And Now For Something Completely Different

These are not the memes you are looking for.

A Generation Dies

Well, my mother passed away. She made it to 92. Her inability to live mostly on her own ended right as the pandemic was starting to radiate out from China. While she did not die from Covid-19, she did not last through it.

She never fully appreciated the scope of the pandemic nor did she appreciate that the mere fact that her children visited her regularly was so very rare in this pandemic era. She even overlooked that for much of this time we were masked and distant when we sat with her. Mercifully, in the last several months with vaccinations, hugging her or even holding her hand or patting her arm returned to restore some of the tactile signs of love.

Mom hated being the center of attention but loved being in the center of her family. Her walls and counters were filled with pictures of family.

She loved to bake and yet she tried to avoid eating what she baked. When I was older I joked that it wasn't until I moved out of the house that I realized that cakes and pies didn't come with a tiny sliver missing. Mom seemed to love that memory.

She adored cats. She wanted a dog but realized that was beyond her in her old age.

Holidays and birthdays were cooking and family events.  I kept my mouth shut for decades when mom caught Sandy, the family cat, up on the kitchen table with a big piece of chicken from the platter in her jaws. Everyone blissfully enjoyed the chicken--minus one piece that the cat had plucked out.

Mom loved World War II era movies because that's the era she grew up in. And she felt guilty for liking movies set during such a horribly violent event.

Mom went to work at a young age and kept going until she retired.

She treasured her collection of tea cups and saucers.

Until recently, she knitted and crocheted. She made many hanging kitchen towels as gifts. And she made kitchen dish scrubbers for gifts, as well. For charity she knitted children's caps. She needed no credit to do the right thing.

And she was never tempted by phone scam artists. In that moment, she was sharp. They picked the wrong mark for their crimes.

Mom ended up making it longer than my dad. Mom's end was different. 

Dad suffered a long decline from dementia. By the end he recognized his wife and children, but could not put names to us. He struggled the longest to keep mom's name with him. But other than that he faded within himself to a place unknown to us, unable to really communicate much beyond rote scripts, really. He could seem outgoing even to strangers until right before the end. But he could not move past that into real interaction.

Mom's decline was more rapid but different. She did start to get dementia recently. But her biggest problem was the end of her short-term memory. She was in many ways very sharp until they end. She joked and smiled with her doctor and the medical and support staff who came to check on her. They were often quite amazed at her mental abilities and thought she was quite content and capable physically of going on--with the normal assistance you need as you age, of course. Mom lived in the moment, as someone I know observed. In those moments she was able to seem happy and cheerful.

But her family saw her bleak side of negativity. For us she so often showed a face of loneliness, anxiety, and helplessness. Her memory loss made her feelings seem real. She did not remember the many family visits and phone calls. She did not remember the many staff visits to help her with the things she could not do. She did not remember the things she could do for herself. 

Instead of memory, she based her life on her fears. She truly believed she was alone and helpless, with only her cat. My sister and I fielded many calls that were literally calls for help. It broke our hearts. But having even more people coming through could not pierce that veil of memory loss. Even if someone was sitting with her all day, I know she'd come to think that until that moment she had been alone. And wonder why that was so.

We were helpless to combat that effect of memory loss but kept trying anyway. Even though in some ways it seemed like our visits brought on the darkness and snuffed out mom's ability to feel the joys of the moment. My sister especially, who bore the burden of living closest to mom, was outstanding in her loyalty and ability to help and cope.

In the last weeks of mom's life I often gave up on convincing her she wasn't really alone. I'd just try to give her hope for improvement. I'd tell her, "Maybe tomorrow will be better." I had little hope that it would be so. But I wanted mom to at least have that hope.

I had spoken with my mom just an hour and half before she died. She was anxious. And wanted family visits. But she seemed as well as she had been for several months now. She passed out while walking to her chair, in the presence of a staff member who mom adored. The woman caught mom and lowered her gently to the floor. My sister was actually on her way to visit mom when she got the call that mom had passed out. Death came quickly after that, without signs of fear or despair. We at least have that.

And I'll take care of her cat and make her mine, which I promised I'd do.

Now that she is with God and so much of her family, I am finally sure that her tomorrows will be better.

Goodbye mom. Like dad and grandpa, I will always--if it is within my power--remember you and be thankful for you.

Chest Pounding and Flinging Poo

What is Russia's major malfunction? I'm getting tired of their psychological problems being our problem.

This act is getting tiresome:

The Russian navy can detect any enemy and launch an "unpreventable strike" if needed, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, weeks after a UK warship angered Moscow by passing the Crimea peninsula.

"We are capable of detecting any underwater, above-water, airborne enemy and, if required, carry out an unpreventable strike against it," Putin said speaking at a navy day parade in St Petersburg.

America and NATO would be happy to ignore Russia and go about their lives. It is only Russian hostility that compels America and NATO to bolster military power in Europe to face potential Russian threats.

But Russia doesn't seem to care it has created a NATO military foe by repeated Russian threats and actions over the last 20 years. I swear, Russians don't care if they are hated--it fits with their paranoia--as long as other countries pay attention to them--which fits with their apparent inferiority complex amplified by comparing modern Russia with the USSR.

