"Knowing You" (opens in separate window)

why china got away with it

friday, january 7th, 2022

It gave the world a deadly virus and took no responsibility for it —- and the world shrugged it off.

What can you say about a country that trashed the planet Earth with a deadly virus? That it knew what it was doing?

China has gotten away with it: businesses and industries destroyed or damaged; massive recession and unemployment; medical systems strained to the point of collapse; countries rent asunder by populism; transport systems in disarray; interruption of children’s education and development; loss of confidence in governments; rising mental illness, anger, and civil disobedience; vulnerability of the elderly and those with underlying conditions; and nearly twice as many American dead than in World War II. The full effects of COVID-19 and its variants are yet to be known.

Whether the COVID pathogen was an accidental release from the Wuhan Institute of Virology or an act of Nature via infected bats or pangolins matters less than the cover up by the Chinese Politburo —- delayed disclosure by months, and the persecution of medical experts who tried to tell the truth. That domestic flights in and out of Wuhan were shut down while international ones were allowed to continue speaks for itself. Did the Chinese Politburo think that China should not be the only country to suffer —- and that the catastrophe should be exported and shared?

The world’s reaction to this monstrous act has thus far been relatively mild. The full force of the world’s media, governments and multilateral organizations, judicial processes, and multinational companies has not been brought to bear. Yes, there was some initial outrage but it has subsided and yielded to a broad acceptance of the status quo: it is what it is, as they say. They don't ban hate speech; they ban speech they hate.

So why is this? There are certainly two reasons: 1) money, and 2) fear of kinetic action.

Evidencing its economic might, China now appears to rank number one in outward foreign direct investment, which in 2020 exceeded $150 billion, according to the Hamburg-based data firm, Statistica, which seems to have accepted data from China’s Ministry of Commerce, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange at face value. The New York-based Trading Economics also appears to have accepted these statistics from the Chinese government. Other Chinese official sources report total Chinese outward FDI (believed to be at historical cost, not equity) at nearly $2.6 trillion, putting China in third place. Chinese direct investment benefits employment and GDP in host countries: nearly $50 billion of Chinese capital had been invested in the roughly 70 Belt and Road Initiative countries by 2020, with considerably more committed. For example, China’s commitment to Pakistan, a crown jewel in the BRI, exceeds $60 billion. With an economic stick of this size, it is no wonder that China wants to rewrite the global rules for trade and investment to benefit Beijing and challenge the US-dominated postwar order.

Further, China’s foreign exchange and gold reserves total $3.3 trillion, allowing it to buy its way into recipient countries, particularly in capital short developing countries. Accumulation of these reserves has been driven by consumption, with U.S. retailers linked real time to the producing factories in China. Adding to its economic influence, China holds nearly $1.3 trillion of U.S. treasury securities. Abruptly swapping out of some U.S. dollar instruments would put pressure on the dollar and increase U.S. interest rates, likely creating pandemonium in credit and equity markets —- albeit with devaluation of China’s U.S. dollar holdings and incurring transaction costs.

A final economic factor is U.S. foreign direct investment in China, which approximated $125 billion in 2020 at historical cost. Nationalization of premier U.S. multinationals in technology and finance, for example, would be a high visibility form of retaliation.

Besides money is the fear of a kinetic reaction —- that could be demanded by knowing the truth. Notably, the U.S. intelligence community stated that it was unable to determine the origin of COVID-19 in its report released in August, although as noted, there is already evidence of China’s duplicitous behavior and cover-up. Should China be called out the way President Kennedy called out the USSR for its construction in Cuba of launch sites to support nuclear ballistic missiles in 1962, the world would demand more than rhetoric and condemnations. China is now perceived as nearing military parity with the U.S., with its goal of equivalence by 2027, contemporaneous with the 100th anniversary of its armed forces. A U.S. military or cyber conflict with China would be catastrophic for the world, with potentially cataclysmic consequences for both China and the U.S. Further, there is some doubt among experts as to whether the U.S. could actually win a conventional conflict with China in the western Pacific.

