Generational Dynamics World View News

[FishbellykanakaDude]

"Adams Law of Slow-Moving Disasters"

Adams is drowning in self delusion. He is useless. And, he is already; he just doesn't know it.

He is already "what"? Useless?

Useless to whom? Well, to you, obviously,.. so, how are you more "useful"?

But then, what is it to be "useful"? I consider Adams useful for his humor and somewhat "bent" perspective.

You might be useful, for your humor and perspective, but I don't know yours. I can find his.

Perhaps you should make your views of things more easy to find?

..perhaps not?

[FishbellykanakaDude]

Smallest possible Government, please? Thanks, and can I get an iced-tea real quick-like, 'cuz I'm rather thirsty. Thanks again.

• "The enemy here is the state, because by aggrandizing to itself the power to tell people how to live, people put all of the blame on a far-off government in Washington — or even more distant “globalists” — for their problems. Federalism, part of the forgotten portions of the Bill of Rights, is the only system that lets the most people live the way they want to live, in communities they have power to influence and direct. In a real community, there are no faceless “powers that be.” There’s Phil and Sarah, or even Mom and Dad.
  
  And the glorious thing about this kind of pluralism — i.e., for communities, not just individuals — is that if the community you’re living in isn’t conducive to your notion of happiness or virtue, you can move somewhere that is. We want more institutions that give us a sense of meaning and belonging, not a state that promises to deliver all of it for you."

https://www.nationalreview.com/g-file/l ... al-review/

[John]

** 01-Jun-2019 Kim Yong-chol

> Kim Yong-chol has reported not been executed. He is a notorious
> army general who was supposedly behind the sinking of a South
> Korean warship in 2010. He was most likely a security threat to
> KJU. He has been sent to a labor camp.

> North Korea is a void to most people, even the South Korean
> intelligence services.

> I agree with most of what you write, and I think you might even be
> correct in regards to the panic in the North Korean
> government. The North is not a normal country.

And so, continuing with this speculation, if Kim Yong-chol was/is a
security threat to Kim Jong-un, then he must have the backing of other
army officers. So why send him to labor camp instead of executing
him? Perhaps as a warning to others because a labor camp is a worse
punishment than death.

[John]

** 01-Jun-2019 World View: Saudi Arabia and Qatar may be close to unifying against Iran

The last three days in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, have seen joint summit
meetings of three Sunni organizations -- the Gulf Coordination Council
(GCC), the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC). The three summits were calledon an emergency basis by Saudi
Arabia, in response to bombing attacks on Sunday, May 12, on four
Saudi oil tankers in UAE's Fujairah port. Iran denies responsibility,
but the Saudis claim to have proof that Iran was responsible.

What's possibly most significant about the meeting is that the prime
minister of Qatar attended the meeting and that, furthermore, he shook
hands with both King Salman and Crown Prince Salman.

It's been two years since Saudi Arabia, joined by United Arab Emirates
(UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, broke relations with Qatar and imposed an
air, sea and land blockade on Qatar. I've never fully understood the
reason for that blockade, but apparently the core of the disagreement
is related to Arab tribal differences that go back to World War I and
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Saudi Arabia accused Qatar of
supporting terrorism by the Muslim Brotherhood and by Iran.

Since then, there has been no sign that the blockade would be lifted.
There was no talk of lifting the blockade at the three-day summit
meeting, but the mere fact that Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Abdullah
bin Nasser Al-Thani attended the meeting at all is being taken as
a sign that a reconciliation might be possible.

At the very least, the bombing of the four Saudi oil tankers in UAE's
Fujairah port seems to have united the Arab countries against Iran for
the first time in years.

As long-time readers are aware, and as I've written many times,
Generational Dynamics predicts that the Mideast is headed for a major
regional war refighting the 1948 war between Jews and Arabs that
followed the partitioning of Palestine and the creation of the state
of Israel. The war will also pit Sunnis versus Shias, and various
ethnic groups against each other.Generational Dynamics predicts that
in the approaching Clash of Civilizations world war, the "axis" of
China, Pakistan and the Sunni Muslim countries will be pitted against
the "allies," the US, India, Russia and Iran.

---- Sources:

-- Saudi Arabia says reconciliation with Qatar possible if 'right
path' is followed
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saud ... h-followed
(Middle East Eye, 31-May-2019)

-- Iran rejects Saudi Arabia's 'baseless' allegations at Arab summit
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/ ... 14467.html
(Al-Jazeera, 31-May-2019)

-- PM's presence at Makkah (Mecca) summits shows Qatar's keenness for
peace in region
https://www.gulf-times.com/story/632875 ... -in-region
(Gulf-Times, Qatar, 30-May-2019)

-- Kuwait Emir: GCC summit didn’t address end to Qatar embargo
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190 ... r-embargo/
(Middle East Monitor, 1-Jun-2019)

-- Saudi FM: Gulf solution possible if Qatar returns to 'right path'
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/ ... 45299.html
(Al-Jazeera, 31-May-2019)

-- Mecca summit supports Palestinians, backs Saudis in Iran standoff
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/ ... 21981.html
(Al-Jazeera, 1-Jun-2019)



---- Related

*** 16-May-2019 World View: Mideast tensiions grow after attacks attributed to Iran
http://gdxforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... 656#p45656

** 4-Dec-18 World View -- Qatar withdraws from Saudi Arabia-led OPEC
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ ... tm#e181204


** 6-Jun-17 World View -- Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations cut ties with Qatar in new Mideast crisis
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ ... tm#e170606

[Burner Prime]

Thinking about the US China trade "war". Read some interesting tidbit on a blog about how China is buying record amounts of pork from the US due to their domestic pig population being decimated by African Swine Flu.

This got me thinking about who really has the leverage in the trade dispute. Short answer: pretty sure it's not China. Despite what the MSM says to try to throw shade at Trump, I don't think US consumers will suffer much other than reducing their gluttonous consumption a bit.

This Forbes article describes the top 10 things we buy from each other:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/ ... a3e4c25f70

Besides pork, China spends a lot on core goods, things it really needs in order to keep their manufacturing machine going.
The US spends a lot on clothes and consumer electronics. The items that stood out to me are computers and telecom. This is something most people and government wouldn't do well without. All the other stuff would not make too much a dent; it wouldn't be the end of the world if fat Americans couldn't buy some excessive clothes to fill their bursting closets.

Two major computer component manufacturers in the world are TSMC, and Foxconn located in Taiwan. TSMC makes a wide variety of top quality printed circuits and chips. There is little doubt Taiwan already supplies the US military and consumer manufacturers with those vital components. This got me thinking about the recent adjustments to our policy stance with regard to Taiwan. The US Navy has made many more passages through the Taiwan Strait than usual to send a signal to China that we will not sit idly by and allow any Chinese adventures into Formosa.

In addition, Taiwan is taking up the slack for any shortages produced by Trump's tariffs:
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3713908

Clearly Taiwan can be considered a very important asset to the West in the case of a full-on trade war, or even a real war.

Chinese rhetoric heated up today regarding Taiwan:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia ... SKCN1T300X
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/artic ... ms-opposed

[Guest]

On the U.S. side, a senior State Department official, during a forum last month in Washington, warned of a deepening confrontation with China that she cast in something close to racial terms.

In the Cold War with the Soviet Union, said Kiron Skinner, the State Department’s director of policy planning, Washington at least faced fellow Caucasians, whereas with Beijing, Washington faces a nonwhite culture.

“In China we have an economic competitor, we have an ideological competitor, one that really does seek a kind of global reach, that many of us didn’t expect a couple of decades ago,” Skinner said. “And I think it’s also striking that this is the first time that we will have a great-power competitor that is not Caucasian.”

AND someone besides me finally says there is a racial component to all this. And just think, I thought it was just white males that caused trouble...

https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na- ... story.html

[John]

** 02-Jun-2019 Taiwan exports replacing China to avoid tariffs

> Thinking about the US China trade "war".

That's a great analysis, and thorough, thank you.

[John]

** 02-Jun-2019 World View: China prepares for June 4 anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre

• Iconic photo of 'tank man' - student blocking row of tanks in
  Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989

Tuesday is the 30th anniversary of June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square
massacre of thousands of peacefully protesting pro-democracy students.

The protests were a seminal moment for the Chinese Communist Party
(CCP), because it showed that democracy, rather than "communism" was
increasingly the ideology of choice for young people, especially
because of Mao Zedong's disastrous communist policies that resulted in
deaths of millions of Chinese people by starvation, execution, and
riots in the disastrous Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.

This caused the CCP to launch a vitriolic nationalist hate campaign
against Japan, to divert the calls for more democracy. That
anti-Japan hate campaign is close to reaching a climax today, as China
prepares to launch a war with Japan.

At the same time, the CCP launched a policy of violence against
Western religions, including Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. This
is also reaching a climax in the last couple of years, as the CCP is
committing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Muslim Uighers, destroying
Christian and Buddhist churches and temples, and jailing and torturing
anyone who prays to Jesus or to anyone except Xi Jinping.

Since 1989, the CCP has harshly cracked down on any mention of the
Tiananmen Square massacre in public, in the media, or on the internet.
In recent weeks, as the anniversary date is approaching, the communist
censors have been working overtime to scrub all the social media sites
of anything that references the massacre even obliquely. The same CCP
that's terrified of the cartoon character Winnie the Pooh because he
looks like Xi Jinping is even more terrified of any mention of the
Tiananmen Square massacre. Anyone in China who mentions the massacre
risks being abducted and thrown into a pit by the CCP goons.

The Tiananmen Square massacre is discussed frequently in the West, of
course, much to the annoyance of the CCP. They're particularly
furious that the "Tank Man" picture shown above, which showed a
college student confronting a convoy of army tanks, appears in Western
media constantly. Incidentally, the identity of Tank Man is still not
publicly known today. In the actual event, which was recorded on
video, two of his college friends ran out into the street, grabbed
him, and pulled him back into the crowd, and safety.

So it was a big surprise on Sunday when China'a foreign minister Wei
Fenghe not only admitted that the massacre had taken place, but said
that it was the "correct" policy. Wei was speaking at a regional
security meeting in Singapore known as the "Shangri La Dialogue." Wei
was asked a question about the massacre, and the usual practice would
have been to say it was all Western propaganda, blah, blah, blah.

But Wei Fenghe because furious at the question and shouted:

"Everybody is concerned about Tiananmen after 30
years.

Throughout the 30 years, China under the Communist Party has
undergone many changes - do you think the government was wrong
with the handling of June Fourth? There was a conclusion to that
incident. The government was decisive in stopping the turbulence.

That incident was a political turbulence and the central
government took measures to stop the turbulence which is a correct
policy.

Due to this, China has enjoyed stability, and if you visit China
you can understand that part of history."

Reports indicate that there is no mention of this outburst in the
Chinese media. It's not clear whether Wei's outburst was planned, or
whether he simply lost his temper.

Saying that the massacre was necessary for China's stability is the
usual CCP fantasy. There are always massive demonstrations in
Washington by feminists, blacks, and other activist groups, and next
week there will be large anti-Trump demonstrations in London. But
it's laughable to think that calling out the tanks to massacre
peaceful feminist, blacks, or Trump haters would increase stability.
It's only from the Chinese that we hear ridiculous nonsense like that.

Also at the same meeting, Wei Fenghe made the usual threats about
annexing Taiwan and the South China Sea by military force.

----- Sources:

-- Wei Fenghe / Tiananmen crackdown was justified: China
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/tiana ... 51toe.html
(Reuters, 2-Jun-2019)

-- Wei Fenghe / China says Tiananmen crackdown was 'correct' policy
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... ect-policy
(AFP, 2-Jun-2019)

-- Wei Fenghe / Tiananmen Square: China minister defends 1989
crackdown
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-48489002
(BBC, 2-Jun-2019)

-- China still gets annoyed with images showing the famous Tiananmen
Square 'Tank Man,'
https://www.businessinsider.com/china-t ... ing-2019-5
(Business Insider, 2-Jun-2019)

-- China Vows Military Action if Taiwan, Sea Claims Opposed
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/artic ... ms-opposed
(AP, 2-Jun-2019)

-- China and U.S. clash again on trade and regional security
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia ... SKCN1T300X
(Reuters, 2-Jun-2019)

---- Related:

** 18-Jul-17 World View -- China bans Winnie The Pooh because Xi Jinping looks like him
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ ... tm#e170718



** 5-Jun-13 World View -- Hong Kong commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ ... tm#e130605

[John]

** 02-Jun-2019 World View: Taiwan ridicules China with inflatable Tank Man

• A Taiwanese man takes a selfie with an inflatable tank man at
  the Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan

Like many Westerners, people in Taiwan have been ridiculing the
bizarre, self-destructive policies of the Chinese Communist Party
(CCP).

The latest bit of mockery and derision is an inflatable "Tank Man"
display, appearing in Liberty Square in Taiwan's capital city Taipei.

In China, even mentioning Tank Man can get you arrested and tortured,
but in Taiwan, ridiculing its neighbor China is common.

---- Sources:

-- Inflatable tank man in Taiwan marks Tiananmen Square anniversary
https://nypost.com/2019/06/01/inflatabl ... niversary/
(NY Post, 1-Jun-2019)

-- Taiwanese township shocked by order for 600 million socks as Trump
tariffs kick in https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3713908
(Taiwan News, 30-May-2019)

[John]

** 02-Jun-2019 Racism in China

> On the U.S. side, a senior State Department official, during a
> forum last month in Washington, warned of a deepening
> confrontation with China that she cast in something close to
> racial terms.

> In the Cold War with the Soviet Union, said Kiron Skinner, the
> State Department’s director of policy planning, Washington at
> least faced fellow Caucasians, whereas with Beijing, Washington
> faces a nonwhite culture.

> “In China we have an economic competitor, we have an ideological
> competitor, one that really does seek a kind of global reach, that
> many of us didn’t expect a couple of decades ago,” Skinner
> said. “And I think it’s also striking that this is the first time
> that we will have a great-power competitor that is not
> Caucasian.”
> https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na- ... story.html

> AND someone besides me finally says there is a racial component to
> all this. And just think, I thought it was just white males that
> caused trouble...

Saying that American policy on China is based on racism against the
Chinese people is ridiculous. If it were, then there would also be
racist policies toward Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, the
Philippines and Vietnam.

In fact, to show how ridiculous the idea is, the same Chinese people
live in Taiwan and in colonial Hong Kong (when it was a British colony),
and there was no harsh policy towards those Chinese people.

On the other hand, it's China that is deeply immersed and drenched in
racism, considering themselves the Master Race, and everyone else in
the world to be inferior vassals.

China's hatred of the Japanese is all about racism, as is the Japanese
hatred of the Chinese.

I've described the anti-Japan hate campaign that the CCP launched
after the pro-democracy demonstrations and the Tiananmen Square
massacre. This is all about race.

Everyone (including the Chinese) refers to China as the "Middle
Kingdom." Are you aware that this is a racist term, dating back
millennia? The Chinese view the universe in three layers. The
highest layer is the Kingdom of Heaven. The second layer is China,
the Middle Kingdom -- yellow race, black hair, brown eyes, yellow
skin. And the bottom layer is you and me -- the barbarians. This
is ironic because the real barbarians are Xi Jinping and the CCP.