When will Russians realize their leadership is Russia's worst enemy? 

Well, other than China. But that's a whole other issue, with some hope for Russian sanity in regard to NATO, I think.

But in the meantime, the chest will be pounded and the poo will be flung. All to stoke Russia-NATO tensions that only China can benefit from.

Xie Says What Xi Says

China lashes out on the world stage.

The farce is strong in Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng:

No specific outcomes were agreed and the prospect of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping was not discussed, senior U.S. administration officials said following talks that lasted about four hours. ...

 "The United States wants to reignite the sense of national purpose by establishing China as an 'imaginary enemy'," Xie was quoted as saying while the talks were underway.

The United States had mobilised its government and society to suppress China, he added.

America is making up an enemy? No, for several decades we had an imaginary partner in China to suppress Western resistance to China's dreadful rise without any of that reasonable enlightenment we were promised.

It sounds to me that the Chinese Communist Party through its minions in the foreign policy bureaus is trying to create real enemies abroad to suppress the issue of domestic Chinese problems.

Once More Into the Moron Breach

Smart Diplomacy® lives. Behold our Iran policy!

Well, yes. Biden pulled air defense missiles out of the Middle East as a concession to Iran at our allies' expense: (tip to Instapundit):

Without much fanfare, the United States pulled a number of anti-missile systems from several Middle East countries over the past month. The decision barely caused a ripple in news, but some members of Congress certainly noticed. The Patriot anti-missile systems were pulled from locations in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait. They were all systems installed during the Trump administration, intended to act as a deterrent to Iran and defend our allies in the region. Now, Congressman Ryan Stell of Wisconsin wants to know if these actions were taken as additional concessions to Iran as a result of Biden’s secret negotiations with Tehran. It’s a good question, right?

How is that even a question?

I mentioned the Biden administration decision to withdraw air defense assets from Arab states. George Friedman speculates it is about reaching out to Iran. This makes sense from the Obama perspective. You may recall that Obama wanted to "balance" Iran and our allies on the theory that strengthening Iran compared to our friends would enable Iran to make a peace deal and become a responsible regional power. Once more into the moron breach, apparently.

I mentioned the move in regard to Saudi Arabia, but then the news was more narrow in scope:

Biden extended a hand to Iran and their Houthi allies in Yemen by stiff-arming the Saudis who wage war on them. This war helps prevent Iran from getting a foothold astride the Red Sea shipping lanes. The Houthis and their Iranian friends responded with missile strikes on Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration has double-downed on stiff-arming the Saudis. This includes removing air defenses that help protect the Saudis plus surveillance assets. With America continuing to reduce Saudi capabilities, why would the Houthis and Iranians ever respond positively to calls for talks? Biden clearly is willing to keep making concessions.

The Saudis fight our enemies in Yemen so we don't have to. But I guess that is bad. So Biden undermines the Saudis.

But don't worry, Biden has a plan to find those vital moderate mullahs who Democrats are sure exist.

The Biden administration is sure that if it keeps offering concessions to Iran's nutball mullah rulers, those often-theorized moderate mullahs will rise to the top any moment!

Have a super sparkly day.

UPDATE: And no Iranian outrage is too much for the Biden administration.

The Joys of No Mean Tweets

Speaking of enabling Putin's aggression.

The Merkel-Putin non-aggression pact:

Angela Merkel's chancellorship comes to an end with a farewell present. Not for her, but from her: a gift for Vladimir Putin. The Russian President is the beneficiary of the compromise that Merkel has made with U.S President Joe Biden on Nord Stream 2 — the proposed Baltic Sea pipeline that will deliver Russian natural gas to Germany and the EU, bypassing countries like Poland and Ukraine. ...

Remarkably, Washington agreed to end its opposition to the project without any recognizable benefit in exchange: Merkel has neither promised increased engagement for NATO nor more clarity about China. The compromise between Biden and Merkel is not a compromise at all, but an American capitulation.

The German pipeline gift to Russia is waay different than the original. This time Poland and Ukraine and the Baltic states are trapped in the middle. 

And Germany gave up nothing to get American approval. No more of that Trump rudeness on Germany's failures as a NATO ally:

I keep reading that the Germans hate their militaristic past so much that they don't want to fight.

Let's try applying the clue bat to Germany's collective skull on this issue.

Conquering and setting up death camps under the shield of a powerful military? That's bad. By all means, don't do that.

Having a military capable of fighting death cult enemies or stopping the Russians from moving west? Well, that's a good thing. Try doing that.

Smart Diplomacy® is back, baby!

Maintain the Victory

America won the Iraq War. Yes, we did. Hopefully we aren't bugging out with a Biden administration decision to remove combat troops from Iraq.

Other than American special forces that probably spend most of their time focused on eastern Syria, I didn't think we had direct combat troops in Iraq. So this seems fine:

Top Iraqi and U.S. officials plan to issue a statement calling for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by year-end, both nations’ officials said, but would reaffirm the need for a U.S. military presence to help Iraqi forces in their fight against Islamic State.

Perhaps this force reduction just includes artillery units. Further, the troop level will remain the same.

