Friends, President Trump tonight addressed the nation and attempted to justify and explain his campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. He did a passable job of it, I must say, but I do question why he's doing it now instead of at the outset of the conflict. As I've said on numerous occasions, President Trump underutilizes the primetime address, which is a great way to end-run the mainstream media and talk directly to the American people. Be that as it may, better a late defense of his administration's approach on Iran than none at all. I naturally agree with almost everything he said. The problem is that no one, except his most ardent supporters, will be listening. Oh well. The fact remains that, as per Trump's remarks, the attacks on Iran will continue until he feels that our objectives have been met -- and, once the campaign wraps up, America's political dynamics, as well as the stock market and oil prices, will be back to square one in short order. In the meantime, the threat posed by Iran will have been massively reduced, and we will all benefit, for decades to come, from that achievement. Thank heavens for that!
In other news, Trump is saying that the reluctance of our NATO allies to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz is causing him to doubt the wisdom of our membership in NATO. I should hope so!!! The Western Alliance, if we're to be honest, has been a one-way street since its inception, and our European "partners" are determined to keep it that way. It's high time, in my humble opinion, that we went our separate ways and challenged the Europeans to provide for their own defense...and to go and secure their own oil, if it comes to that. Unfortunately, I very much doubt that President Trump will have the courage of his convictions when it comes to NATO, given the establishment's unanimous devotion to it, but I would love to be proven wrong.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79je4vldq5o
In yet other news, NASA's Artemis II mission, which involves the first manned flight to the Moon since 1972, is currently underway after a picture-perfect launch this evening. Godspeed! This is yet another powerful demonstration of America's world-beating technology and gumption, and I couldn't be more pleased and proud!
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cwydnrmggnno
Finally, in a related development, Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has established its dominance in the space launch industry, is about to go public, which hopefully will mean even more exciting progress in space exploration and exploitation, and will almost certainly spell even greater wealth for Musk himself. Assuming he contributes a healthy share of it to Republican candidates in 2026 and beyond, I say: well done, Elon!!! Ad astra per aspera.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Re Musk: His trip to stardom has, I would guess, been typical of extraordinarily high achievers; that is through much hardship. In addition to his outstanding philanthropy he has done his adopted country the great benefit of his shining example of personally willed productivity. Together with the other prime example in our era of indefatigable perseverance - President Trump - he stands exemplary of the humanity and the blessed material well being of our democratic , on balance sensibly, regulated free enterprise . In this our civilization has proven infinitely superior to the proven wrong headed and on a national stage, catastrophic, Marxist doctrine which enjoys such reckless, ignorant and counterintuitive regard in our still free polity.
ReplyDeleteBeing that he is a relatively young man , its fascinating to speculate on what wonders Musk may yet foster. Is he another DaVinci or Edison or is he one uniquely graced and enabled by the perhaps not fully understood heuristic power of present technology to multiply upon itself to unimaginable developments?
My generation will probably not witness the technological miracles Musk may foster in the fullness of his productivity but being people who saw some of our science fiction tales come true, we may appreciate how astonishing they could be.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: That plainly superior technology which made this mission possible was enabled by the freedom our country affords to all and the well being it brings to those willing to advance by merited effort.
ReplyDeleteIn the late '50s and early '60s we were much chastened by the (we now know) brief superiority of totalitarian Russia in space. We did not widely realize that Russia did this by using vacuum tubes when we were using transistors and that that forced them to built the huge booster rockets originally meant to carry warheads their doctrinally dictated technology and economy were unable to miniaturize. And of course they subordinated the economic comfort of their population (except , naturally,those rulers "more equal" than "the people") to this impassioned determination to prove their "system" more productive. The Soviet space effort was graced by an admirable heroism in its Cosmonauts but its purposefully forced counterintuitive polity and economy could not match ours and we pulled ahead in space all in good time. And we did it without forcing cabbage soup three times a day on our populace.
I quite agree, Jack: in all likelihood, Musk has only begun to innovate! The blessings he may, in the fullness of time, shower on his fellow Americans and his fellow humans are almost beyond imagining. And to think ONE MAN can have that great an impact... It saddens me greatly that he and Trump parted ways, and that their relationship still hasn't been fully repaired.
