Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 9, 2016

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 9, 2016

China is angry. It’s always easy to tell when someone makes lightly veiled threats in the forms of “advice” or “caution”. These comments came from a Chinese diplomat, that pressure in the South China Sea could “rebound” like a “coiled spring”, depending on where it is “aimed” by the US.

In his analogy, he didn’t seem to elaborate on how an engineering culture explains US “aiming” (intention) having a direct effect on spring-coil physics. Usually, one aims with a sling, not a spring; and their is no pressure, only tension and sudden impact.

Chinese easily make grand contradictions in their implications when they don’t say most of what they think. This is part of the East-Asian “implication-driven” culture. The problem is that they rarely see the implications of making contradictory implications—the problem being that it is incredibly obvious to Westerners skilled in recognizing things at face-value.

Putting his conflicting analogy on the couch, this likely indicates he feels more frustration than his Asian culture tells him is appropriate to express. According to Reuters:

China has been particularly angered by what it sees as interference by the United States, whose military has carried out “freedom of navigation” patrols through the sea.

It is evermore clear what is happening: The US is patrolling the same waters, with sling in hand as always. Beijing feels “pressure” from the continuance of peaceful patrols. China behaves as if it knows something the US does not.

Between the fighter and the bull, we know who is in control. And we know who is angry and who is indifferent in the arena of Southeast Asia.

Kim Jong-Un just became Chairman of his political party, in addition to being the Great Successor of the DPRK. The party held a rare meeting, the first in 36 years, where he observed, or properly, “chaired”. There appear to be no reports of whether the meeting was a great success.

Taiwan’s soon-to-be-ousted, lame duck Education minister says that the controversial national high school curriculum—opposed for rewriting history as to murder and slaughter under the direction of KMT-Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Sheck—says that the curriculum has no problems. He considers the curriculum to be part of his legacy. So it is.

Interesting things are happening in London. Events of the Atlantic will echo in the Pacific.

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Encore of Revival: America, May 9, 2016

Encore of Revival: America, May 9, 2016

The Ted Cruz campaign tells much. It was the epitome of establishment Churchianity and establishment politics. In the week before he suspended his campaign, even his own father was calling for a religious-based vote. The dirty political games from his campaign are more like Sunday morning fiefdom clan wars than Clintonian dishonesty. His campaign’s epitaph will read that it is the place all liars go who tell the same lies.

The Sunday morning card can’t be played to bloc up votes ever again. Nor will establishment political parties fool the people with their games. Cruz’s campaign laid out exactly how the Republican and Democratic parties will also collapse over the next two presidential cycles. They may not be viable parties by 2024. It’s already happening with Paul Ryan. Cruz’s campaign tells much.

Cruz drew fire and hatred because he overstayed his welcome. He tried to use any and every lever he could find, probably from a genuine love for his country; only God knows Ted’s heart. During the process, he never broke rules. But, championships are not won on technical fouls alone; he never had a path to win in a democracy through actual democracy. In retrospect, he learned that those games don’t pay off.

Now, just because he played dirty politics doesn’t mean that he supported them. He will likely become one of the greatest opponents of “dirty rules” politics. Those rules didn’t help him, after all.

Cruz still manages to keep a powerful career as a loser. He doesn’t lose easily. The entire nation got a good look at what it was like to fight against him in the Senate. And he got an up-close-and-personal view of the political process from top to bottom.

By dropping out of the race when he did, he atoned for any former wrongdoing. He is clearly a fighter and a man of logic. The math told him it was over and he listened.

It is always good to recognize the right person in the wrong position. Usually, that “wrong” position helps prepare and educate that “right” person for a greater task. With Cruz’s brilliant mind, love for the values that keep nations from falling, combined with his legal, Constitutional, and political background, it is clear that Cruz can and should sit on the Supreme Court. Only a man with Cruz’s intellect could replace that of the late Justice Scalia. On the Supreme Court, Cruz would continue his amazing career, even as a loser, but he would finally lose less.

Cruz’s campaign tells much. Even when the Republican and Democratic establishments fall—even their soon-to-be-former members may have useful purposes elsewhere, Paul Ryan notwithstanding.

Paul Ryan shot his foot off by preemptively denouncing the RNC frontrunner. Now, Palin will campaign against Ryan by helping his Republican challenger, Paul Nehlen.

And, so it begins: Trump lights into Clinton—both of them. He will likely lite into the FBI if they don’t indite her soon. Trump knows how to fire people. Dragging their feet on Hillary could be what some call a “career decision”. We’ll see.

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Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 2, 2016

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 2, 2016

Last week’s unreported US military exercises in Taiwan’s southern city of Kaohsiung, along with the neighboring indictment of the minority party’s legislative control through vote-buying, no doubt sends an unreported message to Beijing. What we see in the headlines more or less tells the same story. The Asian establishment feels threatened.

Every man’s defense is another man’s offense. If “we” own it, it’s a “missile defense” system. If “they” own it, it’s a “missile attack” system. If you ask the Chinese and Russians, the American people don’t like their government. If you ask the Americans, the Chinese and Russian people don’t like their governments. In “Boilerplateville” everyone is right.

China and Russia don’t want an early-stop anti-missile system close to the loose nuclear cannons in northern Korea. The United States sails anywhere and everywhere that anyone anywhere says is able to be sailed—violating nonunanimous claims of both foe and friend. No disputes are exempted. When it comes to allies in Asia Pacifica, Japan debates a lame duck in Taiwan over a fishing boat.

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Encore of Revival: America, May 2, 2016

Encore of Revival: America, May 2, 2016

Ted Cruz is not doing “what is necessary to win” the election; he’s doing what it takes to divide. Watch carefully and remember.

Dividing may not be his goal. Damage is rarely a goal; it rarely needs to be. If you want to know just how “establishment” he is look at his establishment methods. By our deeds do we align ourselves.

Cruz’s strategy of winning second ballot votes seems squirmish, attempting an unrightful victory based on technicality—not only against the spirit of the rules, but the spirit of the country he alienates in the process. But, more importantly, by presuming a defeat on the first RNC ballot, he presumes defeat.

He has clearly stated that VP is no option for him. This, combined with his attempt to get late-game votes from his opponent’s delegates, has burned all bridges of having his name on the 2016 ballot. Had Cruz every intention to win, he would not have done that.

Cruz seems to have a loser complex much akin to that of Sunday morning culture: “Us four and no more—against the world.” It is as if he wakes up in the morning expecting to be hated, then schemes a way to rule a nation that hates his actions more every day.

He claims victory, then loses. He claims Christianity, yet deals his neighbor injury without repair. He says what focus groups tell him to, while claiming to be trusted.

Not only his boilerplate consultant establishment methods, but also Cruz’ presumption of losing as his career path, proves him to be the best personification of an establishment candidate our nation has seen thus far.

His epitaph should read, “Here lies Ted Cruz, king of all establishmentarians, and the place all liars go when they tell the same lies every liar tells.”

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