And my understanding is that special forces are considered separately from our official troop presence. 

Given that we rotate a heavy brigade through Kuwait, we still have powerful ground troops nearby just in case. Plus usually a Marine battalion afloat. And an airborne brigade in Italy.

Iraq is far more important to hold than Afghanistan--although it obviously has a role in whether or not jihadis have a sanctuary to attack America--for the purpose of supporting a win by the normals over the nutballs in the Islamic civil war. 

So get over your antique views on the war. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: Yeah, this sounds right:

As much as some observers might wish otherwise, this doesn’t signal a larger strategy shift. It looks to be more an act of political expediency.

Our impending exodus is basically a symbolic political favor for the Iraqi government, which is trying to straddle a difficult balance between Iranian and American influence – and to survive the upcoming parliamentarian elections in October. 

But is Biden serious about defending our gains in Iraq, despite this deal which works fine? Isn't the Iran deal a way to lose the war against Iran inside Iraq, as I too discussed?

Ooooh, That's Scary

Avert your eyes, puny mortals! It's the Checkmate stealth fighter unveiling at the MAKS-2021 international aerospace show! Be afraid. Be very afraid!

Well, Russia has a new stealth fighter design!

Before the opening of MAKS-2021, lots of speculation circulated in the pro-Kremlin press about whether the new light fighter jet—suddenly, speedily and secretly constructed by Sukhoi—could seriously enhance the overall fighting composition of the Russian Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily—VKS).

So with the unveiling and compelling name "Checkmate", Russia's newest stealth fighter prototype reaches peak effectiveness. Funny how the Russians keep churning out prototypes without putting wonder weapons into serial production. 

Face it, if Russia ever gets that thing into service, it will be after America fields a 7th generation fighter. The Russians aren't fooling anyone with their serial wonder weapon announcements.

America is "Back" Baby! Maybe?

After four years of claiming that America was harming trans-Atlantic relations, the Biden administration just stuck a shiv in its back. Or perhaps not.

Is it Smart Diplomacy yet?

The NS2 natural gas pipeline, planned to run from Russia to Germany, is neither economically necessary nor geopolitically prudent. It would increase European dependence on Russian gas and magnify Russia’s ability to use its European energy dominance as a political trump card. It would also calcify European disagreements over energy that the Nord Stream II project has opened, and it would undermine U.S. allies in Eastern and Central Europe.

America is lying on its back, baby! Or so it appears. The simplest explanation is that old Democratic habits of ignoring Russian threats are reasserting themselves.

Really, when Democrats talk to Russians, I get queasy. I mean, is this just another outreach to people who hate us in an effort to make new friends by offering concessions?

The United States and Russia will hold the first round of strategic and arms control talks of the Biden administration next week in Switzerland, the two countries announced on Friday.

That's how I'd normally bet. I'd think Biden is throwing Ukraine under the bus (Poland at least has NATO membership) in yet another effort to turn a hostile force into a friend via concessions.

But perhaps not.

There is just one possible justification for this American move on the pipeline in light of the broader agenda. If the pipeline issue is designed as a grand American and German gesture to get Russia moving toward turning against China and ending Russia's insane policy of hostility toward NATO.

If Russian leaders aren't too paranoid to do something that makes some damned sense.

If we can get past that little paranoia problem, we'll see Russian movements toward that pivot to Asia over the course of the Biden administration. So we'll know if this pipeline decision is crazy or smart before too long.

I have my political leanings. But I try to make sure my analysis isn't blinded by politics. I guess I'll have to wait and see if we live to regret this decision or live to appreciate it.

Zumwalts Sail to the Future

While the advanced Zumwalt ships can surely be used in combat, that would be for special missions and not routine supplements to the fleet. Testing advanced weapons makes the most sense to build future sea control.

This makes total sense:

Facing advanced adversaries such as China, the Navy is looking to utilize some of its newest ships to test high-tech weapon systems, including hypersonic missiles, a top official said July 22.

The Navy is planning to test a Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic boost glide missile and weapon system — developed in partnership with the Army — on the DDG-1000 USS Zumwalt destroyer, said Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, commander of Naval Surface Forces.

I've felt this way about the ships for a while:

I think the 3-ship class is mostly a test-bed class of ships even though they could fight.

And I have zero worries about the inability to use the 5" guns because I believe the mission of shore bombardment was insane.

Honestly, the main contribution of the class is the research that went into the ships that will be used in the replacement for the Burke class ships.

And I assume that some of that tech will go into the "Burke Lite" super frigates the Navy will build. 

The technology that went into the ship won't be wasted despite building just three. And the ships can test new technology that will be used for future ships, too.

The Syrian Multi-War Simmers

The multi-war in Syria (it has been too complicated to describe as just a civil war) doesn't make the news but it lingers on, with a flare up a spark away.

The multi-war in Syria is shaking up after the defeat of Assad's enemies:

For centuries Turkey, Iran and Russia were all antagonists, not allies and the seeming “alliance” in Syria was all a mirage. All three of these allies are scheming against their allies. Russia notes that Turkey is selling weapons to Ukraine, where Russian forces are still at war with Ukraine. Turkey is also trying to repair its damaged relationship with NATO, and that means reneging on weapons purchases from Russia and other forms of anti-Russian behavior. Russia is sticking it to Iran by backing Israel and the efforts of Arab states to replace Iran as the protector of the Assad government. 

