Isn't going to--or even just watching--the Olympics in China too much like accepting the 1936 Berlin Olympics? Aggressive, genocidal, careless with germs, and brutal to its own people. Why celebrate this?
Dread nought but the costs and delays.
Making friends and influencing pilot skill.
I think we all need this:
I suppose the Waukesha killer is a "mostly safe" driver. Five Six dead and 40 injured is probably just "local news," anyway. I don't know if that racist man murdered 6 people for racist reasons. But he definitely murdered six people. Don't give me any of that "Some guy did some things" crap. We'll see what the trial says, though. Perhaps there is some magical bit of fact that changes how this looks.
Re-envisioning American security efforts in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, given Turkey's wobbly status as a NATO ally? One, I don't think the Russian naval presence is much of a threat to NATO. And two, we are already working on our Plan B in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
A shiny F-22 to test ... something.
Well of course you need to talk to bad people as part of diplomacy. The problem in the West is that the Cult of the Signing Ceremony all too easily moves from talking to concessions to bad people.
A trip string on the way to being a tripwire to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan? But if this doesn't deter China, make sure we can drive them into the sea.
Perhaps NASA decided on an actual space mission because it figured women and minorities would be hardest hit: "[Earth's] planetary defense will take a big step, conducting its first experiment to determine how such a deflection might play out in reality thanks to NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, which launches later this month." Tip to Instapundit.
A Global Britain focus doesn't mean Britain is abandoning Europe: "The British government announced new defense collaborations with Poland and the Ukraine on the back of a visit to the two Eastern European nations by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace this week."
One thing that liberals don't seem to get about police and security is that they protect people from becoming criminals. When I managed a fairly sketchy video arcade (the only time I had a gun pointed at me or a knife brandished in my face was there), a lot of my customers were people who would steal from the arcade or damage property if they had a chance. But if they didn't have that chance, they'd be customers. A lot of people live on the border between legality and illegality. Liberal policies ease the path for a lot of people to enter the criminal justice system. The liberals advocating those policies can feel good about how "compassionate" they are, however. So full speed ahead!
From the "Well, Duh" files: "Three months after the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, the top commander of U.S. special operations forces said he does not see the new Taliban government as a partner against the terrorist threat from ISIS, but rather he urged the United States to continue working with other Afghans and foreign governments there." Who knew?
I'm disappointed that Jonah Goldberg quit as a contributor at Fox News over Tucker Carlson. Sure, his time on air has been infrequent given his politics and FNC's audience. But unless he refuses to go on any media, this seems pro-Democrat. I've respected Jonah despite his anti-Trump stance. Believe me, I get that. I believe Jonah has tried to be a conservative apart from Trumpism. I have some sympathy for that, too. But this seems to move him too far into de facto Democratic Party territory for me to be comfortable with him. And that saddens me. I can't bring myself to despise him, or anything. But I will pay less attention to him going forward. His big loss, I know.
It's like we've gone back in time to when roving tribes of barbarians sacked towns: "A mob of robbers targeted stores in Hayward and San Jose, Calif., on
Sunday, marking the third consecutive day of smash-and-grab looting in
the San Francisco Bay Area." I say they should enjoy what they voted for. Ef them.
I'm tired of being supposed to care more about leftist-run cities than their residents care about themselves. Media stories about racist "urban retail deserts" in 3, 2, 1 ... Tip to Instapundit.
Science is getting more politicized and gets less respect. Has science declined and so earned that reduced respect? It's totally out of my lane, but there might be a relation. Tip to Instapundit.
Leftistss are saying that if Rittenhouse had been Black the jury would have convicted him. Au contraire. Leftists would have said that Black Rittenhouse was the Black face of white racism. As they do for everyone who doesn't follow their leftism.
Corruption destroys everything: Iraq edition.