As I have written in The American Spectator, the free market can inhibit China’s future inspirations. However, relocation of manufacturing and cutting cross-border and local exposure will take time and may not be enough. A trial at The Hague, a judicial body of the United Nations, might result in a loss of face for the Chinese Politburo, however the UN is tilted toward anti-western policies, and a complaint would position the U.S. in conflict with developing countries, and those members of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Unfortunately, we are currently stuck with this: “it is what it is”.

© 12.27.2021 by Frank Schell, "The American Spectator".

[JS: Covid-19 gain-of-function research was funded by scumbag Fauci's NIH, purposely released by the Wuhan Level-3 Bio-Lab, and covered-up to allow the virus to spread worldwide. It's Bio-Warfare, and they won. The ChiComms are going to do it again. Count on it.]

A Day In The Life.

Sleeping-in until 7:30a on Friday, New Year's Eve Day, I went thru my finger stick to check my BSL (Blood Sugar Level) and recorded it on my Diabetes 2 chart, made coffee and breakfast, had a couple smokes in the semi-cool garage and checked the leftover errands list. It was a cloudy, heavily fogged 46° morning, so I fired-up the furnace, supplementary garage and office-sunroom heaters. I started coffee, had a couple of smokes and had a large croissant w/ Red Raspberry marmalade (sugar free) for breakfast. There was a ***DENSE FOG WARNING*** posted, so I decided to wait until Monday to get the few errands on my list, done. I listened to the "Chris Plante Show" until noon.

Here are some pics of our first snowfall, a few days ago.

Parts of the country are on fire, big time, and other parts of the nation are getting blizzard conditions from Snowstorm "Lydia". Not a good start to the new year. Fall-like weather is here for us, for the next few days, at least. Great way to start 2022, huh? I left for the dry cleaners south of York, in Red Lion, and hit a convenience store and Rite Aid Pharmacy on the way home. No more need to go out until tomorrow or Sunday. I had work to do at the condo, after lunch, and then grabbed a 2hr snooze.

After a light dinner, I watched Discovery's "Gold Rush", called Sherry (she's doing better) to wish her Happy New Year, heard the local fireworks, and watched "Gold Rush" until almost midnight. Lights out.

The face mask is like attempting to stop mosquitos with a chain link fence.

I'm thinking the Covid-19 vaccination and booster shots don't work at all. Watch this and tell me what you think.

I slept-in until 9:30a on Saturday, New Year's Day. It was a 'tropical" 52°, rainy, a ***DENSE FOG ADVISORY*** was issued, and I had no errands on my to-do list. After coffee and breakfast, I re-listened to the "CP Show" podcasts from last week, and watched reruns and new episodes of "American Pickers" on History. The rain continued all day, dumping about 2" total, and some pretty cold weather was forecast to hit us Monday. Hey, it's Winter! After lunch and finally dinner, I resumed watching "AP" until 11:30p, I flipped to "overload", and needed some sleep.

Up at 8:30a on Sunday, it was another "balmy" 51°, cloudy and rainy morning start. I checked the weather and news, and a massive cold & snow front was just to the north of us, and passing into New England. We're forecast for snow, for a couple mornings, this week. I started a load of laundry, had Shrimp, Butter, Garlic, Angel Hair Pasta for lunch, and made a quick trip to Rite Aid to p/u a waiting Rx. Back home by 1:30p, I saw lots of neighbors taking down Christmas decorations, and getting ready for the coming snows.

In the old days, DemonKKKrats wore masks on special occasions; just that those masks came with a hood and robe.

Back home, I did another load of laundry, called Sherry and set-up a meeting at the nearby York Galleria to do some walking tomorrow, and watched History's series, "The Frontiersmen Who Built America", "The Candy That Built America", "The Food That Built America", had a light dinner, and continued watching the History series' episodes, until 11:45p, and unplugged.

