Month: September 2019

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Dangerous Ignorance

This September marks two important anniversaries. September 11 is the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 2001, killing thousands of Americans in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.  This month  is also the 80th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

 It is deeply troubling that both of these key events have been belittled by Progressive elected officials.

The 9/11 attacks brought about the death of a vast number of American lives, obliterated when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and caused the destruction of an airliner bound for the nation’s capital. The loss of life didn’t end on that day.  Almost two decades later, numerous Fire, Police, EMS, recovery workers, local residents and employees continue to add to the casualty total due to illnesses contracted in the collapse of the twin towers.  Rep. Illan Omar (D-Minn.) describes the incident as “Some people did something.” In a rational and fair society, she should have been tossed from office as being unfit to represent any part of the United States.  Instead, she has been defended by her fellow leftists. 

Real Clear Politics quotes MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid: “For months now freshman Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been the target of right-wing vitriol over her criticism of U.S. policy toward Israel. But the attacks reached a new level of escalation this week, in reaction to distorted takes on Omar’s comments at a recent event hosted by the Council on American Islamic Relations…” The site also provided other key quotes:  “Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich)  defended comments made by her colleague, Rep. Ilhan Omar, regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks, saying Omar ‘speaks truth to power.’ …Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-Mississippi) chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee… said that he ‘saw nothing wrong’ with Rep. Ilhan Omar’s controversial comment about 9/11.”

Omar’s comments, and those that defend it, are disgraceful.

As the world acknowledges the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, the equally thoughtless Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) believes that millennials and “generation Z” are superior to those that came before. While pitting one generation against another is a ridiculous enterprise, Older men often have corpora amylacea (amyloid), dense accumulations of calcified proteinaceous material, in the ducts of their prostates. generic levitra see content If you take a high dose, it is likely that one may get the cheap viagra generic normal version of this medicine. Urology hospitals in Bangalore are the specipla cialis generika t in pulsatile tinnitus will examine your head and neck. Usually men face complication cialis prescription in getting full erection but its positive side effects are also its benefits. the question that needs to be asked is, what, exactly led to her conclusion?  She stated “I think young people are more informed and dynamic than their predecessors…I think they’re profoundly courageous, because they’re willing to puncture more taboos and have conversations that, frankly, older generations sometimes struggle to have.”

A bit of fact checking is needed here.  Having “conversations” in a nation that has a First Amendment is hardly an act of heroism.  And, by the way, the generation of the late 1700’s, which fought and won against the world’s greatest military of the time, the British Empire, and then went on to write the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that enacted that First Amendment has to be considered a bit more dynamic than Ms. Ocasio-Cortez appears to give them credit for. One supposes she also doesn’t recall the generation that fought for the abolition of slavery, and didn’t just “converse” about the issue but went to war to achieve the goal.  Not to mention, of course, that the history-challenged Congresswoman apparently forgot all about the 1960’s, when segregation and voting rights abuses were at last defeated. 

But AOC’s sheer foolishness in making that statement during a year when the focus should be on those who endured the Great Depression, then went on to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in the largest war ever fought, boggles the mind.

Differences of opinion, even vast disagreements, are actually a good thing for a free society. They uncover faults and help resolve them. But when elected representatives, like Illlan Omar, display contempt for the enormous and violent loss of life of fellow Americans at the hands of foreign terrorists, or, like Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, lack the knowledge or intellect to engage in a thoughtful debate, the nation suffers.  

Picture: Pixabay

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The Impending Iran-Israel War

Iran’s leadership makes no secret of its very real goal of destroying Israel, or of its role in using the terrorist proxies it funds to do just that.  

The Washington Institute describes Tehran’s modus operandi:

“The Islamic Republic regards its commitment to the destruction of Israel as a long-term…Tehran emphasizes its ongoing effort to improve the capability of Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian resistance movements to face Israel. The main, immediate target is turning the West Bank into a solid base for military operations…The Iranians are bent on strengthening their influence in the Arab world, with a priority on achieving a land link from Iran to the Mediterranean through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Such a link, once obtained, would allow Iran not only to beef up the resistance movements with Iraqi and Syrian militias, as well as volunteers from far away Afghanistan, but also to open the way to the ultimate introduction of Iranian troops to the lines of confrontation, especially on the Golan.”

