China's economy is faltering from its once high growth rate that sustained Chinese Communist Party legitimacy. Economic problems coincide with Xi's more openly aggressive foreign policy, alienating foreigners, too. And with supreme power, Xi has all the blame. I think China has been feeling its growing power--without putting it in context.
Convict the monster without cameras in the court to deny him publicity and then execute him. Let's show the soft-on-prosecution people how to deal with the worst criminals.
He should have resigned. More should have joined him. Lack of consequences for needlessly losing a war is disturbing.
The Soviets did this, too: "Russian intelligence is operating a systematic program to launder pro-Kremlin propaganda through private relationships between Russian operatives and unwitting US and western targets, according to newly declassified US intelligence." Back then we called the US targets "Democrats."
To be fair, the junta replaced the French with Wagner to protect the junta from the French--not from jihadis: "The armed group ISIL (ISIS) has almost doubled its territory in Mali in less than a year, United Nations experts have said in a new report." Wagner wants more chaos as a weapon against free Europe.
I'm glad there is some Congressional awareness: "Three Republican members of the U.S. Congress made a quick trip Sunday into opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known visit to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years." I'm in favor of that. Although northwest Syria has a lot of jihadi opposition. I'd prefer a trip to eastern Syria where our troops are.
Chinese "neurostrike" weapons? I never know whether to worry about these astounding weapon stories or roll my eyes. Tip to Instapundit.
This won't turn out well for us, I think: "Iran and Iraq have reached an agreement to disarm members of Iranian Kurdish dissident groups based in northern Iraq and relocate their members from their current bases, officials from the two countries said Monday." No word if Iraq gets anything in return. Is this a sign that we are losing Phase IX of the Iraq War?
In January 2020 the Chinese Communist Party knew Covid was raging: "The coronavirus was running rampant. Doctors at the radiologist’s hospital, and other hospitals, were getting sick. But China’s Communist Party leaders prize social stability above all else. They fear any sign of public panic or admission that the ruling party-state is not in control. The authorities in both Wuhan and Beijing kept the situation secret[.]" To be fair, claiming the virus started in Wuhan--like in the bio lab there--was racist according to all the science. Tip to Instapundit.
Israel's war on Iran inside Syria continues: "An Israeli air attack put Syria's Aleppo airport out of service on Monday, the Syrian defence ministry said, while regional intelligence sources said an Iranian arms depot was hit."
I'm seriously unwilling to vacation in Canada as long as the current government there remains in control. Pre-Pandemic it was once or twice per year. But they've gone mad. It's becoming Cuba with snow and poutine. And Tim Horton's. [LATER: Hell on Ice.]
Interesting: "Russia likely to have cancelled annual exercise due to lack of troops: MoD Russia has 'highly likely' cancelled its major annual joint exercise ZAPAD 23, which should have taken place in September, Britain’s defence ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing." It could have been used to prepare for a re-invasion of northern Ukraine.
Boston to move homeless to "recovery campus" on an island: "If they were doing this in a red city it the press would call it a relocation or concentration camp." Hell, the city could put "Learning to code will set you free" on the entry gate and the media would swoon at the compassionate program of job retraining.
Your feel-good story of the day. The lamentations of their women really are the best. The really funny part is that the protesters wanted this on film--as if most people wouldn't cheer the tribal police for slapping down those annoying twits. I mean, they made me sympathize with Burning Man attendees! Tips to Instapundit.
Has our military lost faith that it is worth their lives to defend America and its way of life? Too many civilian and military "leaders" don't seem to think America is all that special. That filters down to motivating our soldiers--whether to enlist or to die in battle. Sadly, these leaders see many substitutes for victory.
I know people are worried Republicans would slash support for Ukraine. I suspect a Republican win in 2024 would lead to a sobering worry about "losing" Ukraine. Maybe aid would be cut a bit. But not ended. I doubt there'd be a full cut the way Democrats did for South Vietnam after 1974 Congressional elections. I actually worry Biden will reduce aid after the election. Because I suspect he became an accidental hawk.
Well maybe the Goddamned federal government should have been doing the job that a state wasn't prepared to carry out!! Maybe there should be a media inquiry into why the federal government refuses to do that job and compel a state to try to protect itself, eh?
