump.

9. Jon Voight

Jon Voight, Getty

Jon Voight is an academy award-winning actor who starred in numerous blockbuster films.

Evil pic.twitter.com/P99gvy6lZL

— Jon Voight (@jonvoight) October 16, 2020

10. Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood, Getty

The country music star Lee Greenwood allows the Trump campaign to use his song “God Bless the USA” at rallies.

https://twitter.com/TheLeeGreenwood/status/1059260278175604737

Opinion

List of 20 Songs The CIA Used To Torture Prisoners Of War

Published

3 years ago

August 1, 2020

JP Steinberg

According to numerous witnesses and declassified reports, video evidence, and testimony from prisoners, guards and soldiers, the CIA used music to torture detainees in a number of different ways.

In some cases, songs would be played in repetition for hours or days on end, as to drive the prisoner to insanity. Music was also used to prevent detainees from sleeping, which is another way of creating delirium and vulnerability in the detainees.

Some songs were chosen because they were annoying, while others were chosen because they may have been offensive to the prisoner’s culture or religion. Some of the songs are annoying and could understandably be considered torture, specifically the Barney & Friends theme song, and the Meow Mix commercial.

Some of the artists who have had their songs used for torture have been very opposed to US foreign policy, especially Rage Against The Machine. In some cases, bands have even sued the US government for using their music in Guantánamo torture. For example, the Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy famously sued the US government after learning that their music was being used to torture people at Guantanamo Bay.

Below are some of the songs that have been identified most often as being used by the US military in their torture programs.

1. Deicide: Your God

Deicide · Fuck Your God

2. Dope: Die MF Die, Take Your Best Shot

**Bruno Godinho · Dope- Die MotherF*cker Die**

11. Bee Gees: Stayin’ Alive

M-Mars · Bee Gees ♫ Stayin’ Alive

12. Tupac: All Eyez On Me

2Pac · All Eyez On Me (ft. Big Syke)

13. Christina Aguilera: Dirrty

Christina Aguilera · Dirrty (feat. Redman)

14. Neil Diamond: America

Neil Diamond · America (From “The Jazz Singer” Soundtrack)

15. Rage Against the Machine: unspecified songs

Muggie · Rage Against The Machine – All Songs

16. Don McLean: American Pie

Don McLean · American Pie

17. Saliva: Click Click Boom

SALIVA · Click Click Boom

18. Matchbox Twenty: Cold

Matchbox Twenty · Cold

19. (hed)pe: Swan Dive

(Hed) Planet Earth · Swan Dive

20. Prince: Raspberry Beret

Prince · Raspberry Beret

This torture technique is nothing new and has also been used during protests and stand-off situations. In some cases, they don’t even use music but instead will just play loud noises on repeat for hours. This is often part of a sleep deprivation strategy, which includes keeping lights on subjects for hours or even days at a time.

When the United States invaded Panama in December 1989, General Noriega took refuge in an embassy on December 24th, which was immediately surrounded by U.S. troops. For about a week, the military blasted rock music, including Van Halen’s song “Panama.” They also played episodes of The Howard Stern Show for extended periods of time.

Musicians are becoming increasingly frustrated with their music being used by politicians and government agencies. Last year, a large group of musicians signed a letter asking politicians to stop using their music for campaign rallies and other government purposes, unless they have direct consent from the artist. Torture is technically banned by the Geneva convention, but many governments get around this international law by simply not classifying their actions as torture. This is much the same way that police agencies use weapons on protesters that are capable of killing people, but still refer to them as “less than lethal” weapons.