The media is unwilling to hold Biden responsible for Covid deaths on his watch rather than apply the standard Biden and the media used for Trump. Instead they've provided a daily two-minute hate for the usual "deplorable" suspects.
As a rule I'm in favor of helping Ukraine fight Russia in the Donbas rather than risk having to fight Russia directly in Poland and Romania.
"Fact checking" is actually a leftist attempt to check--in the hockey sense--facts to separate them from the reader.
Trying to lighten the infantry load with robotic "mules." But I assume the infantry will still have to carry just as much yet will have to carry everything the heavily laden mule has if the mule breaks down.
More about the three stooges retired generals' (Easton, Taguba, and Anderson) "coup" oped that I condemned last week. Also, regarding the Oklahoma National Guard issue, members of the military only have the duty to obey lawful orders. I thought the question was whether the federal vaccine order is lawful. Maybe wait until that is decided to condemn, eh?
Remember when Russians hacked a gasoline pipeline? Remember the local shortages that resulted? Well that towering intellect of foppish foolishness, John Kerry, has been more broadly sabotaging our fossil fuels industry. If a Russian was doing the same thing, we'd declare war on Russia.
The empire holds the line: "Tigrayan rebels announced Monday they have withdrawn from Ethiopia's Amhara and Afar regions and retreated to their Tigray stronghold[.]"
The "experts" are insane if they think Manchin doomed the planet. Seriously nuts.
Via Instapundit: "What Might War in Space Even Look Like? Think fewer missiles and more radio jammers and cyber attacks[.]" Well, maybe. Until one side starts losing the jamming and cyber battle. Then the missiles and other kinetics come out. I don't think there is a free cyber (and electronic) lunch.
The idea that we don't need to worry about terrorism in America because since September 12, 2001 (note the day before that is excluded) more people die in America from lightning is ridiculous. If we let our guard down against lightning, lightning won't take advantage of that laxity to kill us in the thousands--if not millions. Nor do some complain about lightningphobia, I'll add.
We're from the government, and we're here to help make housing prices higher. But don't worry, the government won't have to pay for its folly. Taxpayers will. Tip to Instapundit.
Democratic mayor of Boston says people must be vaccinated to enter public places (via Instapundit):
Pakistan: situation desperate and absolutely serious.
Allegedly satire: "In a catastrophic blow to democracy with disastrous consequences sure to
ripple throughout the free world, a majority of democratically-elected
representatives decided against legislation proposed by other
democratically-elected representatives." Tip to The Morning Briefing.
I assumed Chinese spies have infiltrated the Taiwanese military. I just hope there aren't enough to throw the Taiwanese military into confusion if China invades, in cooperation with infiltrated special forces.
It is true that China's army is no longer a massive peasant army. It is now a symmetrical challenge to us. Which can be a problem. But it is also an opportunity because of America's superior experience with such an army. And China can no longer rely on flinging peasant soldiers at enemies and enduring massive casualties. Which might be a problem considering China's experience.
The European Union doesn't have any democratic accountability for its European Defence Fund to promote Europe-wide defense industry. Why should democratic accountability be different than any other EU institution? The EU will crush the freedom and democracy that America spread in Europe after World War II.
If the Xi Jinping Flu means Americans can never get back to normal and must get used to a new normal of government restrictions, as too many Democrats say, does this mean China engineered the virus to do this? After all, the Spanish Flu a century ago faded away in two years. If so, how is this virus different than a Chinese act of war?
To be fair to Fareed Zakaria, he couldn't find his own buttocks with both hands and a GPS signal. Via Instapundit.
Is Biden doing too little, too late to defeat inflation before it gets entrenched?
Via Instapundit: "A mass of human brain cells in a petri dish has been taught to play Pong[.]" Big deal. Masses of human brain cells on couches teach themselves to play Call of Duty every day all across America.
Why are we taking policy direction from crazy and/or stupid people? Via Instapundit.
