Well, what is China like? Is it a smog filled “hell hole”, or is it a Stalinist storm-trooper stomping dictatorship? Just what the heck is it, and what is it like?
This is a post that I threw together after reading a fellow American justify the eight wars that America is currently fighting all over the globe. As he said “…it our duty to police the world because no one has it better than us.”
Eh? Say what?
Of course he was referring to a United States military presence all over the world. And at this I shake my head. Why is my tax dollars being spent in Timbuktu? Why are we building bridges, bases and helping the Saudi’s fight their wars?
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants America to fight a war with Iran. To this end he is very active in providing financial enticements (bribes) to leading American Senators and Congressmen to support yet another military action, only this time in Iran.
Don’t the Saudi Arabians have enough money?
Why do WE have to do it? Why can’t THEY deal with their own issues?
Some background
To best understand what this question and the answers that it garners, we need to have a little background first.
Most non-Americans would be absolutely surprised to discover that the bulk of Americans think that the world is one big garbage dump, and only America is a half-way decent place to live. With this belief, it makes sense that America spread “American-style democracy” all over the world. No matter what the cost.
And so we do. Oh, yeah…
Linda J. Bilmes and Michael D. Intriligator, ask in a recent paper, “How many wars is the US fighting today?”
Today US military operations are involved in scores of countries across all the five continents. The US military is the world’s largest landlord, with significant military facilities in nations around the world, and with a significant presence in Bahrain, Djibouti,Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to long-established bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and the UK. Some of these are vast, such as the Al Udeid Air Force Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters of the United States Central Command, which has recently been expanded to accommodate up to 10,000 troops and 120 aircraft.
Citing a page at US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) website, they highlight the “areas of responsibility” publicly listed:
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) is active in 20 countries across the Middle Eastern region, and is actively ramping-up military training, counterterrorism programs, logistical support, and funding to the military in various nations. At this point, the US has some kind of military presence in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, U.A.E., Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM), according to the paper, “supports military-to-military relationships with 54 African nations.”
[Gosztola points out that the U.S. military is also conducting operations of one kind or another in Syrian, Jordan, South Sudan, Kosovo, Libya, Yemen, the Congo, Uganda, Mali, Niger and other countries.]
Altogether, that makes 74 nations where the US is fighting or “helping” some force in some proxy struggle that has been deemed beneficial by the nation’s masters of war.
-U.S. Currently Fighting 74 Different Wars … That It Will Publicly Admit
Good thing that we are in Turkmenistan. I can see how a farmer in Iowa would trudge down to his Congressman, and demand (by pounding on the desk) that his son goes and fights “the good cause” way off there. Just like you and your relatives have. Just like everyone in Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois have. </sarcasm>
By the way… where is Turkmenistan? Do you even bloody know?
But those are just the public operations; the public stuff that you might be able to find in a newspaper or two. However, there are many, many secret and covert operations all over the globe, don’t you know.
Beyond that, there are Special Operations forces in countries. Jeremy Scahill in Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield, writes, “By mid-2010, the Obama administration had increased the presence of Special Operations forces from sixty countries to seventy-five countries.
Scahill also reports, based on his own “well-placed special operations sources”:
…[A]mong the countries where [Joint Special Operations Command] teams had been deployed under the Obama administration were: Iran, Georgia, Ukraine, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Yemen, Pakistan (including in Baluchistan) and the Philippines. These teams also at times deployed in Turkey, Belgium, France and Spain. JSOC was also supporting US Drug Enforcement Agency operations in Colombia and Mexico…
Ah, yes. His statement stuck to me. I mean, it really did. I thought, you see, that that bunch of ignorance pretty much died off during the Bush years. So I was really taken back to have it repeated again, to my face.
I guess he is just fine throwing away money that is Constitutionally intended to be in our wallets. Hey! Some people don’t care what happens to the money once it is removed from their wallet. They justify it.
Obama was very liberal with the tax monies, as well as the money not yet collected. He gave it away like party favors at a drunk frat party.
However, I for one, do.
It affects MY quality of life. It affects my family. It affects what I do, how I eat, and my general health.
Hey! Dear reader, how much do you manage to save out of each paycheck every month? Not only that, but you and your family (with both working) how much are you able to save? You cannot. That is because of taxes, and you know what? Most of our tax money goes in to wars. War. Endless, endless wars…!
And no amount of bafflegab is going to change that.
Feminist bafflegab.
America is not supposed to be like this.
You have to understand that America, as founded, was the most amazing nation ever to grace this good earth. There are many reasons for this, but nothing can say it better than this…
America's founders embraced a previously unheard-of political philosophy which held that people are "...endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights.." This was the statement of guiding principle for the new nation, and, as such, had to be translated into a concrete charter for government. The Constitution of The United States of America became that charter.
