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The Liberty Conspiracy Audio Pod, for 5-4-26!
Greetings, fellow Conspirators!
We posted this question on X:
Is the US trying to tie numerous nations into a World War?
Share
Thank you, to all the great Conspirators who joined us to discuss the Pirate-in-Thief, the bogus nature of Antitrust law, the Hawley move to ID everyone who wants to use the intergnat, and more! We got to discuss the journalism of great reporters so, please follow them if you haven't had the opportunity! And join us, m-f 6 PM on Rumble or my X! The audio Pod is ready shortly after the show, via Spotify or Substack! Here is what we got to discuss tonight!
Subscribe now
WARIRANToday, a few news sources and commentators are noticing that Trump has a new military operation in the Persian Gulf, something he has done to semantically skirt the already Constitution-diluting War Powers Act. It’s the sadly, darkly ironic “Project Freedom”. Here is some info on it, and here is more, from AntiWar, and, already, it is seeing Iran respond appropriately, noting that the nation of Iran has territorial water claims that extend 12 miles past the islands in the gulf that are part of Iran, meaning that the Strait of Hormuz not only is Iranian and Omani mutual territory, but that areas that are not even as tight as that region also fall into Iranian territorial claims.
THIS AFTER TRUMP ADMITS TO USING THE US MILITARY “LIKE PIRATES” (He could change that to “WE ARE PIRATES” in the US govt., in all respects, as all statism is - piracy.)
THUS, we see this: “US Central Command Says It Destroyed Six Iranian Boats; Iran Denies Naval Losses - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
YET, IRAN claims it hit two US ships — this is disputed, as the US claims are disputed re the above
Not good
IRAN HITS THE UAE?Headline: “UAE reports missile and drone strikes incoming from Iran | News | Al Jazeera” LINK UAE authorities reported an Iranian drone strike sparking a fire at a petroleum/oil facility (Fujairah Oil Industry Zone / petroleum complex / export terminal) in Fujairah. UAE air defenses intercepted several incoming Iranian missiles/drones (some destroyed over territorial waters, one in the sea). Three Indian workers were moderately injured. Fujairah is a key oil export hub bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied direct responsibility for striking UAE facilities, calling it the result of “American adventurism” or denying involvement altogether.
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It might be worth mentioning that this Congressman is right. Despite some Boston talk radio hosts calling him “Moron Moulton” it appears that Mr. Moulton has a better grasp on War Crimes history than many commentators and Mr. Hegseth. Headline: “Rep. Seth Moulton says Hegseth is ‘guilty’ of war crimes, links him to Nazis | Fox News” LINK Of course, Mr. Hegseth has been committing War Crimes since he carried out Trump’s commands to attack Yemen early in 2025. Here is more, from last fall LINK AND HERE IS SEN MARK KELLEY handing Hegseth his proverbial head. LINK
ENERGY DISASTER - TRUMP SLEIGHT OF HANDHere’s an idea that disregards American Indian land rights — again. Headline: “Trump gives go-ahead to major new Canada-US oil pipeline” LINK
The culturally significant sites and areas of concern along (or near) the proposed Bridger Pipeline Expansion route were, in many cases, originally part of Native American tribal territories or hunting grounds explicitly protected under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. These were not ceded to the U.S. in that treaty but were later lost or opened to non-Indian settlement through U.S. actions that courts and historians have widely recognized as violations of the treaty. Today, they are no longer reservation or tribal trust land (which is why the pipeline route avoids current reservations), but tribes continue to assert treaty-based rights, cultural connections, and consultation requirements over them.
Quick Background on the Relevant Treaty Lands
The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty (signed by the U.S. and bands of the Lakota/Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and others) had two key parts relevant here:
It created the Great Sioux Reservation (including the Black Hills, a sacred area).
It also designated vast “unceded Indian territory” (Article 16) north of the North Platte River and east of the Big Horn Mountains. This included large parts of what is now eastern Wyoming, southeastern Montana, and adjacent areas. No white persons could settle or occupy these lands without tribal consent. Tribes also retained hunting rights in these and additional areas (Article 11) “so long as the buffalo may range thereon in such numbers as to justify the chase.”
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These unceded territories overlapped significantly with the traditional homelands and hunting grounds of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and allied tribes (including Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Mandan, Arikara in broader regional contexts). The pipeline’s route—from the Montana-Canada border south through eastern Montana counties (e.g., Phillips, Valley, Roosevelt, etc.) into northeastern Wyoming (e.g., Crook, Weston, etc., toward Guernsey)—passes through or near these historical unceded areas.
How These Lands Were Lost - The U.S. broke key promises in the treaty:
After gold was discovered in the Black Hills (1874), the U.S. attempted to buy the land. When tribes refused, Congress passed the 1877 “Manypenny Agreement”/Act, which unilaterally seized the Black Hills and extinguished hunting rights in the unceded territories. This was done with signatures from only a small fraction of adult male tribal members (far short of the treaty’s required 75% approval for any land cession).
