Welcome to Saturday's Potluck - 12-10-2022
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso
Morning.
If you have not had a chance to watch the video recommended by a couple of C99 members this week Soryang and Pluto's Republic, please take the time.
If time is short, start 43 minutes into the conversation where our evolving policies on China show a sharp split between The State Department and Pentagon regarding China policy. It helps bring clarity to the continual shifting of focus of international relations.
China's "Century of Humiliation" & US-Chinese Tensions Today w/Carl Zha (1 hr 15 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghdKUaxyByY]
US building a missile wall in the Pacific Asia Times December 8, 2022
First part of article is an excited description of various missile systems and plans to use on China. Ends with the major stumbling block - no country is offering to put their territory and citizens at risk of retaliatory bombing for US dreams of total control.
The US Pacific Deterrence Initiative envisages creating a precision strike network in the First Island Chain spanning Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines and an integrated air and missile defense network in the Second Island Chain.
Reluctant alliesHowever, this strategy has its pitfalls. A 2022 study by RAND Corporation notes that finding a US partner willing to host missile systems such as the Typhon is far more challenging than looking for partners looking to host other types of US military presence, such as air and naval bases.
It says it is doubtful that the Philippines, Thailand or South Korea would be willing to host US ground-based long-range missile systems and that Australia and Japan would be less reluctant to do so, albeit marginally.
The report notes that the Philippines’ unpredictability as an ally, Thailand’s efforts to build better ties with China, and South Korea’s susceptibility to Chinese pressure make them partners unwilling or sub-optimal choices for hosting the Typhon.
Likewise, Australia’s distance from China and public reluctance to get dragged into a conflict are strong reasons against the deployment of the Typhon.
Similarly, Japan’s long-standing reluctance to host explicitly offensive capabilities is a strong argument against the probability of hosting such systems.
The rumours last summer appear to be true. US will destroy Taiwan if necessary to control China.
US mulls scorched earth strategy for Taiwan Asia Times December 6, 2022
The US is mulling disabling or destroying Taiwan’s semiconductor factories in the event of a Chinese invasion. This stark change raises questions about its capabilities and commitment to defend the island.
At the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Grand Strategy Summit last month, former US national security adviser Ambassador Robert O’Brien suggested that the US might destroy Taiwan’s semiconductor factories in the event of a Chinese invasion, as reported by Army Technology.
“If China takes Taiwan and takes those factories intact – which I don’t think we would ever allow – they have a monopoly over chips the way OPEC has a monopoly or even more than the way OPEC has a monopoly over oil,” O’Brien said.
In addition, as reported by Bloomberg in October, the US may be planning to evacuate the island’s semiconductor engineers in the event of a Chinese invasion. The source says unnamed US officials said that accelerated preparations had been made for an action plan to evacuate such skilled personnel to the US in the worst-case scenario.
...
This scorched-earth strategy is a considerable departure from the porcupine strategy espoused by Taiwanese and US defense officials. Instead of deterring a Chinese invasion by raising the prospect of unacceptable casualties, a scorched-earth strategy could destroy Taiwan’s strategic and economic value to dissuade China from pursuing forceful military reunification.
...
Thus the erosion of US conventional deterrence, China’s military modernization, and pitfalls of strategic ambiguity suggest that a scorched-earth strategy is a tacit admission that the US cannot defend Taiwan through military means.Further, implementing a scorched-earth strategy may fail, for multiple reasons.
In a November 2020 interview with Global Times, former KMT chairman Hung Hsiu-chu noted that most Taiwanese will not be able to stomach the idea of Taiwan ending up as scorched earth. Hung also chastised hawkish factions advocating such strategy as having never lived through war, sticking to wishful thinking about US assistance, and profiteering from human suffering.
Also, Taiwanese leaders would not want to destroy the island’s semiconductor industry, as it would lose a powerful bargaining tool to manage the complex interests of the US and China. In a March 2021 article for The Strategist, Elena Yi-Ching Ho noted the strategic importance of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to the US and its allies and said that despite China’s push for self-reliance, it still depends on Taiwan for its own needs.
