Does the U.S. need to rethink our Cold War and post-Cold War security system: "Today’s world is defined by China’s return to global importance. The United States is not only the largest destination for Chinese exports, but almost every country in the world is one of its major trading partners. China has used this revenue to modernize its military, fund a global development program, and position itself as a competitor to US power." Is the assumption in that argument wrong?
I don't blame Ukraine for trying to drag NATO into the war: "Ukraine has invited NATO countries to join it in a program to demine the Black Sea." They're desperate for something that could end the war. But that doesn't mean we should fall for it. Better to organize African and Middle Eastern countries that rely on Black Sea grain exports to do the actual mine sweeping.
It's come to this: Liberals are enraged that upper middle class college students who will have cushy careers will have to pay back the loans they decided to take out in order to get their degrees. Is it okay to tell them to "f**k off"? I mean, really f**k off. Via Instapundit.
North Korea: Quantity has a target quality all its own.
Israel will buy 25 more F-35s. Israel has 50 already. For those who still wonder if the plane is any good that should be convincing.
So universities can put thumbs on the scale for socio-economic handicaps even if they can't use race? Surely that's better than using race and ethnicity. But thank God I didn't have to start a career under a cloud of wondering if I really earned a place in the University of Michigan. I made it in on grades and standardized test scores. I'm biased, but I think those should be the only criteria. That would prevent the wealthy and connected from getting points on all the other BS that orbits academic abilities for admissions purposes. I came stupidly close to blowing my opportunity. But I digress.
Because he already wrapped up that dystopian present of global truly terrifying human rights violations, he has time to think about other things: "Climate change threatens to deliver a 'truly terrifying' dystopian future of hunger and suffering, the United Nations' human rights chief warned Monday." I'm getting a lot of use for my "eff off" reflex this week.
Collateral damage from Putin's invasion of Ukraine: Companies invested in China worry about being caught on the wrong side of a Western sanctions wall if China invades Taiwan.
It is established that "just following orders" is no defense for committing crimes. Also, if you try to do the right thing you might be accused of committing a crime. When you strike a king, kill him. But who will kill the bureaucracy that has become a powerful fourth branch of government? We need a bureaucracy that isn't a fourth branch. How deep should the purges go? And with civil service protections, simply eliminating the budgets of entire agencies might be the only way to go. Then hire a fraction of the laid off willing to honestly do their jobs somewhere else.
If slavery is an original sin in America (ignoring the global history and present of that abomination) that can never be erased, how did the Democratic Party avoid responsibility for defending slavery for so long, up to and including armed insurrection--and then a century of segregation enforced by its armed wing of the KKK designed to continue the practice without technical ownership? I mean, putting the guilt on America, which waged a long and bloody war to end slavery in portions of America to finally enforce the promise of our Constitution, was truly an epic propaganda effort of Russian proportions. And let's not even go into the BS of blaming the other party ... I mean, come on! Not that I think most Democrats are racist. The vast majority are fine people. But if an institution can be guilty, let's hit the right target.
This seems futile: "The International Monetary Fund has agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan in badly needed relief to help bail out the impoverished country’s ailing economy." But Pakistan has nukes and jihadis that for the moment are separate. So the check gets signed.
Yeah: "The United States Navy helped secure victory in two world wars and the
Cold War. Today the Navy remains a formidable fighting force, but even
officers within the service have questioned its readiness." I know I'm worried.
I have admitted that the F-35 can provide close air support and that the low-level A-10 mission is probably futile in high-intensity combat. The plane carrying out the mission was never the issue. The Air Force is replacing the A-10 in two units, with one continuing the close air support mission. Just one. We'll see if my trust issues are addressed.
The Army's navy: "A U.S. Army watercraft unit equipped with more than a dozen transport vessels will be homeported in Japan, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific told soldiers during a recent visit to this base in Kanagawa prefecture."
West Point graduates concerned about the direction of the institution have founded an alternative graduate organization, the MacArthur Society: "West Point’s reason for existing is to train Army officers to win our nation’s wars. Period. Instead of winning wars, debacles like Kabul 2021 continue to happen. Many of the generals responsible for that debacle were unfortunately West Point graduates. Instead of focusing on duty, honor, country, USMA is focusing on identity issues, tribalism, pronouns, and the football team’s record." We already saw the commie in the coal mine there. Although I disagree with the notion that since 1945 we lose our wars--Afghanistan excepted. But I like the focus on winning wars above all else. Nobody responsible for the debacle in Afghanistan was fired or resigned.