I hope we actually did this years ago, and the current team reminded Russia of what America could do if Russia persists in threatening Ukraine: "A small Department of Defense team recently returned from Ukraine after a trip to that country to discuss and evaluate its air and missile defense needs." Also, naval, electronic warfare and cyber needs were supposedly looked at.
The threat goes up. It goes down. Up. And now down: "A combination of hunger, fewer places to loot and more danger from the security forces or armed civilians Boko Haram and its more radical spinoff ISWAP a less attractive career option for the many young Moslem men who are poor, unemployed, and angry." Locally, fix corruption. Big picture: the normals need to beat the Islamist jihadis in the Islamic Civil War.
Saudi Arabia wants more Patriot missile batteries and needs PAC-3 missile resupply.
Germany wants to dispatch a token naval presence to the Pacific regularly.
Demand for allied air power down in CENTCOM. But the jihadi threat is up after the Taliban victory. Who knew over-the-horizon air strikes on jihadis would be hard?
Freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is vital for Romania, which has not made enough progress in projecting power into the sea. I think NATO has less interest in focusing attention there.
Well of course critical race theory concepts are being taught to our children in schools. That curriculum of hate and victimhood must be stopped. These leftist and racist loons think you can identify as anything at all--except as American.
Making tank killing fun and easy: "The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the government of Lithuania[.]"
Well, if Biden isn't the meat sack propped up by a team of rival staff that he appears to be, he has a lot to answer for. Tip to Instapundit.
Well that's good, considering we know China can engineer a deadly virus: "Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective
against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as previous
SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide." Tip to PJ Media.
Yes, America faces three empires trying to claw back territory and glory: China, Russia, and Iran. Add the Ottomans, jihadis and their caliphate dreams, and the European Union to that--and yes, the EU is a threat--and that's quite the problem.
I'm so old I remember when wanting this was outrageous: "Japan has agreed to increase its share of funding for U.S. troops stationed in Japan to 1.06 trillion yen, or $9.3 billion, over the next five years[.]"
Unless Russia overruns big chunks of Ukraine's east and Black Sea coast, I don't think major NATO reinforcements of the Black Sea region are justified.
The United States dropped more bombs over Afghanistan in August 2021 than it had since October 2020. And if the Afghan security forces on the ground hadn't felt abandoned by America's skedaddle, that might have mattered. Air power cannot replace ground power.
I assume this can't replace Russian natural gas, but it helps reduce blackmail options: "Cold-stricken Europe is drawing a flotilla of U.S. liquefied natural gas cargoes amid an energy crisis that has sent gas prices to record levels."
But consequences of their actions are only supposed to affect the little people! Tip to Instapundit.
The Washington Post found some ugly opinions from soldiers just back from World War II. Shockingly, some of them expressed views that are commonly viewed as ugly 75 years later. So the entire generation should be cancelled? We should not expect them to be perfect. They are human, flawed, and raised in an older society. We expected them to fight and die to defeat Nazis, Fascists, and militarists. They did that. Just stop.
VR for combat training and enhancing combat situational awareness.
I think North Korea's military capabilities, whether nuclear or conventional, are grossly overstated. The nuclear missiles probably don't work and the army is better thought of as a prison to keep revolution-age males under control and kept too busy to kill the masters. I worry more about North Korea selling nuclear weapons to Iran.
It's bad enough that Fauci says he is science. But now the woke-controlled Democrats claim they are democracy. Trump is their new Goldstein. We can only dream of just two minutes of hate per day. FFS, Trump peacefully left office despite believing the election was rigged. He didn't prevent the left from seizing control of the federal government. Yet he'll stage a coup in the next election? Or the one after that? What is wrong with these loons?
Democrats don't consider it gerrymandering when they do it. Also, mask rules don't apply to them. No victory is enough for them. They'll politically cleanse the state yet. Also, "nonpartisan" redistricting commissions evolve into leftist bodies over time.
As the article notes, only building them is new: "US intelligence agencies believe Saudi Arabia is building its own ballistic missiles with Chinese technology, CNN reported, citing people familiar with the findings." Forty years ago the Saudis had Chinese-made missiles capable of holding a (Pakistani?) nuclear warhead. The Saudis might not be as confident of American support these days.
About that CNN pedophile monster: "I miss the old days, when somebody like this would get pulled apart by a team of horses while the townspeople cheered."
I must say it is refreshing to have something cancelled for being rubbish. And also, LOL! Tip to Treacher.
"Better dead than rude" is stronger than ever in America.
If China takes over Taiwan, China "will use subversion, rather than brute force, as that seems to be its preferred approach." I don't know. When the PRC has gone up against America/UN (in Korea), India, and Vietnam, it sure seemed to throw the conventional military kitchen sink at them.
So what the study is saying is that McDonald's advertises in the markets they're in? "Fast-food chain McDonald's may be targeting children in lower middle-income countries globally with marketing messages[.]" The horror. I wonder it they [shudders] offer Happy Meals?!
Kamala Harris claimed she'd get better media treatment if she was a white male. So exactly like the fawning coverage of Mike Pence, eh? Or maybe Dick Cheney? Or was it Dan Quayle she had in mind?
It's almost like reality is striking them with the clue bat (via Instapundit): "Two Democrats who supported police reform in Philadelphia and Chicago were both carjacked at gunpoint within 24 hours of each other." "Reform!"
So: "In the landlocked central African nation of Mali there is still a large amount of Islamic terrorism and violent tribal feuds." If the jihadis would stay there I honestly wouldn't care too much. The kind of armored vehicles involved matters much less than the normals winning the Islamic Civil War.
Do it: "The Pentagon is working on a plan to provide Ukraine with battlefield intelligence that could help the country more quickly respond to a possible Russian invasion[.]" Remember what Putin did to us. But the concern is Russia's ire over this plan that won't happen if there is no war and not our ire over Russia invading Ukraine.
China starts putting memories of Hong Kong freedom and democracy down the memory hole: "Universities in Hong Kong are removing memorials to the bloody suppression of the 1989 Chinese pro-democracy movement centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square."
Honestly, it would be surprising if Russia provided plain information. #WhyRussiaCan'tHaveNiceThings
Clear and effective warfighting skills? Not so much. "Citing the need for clear and effective communication, the Air Force has
authorized the optional use of gender pronouns he/him, she/her and
they/them in electronic signature blocks for official email
correspondence."
The ceasefire is (again) on in the Donbas. Until it breaks them, perhaps to take more land, Russia likes ceasefires because it keeps them in control of the land they took from Ukraine.
And on the India-China border which China continuously tests, the military build ups continue. China really has a talent for pissing off neighbors.
LOL, via Instapundit:
This is supposed to reassure me: "China is unlikely to strike Taiwan — at least for the next couple of months. And for that we can thank the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, which don’t begin until Feb. 4." I'm not comforted. I may only have been wrong about timing. We're past the typhoon season.
The damaged sub is home. Let's hope the Navy can return Connecticut to service after the advanced Seawolf-class sub's mishap with a South China Sea underwater mountain.
Japan and Britain will cooperate on a next-generation fighter engine. Japan gets better capabilities to defend against China while Britain gains a powerful technology partner outside of the European Union.
Don't overstate the "closeness" of China-Russia ties. The two are frenemies with temporary benefits. And each would prefer the other to fight America alone.
As a rule, two broad groups oppose American military strength: Our enemies. And Americans who side with our enemies. The proper debate is whether to fight not whether to be capable of fighting. Via Instapundit.
This is what Seattle's policies predictably create. I say let the voters enjoy what they voted for! Via Instapundit.
It's a Festivus Miracle airing of grievances! Tip to PJ Media.
This week I'll get my Xi Jinping Flu booster. I made the appointment weeks ago and have been debating it since. It will be my second shot. It is 1/4 driven by health concerns--while healthy I am getting up there. But 3/4 is driven by my desire to travel. I have little confidence that the federal government won't vindictively deny people access to air travel if they have not gotten a booster shot. My intention is not to get another. And honestly, if the government announced all limits on public life based on vaccination status are lifted, I'm almost positive I'd cancel my appointment.
Memories of better leaders:
America said Israel will have to wait for new KC-46 tanker planes: "Israel suspects the Americans are also trying to make it more difficult for the Israelis to carry out a massive air attack on Iranian nuclear facilities." I don't think Israel is waiting for those tankers.
I saw a headline on Yahoo!News saying a father used a "vulgar insult" against Biden on a Christmas NORAD phone call. One, it wasn't vulgar. It was a euphemism for a vulgar insult. And if you moved past the headline the story did state that, to be fair. Two, there were no media complaints about actual vulgarities on a massive scale delivered against a certain past president. And three, Biden was using the parent and child for his own publicity stunt, so I have no sympathy for that going awry with someone who doesn't support Biden. Just remember, that father didn't kill himself.
The war in Yemen continues: "The Saudi-led coalition on Saturday launched a "large-scale" assault on Yemen after missiles fired by Iran-backed Huthi rebels killed two people in the kingdom, the first such deaths in three years."
Well the women had that going for them. Which was ... nice? But honestly, I'm going to assume this is satire and not an actual headline! [A day later I checked. It is old but real. FFS]
Short explanation: The Taliban lied about wanting peace but we chose to believe them. When only one side is trying to win a war it should not be a shock that the side that tried to win actually won.
Some things don't suck: "The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope rocketed away Saturday[.]"
I really hope the "mixed reality" infantry goggles don't rely on being connected to a battlefield internet. And just in case, maybe only equip one troop per fire team with the goggles so the entire unit doesn't blunder into an ambush that hacking has concealed.
Okay, one more because I busted a spleen (a lot of good ones this week):
I learned something useful. Money supply in circulation (M1) has risen a lot recently. But it is not nearly vertical as a recent chart going the web around implies. The government changed the definition of M1 to include money in savings accounts. So that was a one-time addition. Again, our government money "printing" has still raised M1 too much. But not as bad as it looks. Always check the definitions section, I've always said.
Australia switches to American helicopters.
The British fleet is in fact pretty small considering its global role. Indeed, one hit might effectively knock it out. Although short of great power war, there is logic to the plan.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa passed away. I wonder if this opponent of Apartheid was shocked at the New Apartheid of racial separation that woke Americans are imposing where they have control?
I assume the Biden administration is already preparing to drop everything to fix this "first:" "Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians in the West Bank in an area that has seen a recent uptick in friction, the Israeli military and Palestinian medics said."
Is it just me? Or is the American Medical Association telling minority patients that their health problems are somebody else's fault and nothing they can do as an individual matter? I want my doctor to treat me, the individual, and not my demographic cohort.
It is interesting that my traffic is significantly higher this year than it has been in a long time. It is higher on any full year since I added a new statistics counter near the end of 2016. And even with Blogger stats it looks higher than any time since 2011. It still is not regularly at pre-Twitter levels, but it is a bit surprising. And encouraging.
Totally rational and in accordance with Science, I'm sure. This crisis needs to be declare over to remove the power of these volunteer brown shirts vests. Tip to PJ Media.
One thing about the January 6th riots that I've changed my mind about is the punishments. Certainly, I think it is wrong--and downright nuts--to speak of the riots as an insurrection. But it should not be compared to Antifa/BLM riots in other cities, despite the far higher death and destruction cumulatively of the latter. Both are very bad. But the federal government is right to protect the Capitol Building more than a city federal building or some random fast food restaurant from trespassing and riots. Mind you, state and local governments should smack that down hard. But that's different. That said, if people merely trespassed on January 6th, punish them for that and don't treat it as close to treason. And for God's sake, let most of the people held out on bail until their trials. This looks not like justice but like the Biden administration holding political prisoners. And yes, the "othering" of conservatives has been going on a while. And here we are. It would be interesting to see what the punishments were for past trespassing and attacks on the Capitol Building. I'd like to be surprised that leftists got serious punishment.