Helping Iraq defeat Iran: "Before the United States withdraws the remaining 2,500 military advisers in Iraq, it is worth remembering that the country is not lost to Iran yet and that, with global support, Baghdad can beat Iran and disband its militias. All Washington needs to do is have some faith in anti-Islamic Iran Iraqis, and some patience in maintaining the currently costless U.S. policy on Iran in Iraq." I agree.
Formally ending the Korean War is meaningless when it comes to ending the North Korean threat.
Returning to port to reload takes a Navy sub out for quite some time: "The SSN(X) nuclear attack boat will be more focused on the war in blue water than the multi-mission Virginia-class submarines, which are designed to operate closer to shore for missions like signals intelligence and special operation missions." Maintenance, too. So there you go.
Friggin' lasers on friggin' destroyers: "The United States Navy has decided to install a laser weapon system [called ODIN] on some of its guided missile destroyers (DDGs)." ODIN will replace the point defense weapon. The purpose is anti-drone. Despite the math, the author uses it to conclude the shocking fact that a ship with point defense anti-missile weapons will survive more than a ship without such a system. Wow. But until ships have the electrical power the lasers are just potential for anti-missile work.
Turkey helps Ukraine. It should not be a shock that Turkey is doing this. Turkey has a long history of war against Russia. Turkey does not want Russia to control more of the Black Sea coast.
Does it take a village to raise a lone wolf jihadi? Just asking.
This does not surprise me: "For a long time, Democrats have boasted that immigration (legal and otherwise) would make them the 'natural majority party' in short order. Well, looking at the results from the 2020 and 2021 elections, there’s a lot of evidence to the contrary." I never worried about the Democratic claim. America is a land of opportunity. Democrats may want to import a loyal and dependent serf class. But when immigrants don't accept their assigned place and instead prosper, Republican policies look better. Tip to Instapundit.
If Biden thinks tapping the strategic petroleum reserve will help lower gasoline prices, why isn't ending his restrictions on drilling and pipelines a better approach? I hope there isn't a "strategic" reason for needing that oil any time soon. Tip to PJ Media.
Last week I mentioned that China blocked a Filipino resupply effort for one of China's outposts. The Philippines made it through this time: "Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the two wooden boats carrying navy personnel reached government forces stationed on a military ship at Second Thomas Shoal without any major incident." China allowed the mission on the condition there was no military escort. Which infringes on Filipino sovereignty.
Oh, please! "As Iran and world powers prepare to resume negotiations next week on reviving a nuclear deal, the U.S. and its allies are already debating a list of 'Plan B' options if the negotiations collapse, Western diplomats, former U.S. officials and experts say." As if! Plan B will be to offer Iran more and demand less.
The Steele "dossier" fraud strategy is apparently Democratic Party standard operating procedure.
The Navy continues to regularly sail through the Taiwan Strait in defiance of Chinese claims to control the waters. I'm pleasantly surprised the Biden administration is doing this.
Remember when the left was having wet dreams about the superior German Xi Jinping Flu strategy? "The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to "Level Four: Very High" for [Germany and Denmark], telling Americans they should avoid travel there, while the State Department issued parallel "Do Not Travel" advisories for both countries." As I said from the beginning of "two weeks to bend the curve", let's wait until this is over before comparing national responses. And use uniform definitions, of course.
Paranoidmuch? "A retired Russian admiral has alleged that the 2000 Kursk submarine disaster was caused by a collision with a NATO sub, an unproven claim that defies the official conclusion that the country’s worst post-Soviet naval catastrophe was triggered by a faulty torpedo." #WhyRussiaCan'tHaveNiceThings
How could it not have that effect? "Don't drive drunk. That's simple and obvious advice. And it appears ridesharing services are making it easier for people to take it." Tip to Instapundit.
China is just a wealthier thug regime now:
Health professionals have either gotten dumber in the last 20 years or so, or they've gotten incredibly powerful. What am I to make of the "assigned [gender] at birth" nonsense I hear these days? Back in the day, doctors looked at newborns and based on visual evidence, identified the child's gender. Either modern doctors are too stupid to grasp the obvious or they are way too powerful. Sigh. Peak stupid gets pushed higher every week, it seems.