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, what the Soviets achieved, with a lot less scientific and technological capability and vastly fewer resources, was impressive...but not sustainable. Then again, they did repeatedly prove that Western technical feats could be duplicated on the cheap, which brings us back to Musk, who is a master at making advanced technology practical, affordable, and economical. And that skill is every bit as important, in the long run, as sheer inventiveness is. That's what makes Musk such a quintessentially AMERICAN genius, even if he is an American by choice, and not by birth.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Great points about Musk from you; I agree with all of them. It may be that it takes awhile after geniuses have passed to fully appreciate their transcendent brilliance. I'd like to read an evaluation of Michaelangelo from ,say, circa 1700. That might well also suggest that the high regard we now accord Musk may be yet very short of what his life's work may some day deserve. Just as it is thrilling(or appalling) to live through developments one knows are historic (eg. the fall of the Soviet Union , the space race or the earthly Gehenna forced upon Judaism in the last 90 yuears), an understanding capable of at least partially perceiving the wonders Musk may manifest is highly redeeming, I think.
ReplyDeleteI was glad to hear you say that you agreed with most of what President Trump said in his speech . I didn't see the whole thing and I wish he had put Nato on public notice but he convinced me a long time ago that he can be trusted to stand for common sense America. At the same time, he has demonstrated his competence and his moxie in the definition of politics as "the art of the possible" He still has things to learn ; he is not a career politician. But he knows he has to take seemingly counterintuitive , often tentative measures sometimes and let them , for a time,work what they will. The idea of our quitting Nato is challenging to say the least. It did save the West from hellhound Stalin's murderous whims. But it is arguably now objectively strong enough in its European components to keep Russia at a "respectful" distance and perhaps even persuade that historically and meteorologically oppressed and consequently brutalized nation that it can honorably try, at least ,uneasily peaceful intercourse with the rest of Europe west of the Urals. Perhaps a second Gorbachev, resigned to the fact that "we cannot go on like this", may, being fully cognizant of European Nato's objective power, resign Russia to an era of relative trust (even "Reaganesque 'trust but verify' ") which could in time bring full civilization and its well being to that atavistically tortured land.
I do not know if President Trump sees it that way but I'm confident that , as a canny player, he knows that "ancien" Europe has been "playing "our perhaps still naive and overgenerous country since 1917. Look at France with their strutting "force de frappe" which they say they "may" at their will integrate with Nato if they deem it needed. Why, they waited until 2025 to "rehabilitate" Dreyfus! Who knows what terribly potentially puissant Germany may really think of those presumptuous English speakers who insolently violated them, twice no less! President Trump creditably believes that it is time to leave them to their own devices and consequences. I think he is convinced by good advice that they have the military power to assure their integrity . If they lack the WILL to do so, then let them stew in their own juices! By resolutely applying common sense he has made us mostly energy independent, a most advantageous asset. In doing so he may well have set a new tone in our international relations, one tempered by grudging respect for our now much enhanced "horse sense".
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Yes, the Russians did achieve wonders in space for awhile.But they did them, for propaganda advantage, ("hey folks, step up and see what Marxism can do!) by cutting corners our technology, freely developed (except , in a sense that we gained from "emigre" Nazi scientists who the Russians also "employed") mostly avoided. The first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova ,was reportedly a powerless automaton who later conveniently married the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. They stuffed three spacesuitless cosmonauts into a capsule meant for fewer and got them back lifeless. Their intended moon rocket, hurried into service, was vaporized in a mini Hiroshima on its launch pad . In an economy spavined by dreamy Marxist doctrine and savaged by possibly the worst of all wars , something had to give!
ReplyDeleteMy my! I wouldn't dare speculate on what history will make of Musk 100 or 200 years hence. If history is written by the same leftist lame-os who teach it now (not including me, of course), then Musk will probably be seen as worse than a million Hitlers (with a big Mussolini on top).
ReplyDeleteCould the Europeans fall out with each other, or greet a Russian assault with feeble acquiescence? Oh, I wouldn't put anything past them. But I have ZERO doubt that they have the human, technological, and industrial resources to hold the Russian bear at bay. All they lack is the will, and that can be (re)learned.
True, the Soviet space program had its, uhh, hiccups, but so did ours, and if we're to be honest it was probably luck that brought us (still breathing) to the Moon first, not necessarily capitalist superiority.