The Dignified Rant: Weekend Data Dump

FFS, is our government trying to kill our economy and bolster Putin's war?

Fifty killed in an attack on a Catholic church service in Nigeria. The usual suspects would be Islamist jihadis. But we don't know yet. There are other sources of violence in Nigeria so I won't assume I know.

Fighting fire with fire: "The U.S. and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in a show of force matching a North Korean missile display a day earlier that extended a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations."

It's almost as if it is cause and effect (via Instapundit): "For the past decade, America’s urban centres have been increasingly run by ‘progressive’ activists. Yet today, as US cities reel from collapsed economies, rising crime and pervasive corruption, there’s something of a revolt brewing[.]" I eagerly await our media and Democratic elites explaining how these fearful gun buyers are white supremacist-adjacent, or something.

Sometimes I wonder if all the rumors of Putin's illnesses or even death are part of a Western disinformation campaign to undermine Putin's authority. The reports are too good to be true for those with optimistic hopes for who would take over. Still, everyone dies eventually.

No! Way! "Here are the states that the Census acknowledged it overcounted: Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts." And: "Here are the states that the Census acknowledged it undercounted: Texas, Illinois, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas." And darn the luck, this was admitted too late to do anything about Congressional reapportionment of seats.

China did this in international airspace: "Australia on Sunday said a Chinese fighter jet carried out dangerous maneuvers threatening the safety of one of its maritime surveillance planes over the South China Sea and forcing it to return to the base."

The Zumwalt-class destroyer has failed. The system failures are unforgivable and sadly reflect the problems in our shipbuilding industry. But the original purpose was stupid. Yet the ships can function as test beds for the future. And their technology will live on in future ships.

Sure, this is bad. But China has a long history of ties with mullah-run Iran. The major American distraction is bizarrely thinking we can make Iran our friend by forging a new nuclear deal.

Germany changes: "German lawmakers today passed a €100 billion (U.S. $107 billion) defense budget boost, initiating a major spending spree over several years[.]"

Instead of becoming subject experts, our elite journalists would rather enforce woke conformity on Twitter. It smells like woke spirit. Learn to code, you intellectually inbred yokels. (Wokels?)

I don't believe Russians honestly answer opinion poll questions. But surely Russians who believe the war is going well will wonder why the war drags on with high casualties, no?

If you want a real test of austere roads for the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine, try landing on some in southeast Michigan: "Northern Agility 22-1 will showcase A-10 Thunderbolt II, AFSOC MC-12W and U-28A aircraft conducting agile combat employment at Sawyer International Airport and on a closed portion of M-28 east of Munising."

"Fictional aggressor" in the Baltic Sea during the BALTOPS exercises? They spelled "Russia" wrong: "With the decks of the massive amphibious assault ship Kearsarge loaded with MV-22 Osprey and AH-1 Cobra rotary-wing aircraft, U.S. Marines and allied forces were getting ready to retake islands from a fictional aggressor in a war exercise showcasing allied firepower in Northern Europe."

If it keeps me from dying from Covid, this is great: "Our research shows that the level of antibodies in those previously infected increases for the first 100 days post-infection and then gradually declines over the next 500 days and beyond." Via Instapundit.

California effed itself on purpose and too many want America to follow that path. Tip to Instapundit.

Johnson won the Tory vote of confidence 211-148. I have to say, no-confidence votes in parliamentary systems seem like murder-suicides. Won't inattentive voters see that the opposition doesn't like the prime minister and a sizable fraction of his own supporters don't like him or her? So why should they support the prime minister and party in the next election

Can the volume of grain exports out of Ukraine by train to non-Ukrainian ports save the harvest and help prevent food shortages abroad? Volume is going up. Will that accelerate? I mean, the grain went to Ukrainian ports by train, right? A far shorter distance, to be sure. But fingers crossed that prioritizing that shift can do the job.

Leftists said Hugo Chavez was a socialist while he had the inertia of the wrecked capitalist system working well enough. But once socialism destroyed the economy? Well, then it wasn't real socialism. How very convenient for socialist fanboys (and girls) everywhere.

Israel's balancing act between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia and China worry about Starlink. China thinks about destroying the system. Russia's brain drain limits its threats to murder. But when fully deployed, Starlink will have 4,000 depleted satellites per year that could be used as anti-satellite weapons if either country goes to war with Starlink.

Well I didn't see that coming: "A U.S. service member has been identified as a possible suspect in an April explosion that injured several U.S. troops at a base in eastern Syria." Although I did say sabotage was more disturbing than indirect fire as a cause.