Awake at 8:15a on Monday, I did the usual morning routines, checked the weather for the impending snow, but saw that 95% of it was south of us here in York, and DC was getting hammered. At a nippy 28° and looking like snow, we got nary a flurry. I listened to the "Chris Plante Show" (he's back from holiday vacation) until 12noon, then left to get a couple errands done, since we weren't getting any snow, from Snowstorm "Lydia", which passed by us. High for the day was 27°, and disappointing that we didn't get a single snowflake. I was home by 1:30p, had a light lunch, and took a 2hr snooze on the LR couch. It took me a while to get re-oriented after waking-up, but I had a Chicken Salad Sandwich on a Croissant for dinner, watched History's "Ancient Aliens" until 11p, and called it a day.

Up to a sunny, bitter cold 19° morning, I fired-up the furnace, garage and office-sunroom heaters, made coffee, did the finger stick, and checked the weather and news. Thousands of cars and motorists were stranded on I-95 in Virginia and Maryland. I'm sure glad that storm missed us, but another is coming on Friday, and the weather forecast idiots saying it will be worse. Within a few hours, that would all change to just rain.

After lunch, I met Sherry at 1p at the nearby York Galleria, and we walked close to ¾ of a mile, and then drove back to my condo. We talked and spent some wonderful time together, as usual, and she left at 4:30p, before it got dark. I had a light dinner, watched History's "The Curse of Oak Island" until 11; then switched to Fox's "Gutfeld" for a while, before unplugging at 11:30. My cleaning lady's in tomorrow, a day early, and I need to get to the nearby Wellspan Lab for some bloodwork.

Up at 5:45a -- aka, 0-Dark-Thirty -- it was a cold 27° morning. I did the usual morning routines early, as my cleaning lady would be here by 8:30, and I wanted to leave for the nearby Wellspan Lab to get some bloodwork done. Looks like another snowstorm??? is headed our way on early Friday morning, with 3-6" of white stuff. Hey, it's Winter. My cleaning lady, JoAnne, showed-up, and I left for the Wellspan Lab to get some blood drawn. A 35-40 min wait; very unusual for the usually quite fast Stony Brook facility.

The DJIA dropped over 400pts, Mentally-ill, leftist libtards blamed the Repulican Governeor-elect for the mess on (-95, I wasn't at the January 6th riot -- GO AHEAD, CHARGE ME -- You FedGov Lowlife, Commie Socialist, demonKKKrat, Leftist Scumbag ASSHOLES! -- and AccuWeather holds their "downgraded" ***WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY*** for Winterstorm "Garrett", at 3-6", while WGAL-TV8 and THE WEATHEWR CHANNEL wimp out, with no forecasts:


Winter Weather Warning
Thursday, January 6, 6:00 PM EST
To
Friday, January 7, 6:00 AM EST
Source: U.S. National Weather Service, PennState
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM EST FRIDAY:
• WHAT: Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches.
• WHERE: Lancaster and York Counties.
• WHEN: From 7 PM this evening to 6 AM EST Friday.
• IMPACTS: Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous travel conditions could impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning commute.
• ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Snow will not start to accumulate until late evening and will end before sunrise.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission remind motorists to adjust speeds based on driving conditions as winter weather impacts will include snow covered roads and limited visibility.

I did a couple of errands, had lunch, caught a few hours snooze on the LR couch, and watched TV until 11p, and then bagged it for the night.

I slept-in until 9:30a on Thursday, a cold 34° and cloudy morning. I just lounged around after breakfast, doing some computer work and checking the weather and news. I had a light lunch, and Sherry stopped-by around 1:30p, as she was in this end of town. We spent the afternoon together -- lots of "Mogambo", baby! -- and then went down to my highly-organized basement to retrieve all kinds of Hess, Texaco, Amoco, John Deere, Ford metal models truck, at least 40-45yrs old, still in original wrappers and the original boxes. I wanted her to give them to her son, Corey, who collects them; I had them stashed and many never opened for all those years. There were some real collector's models amongst them, a couple of which I kept. At least Corey can display them in his collection. I don't have anywhere to display, so no point in keeping them in boxes, squirreled away in my basement. She left around 5p, after we loaded all the metal trucks into her Hyundai.