The extended riots in France by Moslems--although obviously a minority of them: "This is largely an insurrection without aims: a scream of fury, an anarchic rejection of government; an act of gang-warfare writ large; a competition in performative destruction." That's nice. No worries, then! But as I mentioned last week, what if a nuclear-armed Iran gave those rioters direction and a goal? Things can always get worse.
As France burns, the far right rises there. Well, duh. If the respectable mainstream politicians and elites don't address the concerns of growing numbers of people because those concerns are viewed as "phobic" or an "ist", less reputable leaders who accept the concerns are valid will gain influence.
Is Xi's call for college graduates to go to the farms to appreciate their struggles and value really the same as Mao's order to go to the countryside and toil alongside them? Some things are ominous, I admit. And it could get out of hand. If Xi effs up Chinese agriculture, things could get ugly.
China hosted the leaders of Central Asian former-Soviet countries: "The pomp, and the praise that Xi and his guests from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan heaped on one another, led some observers to proclaim a Sino-Russian scramble for Central Asia in which Beijing had just notched a victory at the Kremlin’s expense." China has a way to go. But China is going.
Hmmm: "Explosive devices and Molotov cocktails were used to target multiple [Washington, D.C.] businesses early Sunday morning, according to authorities."
Are Russian minefields the main problem slowing Ukraine's troops?
College applicant makes his case for a high Disadvantage Score to gain admission:
Learning: "'The Chinese and Russian navies have close exchanges and frequent interactions,' the [Chinese Ministry of Defense] quoted [Minister Li Shangfu] as saying." China has an incentive to observe Russia's navy closely. I kid, I kid! They're best friends. There's no way Russia should worry.
Can any encryption not based on a similar computer constantly changing the defenses futile? "Google has developed a quantum computer that instantly makes calculations that would take the best existing supercomputers 47 years[.]"Tip to Instapundit.
Israel is going in big with its military into the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on the apparent belief it is a terrorist sanctuary. It seems like a bunch of jihadi groups are there. My question is whether this is ultimately a Fatah sanctuary or a Hamas sanctuary. Heck, could it be a direct Iran project?
Danger zone: "US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said mid-June that Ukrainian have been very effective in terms of pushing the Russian navy back in the Black Sea. He said: 'When you take a look at the numbers of Russian ships that are operating in the Black Sea now, it's at a much lower rate than we've seen in the past.'" Crimea may be a nice power projection platform in peacetime. But with enemies around the Black Sea coast, Crimea doesn't prevent those enemies from turning the sea into a turkey shoot. If Russia has to pull back with the Ukrainian threat, it has no chance against NATO assets.
Happy Independence Day! I love my country independent of who is in the White House.
I've got complaints. But our politicians aren't our country. If you only love America when your party controls the federal government, you don't love America. You have a transactional relationship with America. You actually love your party. Still, we'll get through this. We've gotten through bigger divisions than we mostly seem to experience on social media these days:
So we could block out the sun to save us from the sun? Interesting. But how many times can we set fire to Canada to do that?
Climate Change is the real problem: "During the last ten years, over 78,000 Nigerians were killed by Islamic terrorists, bandits, fighting between farmers and herders, and local unrest. Most of the deaths were due to Islamic terrorism, especially against Christians, banditry and clashes between farmers and herders."
Cloaks of invisibility. The fight against drone eyes in the sky continues.
I find it astounding that after the debates about whether the AMX-10 is a tank or not--it's not, it's an armored car--people are shocked that it is vulnerable to explody things nearby.
This is absofreakinguseless: "The global chemical weapons watchdog said Tuesday it found no evidence to support a claim by Syria that its forces were attacked using toxic gas in 2017." Six years later. Why bother? "Watchdog", indeed.
America is only an Arsenalish of Democracy rather than the Arsenal of Democracy as some boast: "But this lofty rhetoric does not match the reality on the ground. Shortages in production, inadequate labor pools, and interruptions in supply chains have hamstrung the United States’ ability to deliver weapons to Ukraine and enhance the country’s defense capabilities more broadly." Indeed. But we should be.
The British never really felt European. Sadly, whatever grey apparatchiki rule in Brussels are only the latest continentals who have wanted to drag Britain into Europe.
With Finland and Sweden in NATO, Russia is all alone in the Arctic. I mentioned that value.
China's top diplomat revived the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, telling the Japanese and South Koreans: "'No matter how blonde you dye your hair, how sharp you shape your nose, you can never become a European or American, you can never become a Westerner,' Wang said. 'We must know where our roots lie.'"
