This would be kind of neat after any other year than 2020. So what's the universe throwing at us now? Tip to Instapundit.
NATO countries that escaped Soviet control want more American troops to deter Russian aggression. I don't blame them. But it would be nice if other European NATO countries could do more, too.
Russia's stealth woes. Russia can't afford to build the advanced weapons it can design; and increasingly Russia can't keep up with designs for advanced weapons, even in relation to China. Russia needs to worry that China won't agree to another 5-year extension of suppressing Chinese claims to portions of Russia's Far East.
Contrasting the successful American surge offensive in Iraq with the failed surge in Afghanistan. I was unhappy with the Afghanistan surge because I felt the objectives weren't worth the cost. And the Afghanistan surge failed to even do what it intended on its own terms. Because of the election calendar.
As we pull troops out of Afghanistan we have to avoid the image of inevitable Taliban victory. We managed that transition when we eased out of primary ground combat responsibility. Back then the Taliban claimed our transition to support from combat indicated looming Afghan government collapse. But that didn't happen. Fingers crossed that the Taliban propaganda of ultimate victory--that so many on the right agree with, sadly enough--is not believed by the Afghan security forces holding the line until Taliban failure to exploit our withdrawal can reassure the security forces.
Is the Biden decision to keep 650 American troops in Afghanistan to protect our embassy the opening salvo in a reversal of the decision to get out completely? Add to that the Turkish willingness to hold the airport with combat troops. Is that enough to keep the contractors in place to keep the Afghan security forces in combat? Is that enough to dampen potential panic among Afghan security forces as they go on "alone" as the Taliban want them to think? I worry that a compromise decision is the worst of both worlds. That it will be insufficient to hold the Taliban at bay yet will be too many Americans to get out quickly if the Taliban win, and so will provide a nice massacre for the jihadis.
Why America can't build more F-22s now that we face peer competitors again. No likely threat after the USSR collapsed and before China rose in power justified building more. Basically we ended the production line, supply sources, and skilled workers for the plane and can't easily (or cheaply) rebuild that. Which may be why it may seem like I'm screeching like a tween girl at a boy band concert when I report that the F-16 and F-15 production lines are continuing. If we find ourselves in a lengthy conventional war, those older and proven planes will be major sources of replacement for losses of our stealth planes. And as for why F-15s are considered fine? Well, as I've also pointed out, they have different missions that they can complete at a lower cost than more F-35s. Or even F-22s if it was possible.
California is just getting what it voted for, isn't it? "Two inexorable energy trends are underway in California: soaring electricity prices and ever-worsening reliability—and both trends bode ill for the state’s low- and middle-income consumers." Oh, sure, technically they think they voted for Unicorn-powered cars and sex toys. But let's get real. They are getting exactly what they voted for. And I don't care.
Is the pandemic over? Well, in America we broke its back. The vaccines work. It isn't quite over but it is close enough for government work. I will carry a mask if I go out and if I have to wear it to go into a business, I do. But I'm back out in the world as if pre-pandemic. And really, not wearing a mask now is a public service for those of us with handsome or beautiful faces, no? Yet I still wear a mask when I visit my elderly mother even though we're both vaccinated. That's some extra caution that I'm more than willing to endure.
The idea that America has a far more militarized foreign policy since winning the Cold War is not really supported by the facts. I think that's largely right. And there is the bias of remembering current history more than remembering the more distant past. Time heals all wounds, I guess.
More on the American air strikes last week against Iranian proxies along the Iraq-Syria border: "At least one facility used by Iran’s militia forces to launch and recover drones was destroyed, the official added. Recent strikes by the crude drones have targeted Americans in Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq."
The official story: "Speaking in a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the treaty signed in July 2001 in Moscow helped take relations between Moscow and Beijing to an “unprecedented height” and would be extended for another five years." Translation: Russia extended their appeasement of China for another five years.
The fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray province seems unlikely to end because of the government's declared ceasefire. It seems like Ethiopia is giving up but Tigray is a province of Ethiopia so unless Ethiopia is letting Tigray go, what's the point?
Might the United States and Germany team up to build a new infantry fighting vehicle? If both countries buy them, expect America to buy 10,000 while Germany gets 100--with no spare parts. I kid--this would only be for the America market. Tip to Instapundit.