I watched The Weather Channel for a few hours, as the massive Snowstorm "Garrett" closed in on us. By 8:15p, it was snowing heavily, here. Hye, Winter's here and get get what we get. Who's surprised?

Ever see a car change colors? Watch this BMW change from white to grey. No, I have no idea why.

I watched Fox News TV thru 12 midnight, and called it a night. By 11p, we had 1-2" on snow; nowhere what was forecast. BFD. Tomorrow starts a new week here in the 'Journal". See you tomorrow.

One Of The Biggest Stories In 2021 – And Few Noticed.

The D.C. Uniparty framed a political outsider – and threat to their status quo operations – as a corrupt cheater and spent four years lying to the public about it. The seriousness and ramifications of this story cannot be overstated. You want democracy-ruining collusion? I’ll give you democracy-ruining collusion.

If anyone needs the reminder, living in 2017 vis-a-vis “Russia, Russia, Russia” was akin to Chinese water torture – drip, drip, drip – except the drip was a deluge of hyperbolic rhetoric and deceit. Russian prostitutes peed on the bed that Obama slept in. Remember that one? His campaign met with Russian assets in Trump Tower to get dirt on Hillary’s. Remember that one? Trump was Vlad’s right-hand man, right? 

In reality, Clinton-associated operative, and recently-arrested, Igor Danchenko invented all of the salacious rumors, funneling them through shady and shadowy Clinton networks, and Clinton-associated operatives entrapped Trump officials in a meeting in a blatant attempt to catch them doing what they accused them of doing. (This last source citation is really insane; it is from a 2018 bombshell expose out of Real Clear Investigations titled “2016 Trump Tower Meeting Looks Increasingly Like a Setup by Russian and Clinton Operatives.” It is definitely worth reading in its entirety, and all the more maddening considering we sat on some really good information three years ago and the public conversation never shifted.)

Once in office, claims of collusion should have been really tough to connect the dots, because as president Trump armed the Ukrainians, dramatically increased military sales to Europe, sold the Patriot missile defense shield to Poland, crushed Russian mercenary forces in Syria, developed weapons pursuant to the new nuclear posture review that violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to counter Russia’s treaty-breaking efforts developed a missile defense strategy specifically oriented towards Russia; and countered the Russia-backed Iran Deal, according to a rundown of tough-on-Russia policies cited by The Federalist. So much for being soft on Putin.

The most damning element to all of these claims is that the FBI (and by extension all of the big players in D.C.) knew within weeks that nothing grounded the rumors. The FBI knew Danchenko was a fraud in early 2017, and yet the FBI’s own Robert Mueller conducted an investigation for two years that, not surprisingly, turned up nothing criminal. What’s more, there were unmistakable links to the Clinton campaign via various lawyers, companies, marriages, you name it. 

The relentless headlines in the media and outright lying by bug-eyed or doughy politicians meant all we heard about was the fact that Donald Trump stole the White House, abetted by friendly Russian counterparts. It was the Covid panic porn of its day. Indeed, even if not as deadly, Trump Derangement Syndrome is certainly just as contagious and ruinous to a person’s general health as the Wuhan Flu. The same level of gas-lighting was there, with Pulitzers handed out to outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post for, in the words of the Pulitzer committee, “deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nations’ understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect’s transition team, and his eventual administration.” That’s like giving a Nobel Prize in Science to the FDA for saying ivermectin is merely a horse paste.

Knowing that our 24-hour-news-cycle brains can barely remember the top headline from last week, it’s understandable that we forgot (or repressed) the incessant tattooing of the Russian drum. Life has moved on, hasn’t it? But we forget. And we can’t.