Second Thomas Shoal: "The Philippines on Wednesday accused China's coast guard of harassment,
obstruction and 'dangerous manoeuvres' against its vessels, after
another incident near a strategic feature of the South China Sea that
has become a flashpoint between them." You may recall that shoal.
Continuity during a European war: "NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will stay in office for another year, the 31-nation military alliance decided on Tuesday."
Just. Stop: "In a June 30 solicitation, the Defense Innovation Unit is seeking 'novel commercial solutions that enable responsive and precise point-to-point delivery of cargo to, from, and through space.'" It's so much more fun to push this futuristic notion than to just build more f**king transport planes, eh? At least putting Marines on one of those rockets is dead. It is dead, right? Right?!
African Union peacekeepers will leave Somalia. The question is how long will it take to be reminded why they were needed.
Training Ukrainian soldiers. Also: "most of the [Russian] troops have little training or advanced tech and suffer from low morale and poor leadership." But they're holding the line as Ukraine counter-attacks. Maybe a combination of fear of being shot and lots of Russian fire support is compensating. But low morale isn't apparent so far.
Boom: "Russia’s giant 240mm self-propelled mortars are appearing in increasing numbers on the battlefield in Ukraine – and getting destroyed just as fast." Sending the cumbersome mortars was a response to shortages of gun ammunition. I've read Ukraine has been successfully hitting Russian artillery, so this isn't a shock. But the absolute numbers of the mortars destroyed isn't high.
Signs of Russian poor morale? As long as this is isolated, it doesn't matter. As long as they keep fighting, it doesn't matter. As long as the front is mostly static, troops with poor morale will defend themselves even if not enthusiastically. They are vulnerable to cracking only if the Ukrainians force the Russians to retreat on a large scale. Which is what I've been saying for a while. I worry Ukraine gave Russia too much time.
We are not on the brink of a climate disaster. Claims we are on the brink are meant to frighten us into giving them the power to fine tune the climate--as if that is possible. These loons should be mocked. We'll be fine as we learn to cope and address the problems that arise over time.
Will the Supreme Court dismantle the federal administrative state? It certainly needs to be curbed. I worked on this at the state level. Rules for technical things to implement policy statutes are good. Rules that make policy are bad. Legislative oversight is essential to prevent the agencies from doing the latter. Sadly in Michigan the state supreme court ruled that oversight was an unconstitutional legislative veto. The only solution is to deny agencies the authority to write rules. But addressing this is fighting the symptoms. The cure is to reduce the scope of federal actions and let states do them.
Why did I not know that China owes American bondholders about $1 trillion? This is more than the $850 billion in American government bonds that China holds. We pay the interest. China does not. This really undermines the long-held argument that China has America on a leash because they can call in their loans if we act against them, doesn't it? Or will we just erase the debt? Unlike Britain. Tip to Instapundit.
Republicans shouldn't make so much of Biden's refusal to recognize his grandchild by Hunter. All Biden has to do is have the friendly media at some family event where Biden embraces (but not in a creepy, hair-sniffing way--which is a risk) a cute little girl. Ka-ching! The little girl will be stiff-armed quietly after, but the video and media adulation will linger on. Reelection assured.
Iran works on blackmailing America into another nuclear deal--with a benefit of pushing oil prices up for its close friend Russia: "Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, firing shots at one of them, the U.S. Navy said." The U.S. blocked Iran.
I know I'd never visit China: "On June 30, citing Chinese detentions of US citizens under vague anti-espionage laws, the Department of State website advised American citizens to 'reconsider travel to Mainland China', 'to the Hong Kong SAR', and 'to the Macau SAR' due to 'the arbitrary enforcement of local laws'."
From the "Well, Duh" files: "Ukraine's war with Russia is giving NATO countries the chance to test their advanced weaponry on an actual battlefield, and they're gaining valuable insight as a result, the Financial Times reported."
Wait. What? "Joe Biden is pushing for Ursula von der Leyen to be installed as the next Nato secretary general after Ben Wallace’s candidacy was blocked, The Telegraph can disclose." Is Biden insane? Or do you think she did such a great job for Germany? She's just a Trojan horse for the proto-imperial EU to undermine NATO and eject America.
Sadly true: "The country today is run by politicians who spend all their time telling us freedom is dangerous, and the press won’t go near the word unless it can wedge it into an act of self-flagellation[.]" Tip to Instapundit.