Many observers note that the Iran-Israel confrontation has already begun. Jonathan Spyer, writing in the Wall Street Journal, reports that “Israel and Iran are at war. Israeli strikes in southern Syria, western Iraq and eastern Lebanon—and possibly even Beirut—confirm it. This war is a very 21st-century affair. For now it involves only small circles among the Israeli and Iranian populations. Parts of the air force, intelligence services and probably special forces are active on the Israeli side. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its expeditionary Quds Force and proxy politico-military organizations in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are engaged on behalf of Iran… There is a crucial difference between the Israeli and Iranian positions in this conflict. Iran’s involvement in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is deep, long-term and proactive. Tehran seeks the transformation of these areas into Iranian satrapies, and it has made considerable advances toward its goal. Israel’s involvement is entirely reactive, pushing back against Iranian domination and destroying the missile caches that bring it within Iran’s range. Israel has no interest in the internal political arrangements of Lebanon, Syria or Iraq, except insofar as these constitute a danger to Israel itself.”

Israel, despite the exceptional expertise and sophistication of its military, will eventually be hard pressed to overcome the vast numbers aimed at it by Iranian-supported adversaries. Benny Morris, writing in Haaretz provides an accurate outline of the challenge: “Hezbollah is said to have 130,000 rockets that could reach all of Israel, with Hamas possessing thousands of rockets that could cover southern and central Israel, including the Tel Aviv area. It is also said that, if war broke out, Israel could find itself fighting on two fronts, possibly even a third, the Golan Heights, where it would face an Iranian force made up of Revolutionary Guards and militias under Tehran’s control. And in the next war, thousands of rockets would land on Israeli population centers, and on strategic assets including the Haifa Bay industrial complex, power stations on the Mediterranean coast, ammonia tanks and airports and who knows what else, not to mention military bases, including air bases. Such a barrage could seriously disrupt air force operations and possibly also the mobilization assembly points and armored columns…”

Because Iran is increasingly close to Moscow, which seeks its own domination of the region both to have key access to warm water ports and more importantly to control the oil, (energy sales being the lynchpin of the entire Russian economy) any fight between Jerusalem and Tehran will necessarily lead to some degree of great power involvement.  The Trump Administration, which has been the staunchest ally Israel has ever had in the White House, has been outspoken in its support for Israel, which would be in desperate need of both direct support as well as resupply in the event of a major confrontation with forces led by Iran, particularly since the Islamic State has acquired major weapons systems (and one can assume intelligence support) from Russia.

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Washington is almost forced to be blunt. For eight years, the Obama Administration, for reasons that have yet to be explained, replaced the long-term U.S. alliance with Israel with a definite tilt towards Iran.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a radio interview quoted in Real Clear Politics stated: “The previous administration guaranteed Iran a path to nuclear weapons systems, allowed them to foment terror, and allowed their missile system to run amok. President Trump has directed that we do just the opposite – to deny them the resources to create risks not only for the United States and its citizens, but for Israel as well. And we’ve been successful with that. And we’ve also been incredibly supportive each time Israel has been forced to take actions to defend itself, the United States has made it very clear that that country has not only the right but the duty to protect its own people. And we are always supportive of their efforts to do that.”

The U.S., for its part, has sought to gain the support of its allies in confronting Iran. The task has been difficult. Turkey has notably tilted towards Russia and, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is closer to the Islamic fundamentalists who oppose Israel’s existence than a NATO ally. In responding to Iran’s belligerence at sea, European Union members have been opposed to the White House’s request for cooperation in taking defensive measures.

Con Coughlin, in a Gatestone examination, writes: “at a time when the Western alliance is already struggling with how to respond to Turkey’s deepening military ties with Russia, Germany’s refusal to fulfil its obligations to protect shipping in the Gulf will be interpreted by adversaries of the West such as Moscow and Tehran as yet further evidence of what would doubtless please them very much: deepening divisions within the Western alliance. Germany’s point-blank refusal to support Washington’s proposal for a maritime protection force in the Arabian Gulf to protect shipping from attacks by Iran is yet another example of Berlin’s diplomatic and economic sabotage of the Western alliance.”

The dark picture of an Iranian victory in the Middle East has implications far beyond Israel.  Allied with Russia (and possessing advance Russian arms, and possibly nuclear weapons) It would have a significant impact on the global economy, and the freedom, power, and influence to engage the next target on its international target list: western nations, both in Europe and the nation it deems “the Great Satan,” the United States.

Picture: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani at a National Defence Industry Day ceremony (Iran Govt. photo)

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China’s View of its Military Status, Part 2

Yesterday, the New York Analysis of Policy and Government discussed how some leading U.S. politicians downplay the growing threat from China. Beijing has released a white paper outlining its own views on its military and foreign policy status. We present key excerpts:

CHINA’S NATIONAL DEFENSE IN THE NEW ERA

International Security Situation

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century… there are prominent destabilizing factors and uncertainties in international security. The world is not yet a tranquil place.

The International Strategic Landscape Is Going Through Profound Changes

As the realignment of international powers accelerates and the strength of emerging markets and developing countries keeps growing, the configuration of strategic power is becoming more balanced…

China’s Security Risks and Challenges Should Not Be Overlooked

China continues to enjoy political stability, ethnic unity and social stability. There has been a notable increase in China’s overall national strength, global influence, and resilience to risks. China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development.

The fight against separatists is becoming more acute. The Taiwan authorities, led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), stubbornly stick to “Taiwan independence” and refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle. They have gone further down the path of separatism by stepping up efforts to sever the connection with the mainland in favor of gradual independence, pushing for de jure independence, intensifying hostility and confrontation, and borrowing the strength of foreign influence. The “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and their actions remain the gravest immediate threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the biggest barrier hindering the peaceful reunification of the country. External separatist forces for “Tibet independence” and the creation of “East Turkistan” launch frequent actions, posing threats to China’s national security and social stability.

China’s homeland security still faces threats. Land territorial disputes are yet to be completely resolved. Disputes still exist over the territorial sovereignty of some islands and reefs, as well as maritime demarcation. Countries from outside the region conduct frequent close-in reconnaissance on China by air and sea, and illegally enter China’s territorial waters and the waters and airspace near China’s islands and reefs, undermining China’s national security.

Global Military Competition Is Intensifying

International military competition is undergoing historic changes. New and high-tech military technologies based on IT are developing rapidly. There is a prevailing trend to develop long-range precision, intelligent, stealthy or unmanned weaponry and equipment. War is evolving in form towards informationized warfare, and intelligent warfare is on the horizon.

China’s national defense aims:

• to oppose and contain “Taiwan independence”;

• to crack down on proponents of separatist movements such as “Tibet independence” and the creation of “East Turkistan”;

• to safeguard national sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and security;

• to safeguard China’s maritime rights and interests;

• to safeguard China’s security interests in outer space, electromagnetic space and cyberspace;

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• to safeguard China’s overseas interests; and

• to support the sustainable development of the country

China resolutely safeguards its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The South China Sea islands and Diaoyu Islands are inalienable parts of the Chinese territory. China exercises its national sovereignty to build infrastructure and deploy necessary defensive capabilities on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and to conduct patrols in the waters of Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. To solve the Taiwan question and achieve complete reunification of the country is in the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and essential to realizing national rejuvenation.

Implementing the Military Strategic Guideline for a New Era

Building a fortified national defense and a strong military commensurate with the country’s international standing and its security and development interests is a strategic task for China’s socialist modernization. Drawing lessons from history, China strengthens its national defense and military to provide security guarantee for its peaceful development.

Efforts will be made to advance the integrated development of mechanization and informationization, speed up the development of intelligent military, create a modernized military force structure with Chinese characteristics, improve and develop socialist military institutions with Chinese features, and constantly enhance the capabilities to fulfill the missions and tasks in the new era.

Fulfilling the Missions and Tasks of China’s Armed Forces in the New Era

The PLA Navy (PLAN) has extended training to the far seas and deployed the aircraft carrier task group for its first far seas combat exercise in the West Pacific

Safeguarding Interests in Major Security Fields

Nuclear capability is the strategic cornerstone to safeguarding national sovereignty and security. China’s armed forces strengthen the safety management of nuclear weapons and facilities, maintain the appropriate level of readiness and enhance strategic deterrence capability to protect national strategic security and maintain international strategic stability.

Outer space is a critical domain in international strategic competition. Outer space security provides strategic assurance for national and social development. In the interest of the peaceful use of outer space, China actively participates in international space cooperation, develops relevant technologies and capabilities, advances holistic management of space-based information resources, strengthens space situation awareness, safeguards space assets, and enhances the capacity to safely enter, exit and openly use outer space.

Cyberspace is a key area for national security, economic growth and social development. Cyber security remains a global challenge and poses a severe threat to China. China’s armed forces accelerate the building of their cyberspace capabilities, develop cyber security and defense means, and build cyber defense capabilities consistent with China’s international standing and its status as a major cyber country. They reinforce national cyber border defense, and promptly detect and counter network intrusions. They safeguard information and cyber security, and resolutely maintain national cyber sovereignty, information security and social stability.

China’s armed forces… have made great progress in independent innovation in some strategic, cutting-edge and disruptive technologies, and succeeded in developing strategic hi-tech products such as the Tianhe-2 supercomputer. Focusing on war and fighting wars, China’s armed forces have innovated in military doctrines and delivered outcomes in military strategy, joint operations and informationization, which have provided a theoretical support to defense and military development.

Establishing a modernized weaponry and equipment system

China’s armed forces are optimizing the overall composition of weaponry and equipment, coordinating the efforts of all services and arms in this regard, promoting the balanced development of main battle equipment, information systems, and support equipment, with a view to comprehensively raising standardization, serial development and interoperability. Old equipment is being phased out, and a system created that mainly comprises new and high-tech weaponry and equipment. Type 15 tanks, type 052D destroyers, J-20 fighters, and DF-26 intermediate and long-range ballistic missiles have been commissioned.

Photo: Russian military band perform during an event to welcome Chinese missile destroyer “Xi’an” of the 32nd Chinese naval escort fleet in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 24, 2019. Chinese missile destroyer “Xi’an” of the 32nd Chinese naval escort fleet arrived here Wednesday for a visit and would participate in the event to celebrate Russia’s Navy Day. (Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)

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CHINA’S VIEW OF ITS MILITARY STATUS

A number of leading political figures have consistently downplayed both the economic and military threat from China. Democrat presidential front-runner Joe Biden stated earlier this year, referring to China, “What are we worried about?” It was a follow up to a comment he made in 2018, when he stated “China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man!”

The Reuters news service notes that “…neither Warren, Sanders nor other candidates have made dealing with China, one of the biggest issues facing the current administration, a significant part of their platform.”

Among the mistaken reasons cited for the lack of concern over China’s military threat is the obsolete notion that Beijing’s military, while large, is not sophisticated. China’s government itself has now provided the information that refutes that error, in a white paper from its State Council Information Office entitled “China’s National Defense in the New Era.”

A review of the document by the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Anthony Codesman reveals that it  “…flags the fact that America and China are now competing superpowers, and that China’s growing military forces are developing to the point where they will be able to challenge the United States.”

For a number of years, China has moved vigorously to compete and lead in the most sophisticated areas of warfare, including in space. In 2017, CNN quoted General John Hyten, the head of U.S. Strategic Command: “They’ve been building weapons, testing weapons, building weapons to operate from the earth in space, jamming weapons, laser weapons, and they have not kept it secret.”

Codesman reports that “Steve Lambakis, a former official at the Pentagon’s Missile Defense viagra mastercard india It wastes your time and annoys the pig. Precautions: One ought to have a complete tadalafil sales online http://greyandgrey.com/spanish/nuestro-personal/ restorative history and exam to focus the clarification behind his barrenness before taking this pharmaceutical. generic sildenafil uk The Botox reduces the size of the gland, thus improving the flow of urine. Risk factors of ED: Men in normal age can suffer from the problem of poor cheap tadalafil canada erection and poor blood circulation in the body. Agency, said a key PLA objective is to use space weapons to cripple operations of the Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command during a future conflict by attacking American satellites. These operations would likely start with disruption and destruction of [command, control, communications, and intelligence] capabilities with cyber and kinetic attacks on satellites and ground assets in support of other Chinese kinetic capabilities…”

The Free Beacon’s Bill Gertz notes that  Army Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was asked during a security forum in Colorado last week if the United States is falling behind China and Russia in military space systems. “I can’t tell you who’s in front and who’s behind,” Ashley said of the space weapons race… the United States appears to be lagging behind China in developing space weapons…By contrast, a 2018 intelligence report by the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) stated that China is among the most advanced nations in building space weapons.”

Last year, reports the South China Morning Post the Chinese engaged in a sophisticated war training exercise. The event tested “reconnaissance, electronic communication, cybersecurity, air strikes and other battle skills,,, aimed at increasing ground troops’ understanding of modern warfare, and fostering new strategic ground force commanders after a sweeping PLA overhaul. More than 50 combat units involving about 2,100 officers [took] part at five training bases. They included airborne troops, special forces and electronic warfare experts from ground forces from the Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern and Central command theatres…”

The white paper deals with more than just Beijing’s boasts about its advanced weaponry. It discusses a broad range of China’s view of its role in the world, and its challenges, and reinforces its views that the regions it dominates by force or terror, such as Tibet, and those it seeks to unlawfully expand its direct control over, such as Hong Kong, are within its immediate sights.  And of course, there is the ongoing issue of Taiwan.

Tomorrow: Key Excerpts from China’s Military White Paper

Photo: A J-11 fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Western Theater Command fire rockets at mock ground targets during a live-fire flight training exercise on July 24, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Chen Qingshun)

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Buying Greenland: A Great Idea

This article was written by Judge (Ret.) John Wilson

Recently, President Donald Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland from Denmark.  In response, the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, called the idea “absurd,” which in turn, prompted the President to cancel a planned visit to Denmark.  

Immediately, the question arose – Does Denmark even own Greenland?  According to a BBC profile, Greenland “is the world’s largest island and an autonomous Danish dependent territory with limited self-government and its own parliament.”  With a population of approximately 57,000 spread across 840,000 square miles, two thirds of Greenland’s revenue comes from Denmark.  The other one third derives from fishing.” 

While many have made fun of the President’s ambitions, including the former Prime Minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who pointedly asked if this was a joke in a recent tweet, even the New York Times had to admit that purchasing Greenland was not such a bad idea.  “The island sits atop a trove of rare-earth metals, a category whose mining and export is increasingly dominated by China. It also has national security importance to the United States, which maintains its northernmost missile-warning, space surveillance and deepwater seaport at the Thule Air Base on Greenland’s northwestern coast.”  

In fact, Thule Air Base is situated in Greenland as a result of the last attempt by an American President to buy the island from Denmark.

In 1946, President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland.  As reported by the Washington Post, the proposal was also rejected out of hand by the Danes.  “After floating the proposal at (a) December 1946 meeting in New York, Secretary of State James Byrnes wrote in a telegram that his overture ‘seemed to come as a shock’ to Danish Foreign Minister Gustav Rasmussen…(u)ltimately, Denmark’s refusal to sell Greenland to the United States wasn’t a major obstacle. In 1951, the two countries entered into a defense treaty that allowed the Pentagon to build Thule Air Base, its northernmost military installation.”

Though the Cold War has been over for years, making the Truman Administration’s rationale for seeking the purchase of Greenland no longer of primary importance, Greenland is still possessed of a wealth of mineral resources.  In fact, besides gold, iron-ore, and rubies, Greenland is also a potential source of uranium, oil, natural gas, fluoride and thorium.  Since most of the country sits under ice for most of the year, however, mining those precious elements has been one issue.  Another has been the concerns of environmentalists who do not wish to have Greenland’s pristine environment disturbed by mining.

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When viewed in a larger context, President Trump’s proposal begins to make even more sense.  According to the Washington Times, in 2017, the Prime Minster of Greenland flew to China to ask for financial assistance, after the Danish Government refused to provide any additional funding.  The Chinese only withdrew after then-Defense Secretary James Mattis convinced the Danes to fund the infrastructure improvements Greenland had sought. 

The populaton of Greenland, is mostly Inuit, an indigenous group spread across the arctic regions, including Alaska and Canada.  But rather than engage in mining their own resources and enriching themselves, the Inuit live in poverty.  The reason?  The aforementioned concerns of environmentalists.  According to James Pinkerton, “the Danes have chosen to treat the territory…like a giant nature preserve,” leaving the Intuit with nothing but fishing to support themselves and their families. 

Clearly, if the Trump Administration were to purchase Greenland, and open the territory up for mining, the Inuit would find themselves employed, and enjoying a higher standard of living then they do under their Danish rulers.

This is not the first time the opposition has made light of a President’s aspirations.  In the early 1800’s, the Federalist Party opposed Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory.    The 1867 purchase of Alaska from Czarist Russia was ratified by only one vote, and was largely derided as “Seward’s Folly,” in honor of then-Secretary of State William Seward.  However, all laughter ceased with the discovery of large deposits of gold in the Alaska territory in 1898. 

If nothing else, the mere idea that the United States could purchase Greenland, and keep that territory’s valuable resources out of the hands of the Chinese shows that President Trump is thinking on a grand scale.  Perhaps Make America Great Again is more than just a slogan to this President.

Picture: Pixabay