Ho said the strategic importance of TSMC should give the US and China pause to think, as both would stand to lose with its destruction.
In addition, a scorched-earth strategy might not deter China from pushing for reunification with Taiwan. The Chinese State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office noted in a December 2021 article that “the mainland’s pursuit of cross-Strait reunification is definitely not for TSMC,” hinting at a myopic reasoning of using a scorched-earth strategy for deterrence.
Taiwan more important than Ukraine – US senator Russia Times December 8, 2022
US Republican Senator Josh Hawley has called on the State Department to rush weapons to Taiwan instead of Ukraine, arguing that the island is “more important for US national interests.” Hawley has also previously suggested that Washington's aid money for Kiev would be better spent at home.
...
In October, Republican Senator-elect JD Vance claimed that Taiwan is more important to the US than Ukraine, citing its semiconductor industry, which represents two-thirds of global production.
Taiwan and Vietnam have contentious overlapping claims of territory in the South China Sea.
Taipei rejects Hanoi labeling military exercise as ‘illegal’ December 4, 2022
Taipei on Friday rejected Hanoi’s characterization of its recent live-fire drill near Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) as “illegal,” saying that Taiwan’s claim to the small island in the South China Sea was “unquestionable.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement that the comments made by its Vietnamese counterpart about the military’s routine live-fire drills near Itu Aba on Tuesday were “unacceptable.”
Earlier on Friday, Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang called Taiwan’s military activity “a serious violation of Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty,” saying it had caused tensions and complicated the situation in the region.
China simply keeps on doing what it believes is best for them. Time will tell how significant Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia was to the shifting world balance.
Xi Inks Tens Of Billions In Deals With Saudis, From Huawei Cloud-Computing To Expanded Military Ties ZeroHedge Dec 8, 2022
Among the commercial deals made, one name that featured prominently is sure to raise eyebrows in Washington, given the blanket ban and years-long controversy in the states: Huawei. Among the over $29 billion in agreements signed, The Wall Street Journal reports the Saudis are "setting up a Huawei cloud-computing region, building an electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia and supplying green hydrogen batteries for a futuristic smart city the prince wants to build."
,,,
Little in the way of official statements fully detailing the process of the discussions and joint agreements have been issued as talks with Xi and his top aides have occurred entirely behind closed palace doors.The WSJ continues, "Missing from the leaders’ public statements was any mention of the more controversial aspects of a relationship that have raised the hackles of U.S. officials—such as advanced military sales, expansion of 5G and 6G telecommunications networks and pricing some Saudi oil sales in yuan, which accelerated this year."
Among other areas of cooperation include urban development, housing construction, high tech complexes, as well as health, environmental, and energy-saving building projects, all related to the Saudi Vision 2030 and Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
What is on your mind today?
Comments
I watched the Century of humiliation last week too
...and it was very informative, providing an historical backdrop to the situation today.
Xi has been making all kind of alliances in the ME and around the global south. I think we're witnessing the slow death of the petrodollar, but we'll see. The BRI is an alliance builder. Sadly our US goal is destruction not construction.
Bought gas today for $2.47/gallon, best price for awhile.
“Georgia drivers continue to see savings at the pump,” said Montrae Waiters, AAA-The Auto Club Group spokeswoman. “Suspension of the state gas tax of 29.1 cents per gallon and low demand are the top factors contributing to low gas prices in the state.”
Living on the state line has its advantages.
Thanks for the OT and have a great weekend!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Wow on the gas prices in Georgia
Last I paid was $4.69
Locally average price was $4.11. Ironically per the AAA map the west coast are Red states and the South are blue states.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
From a personal standpoint,
it's been a rough month or so. I've experienced quite a bit of theft.
Not of stuff. Hel, before someone needs to steal it, ask me and I'll be happy to get rid of it. I've been jettisoning stuff for the last few years as I transition into apartment living. My wife and I loved getting furniture and fittings that were way more than we had imagined. But that was then, this is now. Nobody cares anymore. Oh well, just a different issue.
What's been stolen from me is my quality of life, being able to control my situation. Example: M$FT under the guise of "fixing" my tablet PC I use while traveling has made it unusable for my normal functions. They deleted drivers, like for my transparency scanner or my camera interface, that I had gotten ages ago. And then they had the audacity to tell me what they deleted. And if I grovelled enough at their company store they'd let me "buy" a replacement -- as if there were one, which there ain't.
Oh, the fix was pretty hairy because it was a result of my having to rip it apart to replace the battery. Had to order parts, take the tablet apart and try to shove my size 8 fingers into size 2 spaces without breaking anything. But it worked!!!
Hah, jokes on the lego coder crowd at micropoopy... my MSFT account went away also. My Win10 license works but they don't know who I am anymore. And I'm not going to tell them. Anyway, that tablet is now nothing more than an anonymous browsing machine. I'm now working to convert a couple of old android phones to be a business browser -- anonymous again. Without the SIM card I can't do a cell network but it'll still do wifi.
As far as my Win7 machines... from my cold dead hands.
On the bright side, I dodged the apartment manager cabals and found a nice place that hasn't been caught with the Faustian bargain. BTW, that cabal also does HOAs. I cut that cord also.
Just like I cut the Comcast cord.... now they want their email IDs back cause they think I'm freeloading. Can't have those POP3 protocols. They can't do their cloudy stuff unless it's IMAP.
So, I haven't corrected any of these things, just reconciled them.
Maybe next time I'll rant about our gubmint crooks who think they somehow own the commons and can hand it out to their buddies.
Here in the Tri-cities: Who ordered the snow?
Rant off. Have a wonderful day, please.
Added on edit: Chrome has been nagging me for the last week or two that if I don't get Win10 ID's for my Win7 machines they'll take away my decoder ring. I think Google and M$FT share customers in their stores.
Nickle and dime us with new subscriptions and
one time expenses to continue functionality after "trial period".
It is becoming harder and harder to find a place to live without excessive rules by rental management companies or Home Owners Associations. For those of us who have lived in our won homes for awhile it is surprising the restrictions and demands being placed for most lodging choices.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
I try to avoid the trial business
as much as possible. I've been finding few functions that I need to add as I wind down. Oh I've seen some apps that might make things a little easier for me but I've found very few that don't have some gadgetry that just gets in the way. Or has some marketing hook in it.
You are so right, the nickel dime fees shoved into regular stuff that we need is the real killer. Unavoidable and I think are usually just the owner class passing on their cost of doing business to the customer. Those things that were perks and selling points 20 years ago, like a nicely maintained grilling area or attractive landscaping are now a fee passed on to me. Yep, it's even a line item. And, to add insult to the injury, a subcontractor is given a contract by the property manager (who is also a subcontractor for the owner) to maintain the myriad fees which are then collected by a different subcontractor (RentCafe?) who is responsible for the money transactions. Who also charges a different fee -- but wait! They give us a gumdrop by letting us go into a Walmart and stand in line at the service counter to pay our rent.
I spent yesterday afternoon lining up my necessaries to start my new apt. All went well and then I got burned by the insurance. Progressive decided to make my life easier by merging my renter's computer processing into the auto computer system and -- Tada! -- make it work as a cell interface.
Oops... no function I could find that lets me adjust or add a new renter policy. I'm really afaid to bring up my need for an overlap period. I know that GenZ lego coder won't understand why that's important. He's probably celebrating his bonus for linking in a QR code.
Please don't get me started on QR codes.
Fun times.
As far as my Win7 machines... from my cold dead hands.
Yup. I may try to add Linux to my Win7 machine but if memory serves, did MS change Win7 to make it next to impossible to add Linux for a dual boot?
The good news is that Win7 has a wall
that we, the real owner of the computer, can keep standing. M$FT really hates that wall cause it gets in their way.
Hence their push for Win10 and 11. It makes sure we, the real owner, can't have some freedums. We have to be vigilant -- microsoft is like herpes. Always wash our hands and avoid dangerous neighborhoods -- like Edge.
Much of the world would probably
Like to see the USA vanish or be destroyed. I have wondered what keeps them from getting together to get rid of us. I guess they are working on it, slowly but surely.
US was the mythical country of future prosperity and
individual freedom. Most of our citizenry believed we were on a path to a better future and shared the vision with the world. It allowed us to ignore the the small spots of rot and signs of growth along internal fraction lines. Some of those fracture lines of ideology trace back to 1600's and various waves of immigration.
The burden of our dysfunction is forcing the world to separate from the US. The concept of a government responsive to its citizens seems to have moved to other parts of the world. Our future will depend on if we can selfheal once we are not able to distract ourselves by trying to micromanage the rest of the world. Maybe I should say Universe.
SpaceX's First Moon Mission Will Include Japanese Billionaire And DJ Steve Aoki
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
That’s the Japan the makers of the movie “Contact” had in mind
when they sited the billionaire industrialist S.R. Hadden’s secret project, a duplicate of the U.S. government one built from alien blueprints, in Hokkaido…
The United states has pretty much nothing to
offer any state or coalition or organization except the trappings of "good will". The US is a rogue state, an aggressor, and a thief. What we hold out to our "allies" is that we will 1) refrain from overtly or covertly, directly or indirectly, waging military, economic or political war(s) upon them. We will not subvert their government, foment unrest, coups or revolutions, provoke proxy wars against them, wage economic war against them, kidnap and or assassinate their people or invade them.
2) concomitantly we will allow them to use our currency and clearinghouses without fear that we will seize or blockade their funds
That's all, we will commit no crimes or acts of war against them, beyond that, we offer nothing and the ROW is beginning to learn this and to get fed up with it.
be well and have a good one
edits - fix typos, etc.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
sums up the situation, nothing to add n/t
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
That describes the Protection Policy
...that Mafia bosses offered shopkeepers and small businesses in the big city neighborhoods that they controlled. They offered protection from themselves and limited protection from rival Mafia gangs in adjacent neighborhoods. All the while, the endless war for supremacy among Mafia bosses raged on.
The geopolitical Protection Racket of the US has ultimately bloomed into the threat we can all sense. When local law enforcement becomes intoxicated with power and escapes from civilian control, it transforms into a rogue entity. This type of local corruption is not uncommon anywhere in the world, and there are deepening problems until it is reigned in. However, at a global scale, the Protection Racket describes the evolutionary path of the US Military Industrial Complex, which now incorporates the State Department and the Intelligence services. Neither Democracy nor elections can affect this entity. It is a self-organizing Blackbox that commands trillions of dollars in Protection fees from the US, through the Pentagon budget — a budget that defies auditing. This entity creates life-destroying and planet-destroying weapons, which are then leveraged to gain supreme control over all people and all nations of the world.
Let us view it as it views itself:
Right now in the present moment, we are witnessing the final proving grounds of a rogue strategy to achieve final global supremacy. Moving forward in time, much of the world will be sacrificed to climate change so that the post-national powerful, who are at the helm of this strategy, can live in safety while the labor forces of their affiliates and allies exploit the planet's remaining resources. The objectives of these final battles are not about oil and currencies. These battles are about quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and the chips that make them possible.
Bottom line.
The Chinese are attempting to socialize these powers across the majority of nations. The West is attempting to capture these powers and weaponize them against the have-nots. We the People have been made blind to these issues and therefore do not have a voice in this final battle. We are still voting, unsuccessfully, for small changes in domestic matters.
IMAGINE if you woke up the day after a US Presidential Election and headlines around the the world blared, "The Majority of Americans Refused to Vote in US Presidential Election! What Does this Mean?"
Here is a bit of humor showing the darkside
Have a nice day and enjoy
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
Thanks for stopping by and injecting some humor n/t
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
This complete series was just posted in the last 24 hours
The arrangement is a format similar to a class lecture series for understanding new knowledge.
Dr. Michael VlahosMichael Vlahos and Douglas Magcregor meet in the library of the illustrious Army-Navy Club, Washington, D.C., the Imperial City, to reflect on the war in Ukraine.
Dr. Michael Vlahos & Col. Douglas Macgregor: Is the war in Ukraine entering its decisive phase? Pt.1 (50:30 min)
Dr. Michael Vlahos & Col. Douglas Macgregor: Why NATO strategic failure? A war of deceit, denial Pt2 (44:27 min)
Michael Vlahos & Douglas Macgregor What is to be done? Can a corrupted US military be renewed? Pt.3 (29 min)
Yes, I am as tired of writing about war and conflict as you are reading the articles and listening to videos. It is just seems necessary to be prepared for the future events heading our way.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Moon of Alabama has a comprehensive view of the Ukraine
situation.
It is worth following the link in order to be informed.
the regular writings on the site and from the
participants have greatly increased my understanding of the ongoing day to day activities. Thanks for adding the link for everyone to use. Today's article includes maps. US and NATO leaders have a lot of blood on their hands from their continual push to continue the conflict.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good selection of links
@studentofearth I had already encountered all but one of the links. I had posted a few of these same articles at JPR.
I think Kishida is receptive to the offensive strike capability with tomahawk cruise missiles. Some of the rest of his party is not too keen on the increased cost of the larger proposed defense budgets because it implies a tax increase. I don't think the general Japanese public will be receptive to land based offensive missiles. They weren't receptive to Aegis ashore either. Maybe Kishida thinks he can force this on Okinawans. The so called Indo-Pacific strategy originated with Abe and is embraced by the factions on the right in the LDP. I can't help but think that Kishida is receptive to the aggressive US posture toward Taiwan.
Is there anything that Yoon Seok-yeol won't do for the US and Japan? The South Korean public will not be receptive to longer ranged US missile systems in South Korea. Neither will China. Yoon has completed disregarded Moon Jae-in's promises to China after the THAAD missile debacle. He simply does whatever the US wants. He's embraced the Indo-Pacific strategy, Taiwan Straits security etc. He's a corrupt fool who has absolutely no idea what he is doing.
The deployment of more longer ranged offensive systems around China will not result in better security for participating states. Escalation of the arms race there will cause further tensions and danger of war. The US elites think that some technological fix or new tact is going to solve the relative decline of US power in Asia.
Yoon obsequiously following the US lead has completely undermined the Singapore summit understandings with North Korea. If Taiwan embraces long ranged cruise missiles it could be the end of the DPP for national offices.
I have written a three part analysis of US-Japanese plans to "strangle China" as the Forbes put it, which included an opinion on Taiwan's claim to an EEZ in the South China Sea based on its possession of Itu Abu.
https://civilizationdiscontents.blogspot.com/2020/08/part-ii-us-japanese...
Taiwan's Claim to a South China Sea EEZ.
https://civilizationdiscontents.blogspot.com/2020/08/taiwans-claim-to-so...
語必忠信 行必正直
Very little general public articles and books discuss the
importance of marine exclusive economic zones in international waters. Thank you for bringing expertise to the subject.
Taiwan's Claim to a South China Sea EEZ.
P.S. - Any diaries written on historical or current activities in Asia would be appreciated on the site. Different voices bring new perspectives.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
CIA operations to cover up U.S. germ warfare in the Korean War
may well have included more than a little “wet work.”
https://jeff-kaye.medium.com/secret-plan-revealed-cia-told-to-destroy-th...
Also, four minutes of truth about the Ukraine war aired on Fox News, of all places:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/4-minutes-undiluted-truth-mainstream-tv/58...
And: having passed the fourscore-years milestone, NYCVG announces the winding-down of their participation in online life due to advancing glaucoma:
https://www.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/zgycxh/eightys_enougha_pr...