Huh: "Among other findings, the veteran community, as a whole, did not manifest higher support [for extremists groups] than the general population. Interestingly, the majority of those who supported political violence were not also supporters of specific groups." There was a lot of unfair media claiming higher support. Also, Antifa had much more support than white nationalists.
The Ukrainians don't believe Russia has moved tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus yet.
Sh*t got real: "China imposed restrictions on exporting two metals that are crucial to parts of the semiconductor, telecommunications and electric-vehicle industries in an escalation of the country’s tit-for-tat trade war on technology with the US and Europe." Everyone else seems to be able to get stuff despite sanctions, via smugglers and front companies. I bet we can get gallium, germanium, and the other stuff. Tip to Instapundit.
Good if true: "'At this stage of active hostilities, Ukraine's Defense Forces are fulfilling the number one task – the maximum destruction of manpower, equipment, fuel depots, military vehicles, command posts, artillery and air defense forces of the Russian army,' Danilov, head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, wrote on Twitter."
Useful ancient tanks: "In Ukraine the T-55s were used by both sides to support infantry attacks or as defensive pillboxes." LOL! Right? At least Ukraine's are modernized! Stupid Russians. Meanwhile, we will spend $13 million per copy (including spares, training, and fielding--and don't forget the undercoating!) for the Booker light tank to do the same thing. Who's looking stupid? I wish we had old M-48s to refurbish for our infantry.
America's Air Mobility Command conducts logistics exercises with allies in INDOPACOM. It's tough to prepare for a fight away from the Japan-South Korea corner of the command.
Russia is beginning to upgrade its minesweeper ships: "Currently only four more are under construction but it is uncertain if money will be available to build more any time soon because of the cuts to the naval budget. This is a side-effect of the unexpected high costs of the Ukraine War effort." Ukraine may have sunk some of the current Russian navy, but Putin is sinking the future Russian navy.
Russia tried to knock down American drones over Syria without shooting at it.
America is working on AI for fighter aircraft. It's here to stay, the Air Force says. Our pilot skill has been a major advantage. Will we have to rely on our programming and AI for that edge in the future?
Where is Prigozhin, anyway? Did he ever go to Belarus (as if even that is safe for him)? Or was that just a story to get his loyalist troops out of Russia where they can essentially be imprisoned in camps surrounded by Belarusian troops whose job doesn't require Putin to divert any troops from the war.
We've seen this problem developing a long time: "America desperately needs more ships, but maintenance delays result in, as one retired admiral put it, 'the equivalent of losing half an aircraft carrier and three submarines each year.'" Yeah. I'm sure our Navy leadership is right on it.
It's like calling Al Capone an "expert" on banks: "Columbia ‘First Amendment’ expert defends feds working with Big Tech on ‘content moderation’[.]" Also, "content moderation" is government censorship. You can name it something lovely like a "rose", but the point of it all is still the thorns. Tip to Instapundit.
This sounds like hope as an alternative to a counteroffensive that succeeds: "The head of Ukraine's main intelligence directorate (GUR) has said that Russia is on the brink of civil war that could tear the country apart."
India makes a gesture to American concerns: "India revised its position on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration last week in a meeting between Indian and Filipino diplomats that supports Manila’s territorial claims over China." How long before India can "Fight East"?
They aren't called missile magnets for nothing: "Ukraine's success in destroying Russian command posts has raised a troubling question for the US military: If Ukraine can do this to Russian headquarters, can other militaries, especially China's, do it to American HQs?" Soft vehicles, expensive equipment, highly trained officers and NCOs, parked close together, and emitting in every possible way you can imagine. What could go wrong?
Fascinating. I never really thought about that.
While the left drones on about defending "our democracy", Biden and his allies threaten our "rule of law." Which is the real foundation of our democracy--not counting votes until you win. I try not to get all dark about this. I assume we'll bounce back. But it's hard to maintain that confidence these days.
Is Russia's defense line brittle because Russia has no reserves to rotate into the line? Are the troops enduring the fight for so long capable of continuing to fight when the going gets tough? Also, are Russian troops attacking already destroyed equipment to inflate body equipment counts? These are allegations by Russian milbloggers--not ISW's assessment.
Germany does build weapons: "German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to begin production at a new facility in 2025 to build 'at least 400' F-35A center fuselages[.]" Turkey used to have that job until they got too close to Russia.
Is federal control of the National Guard illegal and only possible if the state accepts federal funding? Could be, apparently. But the Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve might get much bigger if the feds have to cope by cutting funding to state Guard forces. States are not going to pay for that kind of firepower.
