Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Friday, December 24. 2021Friday morning linksMillipedes Have Been Living a Lie. No known creature actually had 1,000 legs—until now. Lady is ashamed she caught COVID Omicron Accounts for 90 Percent of COVID-19 Cases in Some Parts of US Everybody will get it Green energy firms the biggest corporate welfare recipients ever. No other industry in American history has ever received this lucrative a paycheck More Than $100 Billion Was Stolen From Pandemic Relief Funds, Secret Service Says Hinderaker on the Kim Potter verdict:
Illinois state senator supports defund the police efforts, then karma struck I've Worked with People Like Bette Midler... Yes, They Think You're Stupid The Biden White House’s Energy Incompetence VP Harris complains that her job is too hard Sheesh. Not a good thing to say A Rift in the Conservative Foreign-Policy World Israel’s Christian community is growing, 84% satisfied with life here – report Statement on Improving the Potential for a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Challenge Should the US defend Taiwan? Of course not Wall Street and Silicon Valley must stop bankrolling communist China. We need a regulatory framework to protect our nation and its people from China’s ambitions Two more Tiananmen monuments removed from Hong Kong university campuses Comments
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re The Biden White House’s Energy Incompetence
I don't see any incompetence there. I see a determined effort to jack up the price of energy as much as possible. The first objective is to make solar panels and windmills more economically competitive with fossil fuels. The second goal is to make fossil fuels so expensive that demand, and by extenssion CO2 emissions fall. The effect of rising energy prices on the little people is of no concern to them. The question is whether fossil fuel prices are rising fast enough to suit them. Are more draconian policies needed to push prices higher, faster? I figure there will be subsidies for wind and solar until we must transition to them, at which point they'll cut the funding and we'll have to pay full price.
Which will be significantly higher than the fossil fuel costs - but that'll be fine, because the proper people ended up getting their graft... "Everybody will get it "
Yes! And we will look back on the lockdowns, mask mandates and all the other useless crap our little Eichmann's did and wonder why we were so easily fooled. The shutdowns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj2RCPWDTG4&t=1s are for the greater good.
I too believe that seeking diplomatic solutions to our problems with recalcitrant regimes around the globe is the only way to achieve peace in our time. But looking at that list of names attached to the statement, I can't help but notice a severe lack of trans-gendered immigrant handicapable persons of color so I really don't see how we can hope to convince these regimes of the seriousness of our intent with such a shameful lack of diversity.
It'd help if those shoving out the 'diplomacy' weren't idiots, determined to do 'what has always been done' because sooner or later it's got to work, right?
(Hint: Dropping trousers and bending over without even requesting the courtesy of a reach-around has never gone well for the country dropping the trousers...) Re: Should the US defend Taiwan? Of course not...
I suppose but I do think we should make some effort to protect Taiwan's semi conductor industry at least. It would be really bad for China to have a near monopoly on that industry as well as all the others it already has. TSMC is getting ready. If China invades Taiwan there won't be a Taiwanese semiconductor industry.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/16/tsmc-taiwanese-chipmaker-ramping-production-to-end-chip-shortage.html https://www.gizmochina.com/2021/12/21/tsmc-receive-approval-by-taiwan-for-chip-plant-japan/ https://techhq.com/2021/12/can-europe-get-the-boost-it-needs-with-a-new-semiconductor-plant-by-tsmc/ It sounds like they are planning for the eventuality of China winning.
"Of course not....". Sure, of course not. But if not the US then who? Or is it simply better to....adjust. Like Hong Kong. Like the Spratly Islands. How about when they escalate their current campaign of intimidation and harassment of Vietnam / Phillippines to include small scale, incremental advancements to capture territory - as they are doing now in the Spratleys?
Saying 'Of course not' is a convenient shrug, but meaningless without saying who should respond instead, and without defining what lines are red lines? Already free navigation in the open ocean has been declared unilaterally controlled as territorial waters by China. What point is [i]No Mas[\i]? I said, “I suppose…”, because I’m pretty conflicted about it. I think Taiwan is well worth protecting not only because they are a democratic country that is very friendly to us, but also because of their strategic location. On the other hand, I tired of our always being the one to do the dirty work.
re Bette Midler: Oh, you wanted us to go forward! Gosh darn it, we didn't understand that part! (Facepalm) OK, now that we understand that you want to go forward we're completely on board. Sorry to hold things up like that.
CS Lewis once noted that he had seen progress before - in an egg lying on a sideboard for days. |
Tracked: Dec 26, 09:31