This week, three storms hit America: Harvey, Irma, and Donald. Harvey and Irma distracted the mainstream media from Storm Donald.
Harvey came with little warning and little room for evacuation. Irma came with plenty of warning, plenty of time and means of evacuation, and, evidently, plenty of need for evacuation. Storm Donald responded in strength and force. While Irma quickly lost wind and strength at landfall, Donald increased popularity to 46%. Donald maintained a greater positive impact on the economy.
Harvey defeated the news media for “not caring”. Irma helped police catch several looters and, though hardship befell Floridians and their neighbors, they will be stronger in the end. Harvey and Irma have passed. Donald is continuing to storm Congress to simplify taxes, all the more to overcome fallout from Harvey and Irma. The greatest threat to disenfranchise storm victims is against members of Congress who do not get to work and heed the warnings of the growing storm coming against them.
Korea’s situation is amplifying. We know this. North Korea is making more threats than ever with it’s “boy king” on the iron clad throne. We know that military options are 1. relevant and 2. undesirable. The Pentagon consistently barks about “military options”, while “economic options” stay on the table—don’t overlook how talk of military bolsters economic action. Rather than reviewing the obvious, consider North Korea through the eyes of the White House—viewing both economics and security—and from the rest of the world.
As the Pentagon, economists, and surrounding nations sees things, not China, but specifically the Communist Party seated in Beijing, is viewed as the “menace of Asia”, venturing into increased trouble with Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Africa, Europe, and others. North Korea has six months of oil remaining, and China does 90% of North Korea’s trade. No Beijing Communist Party feeding the Kim Dynasty equals no Kim Dynasty nukes. That’s how the Pentagon, the US Treasury, and many surrounding nations view China and North Korea.
It will never be said, just as much as it will always be considered: North Korea is a stepping stone to facing the Beijing Communist Party. For the Pentagon, it’s practice and demonstration. For economics, North Korea is an excuse to cut off trade with China who manufactures technology, but does not develop their own, and uses copied technology with trade money to make it more difficult for their neighbors to sleep at night. Right or wrong, justified or not, that’s how others view China these days.
Now, Xi Jinping addresses an assembly over the BRICS bank group, while still not having dealt with the menace in its own back yard. Without a word being mentioned, Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa—and the nations who trade with them—will view China as being the “maker of promises that won’t be kept”.
China had so much going for it, as did the Communist Party in Beijing. They had trade, they had marked-off territory that no one encroached. But, it wasn’t “what they deserved by rite”, thereby provoking them into too much venture and not enough housecleaning. Make no mistake, North Korea is only the tip of the iceberg marking regional vendettas that loom beneath the surface, both militarily and economically. The US is not as friendly as it seems, “considering either” economics “or” military; it has already been implementing both as part of a greater regional ambition.
Sheriff Joe Arpio was pardoned, as predicted. His case could set precedent to defend future situations in years to come, notoriety only granted because he was prosecuted in the first place.
Trump will end the work permit program for “Dreamers”, children who entered the US illegally with parents who entered the US illegally. Trump has not officially announced, but notified Ryan’s office and the press on Sunday, though Trump’s official announcement will come on Tuesday. Obama’s program being shut down will continue for six months. If Trump were a heartless tyrant, there would not be such advanced notice.
Those at-their-entry-illegal children now understand America’s culture and will retain the skills necessary to more likely re-enter America with better opportunities than Obama’s quick-fix policy ever offered them. Their road ahead will be rough, but without hatred from even Trump’s gentle yet firm hand. The rewards awaiting them at the end of that road will be all the more gratifying and those who supported Trump will applaud the Dreamers when they reach that goal. The road of the American spirit was never easy, it included pressing through the hard times that come with multicultural and international life.
Territories, provinces, cities, counties, continents, and countries need borders as much as homes need walls, bedrooms need doors, and private property needs marking. Suspending enforcement of those rules hurts everyone. Obama could have worked with Congress to make laws for Dreamers, but Obama chose not to help the Dreamers in the long run. Republicans in Congress have had more than half a year to present their Republican president with a bill to help the Dreamers, but they haven’t. Congress still has six months to help the Dreamers.
But, Obama and Republican Congress have done nothing. They delegated action to Trump, who only has the power to enforce or not enforce. By himself, the president, whether Trump or Obama, can’t dictate the perfect law for “Dreamers”. Trump won’t give false hopes because setting up people for disappointment is heartless. It was Obama who had less of a heart by cultivating false hopes in the first place, but not taking action to secure those hopes in the future. Still, there still is time, if Congress actually wants to do its job rather than just talk all the time.
Houston saw a great flood. Evacuating would likely have caused more problems and saved fewer lives. Individuals are responding from around the country. The good guys and bad guys had a chance to show their true colors. In the end, uncompassionate “Churchianity” that wouldn’t open the doors of “Church Ma Hal” lost, along with the mainstream news casters who debated the first lady’s shoes and interviewed victims in shelters rather than helping them. As much as Hurricane Harvey pounded Houston, it utterly destroyed shallow institutions in America and only strengthened America’s spirit.
China should be upset over North Korea for deeper reasons than on the surface. Trump’s “fire and fury” comment a few weeks ago was the clear explanation.
Donald Trump was not in favor of the W. Bush invasion of Iraq. Trump does not like large footprints of war. If this administration authorizes action in North Korea, it would not be anything like Iraq. It would be surgical and instant. There might not be time to react.
With the threat growing from China’s venture missions—flying its flag on man-made islands since it can’t find other ways to fly its flag on more soil—the Pentagon would be foolish not to seek an opportunity for a small demonstration. By not bringing North Korean threats to an absolute halt, China may be giving the US just that opportunity.
China and Russia neither want North Korea to be volatile nor shut down. Perhaps they don’t understand North Korea’s political DNA. It seems they all want to have their cake and eat it too and blame the world if they can’t, a mindset common in Communist regimes.
So, Communism itself is on trial, for its ability to deliver on its goals. But, so on trial also is Democracy’s ability to respond if Communism fails to deliver.
This week saw flooding in Houston and protests in Phoenix and Berkley. Trump is serious about the border, so are smugglers. Border agents found another tunnel, a first so clearly used to smuggle people rather than narcotics.
The TSA is pushing its luck with even more pat-downs. The TSA’s end-game of personal invasion is unclear. Perhaps the TSA wants to overwhelm, then back off to a level of incursion “low enough” for people to accept, but higher than before the TSA sported its blue uniforms and machines at airports. On the other hand, the TSA may be trying to reach as far of an incursion as possible before administrative changes from the top force the TSA to back off. The TSA could also be attempting to get more Republicans elected through reactive voting in the midterms. Then, the TSA may also be attempting to provoke more airports to hire private security teams to replace the TSA. They could be aiming for a separate, privatized network of travel altogether, such as hover cars. Whatever the TSA’s endgame is, the game doesn’t end with the TSA on top.
Frustration against Trump is stirring protests to a point where martial law may be unavoidable. People rioting against Trump only play into the hands they fear. If they were sober in their concerns that Trump was a tyrant, they wouldn’t give him any excuse to march. But, critical thinking doesn’t seem to be a common thing these days.
We also have the ongoing chess plays of racism and counter-racism. “White shaming” on college campuses isn’t completely without warrant. As Howard Moskowitz said, “To a worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish.” White college students discussing multi-ethnic problems amongst themselves is indeed moot. But, the solution is not for professors to blast White students with how wrong they are, but to encourage and empower international lifestyle.
Perhaps Hurricane Harvey might cause Americans to turn their heads to other parts of the world. Then again, not as many people in America were concerned about Typhoon Hato when it hit Macau earlier this week. White people are not the only worms in horseradish. We all have our vegetables and sauces we think the world of.
Popularity collided with reality. The departure of Peter Strzok from Mueller’s investigative team comes in the wake of revelations that Russianewsgategate is “nonsense”. Strzok wasn’t wet behind the ears; he knows counter intel. An experienced investigator doesn’t leave a team for no reason. With the financial-legal load of people being investigated and the widespread opinion that Mueller had stepped way beyond scope, Mueller and his team could be looking at being investigated for investigating a “known nothing”.
It takes two to fight. There are always heroes, cowards, and hate mongers on every side. Not everyone in Charlottesville, VA wanted violence. Many wanted to peacefully make their point. But, ideologies don’t always lead where their supporters intend. Trump said as much and condemned everyone who contributed to violence in Charlottesville. But, that didn’t fit the pre-scribed “who to condemn before seeing evidence” playscript of populism and “looking cool” tactics of business leaders. So, the big money CEO council Trump put together condemned Trump’s remarks about the riot and resigned from giving the country business advice.
Their resignations, and Trump’s disbanding the group likely due to their resignations, are out of place. It’s a business advisory committee, not a counter-riot think tank. If IBM and General Electric know so much about riots, they should have provided a privatized solution, if nothing other than research. But, they didn’t. They were simply trying to look good by throwing people under the bus at the right moment. Many companies, including NBC and Macy’s tried similar tactics, which consistently backfired.
The resignation-instigated dissolution of that business advisory council carries two implications: 1. They will no-longer have voice, much like North Korea cutting off relations, which only hurts itself. 2. Business leaders aren’t political experts and should stick to their purpose, no matter how tempting it is to parrot populist mantra. Both of these two reasons will come back to haunt these very companies because their comments were a departure from the mission of their businesses and the task of their council. By commenting off topic, they were the ones who lost.
Republicans in Congress, also, seem to be unwilling to publicly defend Trump, merely because the timing makes it “not cool”. It is interesting that corporate leadership, political leadership, and FBI investigation leadership disbanded after their teams had gotten off task. The country is in a “mission-statement” crisis and the establishment is hammering itself in the foot over and over again with playbook grandstanding. Sooner or later, unnecessary appendixes of the establishment will do themselves in, most likely for the better.