And now for something completely different:
Is lack of air power the reason Ukraine hasn't broken through Russian lines? "Tanks, armored infantry and self-propelled artillery need air cover to maneuver. Air interdiction of enemy reserve forces and close air support (CAS, i.e., airstrikes on adjacent enemy forces) 'soften' the enemy so mobile forces can breakthrough and achieve a decisive victory." That's a theory for air power. I have another.
I'm so old I remember when global sea-based supply chains were the priority to keep our economies from tanking. Never mind: "Maritime nations agreed Friday to slash emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by about 2050 in a deal that several experts and nations say falls short of what's needed to curb warming to agreed temperature limits."
Prigozhin never made it to Belarus, it seems. Is this a sign there are deeper problems inside Russia than just a one-off revolt? Or is it a sign that Prigozhin is destined for torture by the Russians and eventual death? I don't follow this closely enough, but has the man been sighted despite "news" about his activities?
The Somalia of the Western Hemisphere: "The United States remains active in its search for a country to head a multinational force in troubled Haiti, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, without offering Washington's lead." But without jihadis. So we've got that going for us. Which is nice.
Arleigh Burke destroyers since 1991 have been a tremendous success. But new weapons and systems exceed the capacity of the hull to incorporate. But a successor won't happen: "DDG(X) probably is not going to happen. It costs too much." FFS. In completely unrelated news, "China now has the largest ship building industry in the world."
Sadly, Erdogan won reelection and he continues to block Sweden's admission to NATO. Hungary has pegged its position to Turkey's. Still, the NATO bribe might be big enough. And maybe only Nixon can go to China. Damn, I really am an optimist.
Russia's four possible futures after the Wagner Revolt: Bad, Worse, Pucker Factor Redlines, and LOL!
Is Iran preparing to go to war with America? Russia would certainly like that. Ideally from the mullah perspective, Iran just threatens such a war, throws Russia under the bus, and gives Biden an excuse to give Iran a Nuclear Deal 2.0 that grants Iran all its wishes. While pretending this represents Smart Diplomacy® that preserved peace.
No more inland halls. Just all the shores: "The U.S. Marine Corps is undergoing its biggest reorganization in decades, slimming down and chopping weapon systems, such as tanks and howitzers, in an effort to become quicker, more agile, and more lethal, while specializing in operating in island chains and coastal areas." Tip to Instapundit.
After disaster strikes, government: "We're here to help kill off more of you." Oops. I figured the government saved lives from Covid, but that the lockdown effects might make the total more harm than good. It notes more traffic accidents, among other causes of increased deaths. Which raised my memory of early Covid driving that seemed to trend toward Mad Max rules as many seemed to disregard traffic regulations. But don't worry, governments and WHO have learned their lesson. Just kidding. They want even more power for the next disaster. Tip to Instapundit.
Calm down. Now go and emit no more.
Related, I recently heard that the vaccines originally did stop Covid; which prevented it from being spread by the vaccinated. But the engineered virus mutated and nullified that benefit very rapidly, making the vaccine an increasingly less effective treatment for reducing the impact of getting Covid. The vaccines just didn't keep up. I did not know that.
Interesting: "But the Stinger missile design is so old, and the stockpiles of the missiles being expended so quickly, that Stinger-maker Raytheon is asking for its retired missile makers to teach current workers how to restart production[.]"
Prigozhin may not have gone to Belarus. Seriously, what is going on? Is he even alive? Does Putin have a Prigozhin double running around?? I think I'm joking.
Honestly, this story about cheap, garage AI that Ukraine is using to fight Russia sounds like propaganda. I'm sure Ukraine is doing stuff with computers and software automation. But I bet calling it "AI" is a stretch.
Might do the Nordic Luddite some good.
Of course, NATO members were supposed to meet the 2014 pledge to spend 2% next year: "NATO allies have agreed to a new pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, firming up the alliance’s previous goal to 'move toward the 2% guideline.'" The new pledge has no deadline. How convenient for some.
Threads, a competitor to Twitter, went live. With a convenient warning to users for specific posts: "This account has repeatedly posted false information that was reviewed by independent fact checkers or went against our Community Guidelines." So, the user lies OR says things Zuckerberg disagrees with. Pairing a bad thing with a mere point-of-view dispute is rather slimy. Like justifying exiling Mark Zuckerberg by explaining "He has repeatedly tortured and eaten puppies. Or, he doesn't label his food container with the date in the lunch room refrigerator."