I get the feeling that CNN and MSNBC are hyping the Dread Delta Variant (via Instapundit) for ratings. Without Trump, much of their Trump-fearing audience has gone away. The same people can be whipped into news-binge-watching frenzy with Pandemic Porn. So far, while the variant is more easily spread (than the original Xi Jinping Flu virus that began in Wuhan, China, and which the Chinese communists by design or incompetence spread to the world), I don't see the reason for the panic here given our vaccines and treatments. We don't need to go back to day-1 levels of fear. And for God's sake, don't attack Delta-American people on the streets out of misplaced notions that all Deltans are guilty for this variant.
While Iran smiles, the Axis of Weasels gets together: "The top leaders of the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas held talks in Beirut on Tuesday about last month’s 11-day war with Israel in the Gaza Strip."
Danger: "American troops in northeast Syria came under fire from 'multiple rockets' Monday evening, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition said." Our troops conducted counter-battery fire in response. As a country, it is past the time when we need to decide if we are willing to have soldiers die to defend what we are doing.
Who believes this threat? "Ethiopia and Eritrea should anticipate further actions from the United States if the announced cessation of hostilities does not lead to improvements in the Tigray region, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday." We're walking away from a battlefield victory in Afghanistan that just requires relatively minor effort to hold compared to what we paid to change a hostile, terror-supporting government into a friendly government that kills jihadis every day. The horrors of a possible Taliban victory don't deter us from going. Who thinks we have any threat against Ethiopia and Eritrea to stop "horrors" in Tigray?
Planetary DOOM! Do what we say because SCIENCE! [... actual events ...] Never mind. Tip to Instapundit.
Russian snipers were a constant danger for Ukrainian troops on the Donbas frontline positions. American military assistance did a lot to counter that threat. The Russians are just lying bastards.
Speaking of Russian bastards: "Russian fighters harassed the Dutch frigate HNLMS Eversten in the Black Sea for hours last week, the Dutch defense ministry said Tuesday." The Dutch ship was in international waters. Again, what is Russia's major malfunction?
We're halfway to our goal already! "The United States hopes for more stable and predictable relations with Russia but if the latter continues to 'be aggressive', then Washington will respond, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a newspaper interview published on Tuesday." Please, Russia is very predictable. The country is led by lying bastards. But good luck on fixing Russian instability when they are paranoid nuts these days.
The British and the Russians threw elbows in the Mediterranean Sea.
Democrats excused and/or denied BLM/Antifa riots were taking place last year. Demonized the police despite the rare police violence against suspects. Advocated and actually defunded or hobbled the police in the cities they ran. And denied that there was a surge in crime as a result. Democrats even tried to blame Republicans! You don't need CSI: Any City to see that Democrats did this. Now Democrats are mostly afraid to discuss the crime issue, caught between their effing nuts base that lives mostly on Twitter on the one hand and actual voters on the other. Democrats may try to recover before the 2022 elections. But will voters be fooled by the last-minute conversion based on fear of the voters alone?
The Russians are working on a new ICBM. I wonder if the old ones still work.
Macron effed up. He wants to control a European empire through the EU, with Germany as France's muscle. "Today France! Tomorrow Europe!!" But Macron failed to secure France: "Macron has failed to deliver any substantial element of his reform programme, has demonstrated an inability to come to grips with a deteriorating security problem, fumbled the Covid crisis, and is obsessed with a European ideology that does not resonate at all with voters." [emphasis added]
The ratings for CNN and MSNBC have collapsed. How long before more people realize that those stations aren't news entities? They propped themselves up for 12 years by being slavishly pro-Obama and then insanely anti-Trump. Before that they were slanted. But then they abandoned all pretenses to be news and turned their political activism to 11. Which worked for them. But Trump is gone and Biden is no Obama. Heck, Biden is no Doctor Jill Biden. Not even liberals can be too excited to watch the defense of a husk of a president no matter how much the networks fluff him and "his" policies. Again, I think their Pandemic Panic Porn is a desperate effort to maintain the audience. Which apparently isn't working. These "news" entities should have as much credibility as Twitter and other social media for reflecting the country's views. Tip to Instapundit.
There is a lot of speculation about the size and scope of North Korea's nuclear arsenal and future diversity of nukes. But I'm not confident that we have any idea of what North Korea really has.
There are no election integrity problems in New York City, you deranged QAnon conspiracy theory monger. And honestly, making the election tabulation more complex with ranked-choice voting provides more room to manipulate the process. One person, 1 vote, for 100% of that vote.
After four years of having no material to work with, fashion magazine Vogue can finally put a first lady on their cover again!