I've expected Syria's Kurds to cut a deal with Syria for some time: "The U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria said Tuesday that they will turn to the government in Damascus for support should Turkey go ahead with its threat to launch a new incursion into the war-torn country." Will Assad grant autonomy or demand more control as the price for help. I assume our media won't screech about Biden "abandoning" the Kurds to the Turks.

Is the M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams the best tank out there? Without an active protection system that status might not be significant. Russia's vaunted Armata is not even mentioned. For good reason. Still, how long can the old Abrams design be updated?

Note this: "For years, Chinese officials have been quietly lobbying their Russian counterparts to cut arms sales to India, which has had a sometimes bloody border dispute with Beijing." Which is why I don't want to pressure India into cutting ties to Russia. Why should we do China's work for them?

Bullshit Alert. Will "Europe" get serious about defense and build up a EU military to "complement" NATO? First we need to check definitions. "Europe" is not the same as the EU. Geographic "Europe" is in fact strengthening NATO. Second, the EU version of Europe will never complement NATO--only destroy it. But the threat of expanded war rather than bureaucratic maneuvering motivates European states now. The EU should work on procurement and other internal transportation and infrastructure issues that NATO doesn't already address. If the EU wants to complement NATO rather than destroy it, that is.

Hard to argue with this: "There wasn’t much in the almost 50 years that Biden was redefining mediocrity in government that would have given any discerning person a reason to think that this presidency would be otherwise." But it still shocks me that the media hasn't been able to fluff his presidency they way they did his 2020 campaign.

This seems like a gross mis-use of the Defense Production Act. Good grief, it's worse than I thought.

Neutrality makes no sense for Ukraine. Agreed. It would not be Ukraine's choice. It would be Russia's choice for Ukraine. And once that power is conceded, Russia will increase the pressure and subversion to pull Ukraine into its orbit and then control. It will be the path that Belarus has already forged.

Cambodia has been a loyal vassal to China for many decades: "China is secretly building a naval facility in Cambodia for the exclusive use of its military, with both countries denying that is the case and taking extraordinary measures to conceal the operation, Western officials said." How long before China demands naval bases on Russian territory, too?

American forces launched a strike on al-Shabaab jihadis in Somalia. To be fair, jihadis who need to be killed are there.

This seems like a mistake: "The Marine Corps is shuttering its combat gear storage program in the Middle East as it shifts attention to Europe and the Pacific." The Persian Gulf is one place where a few Marines can achieve a lot.

The war in Ukraine is trench warfare in the Donbas: "Fighting in Ukraine has settled into a rhythm reminiscent of trench warfare in World War One, says a military analyst." That's what happens when the fancy stuff runs low. Still, I'm somewhat surprised in one sense. I believed the force-to-space ratio was too low for such static fighting, although I believe I made an exception for poor terrain--which includes cities. And that calculation was also for the entire front. By fighting on such a narrow front as the Severodonetsk salient, Russia allows Ukraine to hold the front densely enough to prevent a breakthrough despite being outnumbered and pushed back. And Russia's depleted infantry adds to that Russian problem. If Ukraine manages a counter-offensive, we'll see if Russian trench systems help Russia as much.

I'm not shy in my criticisms of the annoying French government. I've also noted that the French military is actually professional and good to have on our side. Not as often, I admit. So let me salute the French military for this D-Day tradition that makes me think of France as an ally notwithstanding their politicians. Tip to The Morning Briefing.

Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman passed out Molotov Cocktails and used one to firebomb a police car during riots. But these credentialed leftist foot soldiers will get off lightly. I have to hand it to the DOJ. By refusing to charge them with terrorist crimes, on paper it looks like no leftists are domestic terrorists. Ah, rule of law! It was nice to know you. Some really are more equal than others. Via Instapundit.

Moqtada al-Sadr is having problems forming a government in Iraq because enough people don't trust him. Supposedly he isn't an insurrectionist now. Also, anti-Iran sentiment remains strong in Iraq. I remain happy that ballots and not bullets are the means to form governments in Iraq. Baby steps.

Connecticut collided with that undersea mountain long before that moment. The Navy has problems.

We're from the government and we're here to [ ... checks notes ...] make things worse.

A conservative plot to undermine their credibility couldn't do a better job than staff and management are doing to themselves.

Ex-leader Merkel won't apologize for her policy of ''engaging" Russia. It's not the outreach that was the problem as much as it was letting Putin bend Germany over a pipeline and have his way with the country.

Well that was unfortunate timing for Sweden.

The United States can't outbuild China in a surface fleet race. So don't. I agree that a Missiles First policy is a better way to survive the short run. Of course, some temporary hulls might be of use to bridge the hulls gap. And the author's point about rebuilding American shipyard capacity is a good idea for the long run.