Other forms of government, past and present, rely on the state as the grantor of human rights. America's founders, however, believed that a government made up of imperfect people exercising power over other people should possess limited powers. Through their Constitution, they wished to "secure the blessings of liberty" for themselves and for posterity by limiting the powers of government. Through it, they delegated to government only those rights they wanted it to have, holding to themselves all powers not delegated by the Constitution. They even provided the means for controlling those powers they had granted to government.
This was the unique American idea. Many problems we face today result from a departure from this basic concept. Gradually, other "ideas" have influenced legislation which has reversed the roles and given government greater and greater power over individuals. Early generations of Americans pledged their lives to the cause of individual freedom and limited government and warned, over and over again, that eternal vigilance would be required to preserve that freedom for posterity.
-Footnote: "Our Ageless Constitution," W. David Stedman & La Vaughn G. Lewis, Editors (Asheboro, NC, W. David Stedman Associates, 1987) Part III: ISBN 0-937047-01-5
You see, America today in no way resembles what our Constitution says it is supposed to be. It has turned in to a huge enormous monstrosity.
"Allow me, just now old enough to apprehend the freak show for what it is, to put something radical to my conservative forbearers:
Little about the present state of American life is worth conserving. Nothing of what the Founders envisioned remains."
We Americans, living in this mess, move along with the flow and ebb of the political and social winds. Often making the most absurd statements, and rationalizations. Thus this fellow that I was chatting with.
He then went on to say that “We need to police the world. We need to spread democracy... ...the rest of the world is one big shit-hole, seriously.” And then asked me, “Have you ever seen the Mexican side of the border?“
America is very beautiful once you leave many of the urban areas. The sky is often awesome, the roads are wide and often clear of traffic. Many of the houses are large and spacious. When compared to other nations, the United States appears to be (hands down) the most desirable place to live. So it is natural to assume every other place is a hell-hole.
Now this is coming from a guy who doesn’t even has a passport, has never tried to get a visa, and his only experience outside the borders of our country was by watching reruns of Baywatch.
Ah. that old “no one has it better than us Americans” argument. We are so fortunate. Eh. Well, it plays well in Peoria. And it’s a good conversation stopper. As we, as Americans, have all seen the “Save the Children” commercials. That money-generating venture brought images of poverty into the living-rooms of Americans for decades.
So the argument seems to have some validity.
Seems to.
Being older with some experiences…
But, you know, I am from a different generation. I grew up in the 1970’s, and at that time between all the smoking blue haze we came to appreciate the strengths of the American system. We did so cranking Jimmi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Yes, Jefro Tull, Alice Cooper, Boston, Manfred Mann, Traffic, Uriah Heep and Three Dog Night.
"I'd love to change the world... but I don't know what to do.
That 70s show was a television comedy that sort of reflected what it was like living and growing up in the 1970’s.
And…
We knew, since the Vietnam war was still fresh in our minds, that America should be for Americans. We did not need to be off throwing money, and wasting lives in some off-the-beaten track for some globalist oligarch.
We knew that America was wasting money in Vietnam. We knew that people were dying there, and many of them were friends, or relatives. We knew that what ever benefit would come of that war, none of us would ever see that benefit.
We knew that the war was just pissing away American resources.
Americans in Vietnam. We fought and died there for “democracy”. When the truth was that it was an effort with the wealthiest in America to game the situation for their very own personal advantage.
We, almost my entire generation, felt betrayed by those older than us. Those who ended up throwing away lives in far off rice paddy’s, and making laws against marijuana that everyone was obviously breaking. What was the matter with these people? We asked.
Why can’t they just let us be? Why do they have to take too much of our money, regulate too much of our lives, and go off fighting wars that are too far away? Why?
Things were so different the. We weren’t expected to apologize for being born. We weren’t ashamed of our nation. We were American gosh darn it!
Well, that was only the tip of the iceberg.
A few more years passed. Ronald Reagan did put the breaks down to some degree, but he made some other blunders that (sad to say, eventually) set the stage for what was to come…
President Bush Senior spent most of his Presidency trying to undo the good works of Ronald Reagan. In many ways he was very successful.
First, was President Gerald Ford (Senior) who made it his life’s work to undo “Reaganomics”, and implement The New Global Order. Then came a succession of socialist criminals, such as Clinton, Bush Jr and finally Obama.
Each one, in their own way, contributed to the state of affairs that America is enduring today. Each one played a role. Each one created the situation leading to all the complaints that we Americans have about “our” government.
They snipped the brake-lines to the American Constitutional government, and it has been in free-fall ever since.
Free-fall.
Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Those of us, still trapped in a rapidly decaying world try to grasp for straws trying to make out some sense of reason to the hordes of pink-haired ignorance, the black-thugs of Antifa and the BLM that seems to want to put average Americans in concentration camps.
So we listen to the news. Many, well meaning of course, have no idea just how tainted it really is. They believe the news.
They believe what it says.
- White House Wanted USS John McCain ‘Out of Sight’ During Trump Japan Visit
- Trump Served Two Scoops of Ice Cream at Dinner While Time Reporters Get One Scoop
The mainstream media news manipulates us.
They believe CNN when they announce that there are spontaneous protests all over the nation to ban plastic straws.
They believe MSNBC when they announce that President Donald Trump is a full Communist spy on the payroll out of Russia (oh and he likes to pee on bed sheets, too). And they believe FOX when they say that our military isn’t big enough and another “few” trillion dollars would be all that is needed to make the world whole again.
The most dangerous lies are the ones that you WANT to believe. Which is why FOX is just as dangerous as CNN. They both lie. It's just that they focus on different target audiences.
You maybe should open up a window or two and let some fresh air get inside your house. You’ve been cooped up way too long. Maybe since when the Partridge Family, or the Rat Patrol was on television, me thinks.
The world has changed, bub.
Beautiful shanghai at dusk showing the Huangpu river and financial district skyline in sunset. The fellow that I was talking to considered this city, Shanghai to be a “Hell hole” worthy of fighting to “free those imprisoned by the evil communists”.
While you have been sitting there reading American news, American politics, American music, and viewing American-centrist shows, the rest of the world has moved on.
We, as Americans have been boxed in by wealthy and powerful forces. Their objective is for them to achieve “ultimate wealth and power”. As such, they are an evil oligarchy, and they control you, the reader, through media lies, and intentional omissions of news.
Some parts of America has been completely engulfed by this poison. You can see it. It’s not pretty.
Modern Detroit today. At one time Detroit was the automobile capital of the world. It produced products like no other. But successive generations of leadership decided to focus their energies elsewhere, and Detroit fell onto bad times. This is not the only place where this has happened. We have the “rust belt” in the Midwest, and of course, we all know about the crime riddled Seaboard cities.
Luckily, many parts of America has been spared. There are really very nice areas that have not been polluted by this blight. But the dark days are fast approaching.
Beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. This small Mid-West city is typical of what America and is is populated by people that it represents. While there is a major blight in most progressive liberal areas, the rural and smaller cities has so far been spared the progressive influence.
But, why has this blight effected the USA in the first place?
While Bush had the United States fighting in the deserts of Africa, the rest of the world were planting trees, building malls, and rapid mass transit.
While Bush was giving the dictator of some unpronounceable tiny county, trillions of dollars to build up THEIR infrastructure, and build THEIR hospitals, our infrastructure was allowed to decay and fall apart. And when we complained about it, they came after us. Accusing us of tax evasion, or sexual deviance.
While Obama was working on “diversity initiatives” all over the Untied States, the rest of the world were improving their hospitals. While we Americans were being told by Obama to pay more in taxes, to tighten our belts, the rest of the world were having their tax burdens eased, and living under substantially improved lifestyles.
Yes, let me be the first person to tell you, the reader this, while we have been spending bundles and bundles of money in places that you cannot find on a map, the rest of the world has been getting wealthier, better, stronger, and healthier.
Kanye West – Stronger
No longer does the rest of the world look like a “Save the Children” commercial. For the most part, it tends to look like an upscale suburb of Chicago.
“In terms of financial cost, the numbers are staggering. Afghanistan alone has cost a trillion dollars. Just think what we might have accomplished at home if that money had been spent on education, job training, medical research, infrastructure improvements, water purification and sanitation. You can add to this list. It’s all important, but taking a backseat to our military funding.”
-Endless war is bad for America
Scene from the Science Fiction comedy called Idiocracity. It traces the dumbing down of the average American and the resulting effect that it has on society.
So, here’s the slap in the face for you all.
Laugh-In is no longer broadcast on network television, Hugh Hefner is dead, and Playboy magazine is no longer published like it used to be. No one wears “Earth Shoes” anymore, and “love beads” are worn as often as the waitress tells you that your elephant bell-bottom jeans are “groovy”.
Times have changed. The rest of the world has moved on.
The rest of the world has moved on, and I believe that we need to pay attention to what is going on. We need to open our eyes, look around, ask questions and just listen.
- We need to look at the world around us.
- The American mainstream media has failed us.
- Politicized media, from both sides of the spectrum lie and tell partial truths.
- There are no “experts” that have all the answers. They are all frauds.
You might need to visit Australia, Germany, Poland, or Thailand. Americans, listen up, the rest of the world does NOT have it worse than America. They have it differently, true.
But, worse… I don’t think so.
The rest of the world could care less about what is going on in the USA. They don’t know what the IRS, who the NSA is, and why the FDA is important. Though, they do have a pretty good idea about the CIA, LOL.
I’m in China, so we are gonna talk about China.
If I were in Australia, I’d talk about that absolutely amazing nation. Indeed, those Aussies have no idea how fortunate they are. Australia is an amazing place. It really, really is. From Kings Cross to Brisbane, it’s awesome from the top to the bottom, and I cannot find anything wrong with it at all.
Beautiful Brisbane, Australia. Australia is a land of wonderful weather, beautiful girls and impressive scenery. Also, you should try their prawns. They are amazing!
And you know, what? The same is true about some other places, like New Zealand. Those Kiwi’s have it good too. I’ll tell you what. The thing is that they don’t go strutting around like a peacock, or like a big cock that is so sure of himself proclaiming “New Zealand is the best!”. They know they are good, and decent. They know that.
Milford sound in New Zealand. Queenstown is known to be the adventure capital of New Zealand, and actually, the world! However, in case you’ve been living under a rock, New Zealand’s beauty is the true draw.
Thailand is in a class by itself and I won’t spend too much time on all the great fun that can be had there. You just need to go out, and experience it yourself. After all, where else in the world will all the pretty ladies call you a “handsome man”, eh?
Getting ready to have some fun in Thailand. It the land of great food, amazing natures, and many, many smiles. This is a photo of a foreigner getting some money out of an ATM. If you are frugal, you will need to husband your money carefully, as Thailand has an enormous tourist industry, and you will need to be careful or else watch your money disappear before your eyes.
Canada has it’s charms, I’ll tell you what. But, it seems too much like a sister-brother nation to the Untied States. They seem to want to copy whatever progressive pronouncements come out of liberal academia. I know, I know, they speak French, and have politics more in like with the UK than anything resembling America, but it’s a very beautiful nation with some outstanding parks and scenery. Not to mention, just great people.
Still, still, it’s a gorgeous place, with some great fishing. If you ever get a chance to go fishing in Canada go do it. You will not be sorry. Just remember to take some bug-repellent. You will need two or three gallons of it.
Watch out! One of the signs features a large mosquito carrying someone away. Well, maybe they don’t get that big, but you’ve got to be well equipped.
Well, I’m in China. So I am gonna talk about China.
I’m not gonna narrate too much. Just a little wee bit. It will help you, the reader, better understand the context of what is going on in the videos, and that should lead to a better understanding of what you are witnessing. After all, watching Cirque du Soleil without any context would leave anyone confused and disoriented.
So, I’ll just let the micro-videos speak for themselves. You all can come to whatever conclusion you come to. That way the ignorant can’t blame me for “brainwashing” you, the reader.
As they often tend to do.
The following videos describe the China that exists today, and not the “Save the Children” image so rampantly promoted in American media on both sides of the political spectrum. As we used to say in the industry “don’t shoot the messenger”.
They are fun videos. I hope you enjoy them.
Also, please keep in mind that the purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.
And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
This is what China is. (Video 1)
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
It is rare for a single company to make everything for their products. They buy screws from a screw manufacturer, they get rubber parts from a rubber manufacturer, and get glass from a glass manufacturer. Over the last two decades a system has developed where a company can retain control of it's products, but utilize cheap off-shore labor.
While the rest of the world was “off shoring” their products, China was learning, acquiring, and building. While the rich oligarchy in the USA and Europe were taking their enormous profits and investing in political power, liberal initiatives, and spending the money on lavish entertainments, China was working hard and studying.
It’s paying off.
Scene from the television show “Star Trek”. TOS season 2. It pictured a world where America adopted the way that Rome ruled the world only doing so contemporaneously. I wonder, would Americans recognize the similarities between Ancient Rome and modern Washington DC?
While all this has been going on, some curious trends started to manifest.
Today, many manufacturers all over the world implement “supply-chain management”, which means (in layman’s terms) that they farm out critical sub-assemblies, and parts to other factories in other nations where the manufacturing costs are low. As such, they are able keep their core factories and manufacturing facilities and maintain their local labor rates, social benefits, and environmental controls, but only conduct final manufacture of components.
We know about this every time we call a help line that gets rerouted to India, or when we discover that it will take a month or longer to get a spare part for our American made product.
Many companies do this. Many, that you, the reader, have no idea has so many off-shored components and assemblies. Hey! Surprise!
And now for my first video…
China is about selecting the interior color scheme in your car…
…while you are driving it.