Is civil war looming in France? It depends. As I asked early in this post, will Iran help turn riots into insurrection? Things can always get worse.
Republicans "pounce". Democrats clam up and hope the media makes it all go away. Coke in the White House. Cluster munitions for an ally. Can you imagine how the media would howl in outrage if a Republican was president?
I've certainly recognized the potential for further loss of Russian imperial territory after 1989 and 1991. So this is plausible: "Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s central power have been weakened by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny. The fact that Prigozhin and his rebellious troops have not been punished will embolden others to challenge Putin’s authority." But this depends on whether the Wagner Revolt is a symptom of a broader internal problem that could generate more resistance; or a one-off threat that Putin defeated.
Yeah, reading a "9-dash line" illegal territorial claim into that "map" with its 8-dash line seems like a stretch to me. Hollywood has surely bowed to China many times. Oddly enough this time it seems innocent. Although I'd expect Chinese propaganda to portray it as endorsement.
Biden is apparently well past his Democratic Party USE BY date. Tip by Instapundit.
I noted a story that this was approaching. America's chemical weapons are gone: "Today, U.S. officials announced that the final munition in the nation's obsolete stockpile of chemical weapons has been safely destroyed — a disarmament milestone decades in the making."
The Marines are trying to change their manpower to long-term service as much as possible. This makes for more effective Marines. But makes for a more brittle force that cannot endure significant casualties and retain its effectiveness.
Russia's outward show of economic strength in the face of war and Western sanctions is Russian bluster. Russia would want the West to think resistance is futile.
America, Britain, and Germany are the biggest laggards: "Only around half of the heavy weapons that Ukraine's allies have promised to send it have actually been delivered, according to a new report compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy."
More on the US deal with India to service American warships. Strategypage thinks the Indians need our help. Hmmm. "Need" or "want"? I figured India could handle a Chinese thrust into the Indian Ocean at the end of a long supply line through the Malacca choke point. But I could be wrong.
Iran wants to control eastern Syria along their ground supply line? "Iran instructed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force (IRGC QF) to achieve total hegemony in Deir ez Zor Province, Syria in May 2023." Would America fight or fold? Or is this an Iranian ploy--a pretend threat with only performance art of some dead or wounded Americans--to give America a plausible victory of stopping Iran and getting them to agree to another awful Iran nuclear deal? Syria is seemingly back in play.
He's been dangerously partisan: "Attorney General Merrick Garland is facing a potential impeachment inquiry for what appears to be lying to Congress about the independence of the Justice Department’s investigations into Hunter Biden." I imagine operatives whispered in his ear about how political Republicans allegedly were when he was nominated by Obama for the Supreme Court as a reason for him to get revenge. Tip to Instapundit.
Inflation and the inability to move money around to maintain priorities is harming American defenses under the budget. Add in procurement process bloat and cost overruns in general. And the now-obvious need to expand our defense-industrial base.
Some are getting their panties in a twist over America sending cluster bomb shells to Ukraine. I don't recall outrage over Russia's use of more dud-prone versions. Also, we didn't sign that treaty. Nor did Ukraine. Or Russia for that matter. Although war crimes can exist even with perfectly legal weapons used improperly. But I'm sure we can all heave a sign of relief that Saint Kitt and Nevis vowed never to use them. And Ukraine is willing to use them on their own territory to fight the invaders. Finally, the West can't yet produce enough regular shells. The bottom line is that you go to war with the ammo you have--not with the ammo you wish you had. They are great against soft spread-out targets like exposed infantry, towed or otherwise unarmored artillery, air defense systems, supply trucks, and tents--which might house headquarters or supplies.
That wistful "being China for a day" crap has had an effect in America. While China has a vast "Firewall of China" to censor information the Communist Party doesn't like, plus more direct methods to keep subjects in line, Democrats outsourced their firewall to the private sector: "There are 40,000 people at Google and Meta pulling stuff down. They’ve pulled over a billion things down. I don’t really trust Big Tech to be in charge of this, and I don’t, frankly, trust government in cahoots with Big Tech in private to be in charge of this." Add in a compliant Department of Justice and we have a "kinder and gentler" proto-police state in place. Tip to Instapundit.
Mostly I'm amused that Democrats lapped up similar Soviet misinformation in the Cold War yet now find it horrifying. Also, only Twitter is singled out for political reasons. My view is that this crap mostly reinforces the beliefs of people who already believe the crap category and persuades few who don't. By all means, combat it. But censorship is not the answer. Also, I'd be curious how many of the "shares" of fake news are by bots or Russians.