Assad wants his northwest back. Jihadis remain there shielded by Turkey. Russian-Turkish strains could make the northwest heat up again. While Assad doesn't want to suffer casualties, he wants the territory back. Starving out the jihadis and the people there is the preferred method of winning. But one big terror attack by the jihadis could provoke a more kinetic response. Which could get out of hand.

Russia looks the other way while Israel hammers Iran inside Syria. But Russia is willing to pretend that its weapons are blocking the Israelis:

In northern Syria (Aleppo) an Israeli airstrike destroyed several Iranian warehouses containing weapons and ammunition for Iran-backed militias. The bombs set off large secondary explosions because of the explosive items in some of the warehouses. The noise and fires were visible from the city. Tw0 days late Russia claimed that Syria shot down seven of the eight air-to-surface missiles launched from four F-16s.

And don't forget the American-led coalition presence in eastern Syria. Originally sent in to defeat ISIL, America now shields the Syrian Kurds and other opponents of Assad. And the presence now shields Iraq by keeping ISIL from rising up again in Syria's east. 

Assad is unlikely to just let that territory go. So America needs to decide what we are willing to fight and die for there before our troops are fighting and dying.

UPDATE: Still no decision:

The Biden administration is pulling all American troops out of Afghanistan and formally transitioning to an advisory role in Iraq. But the U.S. military operation in Syria has seen no changes — and officials expect hundreds of troops to remain in the country for the foreseeable future.

Roughly 900 U.S. troops, including a number of Green Berets, will remain in Syria to continue supporting and advising the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting the Islamic State — the same role they have played since the American-led intervention in 2014, according to a senior Biden administration official.

My pucker factor goes up when I think about this subliminal war front.

Weekend Data Dump

If this had happened to Republicans, CNN would have gone into overdrive on damning coverage. Tip to Instapundit.

About that Xi Jinping Flu vaccine hesitancy that Democrats mock and condemn now: "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were themselves the most prominent of anti-vaxxers, and if some people took their skepticism too seriously, they have only themselves to blame. But there is more: Drew Holden did an excellent job, back in November 2020, of reminding us that anti-vaccine sentiment was widespread on the Left right up to the 2020 election." In related "that was different" news: "The Biden administration took one giant step closer to admitting that the coronavirus was leaked from a Chinese lab, a theory once derided as fanciful fiction." The ways of science are mysterious. Tips to Instapundit.

I wonder how they've kept busy? "Back in 2016 NATO and Ukraine agreed to have NATO personnel help train and expand Ukrainian special operations forces. ... Despite the personnel shortage, [Ukraine Special Operations Forces] have continually upgraded their skills to meet NATO standards and are now certified to serve as part of the NATO Response Force."

I completely overlooked my 19th bloggiversary on July 12th. Huh.

I believe one day that people will look back with horror and disgust at our left's obsession with race and racial hate. The left will look as bad as old-style segregationists--as they are.

Our friends we haven't made yet, the Iranians: "Two Iranian warships are nearing the English Channel, according to satellite photographs reviewed by USNI News. The ships are thought to be headed to the Baltic Sea to represent Iran in a July 25 naval parade off the coast of St. Petersburg to commemorate the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy."

Well, it's the Alien Citizen and Sedition Act given that illegal aliens are a favored future constituency of the Democratic Party.

This is to be expected given Russian ground forces weakness and Chinese naval power: "President Joe Biden’s 2022 budget would continue a trend of providing a growing portion of the military’s resources to air and naval forces— raising questions about how low the Army’s topline will go as a share of the Pentagon’s fiscal pie in coming years." American ground power added to NATO forces will have to do in Europe. But even though I think the Army has a potential big role in Asia, naval power badly needs work. Although with the F-35, air power has a strong foundation going forward. Although long-range strike needs renewal with bombers and aerial refueling, too.

I really don't understand why Democrats blame Trump for Xi Jinping Flu vaccine hesitancy now. Trump actually created the programs that created the vaccines in record time. He is clearly not against the vaccines. And Democrats were highly skeptical of "Trump's" vaccine prior to the election. And in fact,  vaccine resistance to cope with the Covid-19 is global. Trump must have global support, if the Democrats are to be believed. We'll not mention that Trump initiated the projects to bring vaccines to America rapidly.

Smart move. Unlike the border security issue, Harris has a ready-made excuse for not going to space as part of her responsibilities: "In May, the Biden administration announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would be taking over a revived National Space Council." But maybe Harris will pleasantly surprise me and be just as inattentive to space as Obama was--which enabled private space programs to flourish.

It's as if our enemies were given the power to make our officer corps ineffective and racially splintered.

The "cleaner" that scrubbed signs of past life from Mars (via Instapundit)?

Iran's efforts to fight its enemies to the last dead Arab continue.