Geraldo Rivera was unavailable for comment. [Hold on, further digging--Wait. What? It was a small box!!--revealed some coins and a commemorative medal. And they are still digging ...]
When we kicked the Taliban out of power the Taliban did not give up. When the Taliban drove us out of Afghanistan and defeated our ally, the IRA, we needlessly gave up: "The previous Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) government still has many supporters inside and outside Afghanistan, still operates forty diplomatic missions worldwide and has the support of millions of expatriate Afghans." But we say the war is "over".
The Associated Press becomes "sponsored content" in some areas. For the left, of course. Unofficially, is that true in other areas for paying "sponsors"? Or for particular countries? Tip to Instapundit.
The Army will get a new "scalable" hand grenade. The author is missing the big point that the grenade is no longer a right-handed weapon! But really, no rush. Still, the Army abandoned the "keep it simple, stupid" principle. Attachments? A fragmentation sleeve? Clearly different throwing procedures going from a palm-held grenade to a stick? I'm skeptical. I guess we know why it has taken this long to get a new damn grenade. This should have been a one-month design process. FFS.
Never mind: "After a series of incidents in the skies over Syria, Russian pilots appear to have become less aggressive toward U.S. forces following the arrival of F-35 stealth multirole fighters to the Middle East, according to U.S. officials."
Does this make Putin's rule more secure? "In the months leading up to the Wagner mutiny, Putin’s failure to suppress the increasingly bitter public feud between Prigozhin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was beginning to weaken his image within Russia’s elite as a decisive leader. Today, few in Russia will be doubting Putin’s capacity for decisive ruthlessness, whatever they might say about his morals." In the short run. But in the long run, opponents have been reminded of the old advice, "when you strike a king, kill him."
Question: As Wagner mercenaries seem to sign contracts with the Russian government, will Wagner forces take their willingness to die in combat to the Russian military? Or will the Russian military absorb the Wagner fighters and eliminate that fanaticism?
Worshiping "science" has some acceptable collateral damage, naturally. Oh well. The right sort of people hired teachers for those learning "pods" early in the pandemic. Those children will be fine. Tip to Instapundit.
South Korea has pledged $394 million in financial aid for Ukraine next year.
I reject any poll that asks if you think X is more or less important than Y. Unless you let me pick the second issue. Seriously, our government should prioritize what it spends money on. But national defense--whether keeping the Russians as far east as possible or protecting our border against illegal entry--is a priority over a whole lot of BS luxury programs we fund.
Making friends and influencing people with Smart Diplomacy®: "Woke U.S. Diplomacy: Not 100% Popular Around the Globe, or at Home[.]" If a conservative administration was pushing traditional American ideals abroad, leftists would screech that it is "cultural imperialism."
Biden's private emails with fake names: "The only reason to run such an account is to make sure that the emails don’t get archived in official systems and aren’t available under the Freedom of Information Act, and to keep the communications out of the reach of critics, and possibly law enforcement." Yes. Tip to Instapundit.
RIP "Joe the Plumber". Someone from the blue collar world is supposed to be a prop for promoting the full pageantry of leftist policies--not someone with agency who has questions about the policies. You wonder why I hate the media? It eagerly and joyously attacked Joe for questioning The One.
The Philippines ended its arm's-length semi-hostile posture to embrace alliance with America and hold off China's subliminal aggression. Indeed. But yeah, allies too eager to fight are a different problem than allies unwilling to fight.
Interesting. But while the Wilsonians are many, they are running out of other people's money to carry out their objectives. Madisonians may win by default. So to speak.
Everybody who watched him retreat from Afghanistan two years ago knows Biden's pledge to provide Ukraine with support for "as long as it takes" to win knows such a pledge is not legally binding. So I strongly opposed moving far closer to Moscow's objectives before any negotiations even begin. Let Russia make the first real concession. Remember, Russia is the bad guy in this, illegally occupying Ukrainian land.
Yeah, explain to me why the progressive mission of erasing Native American symbols from our institutions isn't cultural genocide?