I get that the corrupt corporate media has chosen to largely stay quiet on matters of truth, but where is conservatives’ collective effort to make this story run the recently-resurrected Hillary off the airwaves for good? She claimed that the 2016 election was stolen. Remember that? She claimed that Trump was illegitimate. Remember that? They were all lies. Worst of all, if it can get worse, she knew they were lies and told them anyway. 

Now, in doing some digging on this story, I happened to come across an interview that former Senator Rick Santorum (he of sweater vest fame) gave on Newsmax. I don’t often cite Newsmax, let alone Santorum, but what he said is spot on:

“This is where the rigging of the 2020 election really started…[i]t started with this false narrative and tainted the entire Trump presidency with it.” Bingo.

Election fraud must be meant to include far more than just double-counted ballots, misplaced ballots, dead voters’ ballots, insecure machines. – you know, actual fraud. This doesn’t detract from the obvious need of stringent voter identification measures and other means of guaranteeing free election, but it does add weight and merit to the claim that the 2020 presidential election was absolutely stolen. 

The election was stolen not just by illegal ballot counting, but by every other effort to hide, distort, or rewrite truths. The claims of 2016’s illegitimacy enabled Democrats to lie about Trump, his character, and his presidency for four years. Add to that the admission of a bizarre Time story that accurately detailed insider collusion to frame narratives and stories as well as Big Tech’s efforts to squash the Hunter Biden story (that could have persuaded as many as 17% of Biden voters to rethink their choice). 

From 30,000 feet, this is why the Russian Collusion scandal needs a good rehashing. From the moment he came down the escalator, to the moment he stood on the debate stage and stole the show with his barbs against all of the establishment’s picks, to the moment his David slew Hillary’s Goliath, Trump melted peoples’ brains. They just had to get back at him no matter what.

And they tried. But the truth is prevailing. Now we just need enough people to hear it.

© 12.31.2021 by Parker Beauregard, "The Blue State Conservative".

13 Happenings In 2021, That I Never
Would Have Believed, 5 Years Ago.

Events happened this year that would have been believed impossible not long ago, with new lows and technological advances. It was a dumpster fire.

The world seemed to get closer to spinning out of its orbit in 2021. If you’d told me five years ago that men would be treated as women, criminals would not be prosecuted, and censorship would be widespread, I wouldn’t have believed you.

What were once considered the most basic, scientific truths (such as that you’re born with your sex and can’t change it) have broken down. Governments are no longer serving their primary function of providing security and protecting borders.

There are many more. As I reflected on the past year, here are just some of the many things that happened in 2021 that I never would have believed possible if someone had foretold them to me just five years ago.

1. Men As Women

The trend that most would have shocked my grandparents is transgenderism. Men are now competing with women in sports and being housed with women in prison. In 2021, President Biden appointed a man as a four-star admiral and proclaimed this was the “first” “female” “four-star officer.” 

2. Blocking Puberty

A second shocker is that parents are enabling young children to try to change genders with dangerous surgeries and puberty blockers. Many public schools have a policy of not telling parents if their son or daughter has adopted a transgender identity at school.

3. Drafting Women

Third, the United States narrowly avoided a draft for women, which was supported by many elected officials in the “conservative” party.

4. Not Prosecuting Crime

In many U.S. cities, serious crimes are not being prosecuted and crime has surged, with a dozen cities breaking annual homicide records.

5. Massive Illegal Immigration

Millions of immigrants have crossed illegally into the United States this year, in record numbers. The Biden administration also considered paying $450,000 in reparations to illegal immigrant families separated at the border.

6. Widespread Censorship

The former president of the United States is still banned from Facebook and Twitter. Big Tech censors debate on the most important topics of the day. Comedians can’t make jokes.

7. Parents Labeled Terrorists

Parents were labeled “domestic terrorists” by the Biden Justice Department for showing up at school board meetings with complaints. Schools aren’t telling parents what they teach and politicians are denying the obvious – young children are being taught, using public funds and institutions, that their country is racist.