Poland may provide the MC-145: " U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) is seeking 75 ground attack aircraft for use overseas in areas where there are no hostile air-defenses and a need for propeller-driven ground attack aircraft to support SOCOM missions. There are five companies submitting proposals for this Armed Overwatch program and one of them is an armed version of the existing SOCOM C-145A, which is an unarmed transport used under the same conditions the new attack aircraft are meant for."

At 10 nuclear warheads per missile, China will have a potent first-strike counter-force arsenal. Of course, I'm not sure if America, India, or Russia should worry more.

Unless it is CNN+ actual news, who cares?

Uh oh: "HMS Defender, recently at the centre of a diplomatic row with Russia following a voyage off the Crimean peninsula, is the only vessel of the class [of six ships] without an issue." I was worried that the Royal Navy would be a carrier and its escorts. Was I right?

I'll admit there is room for such tactics when dealing with an actual threat. Doing this makes possible terrorist recruits wary of putting their thoughts into violent action because they have doubt about whether the group they want to join is penetrated by or controlled by the government. But the tactic can run amok and go fully into entrapment territory when there is no major underlying threat. Seriously (via Instapundit), was it a federal agency plot to kidnap a governor?

What the Hell did South Africa do to itself? Tip to Instapundit.

The ranks of the Xi Jinping Flu "conspiracy theory" expands into the White House. The Chinese communists sure are touchy about the subject: "The Chinese are warning about an impending nuclear war if the United States does not cease its investigation into the origins of the COVID pandemic." Meanwhile, the pangolins are still waiting to get their reputations back.

China treats us as their enemy, so we should accept that: "The Justice Department announced Monday that a federal grand jury has indicted four Chinese nationals with a widespread cyberattack campaign that targeted dozens of companies, colleges and government agencies from 2011 to 2018."

Blood cobalt.

Our women's soccer team had this humiliating loss: "The United States women’s soccer team didn’t just lose their Olympic opener to Sweden 3-0 here on Wednesday. They were dominated in the kind of shocking fashion that rarely happens to the Americans." I have so little desire to watch the Olympics because I'm not sure if "America" fielded Olympics athletes this year. I know most of our athletes are not these kinds of scum. But the scum ruin everything, as the woke do wherever they go. I do feel a bit bad for the loss because it looks like two of the players stood while the rest knelt in honor of a Marxist racist hate group. So there is hope. We should enforce representing America and if any athletes who qualify don't want to represent America, let them be a team without a country to compete without our flag to disgrace.

Canada reboots its aging fleet with a new emphasis on defending its Arctic sovereignty. It's about time.

I'm pleased that Jeff Bezos made it to space. The craft stayed up just 5 minutes so there is no word about whether sub-orbital space enjoyed it, too.

The world in 2040? Spoiler alerts on the big picture: China falters, Russia shatters, the European Union dissolves, America endures. Fingers crossed. When I looked to 2040, 13 years ago I saw a weakened Chinese government, a weaker Russia losing de facto sovereignty over some of its territory, an EU that becomes an autocracy to maintain power (and I did not see Brexit coming), while America retains enough regional allies to be the most powerful power in total strength.

Well of course Japan will base its new F-35Bs in the south. That's where the China threat is.

Should America build several dozen 1,000 ton-corvettes? I can see a handful for niche situations like the Persian Gulf region. But my understanding is that American warships need a certain minimum size. Because unlike a lot of other countries that use corvettes, those ships basically only need to leave port to be in the combat zone. Our ships have to cross oceans before reaching combat zones and be fit to fight once there. Can small ships and crews take that kind of a pounding by the sea and still fight? So I'm thinking dozens of corvettes are a bad idea.

Let's set aside the farcical premise that the European Union could prevent Belarus from being a failed state. Because Belarus is the most important territory in Europe today, Russia will funnel the money in to keep the target of its subliminal Anschluss stable enough to use. It will be a Crimea on Europe's doorstep--not a Donbas. Which means it is a problem for NATO. The EU is only capable of bossing around its own member states, not confronting and beating a nuclear armed power in its own region. Really, if the EU gets seriously involved with the future of Belarus, I expect things to go the opposite of solving the problem. Because the EU is out to solve a totally different problem, eh?

It's justice delayed. We'll see if it is token justice for a few sacrificial lambs, too.

Hillary taught her Padawan well. But did Biden wipe it, like with a cloth?

I used to at least respect the Democrats for being for blue collar people and the First Amendment. But they've gone dangerously insane. Tip to Instapundit.

Destroying a country for prophet and profit.

But no mean tweets!

Biden signed a deal with Germany on the Russian pipeline to German, bypassing Poland and Ukraine: "The United States and Germany struck an agreement that will allow the completion of the pipeline, which will transport gas directly from Russia to Germany." But no worries, Germany and America will invest some money in green energy for Ukraine. To be fair to Biden, Trump is out of office so it is safe to embrace Russia and throw Ukraine under the bus. In related news, Merkel to Ukraine: Lie back and think of Germany. "German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that a compromise deal that will allow the completion of a Russian gas pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions is 'good for Ukraine.'" Truly, it is hard to fathom why Biden is doing this.

The Texas Democrat clown jet saga bounced the rubble of media credibility: "If our media is going to suddenly dial down the COVID hysterics because the political party they agree with are the rubes in this instance, it’s worth wondering what anyone needs them for." Tell me this wouldn't by called a "super spreader event" if Republicans had caused it.

American and Australian troops practiced "shoot and scoot" anti-ship fires in Australia.

American troops did not destroy a truck operated by an Iran-backed Iraqi militia in Syria as I recently noted. Might have been the CIA. Or someone else battling Iran, I suppose.

Jihadis continue to do what they do best: "ISIS has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that occurred in Iraq on Monday, killing 30 people and wounded 50 others." But at least these jihadis are busy enough killing "over there" and not trying to kill us "over here" with the same level of focus.

American and other countries will conduct joint exercises with the Georgian military.

An Army National Guard armored brigade completes its deployment in CENTCOM.

In defense of Battle Drill 6. I must say that I don't recall the author being refuted as saying room clearing is not needed. I recall the author saying it is used too much when not appropriate. I fully agree with the notion that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should to it. Which applies to the bigger picture. If troops have to clear rooms carefully in a mega-city to avoid needless civilian casualties, I say we can't afford to take a mega-city. American troop casualties will be way too high. Just because troops can execute Battle Drill 6 doesn't mean we should plunge into casualty sponges.

The Russians are upset that the Black Sea isn't their lake any more: "Russian military actions in the Black Sea during a multinational exercise reflect an increasingly aggressive effort to control the region, said a top U.S. admiral and analysts calling for an assertive response from the U.S. and NATO allies."

A Palletized Weapon System: "Rapid Dragon advances a roll-on/off capability that uses standard airdrop procedures without modification to the aircraft, transforming combat transport aircraft into lethal strike weapon platforms that complement or augment the strike capacity of tactical fighters and strategic bombers." It's sort of an aerial version of the modularized auxiliary cruiser that I proposed in Military Review. It would only be fully analogous if civilian aircraft could have the weapon system mounted on them.

China has evolved into something more accurately called fascist rather than communist. The fact that it evolved that way with economic growth rather than to democracy is instructive. But more importantly, can the Chinese party-controlled government survive?  There is definitely a looming crisis: "Despite the tight censorship on Chinese Internet social media there is an increasing amount of chatter by recent university graduates about the need for change. Attempts to fix the core problem, corruption, are not working for most Chinese, especially new university grads and that is seen as menacing by Chinese in general. Historically Chinese dynasties usually fell because they were weakened, and torn apart by rebels enraged by the corruption. That's one reason why communists gained power in 1949. But their virtuous new government began to show signs of corruption within a decade, and it's gotten much worse since communist economic policies were dumped in the 1980s. What goes around, comes around, slowly and inexorably. " The CCP could survive that crisis. But I don't rule out "all of the above" when judging China's future.

Is Ethiopia on the verge of a coup? That is Egypt's avenue to getting a deal on the GERD Nile River dam.

Technically this is satire.

The Russians are quite desperate to reverse their population decline.

Well, good: "The Biden administration announced new sanctions Thursday against a number of Cuban officials deemed directly involved in human rights abuses during a government crackdown on widespread protests earlier this month." Via PJ Media.

It occurred to me that America is experiencing racial animosity inflation. Once upon a time, "racists" were those who wanted to use the power of government to impose laws and behaviors on other races to keep them down. People who simply had poor views of other races or ethnicities were "bigots". Which isn't nice but at least leaves minorities alone without legal discrimination. Today, our laws protect against the legal discrimination. And polls show even bigotry is lower when measured by things like caring about whether a person of another race lives in your neighborhood and by inter-racial marriage rates. Yet today, the left says the problem is "racism" that is so rampant that it is "systemic". What planet do these leftists live on, anyway? And as an aside, the Democrats or those further to the left run the cities and institutions where we are told systemic racism rages on. What's up with that? Bigotry surely still exists--among a lot of races and ethnicities. But racism? That's damned rare. We should be happy about that and not look for the tiniest clues "proving" its vastness.

Iran, a charter member of the Axis of Evil, throws in its lot with the Axis of El Vil: "Iran has been working to increase its footprint in Latin America and join forces with autocratic governments in the region, including Venezuela. The new coordination between Iran and Cuba is another sign that Tehran is trying to empower enemies located in the United States' backyard even as the two countries negotiate a new nuclear deal."

The Biden administration simultaneously excuses African Americans and "Latinx" for not wanting to get vaccinated against the Xi Jinping Flu. Yet simultaneously the administration blames gap-toothed, well-armed rural Trump-supporting hicks for missing its vaccination goals. Well: "The states with low vaccination rates also tend to have larger minority populations. And blacks are the least likely racial or ethnic group to have been vaccinated, with Hispanics the second least likely, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation." And the anti-vaxxer influencers online are not exactly a microcosm of the red side of the aisle. Huh. Tip to Instapundit. 

Strengthening Taiwan's horrible reserve system is a good idea.

Hahaha!

Democrats (and those further to the left) control our big cities--which they've deemed hotbeds of "systemic racism". Why are Democrats allowed to control our cities given their admitted racist record?

The British carrier task force exercised with the Indian Navy.

Well, the Cleveland Indians decide to rename their team after Space Force troops. The baseball team will now be known as the Cleveland Guardians. In a place like China, erasing the cultural imagery of a minority is genocidal. Here it is woke moral superiority. Odd, that is. If they had to change their name, it should have been to the Cleveland Rocks!

I've seen these "affordable" condominium "sales" around here. It is basically just a subsidized rental property that functions like a poor non-Indian reservation with real ownership denied to the so-called "owners." It is folly and cruel. And pray tell, what incentives are there for the poor owners to maintain or improve their unit when they will never gain money from appreciation? And what opportunities to actually buy a home in a less pricey area that actually appreciates to the benefit of the owner will be lost? But the people around the folly and cruelty can claim moral superiority for their "caring". So of course it will continue. But no worries. Words mean what the left says they mean. For as long as it is beneficial to them to define words any particular way. Tip to Instapundit.

To be fair, the White House only told us that we in the public wouldn't know who bought Hunter's "art". Tip to The Morning Briefing.

There is a myth that Republicans have become far-right extremists in recent decades. But polling data shows that it is the Democrats who have veered way left while Republicans have shifted marginally right. What has happened on the right is that many Republicans became nearly as loud as the Democrats. I also suspect that since the media has shifted left along with their Democratic allies that the dramatic shift left has been normalized as "moderate".

This is supposed to be a joke:

Science. Denier panic in 3, 2, 1 ... . Tip to Instapundit.

Iranian demonstrations against drought. One day the suffering and outrage will reach a tipping point when enough people say "Enough!" with the mullah theocracy.

Technically satire:

The Xi Jinping Flu virus is already most deadly against the elderly. Now this: "A new study suggests that a Sinopharm vaccine offers poor protection from COVID-19 among the elderly, raising questions for dozens of countries that have given the Chinese company’s shots to their most vulnerable populations." One day we'll find out this virus was engineered by the CCP to kill off their elderly population and "solve" their social security problem of old people without a state pension safety net and without an extended family safety net, won't we? I'm just saying they're cold enough to do that.

Okay, this is just funny:

How is this possible? "A nation that led the world in commercial shipbuilding as recently as America’s bicentennial year today builds less than 10 vessels for oceangoing commerce in a typical year." We need to correct this strategic weakness.

What the Hell is the NSA doing unmasking an American television host? Of course, I knew it was true when you parsed the Clintonian defense that Carlson was not the "target" of surveillance. A true statement that is not a response to the question is a dead give away. Tip to Instapundit.

Endorsed: "The Democrats lost my vote for life when they tried to destroy Brett Kavanaugh. That was the last straw. If they don’t have the sense to knock it off already, let them keep alienating normal people." I believe I mentioned the same thing: "Don't get me started on the unforgivable 2018 Democratic/media attempt to smear Kavanaugh. Yeah, that outrage is not forgotten and it is not forgiven. That ended my willingness to vote for Democrats at lower levels of government. If my drains work, I once thought, why not reelect the Democratic drain commissioner? After Kavanaugh? Screw 'em. I decided I'd never vote for any Democrat again. For anything."

When demonstrations against the Cuban government began, I'll I wanted America to do materially was provide Internet access to the people of Cuba. But no (tip to Instapundit): "The State Department is slow-walking plans to provide wireless internet access to Cuba as the country's communist government shuts down social media sites in response to pro-democracy protests." To be fair to the Biden administration, it doesn't want Americans to have access to a free and open Internet, either.

Why should we care if people, by their own choice, don't get vaccinated against the Xi Jinping Flu? The rest of us can be vaccinated, wear a mask, and/or stay home if that worried. In time, enough people will be safe either from vaccination or surviving the Covid-19 virus. Either way, it works. And with the Delta variant spreading fast but not killing many people, there are two paths to get to herd immunity. I'm going out without a mask confident from the vaccine that I won't die from the Chinese-engineered virus. Other people can do what they want. By all means, reach out to people who don't want the vaccine for various reasons. I'm not saying abandon that path. But why bother fighting over this as a political issue when herd immunity will arrive regardless?

"Insurrection". Via Instapundit.

War on terror stubbornly continues: "The U.S. military said it carried out an airstrike on Friday against al Shabaab militants in Somalia, in the second such action this week." The enemy gets a vote, recall.

Democrats keep saying they would require perfect plans to deal with post-combat phase activities. Yeah: "Afghan Air Force pilots have run out of laser-guided weaponry due to the sudden loss of support from the United States and NATO after President Joe Biden decided to exit Afghanistan, according to a senior Afghan lawmaker."

Iraq is trying to prop up Lebanon via a trade of Iraqi oil for Lebanese services. I worry that Iran will divert money to Hezbollah. 

Well of course China's communist rulers are bitching about something: "China denounced NBC for displaying what the nation called an 'incomplete map' of its territory during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, Reuters reports." Didn't NBC get Xi's memo?

Hard to argue with this: "Facebook and the rest [of social media] make their living by welcoming all who come, but they particularly welcome idiots with the ability to write and attract vast numbers of other idiots, who can be sold useless things and who come to believe the madness being pedaled." They sure pedaled the idea of a sentient Joe Biden for president successfully.

Censorship, pure and simple.

Who spoofed the Automated Identification System at Odessa, Ukraine?

Huh: "Nigeria's hipster herders - the funky Fulanis[.]" Thanks BBC! They're funky hipsters! We'll downplay the whole killing farmers in a wide-scale range war aspect of that funkiness: "The farmer versus herder violence in northern and central Nigeria is mainly about land and who controls it. While the herders are often militant Fulani Moslems, most of the farmers they battle in the north are also Moslem. Many Fulani agree with Boko Haram about how killing non-Moslems is what devout Moslems should do as often as possible. Most of the farmers killed by Fulani are Christians and in 2018 the Fulani herders killed more Christians in Nigeria than had Boko Haram. That trend has continued." But the colorful clothing!

Palestinian "activists" attacked Israel: "Incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip on Sunday caused at least three blazes in southern Israel, Israeli media reported, raising the possibility of renewed Israeli strikes on the Hamas-run territory." If Palestinians spent a fraction of the effort they devote to killing Jews to making Gaza a better place, Gaza would be a far better place.

If Big Lies aren't reported as such by the media, did it happen? Tip to Instapundit. 

And Now For Something Completely Different

Fresh, made-in-America memes here!

 

 

About That "Decent Interval"

America's hasty withdrawal may not enable Afghan forces to survive a Taliban surge.

That's not good:

The Taliban appear to have “strategic momentum” in the fight for control of Afghanistan as they put increasing pressure on key cities, setting the stage for a decisive period in coming weeks as American forces complete their withdrawal, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday.

“This is going to be a test now of the will and leadership of the Afghan people — the Afghan security forces and the government of Afghanistan,” Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon press conference.

In related news, contractors who support Afghan forces are bugging out, unwilling to stay without American power behind them. Who could have seen that contractor problem coming?

And we're not even fully withdrawn. I guess we may not get the decent interval between withdrawal and collapse. This certainly tells our Afghan allies that we expect them to lose: 

The murals that once celebrated U.S. military units have been painted over and the settings that memorialized the fallen are now empty spaces.

I said that there is a danger zone for Afghan forces as America ends its participation in the war on terror theater in Afghanistan:

On paper, the Afghan government can hold. But in the real world, fear of death is heightened by the American-led withdrawal. If enough time passes without a general collapse of government morale, the paper balance will win out. 

But the Taliban have a window of opportunity when fear of the unknown without America holding the hand of government forces makes government officials and forces scared enough to preemptively give up.

I'm increasingly worried that Afghan forces won't hold long enough to regain confidence in their ability to fight without our safety net of support. "Strategic momentum" on the Taliban side is worrisome.

And already our military is saying that the focus in not holding the win in Afghanistan but making sure Afghanistan can't be used as a base to attack us at home. Good luck with that:

[On] top of the problem of identifying lawful and appropriate targets, the ability to exploit the strikes is reduced without ground forces able to pursue enemies and retrieve intelligence.

If the Afghanistan government collapses, even if the Taliban don't then actually take over, the ability to monitor and stop terrorists will drop to nearly nothing.

But no worries. We can still destroy pharmaceutical plants and some empty tents at will. So we've got that going for us. Which is nice.

And in a do you want the good news or bad news first story, American airstrikes against the Taliban are continuing. But they include strikes targeting American equipment captured by the Taliban (tip to PJ Media):

The US military carried out two strikes against the Taliban overnight in support of Afghan forces in the Kandahar province, multiple defense officials said, targeting captured equipment.

We aren't "ending" our longest war. We are deciding to abandon allies who have fought by our side killing jihadis and count on ... something ... to protect us from evil monsters who dream of killing us in larger numbers than a mere virus has. 

We will learn to regret the decision to stop fighting the jihadis in Afghanistan.

Have a super sparkly day.

Am I Victim of Systemic Right-Handedness?

If I wanted to be a complete dick about exploiting victim status sainthood, I could use my status as a Left-Handed American to complain of "Systemic Right-Handedness". 

We in the left-handed community suffer a shorter lifespan in general from having to use things designed for right-handed people. Sometimes dangerous things. I've droned on about right-handed grenades. 

Here's another recent case in point regarding systemic right-handedness. At the hospital the "clean" pens are on the right and the potentially contaminated pens are on the left. When a form was shoved in my direction for signing, I instinctively reached with my left hand--to the pen holder on the left. By the time I read the sign the pen was in my hand. 

Sure, it's my own damn fault if that is the source of an infection with the Xi Jinping Flu. But you right-handers will never be in that position, eh? Your instinct protects you.

Isn't it fun now that everyone can play these stupid games? 

When will higher education start creating Left-Handed Studies Departments? We were once forbidden from even being who we are and compelled to use our right hands, after all. 

When will the government have agencies and budget-busting budgets to combat this historical wrong and systemic stain? 

Why don't I know which prominent Americans in history were left-handed? 

Will Hollywood make sure left-handed actors portray left-handed characters? Are left-handers under-represented in movies?  

When will I get the victim status that I so richly reject? After all, why should I know better than the over-credentialed elites who deem who is and who is not a victim?  

Show me the money, damn it!

UPDATE: Very related.