My ride home last week was way more difficult than it should have been. Maybe 15 minute from home I was stuck in the wrong lane to get past a police car tending to a vehicle accident. Rather than bull into the right lane I just made a left turn at the intersection then turned around and went the other way. I turned back again, figuring I'd just take a short ride on the freeway to bypass the accident. Now in the right lane for getting past the accident, for a moment I thought of going through. But I headed for the freeway. And as I entered the freeway I could see traffic grinding to a halt. An accident far ahead. I stayed in the right lane for an exit to avoid that. I creeped along, noting the "right lane ends" sign. Luckily, the right lane ended after the exit. Woo! I exit and head west--into a detour because the road was closed for construction. Finally I reach a street that has bypassed all blockages. I get a call from my daughter. Cement people are blocking her driveway. No car is getting out of that garage. Can I drive her to where she is having lunch? Can do, sweetie. By now dark clouds are closing in. I stop for badly needed gas. And as I drive the final couple miles home, the skies unload with high winds and driving rain. At one point I'm dodging construction barrels rolling around in an intersection. After that it was just avoiding hydroplaning on low points on the road. Seriously, WTF?
When are red states going to pass legislation providing for reciprocal state-funded travel bans to battle California's attempt to extend extraterritoriality to red states?
How Xi Jinping is entrenching his emperor status.
Does the NFL's "Football is gay" campaign mean the NFL thinks there is a great untapped woke market for its product? Really? It's a bold move, Cotton. Let's see how it works out for them. I don't care what a player is. I want to watch football games. Not get lectured. And if the Detroit Lions signed a gay quarterback to lead them to the Super Bowl I would absolutely celebrate with pride. Also, my understanding of the game is that the clothing is tight to avoid giving other players a way to grab the clothing to pull someone down rather than tackle.
Seriously, it has to be a game that leftists play among themselves to see who can claim to see racism in the most ridiculous realm possible, right? Right!?
Black lives matter. But Black Lives Matter doesn't care. "Michelle Cummings". Say her name. Tip to Insanity Wrap.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want as president someone who sits at the kids' table: "Biden's team should be giving [Kamal Harris] portfolios that make it likelier she'll win. Instead they're giving her impossible problems that will likely become liabilities." Tip to The Morning Briefing.
Seriously, what is Putin's major malfunction?
Unless this "women's equality" money is earmarked for JDAMs to kill Islamist jihadis, it will be a waste that only benefits the NGOs that funnel a small amount of the money through their payrolls: "World leaders, philanthropists and organizations have pledged at least $40 billion at an international conference in Paris to boost gender equality, as women and girls worldwide have been deeply affected by the consequences of the pandemic."
I guess the lesson from the Tour de France incident is that a couple Germans can still do a lot of damage in France: "Videos from the race's first stage show the woman holding a sign reading "Allez Opi-Omi," a hello message in German for her grandparents, and sticking it out a little too far in front of the cyclists. The banner blocked German cyclist Tony Martin, who rode into it and fell, setting off a domino effect for the cyclists behind him."
Well, that's one way it could go, I suppose: "Future historians will look back on this whole era and laugh their asses off[.]"
Really? "Iran, U.S. choices on nuclear deal 'crystallize' in Vienna - U.S. envoy[.]" The choices of Iran and America for a nuclear deal have long been clear. Iran pretends not to have a nuclear weapons program. And America pretends to believe Iran.
Russia hasn't scared NATO out of the Black Sea: "Just days after Russia threatened to fire on “intruding” warships near the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea, the annual Sea Breeze exercise, which U.S. 6th Fleet is co-hosting with the Ukrainian Navy, kicked off Monday with the largest number ever of participating countries." Multinational exercises like that also serve as a tripwire against Russian aggression against Ukraine while the exercises are going on. Or while foreign troops are in the area preparing for or recovering from the exercises. Scheduled righ, they can be a nearly continuous presence during the time of year when Russian invasion is more likely.
Most European troops are out of Afghanistan now. We're all Americans running from the jihadis. This will work out swell: "Gen. Austin S. Miller said the rapid loss of districts around the country to the Taliban
— several with significant strategic value — is worrisome. He also
cautioned that the militias deployed to help the beleaguered national
security forces could lead the country into civil war."
I was assured by the serious people that our elections are rock solid accurate and secure.
Postponing stupidity in the Philippines. One more time? And helping Indonesia help themselves.