Ukraine's attack drones are reaching deeper into Russia. A combination of special forces, locals, and longer ranges? And Ukraine seems to be adapting their own missiles for longer ranges. I assume at some point they will try to take down the Kerch Strait bridge.
The Army and Air Force are working on improving logistics across the Pacific. For a long time we had logistics tunnel vision on the South Korea-Japan corner of the Pacific.
The white hull line of defense: "The United States has signed a new agreement with Palau, which gives American ships the authorization to unilaterally enforce maritime regulations in the tiny Pacific island nation’s exclusive economic zone, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday."
The Russians are having a problem exploiting their 3:1 population advantage: "Russia has suffered heavy personnel losses in Ukraine and is considering mobilizing about 450,000 more civilians into the military. This is needed to prevent front line units from wasting because of casualties, desertions and illness.
Japan is arming up: "Most of the increased spending will go to missile defense, military aircraft and the navy. Currently the Japanese military forces have about a quarter million personnel. There is no conscription and all personnel are volunteers. There are only 50,000 military reserve personnel. The birth rate has declined to the point where the population is declining." And the Chinese threats finally drove the South Koreans and Japanese together.
Censorship of conservatives evolves on YouTube. And this: "Independent media content is increasingly hard to find via platform searches, even when exact terminology, bylines, or dates are entered by users." Searching for TDR once resulted in tons of hits on Google. Now it shows very few hits--and bizarrely includes old Geocities mirror site hits that have been taken over by bad actors and should not be visited. Why would that be? Related? "There is a growing chorus of complaints that Google is not as accurate, as competent, as dedicated to search as it once was." Peak Google?
Additional American aid to sustain Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Exhibit X in why I despise our media. Tip to Instapundit.
Testing quantity versus quality in combat.
Ukraine could win a long war with Russia if the West supports Ukraine. That fits with the Iran-Iraq War where Iraq--a third the size of Iran's population but with substantial foreign support--finally defeated Iran on the battlefield. Which I've noted. And the general idea.
Good: "The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan." The Philippines made their choice of ally.
Good: "The U.S. Air Force will increase its number of bases across the Pacific over the next decade, in an effort to spread out and become more survivable in conflict." This has been a major objection of mine to calls to push more forces into the western Pacific. Creating a target-rich environment for China to encourage them to strike first is criminally stupid. Of course, the few "hubs" will still be lucrative targets.
Ford visits Turkey. Is Russia's war on Ukraine that would give Russia a stronger position in the Black Sea if it wins its war giving Turkey incentive to return to NATO's good graces? Is the break ending?
The U.S. is testing the first major upgrade in over 25 years for the infantry's Javelin missile. I'm going to assume this incorporates lessons from the Winter War of 2022. These are the kind of narrow lessons that don't require knowing the outcome of the war to know the validity of the lesson.
China is turning into a black hole for its economic data. It's either bad and China doesn't want to look weak; or it's good and China wants to conceal strength for some purpose. Right now I assume the former.
I found the online version of my July 2023 Army magazine article, "Bright Lights, Big Costs: Be Wary of Megacity Warfare."
Ah, Democrats' commitment to transparency: Emails used Greek letters to evade FOIA requests. Tip to Instapundit. America used code talkers to defeat enemy efforts to exploit our radio communications in World War II. Who is the enemy of the state of Michigan today?
I'd believe geothermal is a potentially huge source of energy if I didn't firmly believe that Greens reject any power source that promises cheap and plentiful energy because they basically see energy use as a sin. See natural gas that was once a "good" energy source until we produced a lot of it. Tip to Instapundit.
I worry about our Navy fighting China. Mostly from the unknowns in relative leadership and training. But also from shipyard shortages to repair damage and replace losses. I suspect we'd beat the PLA Navy. But our losses would be higher than they should be. But strong naval allies make me feel better--if they fight at our side. Yet China doesn't have to defeat America to win a war. Still, I certainly wouldn't trade places with China.
No, but it's a green gold mine for the politically connected: "'There is no climate emergency,' the Global Climate Intelligence Group (CLINTEL) said in its World Climate Declaration (pdf), made public in August."