The war goes on in Afghanistan: "Taliban forces have been locked for months in a shadowy on-again, off-again battle with opposition fighters based in the Panjshir Valley. Just a few hours’ drive north of Kabul, the province has long been an anti-Taliban stronghold and remains the only significant pocket of resistance to the group since the fall of Kabul last August." Some Americans always think we can "end" a war if we stop fighting.

This is one area where Russia has improved their horrible early war performance: "Russia’s use of electronic warfare in eastern Ukraine provides a preview to U.S. troops about what it will be like to fight an adversary that can intercept and jam their communications, sever all links to their drones flying overhead, and blind their radars and other sensors." I was stunned that we weren't seeing these capabilities early on. Defending against it has long been a problem for the U.S.

A fleeting moment of lucidity within the left or a successful whack from the clue bat? "San Francisco voters moved decisively to recall controversial District Attorney Chesa Boudin, ousting him in a Tuesday vote that is sure to reverberate nationwide."

I look forward to the June 8th (J8) Congressional committee on Democratic incitement to political murder. Broadcast media-wide in prime time, natch. We'll at least have a "national conversation" on hate, right?

China and its vassal Russia vetoed sanctions against China's little pet psycho despite a looming North Korean nuclear test. As if North Koreans don't hate China, too.

China's civilian naval auxiliaries prey on neighbors. When will targets allow privateers to fight back? On the bright side, china is now worried that its civilian invasion fleet might face problems sailing to Taiwan.

HIMARS and GMLRS. And a side trip to anti-tank missiles.

Does the Solomon Islands government expect Chinese security forces to be the ultimate protection against angry people?

The myth of China's maritime "insurgency." Remember, saying insurgents and the people are like fish and the sea is not meant to be taken literally. China commands the irregulars and their actions might better be called subliminal warfare. And to be fair, too many writers don't understand the difference between insurgents and irregulars on land, let alone trying to translate that to the sea. I'm not, however, going to agree with the assertion that the war in Iraq was an expensive failure. One, we won. And two, we spend money to avoid spending lives. Don't use the money spent for a good reason as evidence for calling the war a failure. As for defeats in Afghanistan and South Vietnam? Well, those defeats were caused by our government's choices to lose the wars--the Biden administration was very clear that it only expected a "decent interval" between leaving and defeat as we supposedly got in South Vietnam. We lost. But not from failures to defeat insurgents. And more to the point, when the author's correct point is that China isn't practicing a naval insurgency, why even bother to digress into an irrelevant assertion that we aren't very good at land counter-insurgency?

Mexico's U.S.-backed "kingpin" strategy of trying to decapitate the leadership of major drug cartels is undermined by the fragmentation of the criminal gangs that are immune to the loss of kingpins. And the strategy contributed to the fragmentation. I'm honestly shocked that Mexico is holding together as a state.

Being a mercenary is not a war crime. Is Russia happy with this hand puppet ruling given its heavy use of the Wagner Group and Russian mercenaries?

Oh what fresh Hell is this? "The United States has relied almost entirely on China — and to a lesser extent Russia — in recent years to procure a critical mineral that is vital to producing ammunition." The mineral is antimony. What I want to know is whether we rely on them because we don't have it--what's the status of that Idaho mine that stopped bringing it up in 1997--or because it was cheap and convenient.

Buckle up, the economic ride will be rough. I certainly hope this is wrong. Via Instapundit.

Conservative Supreme Court justices die in darkness. Not content to undermine our institutions and traditions, some want to kill them.

White Covid death rates are now higher than minority rates. Please note that while the government had "outreach" efforts to persuade minorities to get the vaccine, the government and media demonized conservative whites who didn't get the vaccine.

Via Instapundit, the Earth's magnetic polarity isn't reversing. Bad luck, that. One fewer thing to blame on climate change.

Putin says attacking Ukraine is all about returning "original territories" to Russia. A lot of countries from Central Asia to the Caucasus, Romania, Poland, the Baltic states, Belarus, and Finland should worry. Maybe Putin should consider whether his aggressive folly will return Russia to its original territory. That outcome is more likely than reaching Hadrian's Wall.

Will corruption kill Nigeria? Seriously, uh oh: "Nigeria could see widespread unrest in the next 12-to-18 months, ..."

NATO acts like Churchill and Chamberlain in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Who wins out? Putin counts on the latter.

If you wonder why I drone on about rule of law: "The United States must get serious about its own survival as a republic dedicated to protecting individual life and liberty." I used to spend far more time pushing for that abroad. Now I worry much more about defending it here. The stench of banana republic wafts across the land from the January 6th committee televised show trial.