The Chinese Communist Party at 100: "Foreign countries that dare to 'bully' China will see 'their heads
bashed bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4 billion
people,' proclaimed leader Xi Jinping in a landmark speech to celebrate
the ruling Communist Party’s centenary." If the Chinese Communist Party treats the world the way it treats its own people, we've got problems.
Changing election law to benefit one man. Tip to Instapundit.
The Taliban have momentum as foreign troops pull out. In part this is part of a longstanding U.S.-supported policy of pulling out of exposed positions defended by small garrisons vulnerable to being cut off and destroyed. Will the tide engulf the country before the government forces can settle down and hold the line they have decided to defend?
They're doing this because fighting jihadis is made more difficult by retreating from Afghanistan: "As the U.S. works on its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, members of the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group met Monday to chart future steps against the extremist group."
Iran doesn't care what we do to their pawns as long as we eventually give Iran the big prize: "President Biden’s decision to strike Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria over the weekend was a necessary tactical move. But his strategy of empowering Tehran through nuclear negotiations muddles the deterrence message."
Lying bastards. Russia is annoying the West when Moscow should be doing all it can to make friends to block future Chinese aggression.
Defunding the police is not the worst threat from the leftist-dominated Democrats. Defanging the military is potentially deadly: "The military is not yet a revolutionary people’s army overseen by commissars. But it is getting there with politicized agendas that split the country in half and abandon the military’s traditional role of unifying in common purpose to defend America."
Yes: "The fate of Taiwan and Okinawa are key to stemming the military influence of China and Russia in the Western Pacific, Japan’s number two defense official said Monday." Well, Japan is the key for blocking Russia from the Pacific, and not Taiwan or Okinawa. But this is good enough for all practical purposes given that China is the only sustained threat. Russia is a has-been in naval power out there, no matter how close to Hawaii the Russians exercise to get our attention. Taiwan is the big cork in the bottle, but Okinawa is surely a smaller one. Don't think of keeping China from conquering Taiwan as a matter of charity to the Taiwanese.
Worried about the departure of American troops, Afghan civilians are starting to take up arms to resist the Taliban. We aren't "ending" the war in Afghanistan. It will go on. The Afghan state might collapse and provide the gunmen and supplies for a patchwork civil war. If that happens we will lose the Afghan security forces and state apparatus that help us kill jihadis based on ground intelligence. And in the chaos jihadis who want to strike us at home will gain safe havens. Have a super sparkly day.
Working for the enemy (via Instapundit): "The magazine's June 21-28 double issue included an insert from China Daily, a media outlet controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Disclosures on the insert label it as an advertisement from China Daily in Beijing and note that additional "information is on file with the DOJ, Washington DC." Chinese government funding for China Daily is not mentioned. China Daily registers with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law aimed at tracking foreign government influence."
Speak loudly and flail about with a big stick nowhere near the target. All that was missing from the Russian reaction to Defender near Crimea was flinging literal poo.
People like Mayor Lori Lightfoot are teaching voters that it is only safe to elect white males because they are the only ones who can be held accountable for their actions. Is the left sure this is what they want to do? Tip to Instapundit.
Some people lived through the effects of communism and don't have some strange idea of it being Santa Claus all year long passing out free stuff. Remember, the Elves would have to slave away a lot longer if Santa wasn't just a one-day-a-year provider. Tip to Instapundit.
The Chinese Communist Party is ten percent along toward its Thousand Year Party plan.
I hope Biden adds to that off-limits list he gave to Putin.
Lenin said the West would sell the Soviets the rope that communists would use to hang us. China can produce all the rope it needs. So China pays amoral Westerners to persuade other Westerners that the rope is actually a lovely fashion accessory and not a deadly snare.
The pacing threat in INDOPACOM: "The commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet says he is concerned about People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a pacing threat, but he is also confidant in his forces, allies and operational designs to thwart any attempt by China to seize Taiwan by force." A reminder that we have allies who may fight at our side.
The U.S. evacuated Bagram Airfield under conditions that fail to scream confidence: "Afghanistan’s district administrator for Bagram, Darwaish Raufi, said the American departure was d one overnight without any coordination with local officials, and as a result early Friday dozens of local looters stormed through the unprotected gates before Afghan forces regained control."
Deer hunting season is much better.
Sixty awards for troops who fought in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu are being upgraded.
Notwithstanding Russia's bizarre behavior, NATO is not conceding the Black Sea to Russia. But Putin thinks otherwise: "They know they cannot win this conflict: we would be fighting for our own territory; we didn’t travel thousands of miles to get to their borders, they did." Of course, the flaw in Putin's thinking is that Russia's borders might not be done shrinking under his rule.
Good news: "Jobs in the U.S. rose by 850,000 in June, above the consensus estimate for a gain of 706,000, the Labor Department reported Friday. " Unless the jobs strength is inflated for statistical reasons that hide the basic reality, explain to me again why our economy needs stimulating with borrowed money when it is apparently coming out of the government-induced recession of 2020?
The Germans are not up to NATO defense spending standards, but the Germans are planning to strengthen their naval power: "Among those programmes, numerous will benefit to the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) including development of submarines type 212 CD and future naval strike missile, the acquisition of new NH-90 helicopters – Sea Lion and Sea Tiger, P-8A Poseidon MPA, AGI intelligence ships, replenishment oiler vessels as well as the modernisation of minehunter vessels’ systems." Good. The German navy needs a lot of work.
Palestinian terrorists in Gaza launched balloon fire bombs at Israel; and Israel retaliated.
The Turks have not yet agreed to hold the main airport in Afghanistan and the road into Kabul. I assume at some point the article will correct the statement about 76,000 non-US NATO troops leaving. I imagine it should read 7,600.
Killing for carbon footprints? "'If they don't want to do what we ask, or do what we're demanding, the next step is to rebel,' said Kevin Cramer Jr. of the Palm Collective, a radical black and queer liberation group. 'I'm giving us a minimum of probably 10 years—10 years until we start seeing the severity of like, damn, everyone, we can't take baths, bitch, here is a bucket of water. The crisis is that high.'" Isn't the story burying the lede that radical climate activists currently bathe? Tip to Instapundit.
Good grief, I would hope that Germany would be up to forging closer ties with Britain after the Germans built a pipeline from Russia to Germany! This was over the objections of the eastern NATO states the pipeline project bypasses, to Russia's advantage: "German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her final visit to Britain on Friday before she steps down later this year, laying out her hope that relations between the two countries can be reset following years of Brexit-related tensions."
Well, as any married man can tell you, no conflict is a fault of the woman.
Facebook has their badthink algorithm up and running.
Closing a cyber-gap that Russia has filled: "In the 14 years since NATO first declared that a “cyber attack” could amount to an assault requiring collective action, alliance members have never made it quite clear what would constitute such an attack. But now they appear to be broadening the still-hazy definition." It's a good discussion to have. But will some alliance members use the threat as an excuse not to build up their physical military power?
Putin, who sees the collapse of the USSR as a massive tragedy, is reaching back into Soviet diplomatic history to urge Germany to restore relations without worrying about a small state between them. No, not Poland and the Baltic states. This time the objective of a Russian-German, ah, "pact", is Ukraine: "The article, printed in the German newspaper Die Zeit is rather a call to Germans to forget about the Ukrainian issue and to engage as soon as possible in real, profitable policies, such as the launch of Nord Stream." But this time Russia won't make the mistake of giving Germany part of the target. Putin wants it all. And he's counting on the Germans to take their pound of flesh in real, profitable, Russian policies in exchange.
Well, good: "The findings of the comprehensive reviews of the 2017 collisions of the guided-missile destroyers Fitzgerald and McCain have prompted the Navy to devote greater attention to the fundamentals of warfighting as it examines how it is manning ships and training and equipping sailors, Navy leaders say." Our enemies aren't as good as they appear, but let's not close the gap by our own false image of lethality.
China's next carrier will be a large one with an angled deck and catapults: "For now, the vessel-to-be is blandly known to military analysts as the Type 003. It will be China’s second domestically built aircraft-carrier and the largest ship that has ever served in the Chinese fleet." The Chinese seem to be planning an even bigger vessel on par with America's supercarriers. Given that we decided to bulk up our anti-ship missile arsenal, I think I should pity the Chinese for going this route. On the other hand, along with China's marines and large amphibious ships, maybe it means China has no intention of waging war on America because large carriers are a power projection platform rather than a sea control vessel. We'll see if these power projection forces spend most of their time in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea regions, with perhaps forays into the Mediterranean Sea.
America should not rush to get a nuclear deal 2.0 out of fear that the new chief nutball will refuse to cut a deal. Such a rush just makes us vulnerable to making concessions for the sake of a deal. I will add that nobody should use the notion that the hardliners may refuse a deal as proof that no deal is good for Iran. The hardliners may simply have such contempt for America that they don't believe we have the guts to stop them from going nuclear because Allah is on their side.
