SHALLOW Society, DEEP State: How The Establishment Works
Far right conspiracy or business as usual?

It wasn’t long ago when we could tell blonde jokes at work, yet it was taboo to ponder the CIA's involvement in the JFK assassination.
Today, the opposite is true.
Thanks to podcasting, independent media, and social media, you're a nut if you don’t believe something lurks beneath the surface within public and private institutions.
But what is the “deep state?” Is it a “far-right conspiracy?” Or is there more to it?
We generally understand the deep state, establishment, or swamp, whatever you want to call it, as unelected bureaucrats within public and private institutions who influence policies and practices for money and power.
Or visits to private islands.
I’m happy to see I’m not far off from the dictionary definition:

The only thing is, I don’t think there’s anything “alleged” or “secret” about it.
We have tons of documented cases of the government operating extralegally, such as the CIA’s Operation Northwoods, the proposed killing of civilians to spark a war with Cuba; MK Ultra, which experimented with mind control via drugs and hypnosis; and Operation Mockingbird, where government agents wrote news articles for the media.
All public knowledge.
Unless the argument is "we’re past that. They don't do that stuff anymore.”
Still, it was only a decade ago when Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA's secret surveillance, and WikiLeaks uncovered state secrets such as how many civilians died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the Trump administration, military leaders lied to President Trump about troop counts in Syria, impeding the executive decision process, and the Twitter Files proved in 2022 that the government colluded with Big Tech to censor Americans.
Sounds like Merriam-Webster is the one wearing a tin foil hat.
But are these edge cases? Or do 12 hooded men under the Denver airport run the country?
Where did they originate, and how does it work?
More importantly, what can we do about it?
Who Is The Deep State?

At the end of World War 2, the Allies created the Liberal Economic Order, a system designed to facilitate free global trade.
Since then, defense contractors, think tanks, policy institutes, the judiciary and law enforcement, international corporations, intelligence agencies, Big Tech, military brass, the corporate press, Hollywood, world banks, and globalist organizations like the WEF have all influenced public opinion and policy to varying degrees.
Many times without our knowledge.
One of the earlier and more famous examples of the government operating extralegally is the Watergate Scandal, based on the Nixon administration's attempt to cover up its involvement in the 1972 break-in at the DNC to spy on political opponents.
The story had it all, from politically biased prosecutors to vengeful FBI officials to a grandstanding judge, not to mention the blood-thirsty media who wanted to bury the 27th POTUS, partly for his stubbornness in ending the war in Vietnam.
How times have changed.
Another high-profile example came a few years later, in 1980, during the Iron Contra affair, where the National Security Council sent weapons to support Congressionally unapproved operations in Nicaragua.
But the deep state isn't limited to these high-profile cases.
Consider the rampant insider trading suspected among government officials like Nancy Pelosi, who made millions off conveniently timed trades, something that would put you and me in prison for decades.
Or the revolving door politics, where government officials bounce between the public and private sectors when one owes the other a favor, such as Scott Gottlieb, who served as the head of the FDA and then joined the board at Pfizer.
The deep state is nebulous, operating at many levels with many people, which makes it difficult for everyday Americans to define or believe in despite all this public information.
But how can the government maintain this underground network if they can’t efficiently run a driver’s license facility?
Maybe we can best illustrate the deep state over lunch.
(You’re Not) Welcome To Karen’s Diner
Karen’s Diner is a real restaurant in Portland, Oregon, known for its Ed Debevic’s style service theme, in which staff intentionally provide rude service.
Like any diner or burger joint, one person grills the burgers, another blends the milkshakes, another works the register, and a manager runs the place. Seems monotonous from the customers’ point of view.
But these places are hotbeds for fraud.
The most common method is cash skimming, in which the register operator pockets payment for items not rung into the register. Of course, any manager worth their salt will find the food cost discrepancy sooner or later, depending on the frequency.
Unless they’re in on it.
More brazen employees may write down credit card numbers once they leave the customers’ sight.
Shady managers might hire "ghost employees" to collect checks for people who don't exist or engage in expense fraud alone or in collusion with a vendor.
You can see how corruption can be limited or widespread.
If the restaurant industry loses 4-5% of its annual sales to fraud, on average, is it any stretch to believe there’s corruption among agencies that tax citizens, write policies, and spend our money?
What Do We Do About It?

Part of what makes the government prone to fraud is its size. There are too many cooks in the kitchen.
We’ve got someone to direct traffic in the parking lot, another to escort customers inside, another to hold the door, another to greet them, another to take the order, another to pass the order to the cook, etc.
That means we pay more for our food, wait longer for service, and receive a subpar product, all while a select few rip us off.
The best way to resolve the deep state issue is to limit government staff levels, increase public oversight, and relax federal restrictions in the private sector.
Otherwise, we get dog and pony shows, as we saw with the congressional investigation over the July 13 assassination attempt, where the Secret Service and FBI dodged question after question.
Sure, Director Cheatle resigned, but she’ll likely find a comfortable job with some corporation, and nobody will be held accountable for nearly getting a former president killed.
That’s the deep state: the shady elites vs. us everyday Americans. No secret society, no cloaked figures under the Denver airport, and not even a professional network necessarily.
Just criminal-minded people who take advantage of systems and relationships for personal gain.
Hopefully, Trump will get his old job back as the manager of our American Diner.
If Kamala gets her way, she’ll convert it into a Panda Express.
We trusted the government not to screw us. But they did. We trusted the tech companies not to take advantage of us. But they did. That is going to happen again, because that is the nature of power. -Edward Snowden
Brand of the Week: C Spire Wireless

The chances are slim that you’re in the market for a Mississippi-based telecommunications service, but they deserve a shout-out.
C Spire pulled its Olympics advertising after the offensive opening ceremony in which they openly mocked Christianity.
This is how we win:

US Invasion Casualty of the Week: Melody Waldecker

Melody Waldecker, a mother of 4 and grandmother of 8, had just left the nursing home after visiting her mother in Loudon County, Virginia.
After stopping at a convenience store, a worthless illegal immigrant carjacked Ms. Waldecker and ran her over with her own vehicle.
I can’t find an obituary, but those interested in donating to the family can do so here.