Friends, what you see above is the city of Shenzhen in 1980 and 2013. Quite a transformation, no? The economic ascent of Red China is historic in so many ways, partly because its rise has been so quick and so uninterrupted. This is but one of several world-historical themes that we dissect on this week's Newsmaker Show. Other topics of discussion include: RFK, Jr.'s presidential ambitions, the fallout from the Pentagon leaks relating to the Russia-Ukraine War, the prospects for war between Taiwan and the PRC, the legality of the sort of "hush money" payments made by DJT in 2016, the legacy of COVID fascism in the wake of the official end of the pandemic itself, and the looming fiscal cliff that Biden and friends seem determined to push us all off.
Man, oh man! What a show. I give it four and a half Limbaughs. See if you don't agree.
https://wlea.net/newsmaker-april-12-2023-dr-nick-waddy/
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In other news, here's our first evidence that RFK, Jr. enjoys a smattering of support among Democrats, especially older and female Democrats, who I guess are still swooning over his uncle. Bobby, Part Deux, still has a long way to go, mind you.
https://unherd.com/thepost/one-in-10-democratic-voters-supports-robert-f-kennedy-jr/
Finally, there's talk of AOC, the lefty we all love to hate, taking on Kirsten Gillibrand to be the Dems' U.S. Senate candidate in New York in 2024. What a fun ride that would be! The more prominent AOC is and becomes, needless to say, the better it is for the GOP and for whomever happens to be the Republican candidate for president in '24. I welcome AOC to the fray! (On the other hand, I acknowledge that she's very likely to realize her ambition of becoming a Senator -- my Senator. Ick!)
Dr. Waddy from Jack: In 1972 I stood close to where I think that "before "picture was taken and I have pictures like it. Ihad walked along rice paddies from the last train station in a then rural area in the Hong Kong colony to an elevated area known as Lok Ma Chau to get a view of a China then forbidden to Americans. China's ascent from insane communist ordered destitution to the relative prosperity of which it is proven historically capable, is a redeeming story. At last they've gotten a break; its a miracle to be celebrated for its own sake, despite present reservations about China.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy from Jack: Common sense NYers are used to being misrepresented in the Senate by people utterly disdainful of their views. But Schumer and Gillebrand present no Presidential possibilities. AOC would make a circus of the Senate and increase NY's shame among the states. One would hope she would thereby squander the megalomaniac ambitions she clearly harbors but with the ever more alarming counterintuitive far leftist contamination of our culture, who knows what could be in store? She has already seen her dreamy "Green New Deal's" obsequious empowerment by this administration.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Re the broadcast: American boots on the ground in Ukraine as a proxy war: other than the now known fact that we faced Russian Mig pilots in Korea, I can't think of any other instance in which we fought Russians face to face during the Cold War. I see proxy wars as ones in which our beneficiaries fight the beneficiaries of countries to which we are opposed. If we are physically fighting the Rus then it adds yet another element of exceedingly dangerous wrong headed thinking on our part to a situation which continues to careen toward a life of its own. The conflict was simple: Russia is absolutely ever determined not to countenance even the possibility of Ukraine in Nato; we should have FULLY realized that natural fact!We should never have suggested enablement of such a fundamental affront and threat to a country with now proven once again savage potential.And we'd better keep our powder dry: if China is losing patience on Taiwan and if its chief deterrent, the US, is otherwise engaged, China may think the time ripe for righting an old wrong.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy from Jack: I do think that commentator's opinion that Xi seeks "pure socialism" is unfounded. In a country proven very well fit for free enterprise (even albeit overregulated) and which was done such consummate evil by pure socialsts one would think that a "red flag"
ReplyDeleteHear hear, Jack! I too congratulate the Chinese people for emerging from destitution. So many people the world over now live with Western-style comfort and ease. Long may it last...for, among other things, a fat and happy world is a world less likely to blow itself up.
ReplyDeleteJack, the only surprise I got from the leaked Penatgon docs is that the numbers of U.S. special forces operatives in Ukraine are so low. I figured we might be operating on a much wider basis there. Maybe Western "consultants" are?
Yes, Xi may be a statist, but that doesn't make him a Marxist-Leninist in the traditional sense. Far from it. Now, the commentator might have a point that Xi will kill the goose that laid the golden egg SLOWLY, just as we, in fact, are doing here, but luckily for him and for us capitalism is a very resilient goose!