Heh:
Sure, that sounds like an advantage for us: "Few nations have so thoroughly indoctrinated sentiments of historical grievances into the public consciousness than the Chinese about the decline and turmoil brought upon by the Opium Wars beginning in the 1840s, in what has been dubbed the ‘century of humiliation’ at the hands of the West. With a party too suspicious of foreign entities and influence, too flushed in ethnocentric and national pride, too proud to reverse course and too paranoid to reciprocate on the global scene, the CCP is only hastening the demise of its global reputation." [emphasis added] But America's Democratic Party is spreading the foul lie that America is guilty for all historical grievances here and abroad. What happens when the the irresistible grievances meet the immovable guilt? Tip to Instapundit.
With the countries around it flying the networked F-35, isn't this Swiss decision a practical decision to fight alongside NATO without joining it? "Switzerland will purchase 36 F-35A Lightning II fighter planes in a potential $6.5 billion deal, the Swiss government and builder Lockheed Martin announced on Wednesday."
Egypt opened a new naval base in the Gargoub area: "Egypt’s president inaugurated a new naval base on the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, the latest example of the government’s military build-up."
A 44-page distillation of Russian paranoia. Russians should look a little closer to home for who is effing up Russia.
I worry about a danger zone after we pull out of the war in Afghanistan. Will this get us through the danger zone? "The Biden administration is mapping out a strategy for Afghanistan after the U.S. military completes its withdrawal that is centered around the boosting of economic support for the government, even as many Afghans are “increasingly skeptical” of the government’s competence, according to an internal State Department document submitted to Congress and newly obtained by Foreign Policy."
Independent America with slaves: 1776-1865.
364,511 dead Union soldiers: 1861-1865.
America without slaves: 1865-2021.
But somehow America is "systemically" racist?
Are Canadians feeling the love and respect of their government yet? "An injunction outlawing in-person gatherings has a purpose other than just to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to Nova Scotia’s chief medical doctor. If people are allowed to be together, they might 'deliberately' spread 'false information that creates risk.'" Tip to Instapundit.
Libya: "Libyan delegates failed to agree on a legal framework to hold presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, the U.N. said Saturday, putting an agreed-upon roadmap to end the conflict there in jeopardy." I'm so old I remember when Democrats claimed that only America's horrible military presence prevents locals in post-dictator countries from getting together and peacefully working out their differences.
So, a barely adequate hammer thrower says "No refuge could save the hireling and slave" in the Star Spangled Banner refers to mercenaries and African slaves fighting for Britain. So America is damned forever for one 200-year-old poem's verse--but not ever sung today. Maybe. But even if so, it was the early 19th century. That isn't America now. But why must it mean two groups of people? Why isn't it a single group of people--British mercenaries--described with two words? Which allows the second word to continue the rhyming scheme? Or are you telling me that "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" refers to two different groups of American people? The "free" and also the "brave"? Or was that a description of one people using two different descriptions? Just wondering. To be clear, if I say there are a lot of ignorant and moronic people out there pretending to understand American history, I'm not referring to two separate and distinct groups of moronic people on the one hand and ignorant people on the other. Too many people spend way too much time trying to be offended. Remember, nobody knows the reason for the word choice. Speculation is more about projecting the modern analyst's views than reading the author's mind--which can't be done.
The Israel-Iran quasi-war at sea continues: "An Israeli cargo ship was struck by an unidentified weapon Saturday in the Indian Ocean, according to reports." There were no casualties and damage was light. Was it a suicide drone? Was it launched from an Iranian vessel? Although the target vessel currently has no ties to Israel, despite the initial stories.
Why anybody who isn't a raving lefty--the only people Facebook respects--still uses Facebook is beyond me. Tip to Instapundit.
This is good news for all except those who value government control above all else: "A steep rise in vaccination rates has dropped COVID-19 from the first to the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, a new analysis shows." If the government would return to nagging me about eating bacon and drinking beer, that would be great.
This is bad: "New York Times, U.S. Proposal for 15% Global Minimum Tax Wins Support From 130 Countries" Defenders say it is needed to prevent a "race to the bottom" of tax rates. I say it is a "race to sanity." This is bad enough alone. Aren't we celebrating a day that renounced taxation by overseas foreign states? But if they get away with this, what's next? Minimum sales (or God forbid, VAT) rates? Minimum personal income tax rates? And then will spending minimums (on all but NATO defense spending) on social programs be a subject of international agreement? Tip to Instapundit.
