Encore of Revival: America, March 7, 2016

Encore of Revival: America, March 7, 2016

Wait… Did a former GOP nominee urge voters to not vote for someone who was asked to sign a pledge of party loyalty? If ears and eyes dost not deceive, then the GOP thinks loyalty is a one-way street.

Bernie supporters think that he has a chance. They have a “be positive, we can” attitude. They don’t seem to understand the mafia-style, backroom deal, secret money exchanges that affect elections. They really think that elections are about the best ideas and honest effort.

Trump continues to be misunderstood by journalists and establishment bosses. With Kansas and Maine taking the turn they did, with Ohio leaning for Kasich a strong 2nd, and with Michigan polls still settling, GOP primaries are far from over. With Trump not having Texas, and probably not Ohio, July will likely be a brokered convention. The best power choice would be to keep Cruz in the Senate with a Trump-Kasich ticket. The strong-vote choice would be a Trump-Cruz ticket, seating the failed 2012 VP behind Trump at the 2017 State of the Union next to the man who put him there. The establishment-game, if left unchanged, would deny both Trump and Cruz the ticket, leading to a likely four or five candidate election—if Trump goes third party, Cruz would probably also have been dejected, and Bernie would have another chance. America will get a front-row view of the wheeling and dealing of party politics, just as the party bosses get a balcony ticket to the response of the masses who won’t have it anymore.

It’s already time to grab a popcorn, a cup of coffee, and start thinking about 2024.

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Cadence of Conflict: Asia, February 29, 2016

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, February 29, 2016

A Chinese official, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), has become the first to recognize Taiwan’s Constitution. He says that the president elect, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), should “abide by it”. Tsai has promised to declassify documents about the 228 Massacre, which the Taiwanese observed in memory this past weekend. The three day weekend of Feb 28 (2/28) stands as a blight on the face of Chiang Kai-shek, who founded the recently defeated KMT-Nationalist party and slaughtered 10,000 to 30,000 people in Taiwan, depending on who you ask, during the time of his flight from the revolting Communists. Statues of the “Hitler of Taiwan” were defaced throughout Taiwan over the weekend. Officials are “not yet” pressing charges.

While Taiwan exposes more truth and topples statues of tyrants, China is finding vengeance on booksellers. The times are ripe with contrast. Nations in the region see anything but peace in our time.

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Encore of Revival: America, February 29, 2016

Encore of Revival: America, February 29, 2016

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday. If Trump doesn’t secure 51% of RNC delegates, and if we therefore have a brokered convention—where delegates are not bound to their votes—the establishment will turn on Trump and he will go third party. That might push Sanders to do the same thing. Then we have four main candidates for president—making us more like Israel in their elections.

All these donors who gave big money to people like Jeb are going to have to rethink future donations.

You read it here first: People like Trump because of what Jesus called the Kingdom of Heaven as a “kingdom of violence and the violent take by force”. Vox tries to understand it by labelling it “authoritarianism”.

Cruz and Rubio are self-destructing—Cruz like a churchboy who only knows how to be slimy in a fight, Rubio like one of the cool kids who only knows to laugh at his opponent when he’s getting his butt kicked for the first time.

The FBI, having reportedly told the county authorities to reset the iPhone’s ID, destroyed whatever way Apple had to help—including everything the FBI is asking for now. If the FBI’s incompetence is disproven, that could pave the way for a case involving obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence. But, there are many more details we don’t know. Kasich was right, this should not be discussed in public.

There is a geek factor over which Limbaugh disagreed with all RNC candidates, even Trump, on Apple, with a footnote on Kasich. So it seems, neither the candidates nor the FBI understand how much the FBI messed up and the coding abomination of desolation the FBI is asking Apple to make. Getting all the info would have been super easy had the FBI followed instructions. Then, there were extra options at the FBI’s disposal because the phone was a government phone, already providing back doors to the government that didn’t even require a warrant. But, the FBI messed up so badly that Apple would have to redirect resources to a special team to create the ultimate weapon—making Apple and the FBI a hacking target of every government and crime organization. Spare Kasich, the candidates and the FBI all come across like an adult who doesn’t know how to use a mouse. They also seem inept in business terms over the fact that no terrorist would by an “FBiPhone”. And, as Kasich mentioned, this should not be in the public eye. Now, either way, terrorists will know which phones are more and less secure. Apple’s mistake is talking only about customers, without much mention that Apple customers include governments. While the FBI lectures too much and listens to little, Apple doesn’t know enough of its own customers well enough.

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