Seriously, I just don't get that whole sophisticated European pro-science nuance thing: "The World Health Organization said that coronavirus cases jumped by 11% in Europe in the last week, the only region in the world where COVID-19 has continued to increase since mid-October."
America's information war line on Afghanistan should emphasize the deadly contrast from how good it was when we backed the government; and how big of a mistake it was for our allies to give up and let the Taliban win so easily. Hold out the hope that if our once-allies get their act together we may circle back. Until then, let our enemies pay for saving Afghanistan.
Masks will set you free: "Australian authorities are removing COVID-19-positive patients and residents in the Northern Territory to a quarantine camp in Howard Springs, after nine cases were identified in the community of Binjari, according to a local official." Tip to Instapundit.
Colluding with foreigners to influence American elections: "Politico recently reported that the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the leading dark money machine of the Left, had pumped $410 million into Dem 2020 efforts to defeat Trump and Republicans." Tip to Instapundit.
Huh: "China's Communist Party is intensifying covert influence operations in the United States that include funding Washington think tanks and coercing Chinese Americans, according to a congressional commission report." From Instapundit.
Given other problems with our Navy, the rust on our ships is a visible sign of the service rot and not a Covid-related transitory problem. This is a problem that predates Biden, of course. But is any of the so-called infrastructure spending spree America is starting going to our shipyard problems? Senior leadership is another problem.
China's growing carrier force. If the Chinese send them into a sea control battle against a capable enemy, I almost feel sorry for China. But I think the purpose of the PLAN carriers is peacetime power projection against weaker powers. Remember the difference between sea control and power projection.
American-Israeli divisions over Iran are in the open. Well, sure. Israel wants to stop Iran's nuclear weapon program. America wants to stop talking about Iran's nuclear program. Maybe if Biden doubles down on Trump's sanctions and grey area warfare plans against Iran's regime, it will kick the can down the road in the hopes that Iranians will overthrow their mullah regime.
When did Trump become the ruler of Germany? "Is there a simple explanation for this low vaccine uptake in parts of Germany? Given that Germany and Austria are typically seen as stable democracies, mistrust when it comes to the vaccine roll-out is hard to square."
Good! "Reports indicate that semiconductor giant Samsung has picked Taylor, Texas as the site for a $17 billion wafer fabrication plant." Tip to Instapundit.
I sometimes think that America should sell small plots of land to allies who are in danger of being conquered by an enemy in order to give people from that territory a place to rest their legal sovereign claims to power on. Or is that what their foreign embassies in friendly countries provide?
I'm thinking about replacing Netflix with Amazon Prime. Netflix isn't as good lately and I'd at least get faster shipping with the Amazon video library. But inertia is powerful. But I'm just a Netflix price increase away from flipping.
The Air Force is willing to attack enemy surface ships: "The Air Force is preparing for a new era in maritime operations, taking on a larger role in surface warfare as the U.S. casts a wary eye at China and Russia." Well, good.
Iraqi pro-Iran proxy militias claim they can drive America out of Iraq. They wrongly claim they drove America out in 2011. At the time, Obama and Biden claimed victory.
The Taliban government is not trying to defeat the Islamic State: "The Taliban has expanded its shadowy war against the Islamic State branch in Afghanistan, deploying hundreds more fighters to this eastern province in an increasingly violent fight and critical test of the group’s counterterrorism abilities after the U.S. troop withdrawal." The Taliban just want to compel the Islamic State to conform to Taliban demands for who the Islamic State fights.
It is hard to argue against the idea that America should bring home a lot of manufacturing. Tip to Instapundit. Or even just to North America. If there is war with China and we impose a blockade of China, it would be rough if we hurt ourselves as much as we hurt China.
Maybe increase the number of Russian troops dying in the Donbas? "A top diplomat for a NATO member country says the North Atlantic
military alliance plans to discuss ways of deterring Russia during a
summit next week." It really isn't a mystery.