Revisiting the clusterfucks of the American skedaddle debacle in Afghanistan. We took a dive and threw this war to the Taliban for no good reason that I can figure out.

Japan has taken a hard line on Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine this year.

Western support has made Ukraine's special forces larger and able to operate in Russian rear areas, as irregulars, and in information warfare. But no word on what I assume is their role in assisting resistance in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Also, is it beyond reasonable to think they operate inside Russia, Crimea, or in the so-called Donbas states Russia created in 2014?

Mannerheim Line 2.0 begins: "Finland's government plans to amend border legislation to allow the building of barriers on its eastern frontier with Russia, it said on Thursday, in a move to strengthen preparedness against hybrid threats amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine." Right now the worry is that Russia will "fire" Middle Eastern migrants at it. But anti-tank obstacles and fortifications are the logical end point.

Pain (via Instapundit): "U.S. consumer inflation reached an 8.6% annual rate in May, its highest level in more than four decades as surging energy and food prices pushed prices higher."

The Chinese Communist Party will never stop lying about the Xi Jinping Covid-19 virus that exploded out of Wuhan to infect the world: "China on Friday attacked the theory that the coronavirus pandemic may have originated as a leak from a Chinese laboratory as a politically motivated lie, after the World Health Organization recommended in its strongest terms yet that a deeper probe is needed into whether a lab accident may be to blame." Our role in funding China's lab work on the virus is as yet not fully explored.

"Shrinkflation" is an example of what happens when a measurement ("inflation" in this case) becomes so politically important that those being measured undermine the very foundation of the measurement.

The Democrats' January 6th committee started prime time hearings to demonstrate that the most heavily armed segment of America's population launched an unarmed insurrection at the Capitol Building. This should be fascinating.

The Capitol Building riot was terrible. I was horrified. It was not, however, an insurrection. Did some administration officials react poorly? Yes. But that isn't an insurrection, either. And by treating this riot as an insurrection to justify using the power of the state to persecute opponents, Democrats have acted worse if your concern is the safety of our rule-of-law democracy. Unlike them I don't have acceptable and unacceptable forms of domestic political violence depending on the ideology. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for this spectacle. TDR has already discovered film and a transcript, of course.

I've long thought China's navy isn't as good as its shiny new ships portray. I still think that is true, yet wonder if America's qualitative edge in leadership and training is too eroded to make up for Chinese numbers. Remember that China will control the start of a war and can maximize their assets. And China is close while we are far.

Just ... wow. And also, ef the media. Their bias takes so many forms.

The Axis of Evil expands: "Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year deal on cooperation between the two allies subject to US sanctions during a visit Saturday to the Islamic republic by Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro."

I'm going to be honest, I'm not too worried about Russia's military build up in their Arctic region. A bunch of troops huddled in drafty huts praying the wood stove doesn't break down is more likely to the be result of Moscow's focus.

Democrats complain that Trump didn't call in the National Guard on January 6, 2021. Wait. What? Democrats think the military is infiltrated by white supremacists. Wouldn't Democrats have accused Trump of calling in the troops to support his so-called insurrection? My question is rhetorical, of course.

China's subliminal war against the Philippines and international law continues: "The Philippines has lodged a new diplomatic protest against China's maritime activities within Manila's 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the foreign ministry said late on Friday." Before it is too late, the Philippines will have to fight--or find other ways to resist China's slow conquest.

Are aircraft carriers too vulnerable to get close to Taiwan because of new Chinese anti-ship weapons? This was true before this development.. Although distance may not be enough protection to break the kill chains. Still, while I don't think we need as many carriers in a network-centric world because they are too vulnerable and represent too much concentrated power, for power projection missions they remain useful.

To be fair, the Biden administration probably thinks we deserve it: "Attacks by Iranian proxies against bases housing U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria are increasing, U.S. officials say, and Washington has not responded with force since 2021."

Putin wants to hide the scale of Russian troops losses in his invasion of Ukraine. So hiding the dead doesn't seem like an outrageous claim. Does Putin think he can hide the losses until after he declares victory?

I really hate McAfee. And perhaps Dell. Or maybe I should be mad at Microsoft. I cannot remove the program from my computer. It even made me go through the uninstall process before telling me the program can't be removed. And it continues to annoy me by asking me to buy their services. Even taking over web sites I'm reading to do so.

Maybe if our military focused on flying and maintaining its aircraft rather than embracing BS policies we wouldn't have aircraft dropping from the sky. Our senior leadership believes in too many substitutes for victory.

LOL: