Month: May 2018

Will Hutton of the Observer – Complaining about how Strong the US President is…really!

Pardon the enormous amount of sarcasm and utter loathing below concerning Will Hutton’s article entitled “The world struggles to deal with Trump’s erratic and capricious ways” republished in the Taipei Times on 5/29/18 on page 9.

Will, Will, Will – you’ve been a fool for at least the past 16 years, as long as I’ve been writing in the Taipei Times. Of course you despise Trump, he is a blunt tool to Obama’s feckless, weak and impossibly hesitant administration. “Both see yet more opportunities spinning out of Trump’s incredible stupidity in deliberately destabilizing the very system from which the US benefits” – uh, excuse me. It was Obama who threw every ally under the bus, and embraced our enemies as brothers – which had the effect of allowing China and Russia to soar to new heights, empowered Iran, Syria, the Palestinians, especially Hamas, and North Korea built bombs and missiles, and Europe waffled and waffled and waffled – France was suddenly important because the US withdrew from its position under Obama. Will, Will, Will…are you kidding me?

“Has a bigger fool ever occupied the White House?” Of course – Obama, preceded by Jimmy Carter, both enshrined in the Idiot Weak Presidents Hall of Fame. Do you not understand that Obama came in on a campaign of “Change”, only the change he had in mind was de-fanging and castrating the US, and allowing its enemies a golden period of growth and hegemony? Red lines followed by terminal hesitation. Obama left the planet in FLAMES and CHAOS. Flames and chaos. Has there ever been a worse president? (I used to think Carter was the worst, but geez, it is a close race between Obama and Carter as to who is the bigger fool). Of course you like this American weakness better than a strong, unpredictable blunt tool – you hated Reagan too, but he helped bring down the Soviet Union. Europe has more clout when the US is weak. Will, Will, Will…

“Give no quarter, look for the other side’s weakness and brutally cut the deal to walk away taller and prouder yourself.” Are you kidding me? You actually reject this strategy for winning against the likes of Russia, Communist China, North Korea, Iran, and so on and so on? Are you joking? Of course you’re not joking. All we need to do is open the European Manual for Negotiation and see that the chapter on tough negotiating is 3 pages long, and the chapters on Appeasement, and Compromise are each 57 pages long, including the 7 page footnote on the greatness of the Chamberlain School of Diplomacy. Sigh. Will, Will, Will, when will you ever learn?

“NATO is tolerated because members are increasing defense spending as demanded. ” Are you suggesting the US owes it to the EU to defend it, protect it, go to war for it without the EU lifting a finger? Is there a single conflict in the Universe that the world would feel safe having the EU military defend against? Any? How could it? The non-US NATO guidebook on military conflict has a chapter on The Art of War which is 2 pages long, and there is a 77 page chapter entitled “Run Away!!” Will, Will, Will….what are you thinking?

“North Korea must overtly bend to US will if there is to be a summit.” Will, Will, Will…are you out of your mind? Is there anything wrong with bringing North Korea to heel? Are you kidding me? Are you actually in favor of appeasing it, giving N.Korea leeway, giving Kim a ….well you know? Are you insane? You think it is bad that the US President can be tough with N. Korea in a very real way, and bring about peace? It is yahoos like you and the rest of the EU that encourage evil to be brave and intransigent, because they know the EU will blink, blink, blink. Sigh. Will, Will, Will…what the hell are you thinking? Just stand back and let us do our work. Watch and learn. Or else, if you can’t look, like perhaps you watch scary movies through your fingers or from behind your popcorn, just close your eyes, and mumble to yourself. “Yada, yada, yada, yada, yada….is it over yet?”

“Foreign policy has become a series of zero-sum games: The US has to win each one.” DUH!! Is there something tragically wrong with you? Do you actually think we should LOSE a conflict? You think we need to be fair with evil such as Russia or China or Iran or North Korea? God, how can you be so stupid?? The hits just keep coming and coming. Now I understand fully why the situation in Israel has never been solved, because Europe is so feckless, so appeasing, so worried, so weak, so pathetic, we have to do it ourselves…God, you are so pathetic. So you understand that in twenty years Europe will be the Middle East? So vacuous. Will, Will, Will….what will you be writing twenty years hence, and in what language?

“Furthermore, it fragments the entire alliance network — and legitimizes Russia and China. Thus Russia and the Europeans are acting in concert to sustain the Iranian denuclearization deal.” We legitimize Russia and China??? We? By opposing a ridiculous deal that allows Iran to hide its program at military sites, and develop weapons and missiles in a mere ten years?!! You idiots. YOU are legitimizing these evil regimes by deviating from your already meager senses, and scrambling according to Macron to save the deal so the EU can keep its business deals with Iran…and WE are wrong??? The EU crawled into bed with the Mullahs, the Russian Tzar Putin and the Emperor Xi to oppose the U.S….YOU GUYS DID THAT. Idiots! Will, Will, Will…what the hell is wrong with you?

“The best response is to show no weakness and stand up to him”. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Will, Will, Will…do you even realize how stupid you sound?? You are advocating standing up to Trump to punish him for standing up to the world’s worst regimes… How stupid is that? Idiots. Sure, throw your ally under the bus, that is the European way, isn’t it? With friends like you, who needs enemies, right? Will, Will, Will….What the hell is wrong with you?!

“However, Macron and Merkel have the power of the EU behind them, itself now the world’s best and most powerful custodian of a rules-based international system. *** Britain is a weakened onlooker — a flyblown lion unable to muster more than a whimper. Our capacity is reduced by Brexit, just as we — and the world — need so much more.” Oh God. Will, Will, Will…you think that is going to bring evil to heel? You really think “the power of the EU” is scary to anyone except some poor EU worker who earns a Euro and has to contemplate paying 80% of it to the EU government for taxes? Power of the EU??? In what universe are you dreaming, Will? You think Xi, Putin, Kim, the Ayatollah, Assad all go to sleep at night thinking, thinking, thinking how to deal with the big bad EU? Or so you think they think of the EU, see dollar signs, smile in their sleep, and dream of visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads? God, you are so dumb. How is it even possible? Will, Will, Will….and you wrote this and published it…in the Observer…for all to see? That should give you nightmares. What the hell were you thinking??!!!

President Tsai’s Passive Demeanor Betrays Her Passion for Democracy, Justice and Freedom for Taiwan in the Shadow of Communist China’s Mortal Fear of Such Things

In Taiwan recently, much has been written on the second anniversary of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文)  inauguration as President, about the criticism of her policies and her apparently “low” ratings.

I wrote often of these things. President Tsai has to contend with undoing all the damage done to Taiwan by her predecessor, Ma Ing-jieou for 8 years, and by all those Chinese Nationalist Party’s (Guomindang or KMT) leaders before him, and doing so in 2 years has been impossible. She has been facing issues in Taiwan which are generational or historic in nature, and she is faced with criticism both for being too quick and too slow at the same time. I agree that there seems to be excessive dithering by her administration, but it is like choosing the frying pan or the fire, and there is danger in either direction.

Reform is change, and change is often unpopular, particularly in Taiwan. This explains why “maintaining the status quo” is often the most popular choice of the majority of the people, a matter of accepting the way things are, the way people can bear, the way to survive (even thrive, if possible). Most people are unwilling to accept risk, and there is risk on every possible side of every possible choice. Most critics though, on both sides, do not really offer much help (for instance, having yet another government body make some decisions on transitional justice, while the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee makes other decisions is definitely not a way to expedite justice – the results will never be popular for any KMT member, and there are enough KMT members in Taiwan to make a loud noise – many of us feel the Committee has been too ponderous, taking too long to effect transitional justice without the government prosecuting the people responsible for money laundering and fraud and other defalcations related to the KMT’s generations of theft from Taiwan), and simply do what is most common these days, which is just criticize.

President Tsai’s tasks are difficult. At some point she needs to be decisive, pursue the policies she believes in, be resolute and strong. Her tendency to be less emotional than some regarding her beliefs leaves many underwhelmed with her leadership. However, her stability can be reassuring if she can find a way to better communicate her passion to improve Taiwan’s and its people’s stature and health, and inspire Taiwanese to embrace a new path, finally resolve and throw off its 60 years of Party-state handcuffs, and step out into the world away from China and its persistent insult and injury, and get on with improving Taiwan’s already impressive accomplishments and stature, move out from under the shadow of Communist China, and establish new and enduring relations with the rest of the world.

But Taiwanese must realize this, and realize it well – electing KMT members will only result in reversing the great steps taken forward, bring Taiwan back into the death-embrace of Communist China, and kill Taiwan’s democratic freedoms and justice. The KMT will do this for a seat at the Communist Party table, having essentially mouthed the words of its dead leader Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) for decades while betraying every fiber of his hatred for communism by kneeling before the Emperor Xi as Taiwan previous President Ma Ing-jieou did before he left office, and sucking up to every single aspect of China’s evil plans for the world – all for $$ and KMT pride. Taiwanese must beware. There is a Lien Chan lurking in every corner of the KMT’s apparatus cackling and salivating at the chance to shake the hand of a Communist leader and get a pat on the head. “Good boy! Sit!”

Palestinians – a society based on self-inflicted misery on women and children in order to seek destruction of Israel

The coverage in US major media of the US Embassy opened in Jerusalem yesterday has been minimal or non-existent, while coverage of the latest “protests in Gaza” designed to attract attention away from the momentous occasion of the founding of Israel and opening the Embassy has been huge. Of course. Europe and the left wing in the US has appeasement sickness again, believing the Palestinians must be appeased in order to secure peace. Like Chamberlain with Hitler. And President Obama with everyone. This is misguided strategy and diplomacy. Moving the Embassy took guts, and has taken a significant obstacle to peace off the table. There are hopefully more to follow opening a path to a solution.

Palestinians, instead of bettering themselves and their society, have spent 50 years sacrificing their women and children to kill Jews and Israel. What can be said of a society that is represented only by the misery they have brought upon themselves to eschew peace and try to get sympathy for the destruction of their neighbors? Israel built its nation with plows, hard work, education, technology and innovation, turning a desert into an oasis. The Palestinians took many many billions of dollars of aid, and perfected bomb-assembly and tunnel digging, little else. Until a giant mirror is erected for these self-immolated people to see their totalitarian leaders are feckless and horrid, misguided and cruel they will wander in this misery forever. Palestinians would be better served learning from Israel’s successes than casting stones, and learning to live together with their neighbors instead of crushing a people who have no intention of ever being crushed again.

Project Syndicate Adores China (and seems to Despise Israel) – Read Project Syndicate with Great Care, it is NOT Our Friend

I am writing with regard to the article published by Project Syndicate, and republished in the Taipei Times on May 1, 2018 on p. 8 entitled China Should Follow WTO Rules written by Martin Feldstein.

While not bashing Israel, Project Syndicate seems to make great efforts to glorify Communist China and the new Emperor Xi. This is another Project Syndicate “hail China” article. Is it any surprise? What is wrong with these people? George Soros continues to seek a revolution with totalitarian flavor in the world (a “World with Chinese Characteristics” – he would really love that, it seems). Truthfully, this article and Martin Feldstein, disgusted me from the very first line: “I am a great admirer of China and its ability to adjust its economic policies to maintain rapid growth, but now that it has risen to the top of the global economy…” WHAT ABOUT ITS TOTALITARIAN DICTATORSHIP AND CRUSHING OPPRESSION OF ITS PEOPLE? Not one word. Not one.

Professor Feldstein recounts how he traveled to China in 1982, and how poor it was, and governed by a communist regime. Even then he makes no reference to the nature of the regime – and that is the point – very little has changed since 1982 aside from having beguiled the world into sending trillions of dollars into building up the world’s biggest threat to freedom. I think as an economist, Martin looks at the Chinese economic experiment and marvels at it, sort of like a biologist might examine anthrax or the plague and marvel at the complexity and efficiency at killing. At least the biologist recognizes the threat to humanity. Here, well….only marveling. This kind of appeasement of China is one of the most dangerous aspects of this platform, filling heads around the world with glowing praise for China, a silent killer adept at its own propaganda and blackmail.

Where does Project Syndicate find these pro-China hacks with stellar resumes? You would think that as a member of the Reagan and Bush administrations, Feldstein might have developed a healthy perspective on China’s menace to the world. Perhaps he was brainwashed and turned sappy when he served in the Obama administration and then the Council on Foreign Relations.

Here is an example of another Harvard economist overwhelmed with admiration by the ease with which a totalitarian government can manipulate its economy to become whatever it wishes on the backs of over a billion peasants. Amazing what killing 80 million of its own people, and oppressing billions, strictly controlling every aspect of society and foreign competition at will, and stealing every single item of technology within its sticky, greedy hands, and elevating industrial espionage to a national duty can do for your economy.

Remarkably, Feldstein focuses only on China’s compliance with WTO requirements to admit China into the world as an international leader, and nothing else. He already puts their economy at the top. However, not one time, not one word, not a whisper is devoted to China’s horrendous treatment of its people, the complete absence of any freedom, rights, justice, free will, license, democracy, free enterprise, its aggression towards the South China Sea, its neighbors and in particular its obsession with destroying Taiwan’s democracy, a threat to China’s malignant one-party dictatorship. How is it possible that Feldstein, a member of three Presidential administrations, a supposedly world class economist cannot even recognize China’s hegemonic intentions (e.g. his glowing view of One Belt One Road, ignoring its threat to the world) and complete domination of its people, or that its economic “success” is done with blood on the Emperor’s hands?

This is why we are in danger. People like this, like Feldstein, with long resumes, appointments at the best universities (Harvard in his case), a large platform and absolutely no brains whatsoever in their empty Project Syndicate heads (empty aside from some economic guidelines, formulae and statistics, devoid of morality apparently). In my opinion, Mr. Feldstein is a brilliant economist and a complete idiot (something I feel he has in common with Joseph Stiglitz).