Sweden updates their airborne early warning.
Well, it's better than Chinese troops: "Australia announced Thursday it is sending police, troops and diplomats
to the Solomon Islands to help after anti-government demonstrators
defied lockdown orders and took to the streets for a second day in
violent protests." Who knows where the Chinese will go next.
Unclear on the concept: "The 'alarming' increase in military operations in Ethiopia could undermine the 'nascent progress' toward getting all parties to Ethiopia's conflict into negotiations on a ceasefire, Jeffrey Feltman, US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa said on Tuesday." Oddly, the parties are trying win rather than stop fighting. Which requires military operations. Our confusion on this may explain a lot.
More on the Filipino resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal. China demands the Philippines remove the grounded and very rusted out LST serving as a base. The Philippines refuses. I think the Philippines should do that--after building a permanent structure there.
It's so odd that Iran is so close to a nuclear weapon even after the Iranians denied ever having a nuclear weapons program to get the 2015 deal: "'They’re very close this time,' [General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command] says. 'I think they like the idea of being able to breakout.'" Why, it's almost as if the deal was a shield to protect Iran's drive for nukes. I do worry that Biden will trade Iraq for (another) toothless Iran nuclear deal.
I commend the Biden administration for this Inaugural Summit for Democracy! "The Biden administration invited Taiwan to participate in a meeting of democracies, further bucking Beijing’s long-pressed campaign to isolate the island diplomatically and testing a recent lessening of U.S.-China tensions." It's like someone in the administration reads TDR. If so, take the next step and have Taiwan be the permanent host for the League of Democracies.
Biden tells us that the people who have the minuscule number of electric vehicles don't have to worry about high gas prices. To be fair, the upper middle class people who could afford those cars--often purchased with hefty government subsidies--weren't worried about gas prices before they had the electric cars. Let's go, Brandon!
Remember that deception is SOP for jihadi killers.
No! Way! "The son of the President was involved in a successful effort to handover a strategically vital natural resource to the Chinese that would guarantee their dominance in one of the most important new industries of the 'Green economy." But since it was a Biden and not a Trump son, the "news" media has memory holed it. Yet the Biden family will get richer on "blood Cobolt" through the president's promotion of electric cars. Tip to Instapundit.
I think Minor-Attracted People should be Bullet-Attracting People. After trial and conviction in a death penalty state, of course. MAPs take dirt naps.
My Thanksgiving tradition continues. I wanted to add the WKRP episode this year, too, but while it was shown on one of my streaming services that was apparently only for decorative purposes. And for God's sake, stop using Thanksgiving that Europeans were uniquely evil.
Say, why don't the Pilgrims get any sympathy from the American left for being refugees fleeing persecution?
Good: " Five members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to arrive in Taiwan on Friday for a short trip focused on meetings with the island's defence ministry, Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported on Thursday." Tip to Instapundit.
I suspect leftists will care about looting plundering pillaging when the gangs of crooks start hijacking Amazon and other delivery trucks.
From the largest aerial evacuation mission ever to the largest aerial infiltration mission ever? Oh well. The Biden administration didn't try to get our allies and friends out. But figured they could turn a political profit on volume.
I don't know why the Waukesha parade mass murderer had his bail set at $5 million. I mean, if his long record of crimes and violence justified just $1,000 before he killed six, what are the odds he'll kill more at this point?
Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? Could quick shipments of American weapons deter Russia? The Ukrainian troops claim confidence. Surely, Ukraine has improved more than Russia since 2014.
Mexico's drug cartel problem sure seems like an insurgency or even a separatist movement now. Of course, it has seemed like it has moved that way for a long time. But the acute crisis for America I've long expected hasn't happened yet.
Nothing to see. Move along. Tip to Instapundit.
Well that's one way to work around the port bottleneck: "Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly spent over $500 on cookware at Parisian shop E. Dehillerin amid rising inflation and economic uncertainty in the United States." But not everybody can fly to Europe on the taxpayers' dime. Tip to The Morning Briefing.
The 21st century white racist movement is amazingly nuanced. According to Democrats, white racists embrace Black conservatives. And also according to Democrats, white racists will seek out and kill white people who side with Black leftists.
The story of laser-guided shells.
CRT isn't being taught in our schools--but it is. Like I've said, the left just lies. While CRT technically isn't being taught in K-12 schools because CRT is a legal theory; the conclusions of CRT--that white people are perpetually awful and minorities are perpetual victims--are being taught to children. But what really gets me is the moron intellectual referring to the "Asian panethnic community." As if deplorable people think "Asian" is a description of one monolithic bloc of people rather than a group of different people in Asia. So "panethnic" has to be added to clarify that. "European panethnic community," anyone?
Putin has more territorial ambitions. Although honestly, Putin has the sidekick role in this reboot of the historical drama.
That which was once racist is now science: Biden orders ban on travel from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Gosh, nuance is hard. Via Instapundit.
Sure, Putin is being an aggressive jerk: "Vladimir Putin is an expert at bluffing and keeping the West on its toes, pushing relations to the edge before pivoting without warning." But he's no expert. Except at effing up royally. Why the usually paranoid Russians aren't wondering if Putin is the second person sent by foreign enemies to undermine Russia is beyond me. #WhyRussiaCan'tHaveNiceThings
This answers my previous question and concern: "he U.S. Navy is helping the United Kingdom recover its F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter that crashed in the Mediterranean last week."
I do hope we have some of that vaunted Smart Diplomacy® at work here.
You never can tell what will trigger a revolution: "Protests in Iran turned violent as police cracked down on thousands of people who turned out to demand the revival of a river the government diverted to factories." One day the mullah masters will pay for their crimes.
The Danes clearly believe that the only good pirate is a dead pirate.
Congratulations to Coach Harbaugh who finally reversed bad trends. I was perplexed that he didn't build this team well before now. But despite some well deserved criticism in the past, by God he earned a lot of credit this year. My children were there! Although honestly, I think Michigan State fans should be on suicide watch for the next week. Before the game that ended our long national nightmare with a 42-27 Michigan win over Ohio State:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: "'I will consider all options, including possessing so-called enemy base strike capability, to pursue strengthening of defense power that is necessary,' Kishida said in an address to hundreds of Ground Self-Defense Force members in olive-colored helmets and uniforms."
Huh. San Francisco doesn't protect small merchants from looters but will protect the providers of fine luxury merchandise from looters. Party of the blue collar, my ass. Tip to PJ Media.
I used to always drop money in Salvation Army kettles. This is no big money, of course. But I did. Especially since liberals suddenly hated the charity in recent years. Well, I'm out now, too. Via Instapundit.
"Climate change" seems like the new "God wills it": "Reducing available fuel seems and obvious strategy for fire risk management. But according to the [Australian] CSIRO, the real culprit is climate change." Now go and emit no more. Via Instapundit.
The British are going to move to brigade combat teams. Well that explains the many hits from Britain for a while to this post that noted my Military Review defense of divisions. But Britain doesn't have the number of brigades to justify reliance on the division. The emphasis is on supporting allied capabilities. I wrote about that Thin Red Line.
This is certainly needed: "This Month, Marine Corps and Navy fighter jets and support aircraft assigned to the Indo-Pacific area of operations conducted a series of simulated strikes against naval targets. Targeting and striking enemy warships, with their potent anti-aircraft defenses, is a wholly different experience than dropping bombs on terrorists and insurgents in an air superiority environment." The Marines did refocus on sea control, recall.
Huh: "Collapse of ancient Liangzhu culture caused by climate change[.]" Who knew the climate could change without human intervention. Look, mankind in the modern era affects the climate. But I have no idea if mankind's effect is decisive. Via Instapundit.
