Bob Says Chinese Weapons Are Junk
Bob knows that the Brutes and Savages will never be able to compete with the Enlightened Ones of the West.
***Any resemblance to people named Bob or Bob-like people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. ***WARNING: Irony, Satire, Humor, Social Criticism.
Experientially, I mean, like, in my life, I’ve known and know a lot of Bobs. Sincerely, some of my most friendly towards me friends are Bobs. Also, my middle name could be Bob. I was Bob-like for years and years. I’m not Bob now because I keep shifting my perspective for some mysterious reason—probably because of too much reading and listening. For these sins, I am ignored by many Bobs. If ignoring me makes Bob happy, I’m happy for Bob.
I lived through the pro-democracy protests and riots in Hong Kong. I put some videos up during that time. I wrote about it. So what? I like to do that kind of thing, so I did it. I watched and listened as the lies and gaslighting from various propaganda outlets worked their magic within the Hong Kong community. I had a lot of beers with “Bobs” during that time. The basic sentiment from offshore Bobs is that “democracy” is good and mainland Chinese people are bad. I won’t go into this particular third rail story here. I was living in Hong Kong at the time; I have an opinion. Whoops!
Stories are powerful and cause intense emotion and violence. We constantly create destructive stories. We tell ourselves things to believe and use our beliefs to give us emotional energy. This energy gives us the strength to compete with other storytellers so that our story can be the primary, true story, and those other stories can disappear along with the storytellers who tell the false stories.
Compare and contrast the stories created by the barbarians and those of civilized people loved by the Gods or the one true Big God. Read mythology, open the Bible, read an online magazine, or read digital news. Read fiction, watch movies, or watch a streaming series. For thousands of years, stories have driven us to do damage; the damage accumulates and becomes more destructive as time passes until everything ends and the Gods, or the one true Big God, comes to save us from ourselves — from all of those dangerous, violent stories.
It feels good to believe in the one true story and even better to wreak havoc on those who don’t. We revel in the destruction of the enemies that our stories have created. Look at the Middle East and listen to your leaders regurgitate stories about it.
Let the stories wash over you, stimulating you and making you feel righteous, or learn to listen to something else in different ways. Stories of peace, connection, interdependence, intricate and complex systems, love and tenderness, and profound understanding aren’t as salient and motivating as stories of righteous vengence and conquest. The Beatitudes are drowned out by stories of our wrathful Big God and his Kings. The Tao is too faint, the eightfold path too arduous, and its peace challenging to achieve and maintain.
The anti-story won’t help you create and defeat enemies and grow your glorious nation.
A successful weapon is still a weapon of mass destruction. Stories can grow like cancer until they kill what created them.
Adhere to the story given to you and do your duty unquestioningly, or succumb to satan and unfaithfulness and be a traitor to your story and people and know the wrath of the Gods or the one true Big God. The believers in what’s right, holy, and lawful will punish you, and their punishment will be swift and violent.
There will be hell to pay!
It’s easy to create a person with Bob’s worldview. Bob loves a feel-good story inspired by a bit of outrage and a feeling of inherent superiority. The West’s media outlets and consulting arms are full of stories that make Bob feel superior.
At 11:45, May 7, 1999, local time (or 5:45 early morning of May 8, Beijing time), US-led NATO forces fired five bombs at the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from different directions (four of them exploded right away).
I was at TGIF Fridays in Shanghai after work that day. I watched the buses roll in with cohorts of students obliged to protest here and there throughout the city. I walked by the US embassy in Shanghai for weeks after, where orderly protesters stood with signs and memorials were erected. I remember telling my Shanghainese colleague that it was too much to believe that the strike was intentional. What could be the benefit? It was most likely an accident. My Shanghainese colleague didn’t argue with me. We had another beer with Bob.
Today, the horrors in the news pile up so fast that you need wings to keep above it.
I lived in Japan for years. Most expats in Japan are Bobs.
Concerned Citizen: “Hi Bob, what do you think about Chinese next-generation aircraft carriers?”
Bob: “Their carriers are junk.”
Let’s explore the world of Chinese junk.
Huawei is a telecommunications giant known for its smartphones, networking equipment, and 5G technology. Tencent is a massive conglomerate with strengths in social media (WeChat), gaming, entertainment, and fintech. Alibaba dominates e-commerce in China with platforms like Taobao and Tmall, and it is also a major player in cloud computing and fintech. ByteDance is the company behind TikTok (Douyin in China) and Toutiao, a leading AI-powered content platform. Xiaomi is known for its affordable smartphones but is also expanding into a broader range of consumer electronics and smart home devices.
How can this be? Technology transfer and global finance, you say? The Chinese haven’t invented anything since paper and firecrackers.
Zheng He (pronounced Jung Huh), the remarkable admiral who led seven incredible voyages during the early Ming Dynasty in China (from 1405 to 1433), commanded the largest wooden ships ever built, some possibly over 400 feet long! A fleet with hundreds of vessels carrying tens of thousands of crew members was far more extensive than any European fleet. Voyages exploring vast areas of the Indian Ocean, reaching Southeast Asia, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and even the east coast of Africa—nearly a century before European explorers like Vasco da Gama reached India.
Zheng He’s expeditions weren’t just about exploration. He carried out diplomatic missions, establishing relationships with foreign rulers, and promoting trade with China. He brought exotic goods and animals, showcasing China’s power and wealth.
But after Zheng He’s death, the Ming Dynasty turned inwards, focusing on internal affairs and halting these grand expeditions. His achievements were largely forgotten outside of China until relatively recently. Zheng He is recognized as a pioneering navigator and a symbol of China’s maritime history and global influence. He’s a reminder that globalization and cross-cultural exchange were happening long before European explorers took to the seas.
Bob doesn’t care; he remembers that the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned from 1735 to 1796 during the Qing dynasty, was known for his disinterest in Western clocks and technology. The Emperor appreciated their craftsmanship but did not see them as superior to Chinese clocks and believed they offered little practical use beyond entertainment.
To not recognize Western superiority is a deep insult to Bobs everywhere.
Bob would say, well, what have the Chinese done lately? What about their second-hand Russian carriers with their silly ski jump runways and feable power plants?
China’s Long March Toward Aircraft Carrier Capability
China had been interested in carrier aviation since 1985 when the Chinese government acquired the decommissioned Australian carrier HMAS Melbourne for scrapping in China. The Chinese military studied the ship for years and reportedly removed the ship’s flight deck and one of its catapults for land-based testing.
Following the Cold War’s end, the Chinese also acquired the former Soviet vertical take-off and landing (VSTOL) carriers Minsk in 1995 and Kiev in 2000, ostensibly as a theme park centerpiece and a floating luxury hotel. These ships may have provided further study materials for the People’s Liberation Army Navy. China also tried to purchase the decommissioned French carrier Clemenceau in 1997, but the ship was instead scrapped.
China’s ambitions of a fully functioning carrier improved with the 1998 purchase of the ex-Soviet carrier Varyag, a ship of the same class as the Russian carrier Kuznetsov, but left in the custody of Ukraine upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and only 68% complete. The Chinese government used what appeared to be a fake company name to purchase the ship, and again Chinese officials claimed the incomplete ship would become a floating hotel.
The Chinese project team that worked to make the carrier functional declared that it took the work of building ten destroyers to make the new carrier, now named Liaoning, ready for sea trials. The completion of this first carrier set the stage for the construction of follow-on vessels of similar design in Chinese shipyards.
The next Chinese carrier could be nuclear, and that could aid in its global employment, but current British and past American global conventional carrier operations were not impeded by a lack of nuclear power.
Haha! Hehe! Fart, burp, and clear your throat.
China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO) produces armored vehicles, artillery, and firearms. China South Industries Group Corporation (CSGC) focuses on light weapons, ammunition, and vehicles. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC): Develops and manufactures aircraft for military and civilian use. China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC): Involved in missile technology, space programs, and defense electronics. China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC): Builds warships, submarines, and other naval vessels.
Next-Generation Stealth Combat Fighter
It’s the pilot not the planes. White Russian pilots during the Korean War.