8. President’s Mental Abilities Doubted

President Biden misspeaks regularly, to the point that many commentators doubt he’s really the one running the country. 

9. Asking Athletes for Advice

People turn to athletes and actors more and more for their advice and opinions as many other societal leaders seem to have abdicated their duties to lead.

10. Record Debt and Inflation

With record U.S. national debt, the money supply increased by more than a third in 18 months. The United States is experiencing the worst inflation in 40 years. Energy prices are up, and one of the bigger events of the year was in May, when the main pipeline carrying gasoline to the East Coast was shut down due to a cyberattack.

11. Covid Restrictions Continue and Some Increase

Initially sold as “two weeks to slow the spread,” lockdowns, mask, and vaccine mandates continue two years since COVID-19 started. Some U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. are now segregating people from public places to penalize their independent assessment of their medical risks.

12. Major Scientific Advances Not Celebrated

Every year brings some surprises and new scientific advances, but this year, living in a time of such great division in society, these breakthroughs were not universally celebrated.

Surely the greatest impact of science this year was the widespread rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Thankfully, the vaccines have saved countless lives. But many had hoped they would mean life could return to normal; instead, lockdowns and mask mandates continue and vaccines have become yet another point of division, with the vaccinated pitted against the unvaccinated.

A huge portion of the world’s population has been willing to get the jab and trust relatively new Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, but some have been doubtful and resisted coercion and mandates as they have made their own judgments about natural immunity and risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “mRNA vaccines are newly available to the public. However, researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades.”

Doubts have been sown because the vaccines don’t completely prevent infection or transmission, but also because the public has lost faith in science as it was politicized by scientists, the administration, bureaucrats, the media, and Big Tech – from discussion of the origins of COVID to its treatment and prevention.

Surely we could at least joyfully celebrate science when the long-time human dream of private space travel became more of a reality in 2021? Three billionaires made expeditions to this frontier. It was a massive milestone, but was criticized by some as a waste of money and an ego trip.

13. Losing Our Lead

While traveling to space sure sounds sci-fi, the United States is losing its lead in science. China continued its advances toward surpassing the United States in technology, surprising U.S. officials by launching a supersonic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The missile circled the earth once and barely missed its target.

It “approached its target traveling at least five times the speed of sound — a capability no country has previously demonstrated,” according to The Financial Times. The Pentagon is unsure how “China overcame the constraints of physics by firing countermeasures from a vehicle travelling at hypersonic speeds.”

China may also be behind some of the Unidentified Flying Objects seen by U.S. military pilots over the past two decades, according to a long-awaited Pentagon report this year, which could not explain the origin of the UFOs.

Even with all this bad news, our nation has so much to be grateful for. But looking at the societal chaos and dystopian scientific advances, it’s no wonder some think the end is nigh. For now, we can hope that Republican wins last November show that many Americans will vote for change in the next election.

And maybe we should celebrate those billionaires escaping Earth after all.

© 12.27.2021 by Eleanor Bartow, "???"

The Camels Are On The Horizon.

The founder of Dubai, Sheik Rashid, was asked about the future of his country, and he replied "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover...but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again”.

Why is that, he was asked?

And his reply was, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times. Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites".

And add to that the historical reality that all great empires...the Persians, the Trojans, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and in later years, the British... all rose and perished within 240 years.

They were not conquered by external enemies; they rotted from within.

America has now passed that 240 year mark, and the rot is starting to be visible and is accelerating. not just America.. applicable to the western word

We are past the Mercedes and Land Rover Years....the camels are on the horizon.

The greatest generation consisted of 18 year old kids storming the beaches at Normandy.

And now, two generations later, some 18-year-old kids want to hide in safe rooms when they hear words that hurt their feelings.

They also want free stuff from the government because they think they are entitled to it.

The "camels are on the horizon" for sure.

Something to ponder? History has a way of repeating itself.

© 12.29.2022 by Boomer, "FR.com" (H/T Pastor Tom).

Valid CSS!

Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict