"If you sell it or use it here, you must build it here", should be the new world motto.

Business contraction. What a wonderful idea. I'm sure the base will love it.

Wait - didn't we once build our own kit?

!!!...........a realization SLOWLY dawning the world over...........

When you purchase another Country's/Culture's/Government System's technology, you are tied to that source for maintenance, repair, upgrades and expansion. A lesson that has been unintentionally (?) taught by the Covid crisis. This is also especially true with "defense" systems. The members of NATO are pretty much stuck with US aircraft and weapons manufacturers and the client states of Russia and China are dependent on staying in the good graces of those governments.

"If you sell it or use it here, you must build it here", should be the new world motto.

We can build our own military aircraft, and you do buy some of our hardware, the L1118 and M777 along with the M982 Excalibur are examples,. And you nearly bought the AS90 after the M109 was defeated in a competition at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, until the Senate went all isolationist again.

We can build our own military aircraft, and you do buy some of our hardware, the L1118 and M777 along with the M982 Excalibur are examples,. And you nearly bought the AS90 after the M109 was defeated in a competition at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, until the Senate went all isolationist again

I'm not saying you can't and don't build very reliable and competent systems, some of them cutting edge(Harrier), but the majority of most military equipment in the world falls into the three influences I mentioned.

This is due obviously to the desire of China, Russia and of course the US to influence the behavior of the customer states and that it aligns with that of the supplier state. This doesn't always work out (i.e. Russia/Egypt in the later 20th century, the US and Cuba and in Iran).

My point is that to insure absolutely the security of your national resources(militarily, agriculturally, medically, etc.) to rely on external sourcing can lead to foreign control or interruption. Even with the most trusted and reliable allies (i.e. WWII and the North Atlantic U-boat predation on shipping to England).

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

George Orwell was right!

In the year 1984, civilisation has been damaged by war, civil conflict, and revolution. Airstrip One (formerly known as Great Britain) is a province of Oceania, one of the three totalitarian super-states that rule the world. It is ruled by the "Party" under the ideology of "Ingsoc" (a newspeak shortening of "English Socialism") and the mysterious leader Big Brother, who has an intense cult of personality. The Party purges anyone who does not fully conform to their regime using the Thought Police and constant surveillance through devices such as Telescreens (two-way televisions). Those who fall out of favour with the Party become "unpersons", disappearing with all evidence of their existence removed.

Just 36 years early.

The members of NATO are pretty much stuck with US aircraft and weapons manufacturers...
"If you sell it or use it here, you must build it here", should be the new world motto.

But why can Sweden, not a NATO member, export so many weapons to the US? The US is the second largest importer of weapons of all countries Sweden export to. In 2019, military equipment was exported from Sweden was worth SEK 9.6 billion, roughly USD 1 billion. Norway, also a NATO member, is the third on the list of buyers also roughly USD 1 billion.

Why to go Sweden!
Let's just trade among ourselves and leave the Communist Government of China to rot.

China is not on our list:)

Yes, moomin, true. Sweden has a long history of supplying high quality military equipment, most notably aircraft (Saab Viggen and Draken).

Which only enforces the point that making what you require locally can be done by any determined people. Self sufficiency has been a way of life in most Scandinavian countries by necessity as it has been in rural America.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/indian-army-20-soldiers-killed-border-clash-china-200616172525853.html

At least 20 Indian soldiers have been killed in a violent face-off with Chinese forces on the disputed border, the Indian army has said, in a major escalation of a weeks-long standoff in the western Himalayas.

In a statement, the army said on Tuesday that 17 "critically injured" Indian troops succumbed to their wounds, in addition to an officer and two soldiers who had died earlier.

The troops died "in the line of duty at the stand-off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain ... taking the total that were killed in action to 20", the statement said.

Makes sense
The question is: Will the politicians listen?

The US sends China a wide-ranging very political message:


US-China: Pompeo dog photo has netizens asking if US is toying with China



There are a multitude of reminders and innuendo and an overall message that can be read from a completely innocent image. All a question of the present silly hostile context?...

Also note that China is suffering multiple big disasters at home. Is war, or the threat of war, a good excuse and a useful distraction to keep those in power remaining in power?...

All 'just a game' of politics?...


All in our only one world,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Ni hao.
Oh dear. China have the same "issues" with Sweden and Denmark as well. Hehe:)
Yes. There have been pictures of Winnie the Pooh of him on social media because he looks like the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” as Oscar Wilde said.
That Pompeo thought of any "coded" messages when publishing the pics of Mercer playing with the dog's toy is nonsense:)
Whatever. This type of reaction in China will end in about two weeks as always.

Btw. Here in the Nordic countries it's OK if a Swedish PM says like if he think a Finnish President speaks like a Moomin Troll:)

The Chinese Embassy in Stockholm sharply criticizes Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde. She is accused of making "false statements" about the new security law in Hong Kong.
"Hong Kong's affairs are entirely China's internal affairs, which does not allow any interference from outsiders in any way, with any excuse," it said in a statement on the embassy's website, published on Wednesday.
"Any attempt by outsiders to put pressure on China will fail, and only harm themselves."

China is finally getting exposed for various other "evils", including, disgustingly:


UK accuses China of 'gross' human rights abuses against Uighurs
wrote:

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has accused China of "gross and egregious" human rights abuses against its Uighur population and said sanctions against those responsible cannot be ruled out.

Reports of forced sterilisation and wider persecution of the Muslim group were "reminiscent of something not seen for a long time"...

That is some very sharp forthright diplomatic excoriation there...

Indeed, for something not seen since particularly disgusting actions during WWII...


All in our only one world,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

China is finally getting exposed for various other "evils", including, disgustingly:


UK accuses China of 'gross' human rights abuses against Uighurs
wrote:

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has accused China of "gross and egregious" human rights abuses against its Uighur population and said sanctions against those responsible cannot be ruled out.

Reports of forced sterilisation and wider persecution of the Muslim group were "reminiscent of something not seen for a long time"...

That is some very sharp forthright diplomatic excoriation there...

Indeed, for something not seen since particularly disgusting actions during WWII...

And the Chinese Ambassador kindly appears on the UK's BBC TV to try to explain away what the world knows is happening in China...



The Ambassador has read out to him the definition of Genocide:

China ambassador cornered in BBC interview over shameless lie
wrote:

[Chinese Ambassador] Liu: “That is totally wrong. There’s no such concentration camp in Xinjiang. In regard to that videotape, I’ll get back to you. You know, there’s a lot of fake ... There are all kinds of fake accusations against China.”

[BBC TV Interviewer] Marr: “I hear that, but let me remind you of what the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide says. It says that genocide is killing people, of course; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about a group’s physical destruction...

Suitably direct for such ongoing atrocity.

I wonder when Genocide last had to be read out?



There is further coverage on:

China's UK ambassador denies abuse of Uighurs despite fresh drone footage
wrote:

China’s ambassador to the UK gave a brazen defence of his country’s human rights record on Sunday, insisting the Uighur people live in “peaceful and harmonious coexistence with other ethnic groups”, as he was confronted with footage of shackled prisoners being herded on to trains...

UK and China relationship 'seriously poisoned', says Beijing's ambassador
wrote:

... Bejing's ambassador to London.

In a lengthy press conference, rebutting criticism of the Chinese government, Liu Xiaoming said the UK was at a "critical historical juncture" in its future with his country...

China squirms and threatens... And people be damned...

Indeed totally brazen.


Stay safe!

All in our only one world,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Man, he thinks a world exists? What's he smoking up derre wit da bears? (Not you, RW.)

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

A little "snippet" from history with a quote that speaks volumes.

A former US Secretary of the Navy, Dan Kimball - later head of the rocket propulsion company, Aerojet - once said it was "the stupidest thing this country ever did".

Witch hunt forces deportation of scientist
If that did not happen, what would the world look like today?

China upping the stakes

It's an escalation of things that started from when our current P.M. became toxic Pompeo's (and even more toxic Trump's) mouthpiece over wanting an investigation into COVID and China using their words without any thought which happened while Pompeo was here and Morrison was sucking right up to them.

The simple fact is that we should just stop selling them iron ore and then see what they do with their growing trade war with us.

Though it is true that some of our boys while in Iraq did things that they need to account (as well as paying the price) for what they did and the sooner the better IMHO.

North Korea: Potato propaganda is back... but what does it mean?

Potatoes were the star of North Korean food propaganda in the 1990s when the country faced a severe famine. As the economic situation improved, the humble spud retreated from North Korean media.

The root vegetable is now making a comeback. State media has prominently featured the potato in movies, news reports and culinary shows.

BBC Monitoring’s Pratik Jakhar explains what it may mean.

Seeing is believing.

No comment possible for this one:


Cockroach: Ai Weiwei's new documentary on last year's Hong Kong protests
wrote:

... fear and purpose: a leaderless band of young people willing to die for their culture and community, for the rights and way of life that was promised to their parents: a promise Chris Patten pointedly reiterated as he left 23 years ago.

Cockroach is their story, told with intensity and integrity by Ai Weiwei, a fine artist who has become an exceptional filmmaker.

It ends with a written update about the new National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in 30 June 2020, which effectively quashed the protests and caused the mass resignation of opposition politicians. It marked the loss of Hong Kong's judicial independence, the text says, and the end of "one country, two systems".

All in our deadly greedy world,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)