The U.S. also allowed settler encroachment, military posts, and roads in violation of Article 16.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Sioux Nation that the taking of the Black Hills was an illegal 5th Amendment taking and awarded compensation (now worth over $1 billion with interest). The tribes have refused the money, demanding the land back instead. Similar patterns occurred with other tribes’ claims in the region.
The result: The unceded territories were gradually opened to homesteading, railroads, and private ownership. What had been treaty-protected Indian hunting/cultural lands became the mix of private ranches, farms, BLM land, and state land that the pipeline now crosses.
Here are Specific Cultural Sites/Ties Mentioned in Opposition to the Pipeline LINK
-Tribal and environmental groups (e.g., Honor the Earth, Earthjustice) highlight that the pipeline route cuts through:
Unceded 1868 Treaty hunting territories themselves (recognized as areas of ongoing cultural/religious significance).
The “Warrior Trail” (alongside Highway 212 in southeastern Montana), which includes historic sites from the Great Sioux War (1876–77 era battles and trails tied to Lakota/Cheyenne resistance).
Areas linked to sacred sites, burial grounds, and traditional cultural properties in the broader Powder River/Belle Fourche/Cheyenne River drainages (near the Black Hills sacred landscape).
River crossings (Missouri River, Poplar River, etc.) with downstream cultural/water impacts to tribes like Fort Peck, Standing Rock, etc.
earthjustice.org
These are not random “cultural” concerns—they stem directly from the treaty-protected status and centuries of tribal use. Even though the land is now privately owned or federal, federal law (e.g., National Historic Preservation Act Section 106, National Environmental Policy Act, Executive Order 13175) requires agencies to consult tribes about impacts to such resources during permitting. Critics argue the recent Trump cross-border permit rushed ahead before full tribal consultation and cultural surveys were complete.
The cultural sites are tied to lands that were originally tribal under the 1868 treaty (unceded and protected). The U.S. did break those treaty obligations through later legislation and actions, leading to the loss of tribal control. That history is exactly why tribes are raising alarms now—even though the pipeline itself does not cross modern reservation boundaries. The ongoing EIS process will
Israel’s approach to a “ceasefire” not only is to kill, seize land, and destroy everything from farms to schools to religious sites, the Israeli government is RAMPING UP the violent aggression. Headline: “Scores Killed in Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire ‘Holding’ - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
And, yes, of course, the Israeli government (and many of the civilians, if not most, according to polls) want to steal the rest of Lebanon.
More
GAZAThe Samud Flotilla:
#FreeThiago #FreeSaif","username":"FranceskAlbs","name":"Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1596637441489862657/EpBFqeeo_normal.jpg","date":"2026-05-04T11:01:30.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{"full_text":"Israeli soldiers beat and tortured flotilla organisers Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila after abducting them in international waters near Greece in the early hours of Thursday morning, lawyers and diplomats have said.\n\nAfter illegally intercepting 22 boats and kidnapping around","username":"novaramedia","name":"Novara Media","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1145779157537869825/c356vU1N_normal.jpg"},"reply_count":369,"retweet_count":4941,"like_count":8560,"impression_count":103868,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">MORE - VERY Important, given that one of these men is Palestinian, and the Israeli’s might continue to cage and torture him
It looks like the Occupation Goons will continue to cage them
Share
CUBATrump is increasing the terrible blockade against Cuban people. Here is Antiwar on the matter. Headline: “Citing Bogus ‘Threats’ to US, Trump Expands Already Devastating Sanctions on Cuba - Antiwar.com Blog” LINK
SOMALIAHeadline: “US Launches 61st Airstrike of the Year in Somalia - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
FUEL PRICES AT THE PUMPHep-hep! How thrilling! Headline: “Americans spent $125 million more on gas Friday than they did a week ago” LINK
TRUMP-CHINAHEADLINE: “China’s Commerce Ministry blocks US sanctions against five refineries” LINK
TRUMP OKAYS OVER $8BILLION IN ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL, SOME ARAB STATESHere is Antiwar on it! LINK
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SPECIAL REPORT: THE DC GOVT WAR AGAINST FREEDOM OF COMMERCE - SPIRIT AIRLINES, MEAT PACKING, AND ANTITRUST STATUTESMany “commentators” are discussing the demise of Spirit Airlines. But, from the samplings of “MAGA” streamers and radio hosts I took this morning, through mid-morning, all of them are focusing on the personalities behind the federal government forbidding Jet Blue from buying Spirit in 2024, not the price of jet fuel that Trump’s aggression against Iran has caused, and not the federal block of the Jet Blue buyout, which the Bidenistas and folks like Senator Liz Warren (D-MA) made sure to impose/inflict on the willing buyer and seller. For reference to the historical background of what first looked like a Frontier Airlines purchase of Spirit, but later saw a better proposal from Jet Blue that was BLOCKED by the so-called “Justice Department”, as well as an overview of the upward price curve of fuel (gas, diesel, jet fuel) please see yesterday’s Sunday News Assembly… Today, I would like to offer you a sample of justified criticism of Warren, but I also want to offer you key points about the anti-constitutional, immoral, and anti-economic nature of all federal Antitrust “law”.
Here is Warren, from 2024
Jim Geraghty, of National Review, offered
But that kind of analysis actually ASSUMES THE ACCEPTABILITY of federal Antitrust, on moral and constitutional levels, both of which are unwarranted…
AND SMALL CARRIERS ARE RUMBLING RE A $2.5 BILLION Federal BAILOUT
A trade group called the Association of Value Airlines (representing Spirit, Frontier, Avelo, Allegiant, Sun Country, etc.) formally pitched the Trump administration for $2.5 billion in targeted government assistance/liquidity pool in late April 2026. The proposal would offset extra fuel costs (jet fuel prices have roughly doubled and are averaging over $4/gallon due to Middle East tensions and Strait of Hormuz issues) in exchange for warrants that could convert to equity stakes in the carriers. They argue smaller carriers are hit harder because their price-sensitive customers can’t absorb big fare hikes as easily as legacy carriers like Delta or United.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the DOJ announced today a new focus on “antitrust enforcement” against the “Big Four” packers (JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, National Beef) over alleged collusion, price-fixing, and market concentration— and, get this, she explicitly tied the move to “food security as a national security concern” due to foreign ownership (e.g., Brazilian-controlled JBS and National Beef) and “reduced competition for ranchers.” This comes as a response to a November “Presidential Directive” (perfect to fit a PR-link to Thanksgiving and the fact that prices were RISING not dropping — Trump and his pals had their bogeymen ready)… LINK.
The Chump Administration moves are mixed, here. Some, positive, some, highly fascistic. Proposals to make higher line speeds permanent in poultry and pork processing plants (building on first-term efforts and modernized inspection systems), which the Meat Institute (industry group) had lobbied for as a way to reduce outdated restrictions. These have been long-standing requests from ranchers and sellers. LINK
Reductions in overtime and holiday inspection fees for small and very small processors (e.g., 75% reduction for very small establishments). (Based on recommendations from years ago).
Withdrawal or rescission of certain Biden-era USDA rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act (e.g., on inclusive competition/market integrity and poultry grower payments) that the industry viewed as adding compliance costs and limiting flexibility. LINK
Expansion of remote/instrument-enhanced beef grading pilots, which cuts staffing and logistical costs for smaller processors.
These align with broader deregulatory goals but are paired with intensified antitrust scrutiny on the dominant players.
BUUUUT, the US is creating government-run or subsidized programs to FUND domestic (especially small and mid-sized) meatpacking firms. The USDA’s Beef Industry Plan (released around October 2025 under Secretary Rollins) explicitly includes targeted assistance to expand processing capacity, promote local/regional supply chains, and counter Big Four dominance. Here are some of their wondrous, key elements:
Fourth round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grants: Up to $2 million per award, potentially supporting ~50 small processors for facility expansions, equipment, and modernization focused on local beef markets.
Prioritized access to up to $25 million in guaranteed loans via USDA’s Business and Industry Loan Program for beef processors.
SBA low-interest loans prioritized for new small meat/poultry processors to offset startup costs.
These are framed as diversifying the supply chain and bolstering resilience (with “food security is national security” rhetoric).
Additional steps include encouraging federal food procurement programs to buy more domestically produced beef and opening more grazing land, which, of course, expands the size of the government involvement in the market, in the former, and doesn’t address the unconstitutional nature of trying to control “grazing land” in the first place.
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FARM SUBSIDIESHere they come. “Farm bill may ease cost burden for farmers; ag groups urge US Senate action” LINK
TARIFF TERRORISMYep. More. Headline: “Car industry hit: Trump announces 25% tariffs on EU imports” LINK
ANTITRUST STATUTES: IMMORAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND ANTI-ECONOMICFederal antitrust law, epitomized by the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, stands as one of the most misguided interventions in American economic history. Far from promoting competition and consumer welfare, it is immoral, anti-economic, and unconstitutional. As scholars at the Mises Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) have documented for decades, antitrust enforcement punishes success, distorts markets, and violates core constitutional limits on federal power. Dominick T. Armentano, author of the seminal works Antitrust and Monopoly: Anatomy of a Policy Failure and Antitrust: The Case for Repeal (published by the Mises Institute), has exposed these flaws with unmatched clarity. LINK (Here is an excellent expose of Warren’s antitrust adoration, by Prof Armentano. And, here is another excellent piece by Armentano, on the early days of the evil Antitrust push.)
The Sherman Act’s constitutional foundation is a blatant stretch of the Interstate Commerce Clause in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. The clause was never intended to grant Congress preemptive regulatory control over private interstate trade. In a February 1829 letter to Joseph C. Cabell, James Madison—the principal architect of the Constitution—explained its true purpose: the power “grew out of the abuse of the power of the importing states in taxing the non-importing, and was intended as a negative and preventative provision against injustice amongst the states themselves, rather than as a power to be used for the positive purposes of the General Government.” Madison foresaw that a literal reading could lead to overreach, but he insisted the clause served only to resolve state-versus-state conflicts, not to police voluntary business arrangements between individuals or firms across state lines. The Sherman Act’s federal assault on “restraints of trade” and “monopolization” ignores this original understanding, transforming a limited dispute-resolution tool into a sweeping regulatory weapon.
Economically, antitrust law is a disaster. In a genuine free market, businesses grow large precisely because they are more competitive: they innovate, cut costs, expand output, and win the voluntary patronage of consumers. As Armentano notes in his Mises Institute analyses, market dominance reflects efficiency, not coercion. Consumers freely choose superior products and services, rewarding the best performers. Yet antitrust enforcement inverts this process. “Antitrust’s dirty little secret,” Armentano writes, “is that the laws have been employed consistently to hamper successful business organizations and protect their less efficient rivals. One would be hard-pressed to discover a more immoral or irrational public policy toward business, or one more worthy of repeal.”
History confirms this. Classic cases, from Standard Oil to Microsoft, targeted firms that delivered lower prices and better quality. Private antitrust suits—comprising over 90 percent of litigation—routinely involve less-efficient competitors dragging more-efficient rivals into court. The Mises Institute and FEE emphasize that such rent-seeking distorts resource allocation, raises costs for consumers, and stifles innovation. Armentano’s exhaustive case studies in Antitrust and Monopoly reveal that the laws do not protect competition; they shield politically favored incumbents from market discipline.
Morally, antitrust is indefensible. It criminalizes voluntary agreements over legitimately owned property—licensing deals, mergers, pricing strategies—without evidence of force or fraud. Armentano, in his FEE essay “The Immorality of Antitrust Law,” argues that these statutes are “inherently discriminatory” and “abusive of liberty and justice,” echoing Adam Smith’s warning against laws that interfere with consensual trade. They empower government bureaucrats and envious rivals to second-guess entrepreneurial decisions that consumers have already endorsed in the marketplace.
The Mises Institute and FEE have long advocated total repeal. Armentano’s work proves that antitrust is not reformable; it must be abolished. Only then can free-market competition—driven by consumer sovereignty—flourish unmolested. In a world without antitrust, businesses would rise or fall on merit alone, delivering greater prosperity and respecting the constitutional order Madison envisioned.
One of the keystones of “Antitrust” is the idea that a company can be engage in “horizontal” or “vertical” integration.
By “HORIZONTAL,” Antitrust advocates mean the practice of a company buying or making deals with competitors or smaller companies in regions where the company does not operate. This allows businesses to seek efficient companies and offer them profit to merge, and provides the buying company the chance to discover efficient businesses and incorporate them into their models. Trial and error reveals the success or failure of such activity, based on consumer response. As long as there is no government-supported company or government-backed merger, the company (companies, combined) might, indeed, grow in market share, but they will be prohibited from raising prices beyond what consumers accept without introducing the market-visible opportunity for new parties to enter and compete, catering to the dissatisfied consumers. If big companies try to buy out every new competitor, that harms their bottom line if the merger is done merely to eliminate competition. It harms efficiency and is a new drag on the business. Thus, companies rarely, if ever, try to do that except in dramatic movies.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION is the practice of a company investing in portions of its needs along a supply chain, allowing it to be self-sufficient when trading shocks (like TARIFFS) arise. This rarely is cited by rabid Antitrust goons as a “rationale” for the US government to attack a company.
Typically, the Antitrust division, as Armentano notes, is geared to welcome politically favored business people who want the DoJ to burden their competition (competition which, in the history of Antitrust, usually has been more efficient). It’s a Rent-Seeking weapon to help the politically connected and to demonize REAL competitive businesses.
The only group of people who are not open to competition are governments and the crony businesses they favor.
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PRIVACYAs if he were a crackhead giving advice about sobriety, Josh Hawley never ceases to be a source of bad, dangerous ideas Headline from Reclaim The Net “Senate Panel Backs GUARD Act, AI Age Verification Bill” LINK
IMMIGRATION POLICE STATEThis is from Saturday. “Family of six held by ICE arrives back in Colorado as lawyer attacks ‘kidnapping’“ LINK
Another ICE kidnapping victim dies in an ICE cage “Another detainee dies in ICE custody” LINK
We mentioned this in the Sunday News Assembly. The creation and sale of the drug are not attacks on people, but the ingesting of it by pregnant women, if they do so knowingly, is an attack on another person. Headline “Appeals court blocks FDA rule that allows women to obtain abortion drugs by mail” LINK
That’s it for now, all!
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By Gardner GoldsmithGreetings, fellow Conspirators!
We posted this question on X:
Is the US trying to tie numerous nations into a World War?
Share
Thank you, to all the great Conspirators who joined us to discuss the Pirate-in-Thief, the bogus nature of Antitrust law, the Hawley move to ID everyone who wants to use the intergnat, and more! We got to discuss the journalism of great reporters so, please follow them if you haven't had the opportunity! And join us, m-f 6 PM on Rumble or my X! The audio Pod is ready shortly after the show, via Spotify or Substack! Here is what we got to discuss tonight!
Subscribe now
WARIRANToday, a few news sources and commentators are noticing that Trump has a new military operation in the Persian Gulf, something he has done to semantically skirt the already Constitution-diluting War Powers Act. It’s the sadly, darkly ironic “Project Freedom”. Here is some info on it, and here is more, from AntiWar, and, already, it is seeing Iran respond appropriately, noting that the nation of Iran has territorial water claims that extend 12 miles past the islands in the gulf that are part of Iran, meaning that the Strait of Hormuz not only is Iranian and Omani mutual territory, but that areas that are not even as tight as that region also fall into Iranian territorial claims.
THIS AFTER TRUMP ADMITS TO USING THE US MILITARY “LIKE PIRATES” (He could change that to “WE ARE PIRATES” in the US govt., in all respects, as all statism is - piracy.)
THUS, we see this: “US Central Command Says It Destroyed Six Iranian Boats; Iran Denies Naval Losses - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
YET, IRAN claims it hit two US ships — this is disputed, as the US claims are disputed re the above
Not good
IRAN HITS THE UAE?Headline: “UAE reports missile and drone strikes incoming from Iran | News | Al Jazeera” LINK UAE authorities reported an Iranian drone strike sparking a fire at a petroleum/oil facility (Fujairah Oil Industry Zone / petroleum complex / export terminal) in Fujairah. UAE air defenses intercepted several incoming Iranian missiles/drones (some destroyed over territorial waters, one in the sea). Three Indian workers were moderately injured. Fujairah is a key oil export hub bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied direct responsibility for striking UAE facilities, calling it the result of “American adventurism” or denying involvement altogether.
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It might be worth mentioning that this Congressman is right. Despite some Boston talk radio hosts calling him “Moron Moulton” it appears that Mr. Moulton has a better grasp on War Crimes history than many commentators and Mr. Hegseth. Headline: “Rep. Seth Moulton says Hegseth is ‘guilty’ of war crimes, links him to Nazis | Fox News” LINK Of course, Mr. Hegseth has been committing War Crimes since he carried out Trump’s commands to attack Yemen early in 2025. Here is more, from last fall LINK AND HERE IS SEN MARK KELLEY handing Hegseth his proverbial head. LINK
ENERGY DISASTER - TRUMP SLEIGHT OF HANDHere’s an idea that disregards American Indian land rights — again. Headline: “Trump gives go-ahead to major new Canada-US oil pipeline” LINK
The culturally significant sites and areas of concern along (or near) the proposed Bridger Pipeline Expansion route were, in many cases, originally part of Native American tribal territories or hunting grounds explicitly protected under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. These were not ceded to the U.S. in that treaty but were later lost or opened to non-Indian settlement through U.S. actions that courts and historians have widely recognized as violations of the treaty. Today, they are no longer reservation or tribal trust land (which is why the pipeline route avoids current reservations), but tribes continue to assert treaty-based rights, cultural connections, and consultation requirements over them.
Quick Background on the Relevant Treaty Lands
The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty (signed by the U.S. and bands of the Lakota/Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and others) had two key parts relevant here:
It created the Great Sioux Reservation (including the Black Hills, a sacred area).
It also designated vast “unceded Indian territory” (Article 16) north of the North Platte River and east of the Big Horn Mountains. This included large parts of what is now eastern Wyoming, southeastern Montana, and adjacent areas. No white persons could settle or occupy these lands without tribal consent. Tribes also retained hunting rights in these and additional areas (Article 11) “so long as the buffalo may range thereon in such numbers as to justify the chase.”
Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Share
These unceded territories overlapped significantly with the traditional homelands and hunting grounds of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and allied tribes (including Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Mandan, Arikara in broader regional contexts). The pipeline’s route—from the Montana-Canada border south through eastern Montana counties (e.g., Phillips, Valley, Roosevelt, etc.) into northeastern Wyoming (e.g., Crook, Weston, etc., toward Guernsey)—passes through or near these historical unceded areas.
How These Lands Were Lost - The U.S. broke key promises in the treaty:
After gold was discovered in the Black Hills (1874), the U.S. attempted to buy the land. When tribes refused, Congress passed the 1877 “Manypenny Agreement”/Act, which unilaterally seized the Black Hills and extinguished hunting rights in the unceded territories. This was done with signatures from only a small fraction of adult male tribal members (far short of the treaty’s required 75% approval for any land cession).
The U.S. also allowed settler encroachment, military posts, and roads in violation of Article 16.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Sioux Nation that the taking of the Black Hills was an illegal 5th Amendment taking and awarded compensation (now worth over $1 billion with interest). The tribes have refused the money, demanding the land back instead. Similar patterns occurred with other tribes’ claims in the region.
The result: The unceded territories were gradually opened to homesteading, railroads, and private ownership. What had been treaty-protected Indian hunting/cultural lands became the mix of private ranches, farms, BLM land, and state land that the pipeline now crosses.
Here are Specific Cultural Sites/Ties Mentioned in Opposition to the Pipeline LINK
-Tribal and environmental groups (e.g., Honor the Earth, Earthjustice) highlight that the pipeline route cuts through:
Unceded 1868 Treaty hunting territories themselves (recognized as areas of ongoing cultural/religious significance).
The “Warrior Trail” (alongside Highway 212 in southeastern Montana), which includes historic sites from the Great Sioux War (1876–77 era battles and trails tied to Lakota/Cheyenne resistance).
Areas linked to sacred sites, burial grounds, and traditional cultural properties in the broader Powder River/Belle Fourche/Cheyenne River drainages (near the Black Hills sacred landscape).
River crossings (Missouri River, Poplar River, etc.) with downstream cultural/water impacts to tribes like Fort Peck, Standing Rock, etc.
earthjustice.org
These are not random “cultural” concerns—they stem directly from the treaty-protected status and centuries of tribal use. Even though the land is now privately owned or federal, federal law (e.g., National Historic Preservation Act Section 106, National Environmental Policy Act, Executive Order 13175) requires agencies to consult tribes about impacts to such resources during permitting. Critics argue the recent Trump cross-border permit rushed ahead before full tribal consultation and cultural surveys were complete.
The cultural sites are tied to lands that were originally tribal under the 1868 treaty (unceded and protected). The U.S. did break those treaty obligations through later legislation and actions, leading to the loss of tribal control. That history is exactly why tribes are raising alarms now—even though the pipeline itself does not cross modern reservation boundaries. The ongoing EIS process will
Israel’s approach to a “ceasefire” not only is to kill, seize land, and destroy everything from farms to schools to religious sites, the Israeli government is RAMPING UP the violent aggression. Headline: “Scores Killed in Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire ‘Holding’ - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
And, yes, of course, the Israeli government (and many of the civilians, if not most, according to polls) want to steal the rest of Lebanon.
More
GAZAThe Samud Flotilla:
#FreeThiago #FreeSaif","username":"FranceskAlbs","name":"Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1596637441489862657/EpBFqeeo_normal.jpg","date":"2026-05-04T11:01:30.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{"full_text":"Israeli soldiers beat and tortured flotilla organisers Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila after abducting them in international waters near Greece in the early hours of Thursday morning, lawyers and diplomats have said.\n\nAfter illegally intercepting 22 boats and kidnapping around","username":"novaramedia","name":"Novara Media","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1145779157537869825/c356vU1N_normal.jpg"},"reply_count":369,"retweet_count":4941,"like_count":8560,"impression_count":103868,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">MORE - VERY Important, given that one of these men is Palestinian, and the Israeli’s might continue to cage and torture him
It looks like the Occupation Goons will continue to cage them
Share
CUBATrump is increasing the terrible blockade against Cuban people. Here is Antiwar on the matter. Headline: “Citing Bogus ‘Threats’ to US, Trump Expands Already Devastating Sanctions on Cuba - Antiwar.com Blog” LINK
SOMALIAHeadline: “US Launches 61st Airstrike of the Year in Somalia - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
FUEL PRICES AT THE PUMPHep-hep! How thrilling! Headline: “Americans spent $125 million more on gas Friday than they did a week ago” LINK
TRUMP-CHINAHEADLINE: “China’s Commerce Ministry blocks US sanctions against five refineries” LINK
TRUMP OKAYS OVER $8BILLION IN ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL, SOME ARAB STATESHere is Antiwar on it! LINK
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SPECIAL REPORT: THE DC GOVT WAR AGAINST FREEDOM OF COMMERCE - SPIRIT AIRLINES, MEAT PACKING, AND ANTITRUST STATUTESMany “commentators” are discussing the demise of Spirit Airlines. But, from the samplings of “MAGA” streamers and radio hosts I took this morning, through mid-morning, all of them are focusing on the personalities behind the federal government forbidding Jet Blue from buying Spirit in 2024, not the price of jet fuel that Trump’s aggression against Iran has caused, and not the federal block of the Jet Blue buyout, which the Bidenistas and folks like Senator Liz Warren (D-MA) made sure to impose/inflict on the willing buyer and seller. For reference to the historical background of what first looked like a Frontier Airlines purchase of Spirit, but later saw a better proposal from Jet Blue that was BLOCKED by the so-called “Justice Department”, as well as an overview of the upward price curve of fuel (gas, diesel, jet fuel) please see yesterday’s Sunday News Assembly… Today, I would like to offer you a sample of justified criticism of Warren, but I also want to offer you key points about the anti-constitutional, immoral, and anti-economic nature of all federal Antitrust “law”.
Here is Warren, from 2024
Jim Geraghty, of National Review, offered
But that kind of analysis actually ASSUMES THE ACCEPTABILITY of federal Antitrust, on moral and constitutional levels, both of which are unwarranted…
AND SMALL CARRIERS ARE RUMBLING RE A $2.5 BILLION Federal BAILOUT
A trade group called the Association of Value Airlines (representing Spirit, Frontier, Avelo, Allegiant, Sun Country, etc.) formally pitched the Trump administration for $2.5 billion in targeted government assistance/liquidity pool in late April 2026. The proposal would offset extra fuel costs (jet fuel prices have roughly doubled and are averaging over $4/gallon due to Middle East tensions and Strait of Hormuz issues) in exchange for warrants that could convert to equity stakes in the carriers. They argue smaller carriers are hit harder because their price-sensitive customers can’t absorb big fare hikes as easily as legacy carriers like Delta or United.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the DOJ announced today a new focus on “antitrust enforcement” against the “Big Four” packers (JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, National Beef) over alleged collusion, price-fixing, and market concentration— and, get this, she explicitly tied the move to “food security as a national security concern” due to foreign ownership (e.g., Brazilian-controlled JBS and National Beef) and “reduced competition for ranchers.” This comes as a response to a November “Presidential Directive” (perfect to fit a PR-link to Thanksgiving and the fact that prices were RISING not dropping — Trump and his pals had their bogeymen ready)… LINK.
The Chump Administration moves are mixed, here. Some, positive, some, highly fascistic. Proposals to make higher line speeds permanent in poultry and pork processing plants (building on first-term efforts and modernized inspection systems), which the Meat Institute (industry group) had lobbied for as a way to reduce outdated restrictions. These have been long-standing requests from ranchers and sellers. LINK
Reductions in overtime and holiday inspection fees for small and very small processors (e.g., 75% reduction for very small establishments). (Based on recommendations from years ago).
Withdrawal or rescission of certain Biden-era USDA rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act (e.g., on inclusive competition/market integrity and poultry grower payments) that the industry viewed as adding compliance costs and limiting flexibility. LINK
Expansion of remote/instrument-enhanced beef grading pilots, which cuts staffing and logistical costs for smaller processors.
These align with broader deregulatory goals but are paired with intensified antitrust scrutiny on the dominant players.
BUUUUT, the US is creating government-run or subsidized programs to FUND domestic (especially small and mid-sized) meatpacking firms. The USDA’s Beef Industry Plan (released around October 2025 under Secretary Rollins) explicitly includes targeted assistance to expand processing capacity, promote local/regional supply chains, and counter Big Four dominance. Here are some of their wondrous, key elements:
Fourth round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grants: Up to $2 million per award, potentially supporting ~50 small processors for facility expansions, equipment, and modernization focused on local beef markets.
Prioritized access to up to $25 million in guaranteed loans via USDA’s Business and Industry Loan Program for beef processors.
SBA low-interest loans prioritized for new small meat/poultry processors to offset startup costs.
These are framed as diversifying the supply chain and bolstering resilience (with “food security is national security” rhetoric).
Additional steps include encouraging federal food procurement programs to buy more domestically produced beef and opening more grazing land, which, of course, expands the size of the government involvement in the market, in the former, and doesn’t address the unconstitutional nature of trying to control “grazing land” in the first place.
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FARM SUBSIDIESHere they come. “Farm bill may ease cost burden for farmers; ag groups urge US Senate action” LINK
TARIFF TERRORISMYep. More. Headline: “Car industry hit: Trump announces 25% tariffs on EU imports” LINK
ANTITRUST STATUTES: IMMORAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND ANTI-ECONOMICFederal antitrust law, epitomized by the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, stands as one of the most misguided interventions in American economic history. Far from promoting competition and consumer welfare, it is immoral, anti-economic, and unconstitutional. As scholars at the Mises Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) have documented for decades, antitrust enforcement punishes success, distorts markets, and violates core constitutional limits on federal power. Dominick T. Armentano, author of the seminal works Antitrust and Monopoly: Anatomy of a Policy Failure and Antitrust: The Case for Repeal (published by the Mises Institute), has exposed these flaws with unmatched clarity. LINK (Here is an excellent expose of Warren’s antitrust adoration, by Prof Armentano. And, here is another excellent piece by Armentano, on the early days of the evil Antitrust push.)
The Sherman Act’s constitutional foundation is a blatant stretch of the Interstate Commerce Clause in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. The clause was never intended to grant Congress preemptive regulatory control over private interstate trade. In a February 1829 letter to Joseph C. Cabell, James Madison—the principal architect of the Constitution—explained its true purpose: the power “grew out of the abuse of the power of the importing states in taxing the non-importing, and was intended as a negative and preventative provision against injustice amongst the states themselves, rather than as a power to be used for the positive purposes of the General Government.” Madison foresaw that a literal reading could lead to overreach, but he insisted the clause served only to resolve state-versus-state conflicts, not to police voluntary business arrangements between individuals or firms across state lines. The Sherman Act’s federal assault on “restraints of trade” and “monopolization” ignores this original understanding, transforming a limited dispute-resolution tool into a sweeping regulatory weapon.
Economically, antitrust law is a disaster. In a genuine free market, businesses grow large precisely because they are more competitive: they innovate, cut costs, expand output, and win the voluntary patronage of consumers. As Armentano notes in his Mises Institute analyses, market dominance reflects efficiency, not coercion. Consumers freely choose superior products and services, rewarding the best performers. Yet antitrust enforcement inverts this process. “Antitrust’s dirty little secret,” Armentano writes, “is that the laws have been employed consistently to hamper successful business organizations and protect their less efficient rivals. One would be hard-pressed to discover a more immoral or irrational public policy toward business, or one more worthy of repeal.”
History confirms this. Classic cases, from Standard Oil to Microsoft, targeted firms that delivered lower prices and better quality. Private antitrust suits—comprising over 90 percent of litigation—routinely involve less-efficient competitors dragging more-efficient rivals into court. The Mises Institute and FEE emphasize that such rent-seeking distorts resource allocation, raises costs for consumers, and stifles innovation. Armentano’s exhaustive case studies in Antitrust and Monopoly reveal that the laws do not protect competition; they shield politically favored incumbents from market discipline.
Morally, antitrust is indefensible. It criminalizes voluntary agreements over legitimately owned property—licensing deals, mergers, pricing strategies—without evidence of force or fraud. Armentano, in his FEE essay “The Immorality of Antitrust Law,” argues that these statutes are “inherently discriminatory” and “abusive of liberty and justice,” echoing Adam Smith’s warning against laws that interfere with consensual trade. They empower government bureaucrats and envious rivals to second-guess entrepreneurial decisions that consumers have already endorsed in the marketplace.
The Mises Institute and FEE have long advocated total repeal. Armentano’s work proves that antitrust is not reformable; it must be abolished. Only then can free-market competition—driven by consumer sovereignty—flourish unmolested. In a world without antitrust, businesses would rise or fall on merit alone, delivering greater prosperity and respecting the constitutional order Madison envisioned.
One of the keystones of “Antitrust” is the idea that a company can be engage in “horizontal” or “vertical” integration.
By “HORIZONTAL,” Antitrust advocates mean the practice of a company buying or making deals with competitors or smaller companies in regions where the company does not operate. This allows businesses to seek efficient companies and offer them profit to merge, and provides the buying company the chance to discover efficient businesses and incorporate them into their models. Trial and error reveals the success or failure of such activity, based on consumer response. As long as there is no government-supported company or government-backed merger, the company (companies, combined) might, indeed, grow in market share, but they will be prohibited from raising prices beyond what consumers accept without introducing the market-visible opportunity for new parties to enter and compete, catering to the dissatisfied consumers. If big companies try to buy out every new competitor, that harms their bottom line if the merger is done merely to eliminate competition. It harms efficiency and is a new drag on the business. Thus, companies rarely, if ever, try to do that except in dramatic movies.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION is the practice of a company investing in portions of its needs along a supply chain, allowing it to be self-sufficient when trading shocks (like TARIFFS) arise. This rarely is cited by rabid Antitrust goons as a “rationale” for the US government to attack a company.
Typically, the Antitrust division, as Armentano notes, is geared to welcome politically favored business people who want the DoJ to burden their competition (competition which, in the history of Antitrust, usually has been more efficient). It’s a Rent-Seeking weapon to help the politically connected and to demonize REAL competitive businesses.
The only group of people who are not open to competition are governments and the crony businesses they favor.
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PRIVACYAs if he were a crackhead giving advice about sobriety, Josh Hawley never ceases to be a source of bad, dangerous ideas Headline from Reclaim The Net “Senate Panel Backs GUARD Act, AI Age Verification Bill” LINK
IMMIGRATION POLICE STATEThis is from Saturday. “Family of six held by ICE arrives back in Colorado as lawyer attacks ‘kidnapping’“ LINK
Another ICE kidnapping victim dies in an ICE cage “Another detainee dies in ICE custody” LINK
We mentioned this in the Sunday News Assembly. The creation and sale of the drug are not attacks on people, but the ingesting of it by pregnant women, if they do so knowingly, is an attack on another person. Headline “Appeals court blocks FDA rule that allows women to obtain abortion drugs by mail” LINK
That’s it for now, all!
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