The Navy is barely getting the F-35C--the first operational Navy squadron went aboard a carrier in 2021--and it is on to the next generation already: "The U.S. Navy’s secretive next-generation fighter program has completed concept refinement and has moved into a design maturation phase, while the service has officially announced the companies vying for the contracts." Weapons development clearly takes too long.
The German navy is leading a Baltic Sea naval exercise to help defend the Baltic states: "The main exercise area this year, from Sept. 9 to Sept. 23, will be the waters off Estonia and Latvia, leaving only the Baltics’ southernmost nation of Lithuania as a buffer between the exercise action and Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave." Good.
The Air Force is worried about how it can sustain its units if dispersed across INDOPACOM bases.
How will the very old Leopard I hold up in combat in Ukrainian hands? Newer tanks are hardly anywhere near invulnerable. But this tank gave up armor for speed (without the huge Abrams engine to power it to high speeds) and has a smaller but effective cannon (105mm) with good sights. I wonder if reactive armor will be added to them? I'm quite interested to see how it does.
We and our allies have plenty of mines to plant from subs, surface ships, and planes, right? "The Chinese Navy is well equipped to plant mines off hostile shores and in defense of its own waters but there is not a lot of capability to clear enemy mines. Many navies share this shortcoming but for a major maritime trading nation like China, it would be sad to see all that trade shut down by a few hundred naval mines." Right?? Plenty?? Strategypage does note the Orca UUV that can lay mines deep inside China's A2/AD envelopes.
I'm so old I remember when dissent was the highest form of patriotism: "our nation is very close to setting a dangerous precedent by criminalizing speech and politics, and one political faction is rushing into this folly headlong." Now it's the highest form of fascism, apparently.
I was willing to hold my judgment on Sweden's largely hands-off Wuhan Flu response despite believing it was correct. Well, it was correct. I mean, if you base the judgment on outcomes. Note too the problem I've long highlighted about differing definitions of who died "from" Covid rather than "with" the virus. Remember, too, this isn't about social distancing--which helps--but about overly broad mandates that deny healthy people the choice of working, going to school, or staying at home if the threat seems too high. The broad mandates, with all their bad and deadly side effects, were the problem. Tip to Instapundit.
Morons (tip to Instapundit): "In the midst of the Biden administration’s disastrous military withdrawal from Afghanistan, top Pentagon officials were working to get the Secretary of Defense to sign a major climate change initiative, according to emails obtained by The Daily Wire." Those who "lead" our military have ever-expanding substitutes for victory. Purge 'em all, let God sort them out.
Food: "Russia and the United States separately discussed alternatives to the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal, which fell apart last month after Moscow backed out of the arrangement aimed at allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian exports to world markets." What are the limits to the alternatives being explored?
If that's our intent, why didn't America nuke North Korea before it got nukes? "North Korea said it had conducted a simulated “scorched-earth” nuclear strike on South Korea and rehearsed invading its neighbour as it accused Seoul and Washington of planning their own preemptive nuclear attack." I've long said that North Korea can invade South Korea only if it is a road march following the unlikely collapse of the South Korean army. And even then, South Korea has seeded the route south with secret weapons.
A far cry from Tahiti: "The U.S. Embassy in Haiti on Wednesday urged citizens in the Caribbean country to leave 'as soon as possible' citing security and infrastructure challenges, as escalating violence has left thousands displaced and sent homicides soaring."
The U.S. is improving relations with Cyprus (not the Turkish part): "Part of the US's increased involvement has been through strengthening relations with the Republic of Cyprus, a strategically located island offering access to the Middle East and North Africa." Just in case we need Plan B in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. And we certainly erased my worries of not so long ago.
Not a rose by any other name, apparently. Of course, I've always preferred to think of the "fourth branch of government" and "blue collar." Tip to Instapundit.
Ukraine's civilian support for their military. I've addressed the Internet-based support for a long time now.
They cost more than they are worth, but they work: "Russia has apparently been using their PTKM-1R mobile mine against armored vehicles in Ukraine."
I didn't think this was an obscure objective: "There is much reporting and commentary on the ground attacks against Russian front-line defences. Recent Western media reports suggest that Ukraine’s slow progress with its counter-offensive has frustrated some unnamed defence officials in the United States and Germany. But this attention overlooks the much less reported, though no less significant, effort that Kyiv is devoting to its deep battle." I think going after Russia's artillery, headquarters, airfields, supplies, and supply lines (land and sea) could lead to Ukraine cracking Russia's defensive line and grabbing terrain in wholesale amounts heading toward the Sea of Azov. I do think Russian troop morale is fragile. Unless Russia runs out the clock holding in their fortifications until the ground gets too soggy for exploitation.
I recently heard someone claim that Obama deported huge numbers of illegal aliens. This is incorrect. If memory serves me, Obama basically redefined turning away illegal migrants at the border as deportations by saying if they crossed the border trying to get in--as one would before encountering a border guard--that it counts as deportation. That was done to hide how open the border was. Or do you forget the whole "build the wall" motivation for voting for Trump in 2016? There was a reason for that. Biden just doesn't even care enough to alter statistics. He just claims the southern border is secure--with a compliant media supporting him.
Don't worry, they'll make up another statistic to calm us down: "After finally declining in June, giving the Federal Reserve hopes of pulling off a soft landing at last, one of the central bank's preferred inflation measures was back on a precipitous rise in July." Tip to Instapundit.
Remember, "equity" can be achieved by dragging down the unfavored "guilty" people. Leftism ruins everything. Tip to Instapundit.
The media can all just learn to code, as far as I'm concerned. Or learn to use an espresso machine, more within their likely skill sets. To Hell with them. They've damaged our country.
Being useful: "Ukraine is ready to store and re-export European gas for the 2023/2024 winter, the country's gas transmission operator said, citing a risk-assessment conducted with international partners."
I was visiting Canada in 2022 when these allegations were accepted as true. I had serious doubts. For good reason: "After two years of horror stories about the alleged mass graves of Indigenous children at residential schools across Canada, a series of recent excavations at suspected sites has turned up no human remains." Too late to unburn the churches targeted in group "retaliation." The schools were often awful. But it wasn't genocide. If some staff committed murder, it at least wasn't widespread. But most in the People's Republic of Canada will continue to believe it all--or act as if they do. Their lovely feeling of collective guilt is too delicious to abandon. Guarantee it.
I'm sorry, but why isn't Fauci in prison? Or at least testing the limits of government immunity?
I know I read about how close humanity came to extinction: "there were only 1,280 breeding individuals alive during this transition between the early and middle Pleistocene. About 98.7 percent of the ancestral population was lost at the beginning of this ancestral bottleneck that lasted for roughly 117,000 years, according to the study." Tip to Instapundit. Ah, my memory is correct. 2009. And the article link is still good!
I hope all those media institutions die. But they won't as long as leftists with money need to launder propaganda as news. Tip to Instapundit.
Well, thank God some people aren't immoral morons: "Men are more likely to subscribe to the idea that human lives are more valuable than those of animals[.]" Who are these monsters who would sacrifice humans to save animals? Or plants? Tip to Instapundit.
Yeah: "Nobody despairs more about the issue now than President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, because Kyiv must uproot corruption if it is to survive." I've been on that for a long time. Russia is probably more corrupt. But Russia is much larger.
Could the Chinese detect our quiet subs by detecting bubble cavitation? Operationalizing that weakness seems unlikely to me. We could exploit it against their subs--if we needed another method to find their loud subs.
"Despite" massive funding and a city office dedicated to battling homelessness, homelessness grows in San Francisco. In today's America, problems are just a "host" for a parasitic tax-funded governmental entity "parasite" that hires leftist college grads. That's all you need to know. Notice how even a minor budget cut always seems to only land on the frontline providers rather than desk-bound administrators. Tip to Instapundit.
Whipping out the nuke: "The head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency said Friday that the country has deployed an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that President Vladimir Putin once said will make Russia's enemies 'think twice.'" To be fair, even before Putin fully committed his ground forces to invading Ukraine, Russia needed nukes to defend its long border.
Japan builds up, focusing on ships and aircraft.
Would China blockade Taiwan into submission? It's possible. But this is wrong: " To break the blockade, will the U.S. and its Indian, Australian, and Japanese allies attack the armed forces of China?" America just has to sail past the Chinese blockaders. China has to initiate attacks to stop the escorted ships from coming through. And a blockade allows Taiwan's friends to mobilize, forfeiting the advantage of a potential theater-wide Pearl Harbor to push back America long enough to take Taiwan. And of course, a counter-blockade of China could be carried out.
This author doesn't think the F-35 can replace the already modernized A-10 in close air support. I have mixed views. The A-10 will have more problems against modern air defenses. But the F-35 won't be risked low against even enemies with weak air defenses. I'd feel better if the Air Force dedicated some of its F-35 wings as close air support units. For me, it isn't a matter of the plane. It's a matter of trust.
Yeah, I'm not stressed out: "A question of perennial interest is, why, in these times of
unprecedented material prosperity and security, are so many people
unhappy and depressed? That is a big question, but one part of the
answer is that we are constantly bombarded with apocalyptic propaganda." But I've long known most of the media is a propaganda machine. Especially about a new ice age--no, that was the 70s, global warming--no, climate change--no, climate weirding--oh, right, global boiling. FFS.
Battle for the Black Sea: "Two cargo vessels have left Ukraine despite Russian threats and are in the Black Sea, maritime officials said Saturday." Will Russia attack or capture the ships? Or intensify strikes on Odessa? Can Ukraine expand this beyond essentially test runs? The next possible step?
I've long said that I haven't seen evidence for significant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. That is a far cry from saying fraud has been disproved. I would not be surprised to see that evidence appear. I mean, how hard did the bureaucracy investigate to turn suspicions into evidence?
First, Nevada tribal police blasted through an anti-oil blockade of the road to Burning Man. That was great. And now? "More than 73,000 Burning Man attendees were told to stay at their camps Saturday and are blocked from leaving the event after a slow-moving rainstorm turned their desert playground into a soupy, muddy morass." I salute karma. Tip to Instapundit.
Masks have problems for stopping a virus--and can cause harm. I never liked mandates. Those who disagree simply won't wear them correctly if forced. And at the macro-level, they won't halt the virus. Maybe it's my Army gas training, but I still think at the personal level they can work. I still hold that you have to measure the mask type, threat level, time in the threat, and user skill. Wearing a good mask properly for 30 minutes to go into store should help you, the individual. Spending 12 hours in a Covid ward five days per week isn't likely to prevent you from getting sick. I could be wrong. I'm done with masks, mind you. And a mandate would be a mistake. Bureaucratic "science" has little credibility, as far as I'm concerned.
This is a big reason that before the 2022 invasion I didn't think we needed to sell big-ticket weapons to Ukraine: " Ukraine has long been a major developer and manufacturer of weapons and military equipment. Before 1991, when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, these innovation and manufacturing capabilities were recognized and encouraged." I figured Ukraine could update its large stockpile of Soviet weapons to levels surpassing Russian updates. I thought we could train and fill gaps in capabilities. Now, with losses in war, Ukraine needs Western big ticket items and help in restoring its weapon production capacity.
Not to be too cynical, but I assume this land transfer--with state appropriations that can, among other things, "be used to buy land with recreational opportunities ..."--is almost certainly linked to building a tribal casino.
Russia is suffering mounting casualties in its invasion of Ukraine. I suspect that non-Russians are suffering disproportionate losses. This may mute ethnic Russian opposition to the war in the major European cities. But it may push those ethnic regions whose men are dying to separate from Moscow to varying degrees to avoid future wars for Moscow.
At this point I assume that masked, marching Nazis are actually Democratic Party operatives until proven otherwise. They're just too convenient for Democrats to scare their voters into remaining loyal. The fact that no Antifa or BLM outfits attacked them would indicate that they are fake, if you ask me. Nazis are not "everywhere." If they were, real Nazis wouldn't hide their identities. FFS.
He could be right about a looming Black Day for the Russian army. I've long assumed it is vulnerable to that. But Russia has been given so much time that I worry that the time has passed for that outcome, considering Ukrainian military power. Still, is recent increased Ukrainian progress a sign that progress could accelerate dramatically? But the author is absolutely right that offering concessions to Russia--before negotiations even begin!--to save it from the folly of its invasion is foolish.
America is paying attention to the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean again.
