Paying in cash vs. paying in blood

Posted: November 27, 2021 by ng36b in News/opinion, Uncomfortable Truths, war
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One of the major differences between the influence that China wields verses the former Soviet Union relates to China’s use of monetary incentives. The US and British defectors that sold nuclear, diplomatic and other state secrets to the Russians from the 40’s until the Soviet Union collapsed were not normally paid a lot of money. Only four ever made over $1 million, and those were only the ones that sold out significant secrets, such as Aldrich Ames identifying nearly ever top US recruit in major Soviet institutions. Most of these turncoats were motivated by ideology. They truly believed in the Soviet Union, right up to the end, and were quite willing to give our enemies secrets for cheap.

China is different. You don’t have to subscribe to China’s idealogy to be on their doll. China willingly flexes its financial muscles to buy people off. Even worse, China is happy to do this quite blazenly and openly. There isn’t a more perfect example then Hollywood right now. Did you notice the nod to China in the movie Midway? Or the pandering by actors like John Cena to Chinese audiences? Sure, maybe some of these people really believe that China is better than the US, but likely most are simply gold digging, and China offers lots of gold for those that toe the line.

This is coming to a head in the Solomon Islands right now, in this week’s very underreported story. Riots (not of the “mostly peaceful” variety) are happening in the Solomon Islands, an island nation that most Americans only remember from a World War 2 battle on the island of Guadalcanal. Located just north of Australia, the Solomon Islands operated in Australia’s sphere of influence for a long time. Australia provided government support and significant economic investment in mining, forestry and other areas. In exchange, the Solomon Islands were relatively peaceful, at least with their neighboring countries.

That has changed though. Manasseh Sogavare, the current Prime Minister, oversaw the end of the Australian mission to the Solomons in 2017. Not long after, the Solomon Islands stopped recognizing Taiwan and instead recognized the PRC. Almost immediately, Australian investments started to disappear, with Chinese firms replacing them. Everything from gold mines to logging is focused on, or has been purchased by, China. Heck, even China state run media says the Solomon Islands will be a Chinese hub soon.

The point here is China is building its empire with cash. When Japan attempted to invade a large portion of the Pacific, it ultimately lost because it was difficult to pacify that large of a population. Germany had the same struggles, losing significant numbers of troops in the post-invasion peace keeping operations in places like Poland and the former Yugoslavia. China avoids paying in blood for its conquests by simply throwing cash at the problem. Buy off a government, and they’ll let you take their resources via debt diplomacy. What’s not to love? You get what you want without having to use your military power.

If war comes to the Pacific, China won’t need to pull a Pearl Harbor moment to capture territory like the Japanese did in WW2. Instead, we will be the ones paying in blood to recapture territory and resources China simply purchased outright. Sadly, we will likely be seen as invaders, and will suffer the same consequences Germany and Japan did during WW2.

This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or any other government agency. You can support the author by reading and rating his books on Amazon, and with Christmas coming, every little bit helps!

The Nirvana of Nothing

Posted: November 27, 2021 by datechguy in Uncategorized

Today is day two of seven straight days where I’m working during our busy season which begins Black Friday.

In the morning I figured I’d take a look at Amazon for things to pick up and asked the wife about a few things and it suddenly hit me.

I’ve reached the age where I need nothing.

I’ve got my home, I’ve got may family. I keep up with my bills as best I can, but there really isn’t anything that I’ve got to have.

Yeah occasionally I pick up a movie on Amazon when it drops to $5 (the latest being the Ghost and Mrs. Muir) and yeah I like my Dynasty baseball but when it comes down to it, there is no thing I really am dying to have and if I need something I just pick it up.

Do I have as much as a lot of others? No. Am I likely going to be a lot more than what I am? Unlikely. But I’ve got my wife, my sons and God willing there will be grandchildren before I die.

All those things I don’t have don’t matter, I’m content, where I am.

It strikes me that this is a state that people have wished to reach for all of the time they have existed.

I’m really lucky

Sports Thoughts Under the Fedora: Sad Lions, Empty Halls, LeBron, Mac and Peng

Posted: November 26, 2021 by datechguy in Sports

You have to feel a bit bad for the Detroit Lions. They always play on Thanksgiving and they always lose on Thanksgiving and this year they lead for the entire 4th quarter until the final second of the game.

How does a team stay that bad for that long?

The Baseball hall of fame didn’t vote anyone in. Bonds and Clements lost out because of steroids’ and Curt Schilling the top vote getter lost out for being conservative.

The irony of course is that both Bonds and Clemens had HOF careers before the allegedly started juicing. As for Curt is is the type of pitcher that wins you championships but sports writers are notoriously on the left so they’ll leave him out without a question.

I have two simple Hall of Fame tests either one in my opinion qualifies or disqualifies a person, when they conflict I can go either way.

  1. If you have to think if a person belongs in the Hall of Fame, then they don’t belong.
  2. The single best test if a person belongs in the HOF is if you were afraid of (vs your team) or wanted him there(when on your team)at bat, pitching or fielding with the game on the line.

By rule two all of them belong in, by rule on Bonds and Clemens certainly do

Was talking to a friend who hates the Lebron stuff. He no longer follows basketball and blames it’s fall not on LeBron but on Jordan.

He says that Jordan changed the game to the degree that everyone wants to be him but they don’t seem to have his nature. It’s all about themselves.

Basketball has become a most selfish sport.

Here in New England there is a serious case of Big Mac fever. The Patriots’ five game winning streak has gone to people’s heads. It’s easy to forget that all five games where against weaker teams, in fact on one station five weeks ago one of the hosts specifically noted that these last five weeks were a chance for the team to climb back into the mix.

Now people are seriously talking superbowl again.

The NFL would love it but I wouldn’t put a whole lot of money on that myself.

Finally I’ve very proud of the international Tennis organization who is not standing still when it comes to Peng Shuai and China.

Many other organizations, such as the NBA and the IOC would have folded, they did not.

Cowardice is contagious but so is courage. That’s what they’re so afraid of.

The Pilgrims nearly starved to death thanks to their experiment with Socialism

Posted: November 25, 2021 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
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Thanksgiving 2021 offers many parallels to events and conditions that led up the first Thanksgiving.  Rampant inflation and supply chain problems have led to the most expensive Thanksgiving ever, by a wide margin, along with shortages of traditional Thanksgiving staples.

This is a bit reminiscent of conditions in Plymouth Plantation leading up to the first Thanksgiving, where about half of the colonists starved to death that first year.  Check out this article, John Stossel: Thanksgiving – What the pilgrims knew about socialism and private property, for details and an explanation.

The Pilgrims were religious, united by faith and a powerful desire to start anew, away from religious persecution in the Old World. Each member of the community professed a desire to labor together, on behalf of the whole settlement. In other words: socialism. But when they tried that, the Pilgrims almost starved.

Their collective farming — the whole community deciding when and how much to plant, when to harvest, who would do the work — was an inefficient disaster. “By the spring,” Pilgrim leader William Bradford wrote in his diary, “our food stores were used up and people grew weak and thin. Some swelled with hunger… So they began to think how … they might not still thus languish in misery.”

Socialism nearly did in the Pilgrims, as it could do us in if we continue on the path the Biden regime has set us on.  A rapid course change to freedom and private property by the first governor of the Plymouth colony not only saved the colony from starvation, it led to abundance and prosperity.  This miracle is chronicled here in the manuscript William Bradford: from History of Plymouth Plantation, c. 1650 in the section Private and communal farming (1623)

All this while no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other thing to go on in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number, for that end, only for present use (but made no division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some family. This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression.

The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato’s and other ancients applauded by some of later times; and that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For the young men, that were most able and fit for labor and service, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought injustice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalized in labors and victuals, clothes etc., with the meaner and younger sort, thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And for men’s wives to be commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could many husbands well brook it. Upon the point all being to have alike, and all to do alike, they thought themselves in the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have been worse if they had been men of another condition. Let none object this is men’s corruption, and nothing to the course itself. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in His wisdom saw another course fitter for them.

A return to freedom, private property, and free market capitalism will very rapidly return the United States to its true glory as the freest and most prosperous nation that ever existed.

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