For some forty years, suspicions have lingered about the nationality of certain pilots who flew MiG-15s in the Korean War. China long ago confessed the role of its pilots. There also were reports, never confirmed, that the best Communist pilots were in fact from the Soviet Union.
Soviet veterans finally have begun to acknowledge their participation in Korean dogfights, confirming the identity of the mystery pilots who, to Air Force flyers, were known only as “honchos.” Soviet involvement in the Korean War is no longer a state secret; since 1989, the truth has poured forth.
There had to be a reason they were so good. I mean, they were fighting against Capt. Joseph McConnell Jr.
Bob would say that the Sino-Millitary-Industrial-Junk-Complex produces junk. He thinks this is a wise assessment.
Bob: “We need to kill Chinese before they kill us!”
Why, oh why, did Japan attack Pearl Harbor? There could have been no good reason for it. Bob knows. Ask Bob.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro is among the top contenders for junk China-made smartphones. It boasts impressive camera capabilities, a powerful processor, and innovative features like satellite communication technology. Some other strong contenders include the Vivo X90 Pro+ and the Oppo Find X6 Pro. New models are produced constantly, so Samsung and Apple have to compete, and they do.
Where do these junk makers go to school?
Tsinghua University is often compared to MIT and excels in STEM fields. Peking University is a comprehensive university with strengths in strengths in the humanities and social sciences. Fudan University is known for its medicine, economics, and law research. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is strong in engineering, particularly naval architecture and marine engineering. Zhejiang University is a leading agriculture, engineering, and computer science institution.
This is scary because some intellectual influencers in the USA think Asians have an IQ capacity equal to Caucasians! Could these educational institutions produce people capable of making something other than junk? Could Asiatics compete with Enlightened Westerners? There goes the neighborhood!
Whatever happened to The Little Red Book?
What about the junk at Walmart?
Haier is a global leader in home appliances, known for its refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners. Midea is another major appliance manufacturer with a wide range of products, including kitchen and small appliances. Gree Electric specializes in air conditioners and produces other home appliances. Hisense is known for its televisions but also offers refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances. TCL is a major television player and produces various other electronics, including smartphones and home appliances.
People have always learned how to produce junk from other people. Junk producers stand on the shoulders of other junk producers.
Where is high-speed rail in the heart of the enlightened Empire?
CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) is the primary developer and manufacturer of ChiChina’sgh-speed trains. China boasts the world’s largest high-speed rail network, with over 40,000 kilometers (approximately 25,000 miles) of track in operation as of late 2023.
But of course, the Celestials couldn’t do any of this without the support of their enlightened Western overlords. And because they are ungrateful, the Chinese must again be punished!
The evil Russians didn’t understand how vital Western oligarchs and plutocrats were to the glory of the future of finance and power and must be punished.
In the 1990s, Abramovich became the protégé of Boris Berezovsky, who was probably the least stealthy oligarch. Berezovsky had a big mouth. In 2000, he made the mistake of openly challenging a new president by the name of Vladimir Putin, someone Berezovsky had played a big role in helping to get elected president. When Putin threw down the hammer, Berezovsky was forced to flee Russia — and Abramovich, a staunch (and tight-lipped) Putin loyalist, took over much of Berezovsky’s oil and media empires. Berezovsky remained a vocal Putin critic after moving to London. He was found dead there in 2013, hanging from a noose in his bathroom. Investigators are divided on whether it was suicide or murder.
Let’s save the history of The Opium Wars for another post.
The Qing Empire and the Opium War: The Collapse of the Heavenly Dynasty by Mao Haijian offers a Chinese perspective on the Opium War. It explores the internal weaknesses of the Qing dynasty and the conflict’s impact on Chinese society.
Opium, Empire, and the Global Political Economy by Carl A. Trocki: Trocki examines the role of opium in the expansion of European power in Asia, placing Imperialism within the larger context of global trade and Imperialism.
Back to Bob
Bob is a “liberal” in some sense. Who knows? Define liberal. Most Bobs are neoliberal, if that’s a thing. He fancies himself a capitalist because he’s a successful salesman, manages a rental property, and owns some stock. Bob knows that the allies during World War II are full of good guys, and the rest of the world is full of bad guys.
Many Bobs think Sam Harris is an excellent intellectual influencer because Sam’s an atheist and believes Islam is the mother of all bad ideas.
Bob knows less about history than he thinks, but that’s ok; he’s in good company. His story is more important than history, anyway.
Bob likes Steven Pinker because Professor Pinker is an actual professor who writes books that try to convince people that Western Civilization has created a wonderful world of progress and peace.
Externalities are the price we pay for freedom and so on…No cost in lives is too high.
Why must Professor Pinker write such books if global affairs are doing so well? Who knows?
We can blame our problems on the WOKE Mob or microplastics in the brain’s microbiome.
Our consistent challenges, which only seem to get worse, are caused by anything but Western Civilization and its magnificent institutions.
Science, Engineering and Technology will save us. God will save us. Something will save us. Relax, enjoy the show.
Bob fancies himself to be an intellectual in some prosaic sense of the word because, unlike most people, he reads books about interesting things, how The West Was Won, and how the West continues its winning ways.
Bob’s a nice guy, loyal friend, and optimistic, so much so that he decided to have some more children with a new, young wife in his fifties. His children will be fine because they are North American. The Bobs of the world have airtight prenuptial agreements because they are super intelligent and cautious and might have to trade in the old for the new someday. Bob’s genes are superior, he comes from a heroic line, and when the latest Western technology for making CRISPR babies comes out, his embryos will all result in the birth of Ubermensch boys who can grow up to be quality men impregnating quality ladies from the less fortunate and less well-endowed countries to improve humanity.
Let’s examine some more Bobesk quotes.
When responding to thoughts on Japan, China, or Russia, Bob says, “Fuck the Chinese, Japanese, Russians!”
Enough said, drop the mic.
Bob is brilliant, so when confronted about reports of China’s next-generation military equipment and capabilities, he says, “Their stuff is junk!” It should be evident to the parochial plebs and proles that foreign arms can’t compete with high-tech American arms—the more complex and expensive, the better. Look at how effective America and its NATO allies are at bombing civilians and insurgent groups armed with AK47s and driving pickup trucks.
We must also assume that Celestials can’t think strategically, so they make junk weapons gratuitously. Celestials are not enlightened enough to imagine how best to use their junk weapons, either. The Chinese can only react to America’s military provocations by producing junk that they will later do dumb things with. Why do Chinese leaders think America would be afraid of all their junk?
If China played nice and didn’t fiercely compete with U.S. business interests, it could buy first-rate military equipment from the U.S. like Israel can. Why can’t China join the program?
What are a billion-plus Chinese people thinking? They should trade Xi in for Macron, Trump, or any enlightened Western leader with their brilliant, educated staff and best-of-class service providers. When I lived in Shanghai, I watched every episode of The West Wing. I should have had some Chinese friends over for watch parties.
Do Chinese folks think they live in a sovereign country? What does that even mean to people in that part of the world?
Bob said: “What does Trump have to do with Chinese aircraft carriers.”
Donald J. Trump is the US president-elect. What does the military capability of US-manufactured enemies have to do with Trump? I say “manufactured” the way Chomsky uses it in Manufacturing Consent. There have been many books, articles, studies, and propaganda on the importance of America’s enemies for over one hundred years.
One of the most interesting things about this little preview of the chaos coming our way is the extent to which it was driven by Elon Musk, a man who has never run for elected office and will not hold any official position in the new administration.
Musk, not Trump, led the charge against the spending bill, tweeting his dissatisfaction about the bill — much of which was based on misunderstandings and misinformation. Trump was forced to chase the story, registering his own opposition to the bill 12 hours after Musk did. Who was really in charge?
People are already talking about the world’s wealthiest man as a “shadow president” or “co-president,” and he’s certainly behaving like one. Musk spent a quarter of a billion dollars supporting Republicans in the 2024 election, and his lavish spending has purchased him immense influence. He’s been hanging around at Mar-a-Lago, inviting himself to meetings, and shaping the incoming administration’s priorities. All this despite the fact that he has no official role in the new administration.
When I suggested that the world needs peacemakers, Bob said, “You can’t make peace with Communists.” Are Russians Communists now? What kind of Communists are the Chinese? State-run Capitalism with Chinese socialist characteristics and a touch of Confucianism. Whatever.
The 4 Key Strengths of China’s Economy — and What They Mean for Multinational Companies
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping launched his “Reform and Opening” policy to leverage Western technology and know-how for China’s development. It was a politically risky move: Ideological hardliners in the Communist Party resented the implicit assumption of China’s economic backwardness under socialism — and the superiority of the capitalist West. But Deng recognized that China’s modernization required both pragmatism and humility.
Today, the roles are reversing. Although it’s too early to say whether China’s hybrid “state capitalist” system will outmatch Western models, it has undeniable strengths. China leads in 53 out of 64 critical technological fields, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. This success is built on centralized planning and control, but also features ruthless competition that produces global winners able to compete on price and quality in developed and emerging economies alike. No other country can match China’s market scale, or consumer enthusiasm for the latest tech wizardry.
Even though many Bobs are atheists, they believe any form of Socialism is Satanic. The Universe evolved to make Capitalism work for the Universe. This is obvious to Bob.
Enough said.
And what the heck does President-Elect Donald J. Trump have to do with Chinese military junk? Never mind discussing neoconservative and neoliberal ideology and whatnot or all the wars and violent conflicts the USA has facilitated since WWII. Was all the mayhem Commander in Chief stuff or Deep State stuff or a hybrid of the two? Bob doesn’t care.
As Commander in Chief, the President of the United States holds supreme command and control over the US Armed Forces. It might be good if Donald knew the capabilities of the enemies of U.S. business interests.
The role of Commander in Chier comes with several key responsibilities. The President is ultimately responsible for the safety and security of the United States and its citizens (business interests). This includes protecting the country from domestic and foreign threats (to its business interests). The President decides how to wage war and directs the movements of the armed forces. The President must ensure the military is prepared to defend its nation and its allies (business partners), overseeing its training, equipping, and readiness. The President ensures that the military remains subordinate to civilian authority. (This has not been the case for all the wars since WWII.) While only Congress can formally declare war, the President can commit troops to military action. Donald killed some bad guys the last time he was president. Let’s see what he can achieve this time.
With its relatively secure borders and navy, America has never been attacked. However, the U.S. Military is big and operates many bases abroad, so the need for more materials and energy to keep its country great and protect its Empire is immense. America is all about economic growth, and to keep growing, it must eventually expand its boundaries to include Mars, heck, the galaxy, and beyond. Elon Musk was not always a U.S. citizen, but he is now. Thank God!
The President can enter into treaties with other countries, which may include military alliances or agreements on the use of force.
Let’s ignore fomenting color revolutions and regime change wars — never mind the Balkans, Libya, Syria, and so on. Over the decades, many good books have been published on these subjects. Reading books that threaten one’s beliefs is painful, so being highly intelligent, Bob ignores them.
The President relies on the advice of military leaders and civilian officials to make informed decisions about national security. Elon and Theil will weigh in. Thank God! They know how to make money and are, therefore, entitled to run a world inhabited by junk-producing fools. Uber wealthy people, especially if they’ve done business in Tech or control Financial Institutions, must provide leadership for provincial proles who aren’t as intelligent as Bob.
Bob knows that Western cars will always be better than China’s, and Elon’s rockets will always be better than NASA’s. Why? They are private or publically held companies endowed with corporate speech, also known as money. It turns out speech isn’t free. Freedom of speech is just a story we tell ourselves. The United States Government gives Elon’s ventures money. Enough said! And Elon’s P.R. is suitable for the narrative that Bobs depend on for their self-esteem.
We are so proud to have Elon collaborating with the very special genius of Trump. Americans have so much to be thankful for! Finally, America has an executive in charge who appreciates the importance of Executives even more than his predecessor.
A cluster whatnot of Kings is a beautiful, prosperous thing!
Of course, many Bobs despise Trump and Elon, but they are outliers. If only people weren’t politically correct or have socialist leanings or some other character flaw, they’d always back politicians who make liberal TV pundits proud. Flyover country people lack education, so you can’t blame them for anything. They are fat and ignorant and good customers to the other guys’ team.
Competition drives this beautiful thing of ours.
As Commander in Chief, the President is the ultimate decision-maker in military affairs. This role requires a deep understanding of national security issues, the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure, and a commitment to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law (not to mention rules-based order). RBO is another lynchpin of the Bob narrative: We make the rules and give the orders.
If Bob didn’t serve in the military, he passionately supports the troops.
And yet, American presidents have a lousy track record regarding wars, but again, only idiots would say such things. Important people made money; if you were smart, you would have invested more carefully.
Bob: “The MIC is good for business.”
One must imagine that Bob owns stock in MIC corporations and feeder companies to the MIC. Fund of Funds invested in the MIC business ecosystem is a sure thing.
Degenerate, anti-MIC ideas threaten Bob’s beliefs. And that doesn’t feel good. Maybe that’s unfair. Perhaps Bob doesn’t make these kinds of connections between business as usual and war. That’s because he’s smart enough not to go there.
Also, Westerners do things for the right reasons. Getting bogged down in moral philosophy and ethical quandaries is for Lefty academics. Obama’s drone wars were necessary and executed with the best of intentions.
“America doesn’t have principles, it has interests.” —Henry Kissinger
The sentiment behind the quote — that U.S. foreign policy is ultimately driven by self-interest — has been echoed by other commentators and is a subject of ongoing debate. Bob would say that the quote is both a cynical view that ignores the role of values and ideals in shaping U.S. actions and a realistic assessment of how power operates on the world stage. Bob is a realist when it comes to the narrative he ascribes to.
Let’s clarify: President Obama is not a pioneer of the illegal and offensive wars that the United States has engaged in during the last 20 years. Even still, he is an expansionist, reflected clearly in the development of his drone program. During his presidency, Obama approved the use of 563 drone strikes that killed approximately 3,797 people. In fact, Obama authorized 54 drone strikes alone in Pakistan during his first year in office. One of the first CIA drone strikes under President Obama was at a funeral, murdering as many as 41 Pakistani civilians. The following year, Obama led 128 CIA drone strikes in Pakistan that killed at least 89 civilians. Just two years into his presidency, it was clear that the “hope” that President Obama offered during his 2008 campaign could not escape U.S. imperialism.
The drone operations extended to Somalia and Yemen in 2010 and 2011, resulting in more destructive results. Under the belief they were targeting al-Qaida, President Obama’s first strike on Yemen killed 55 people including 21 children, 10 of which were under the age of five. Additionally, 12 women, five of them pregnant, were also among those who were murdered in this strike. These blundered acts of murder by not only President Obama, but the U.S. government, are morally reprehensible.
Even more civilian casualties came out of Afghanistan throughout Barack Obama’s time in office. In 2014, Obama began removing troops currently deployed in the country. However, instead of this action by the president being one in a pursuit of peace and stability in the region, it only acted as an opportunity to drastically increase air warfare. Afghanistan had war rained upon them by U.S. bombardment, with the administration viciously dropping 1,337 weapons on Afghanistan in 2016. In total that year, the Obama administration dropped 26,171 bombs (drone or otherwise) across seven countries: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. The U.S., in cooperation with its allies including the Afghan government, killed 582 civilians on average annually from 2007 to 2016.
Bob: “American presidents kill bad guys.”
Enough said.
Bob says, “People are idiots. Xi and Putin are evil idiots.”
So there! Haven’t you read the Economist lately?
Even though Bob is an intellectual and an atheist, he has no problem with the words evil and idiot. These words are self-explanatory and absolute.
Drop that darn mic already.
Bob likes to parrot folks on TV, so when the Ukraine war started, Bob said that using Ukrainians to fight the Russians would be the best money the USA ever spent. Quoting Morning Joe quoting Lindsey Graham would make my skin crawl, but that’s me.
Using Ukraine to bleed and starve Russia into submission was the plan all along.
The Good Lord loves a smug smile.
False comparisons and simplifying complex conflicts encouraged by US Deep State machinations in the pursuit of profits for the few is my idea of absurd tragedy. Do American leaders care about Ukrainian or Russian lives? Hell no, they care about their donors and their myopic ideological obsessions. Bob thinks I’m a milk toast pacifist tree hugger. Bob recommended that I read up on Teddy Roosevelt.
Does the United States and its allies have to go to war with China over Taiwan? Can the United States and its allies do anything else to compete with China? Does a “Greater Israel” improve U.S. security and help folks back home pay for healthcare?
Bob pays attention to certain things and ignores others depending on his highly informed biases. Bob might have heard of Christian Zionism and not like it because it’s mired in religious sentiments and still be happy to see secular or Orthodox Christian twenty-something Ukrainian soldiers die in a protracted war with Russia primarily inspired by American and NATO leaders because, you know, Russia wants to take over the world! Bob overlooks America’s geopolitical avarice.
Uncle Sam finds war to be very utilitarian. Bob knows that the world is always in need of a good whipping. Kick ass and take names. Let the world know who’s in charge.
Americans love the Wild West. Bob loved playing Army man and Cowboys and Indians as a kid. Bob is amazed by outlaws, gangsters, and white-collar criminals. Bob likes strong men.
***Separate yourself from the movies and expand your reading.
Don’t neglect to look at Aaron’s research references.
Would the President of The United States have any other security concerns other than killing Russians in Ukraine or Chinese in the Taiwan Straights?
Any curious intellectual like Bob could research conflicts directly related to oil supplies, ponder “The Great Game,” and examine all the complex reasons our leaders do what they do. We have a vast library on the subject.
To shed light on America’s propensity for war after WWII, read about Eisenhower.
The Soviets had already beaten the Wehrmacht. Read about Stalingrad, etc. Hitler used his best divisions in the East. Why? There are many books on the subject. The Allies didn’t win the war like we see in the movies.
“The German defense was not what we expected,” General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, said in his post-invasion report.
During World War II, the critical role of oil in fueling mechanized warfare became starkly evident. The German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge, a desperate gamble to split Allied lines, ultimately faltered partly due to severe fuel shortages. This experience profoundly impacted Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe. He recognized the vulnerability of modern armies to oil supply disruptions and later, as the 34th President of the United States, prioritized securing access to global oil resources.
There was hell to pay!
Eisenhower’s commitment to ensuring uninterrupted oil supplies for the US military and economy stemmed from his firsthand observation of how a lack of fuel could cripple even the most formidable military force, reflecting Eisenhower’s policies promoting domestic oil production and forging alliances with oil-producing nations in the Middle East.
Study Middle Eastern history to gain a deeper understanding of our current situation. Middle Eastern history sheds light on the violence we witness daily on our screens.
Bob: “Ragheads are evil!”
Bob: “Peak oil isn’t anything we should be worried about. We’ll have fusion soon.”
Oil & War: How the Deadly Struggle for Fuel in World War II Meant Victory or Defeat by Robert Goralski and Russell W. Freeburg
Eisenhower: Soldier and President by Stephen E. Ambrose
The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin
Patton’s Third Army dramatically turned north to relieve the besieged town of Bastogne. Blizzards, icy roads, and the tremendous strain on logistics, including fuel supply, hampered this bold maneuver. Patton was acutely aware that his tanks and vehicles depended on fuel. He pushed his supply lines to the limit and even resorted to airdrops of gasoline to keep his forces moving. Despite his aggressive nature, Patton was not reckless. He expressed concerns to Eisenhower about potentially outrunning his supply lines, including fuel. He recognized the danger of his forces becoming stranded and vulnerable if they advanced too far, too fast. Patton famously emphasized the importance of logistics in warfare. He understood that bravery alone didn’t win battles but that ensuring that troops had the necessary supplies, including fuel, to fight effectively contributed significantly to success on the battlefield.
And Napoleon marched the Grand Army to Moscow, wreaking havoc along the way, and to what end? “If I can’t have Africa, I’ll take Europe, gosh darn it.” Napoleon might have said.
In 1945, U.S. leaders and military officials considered using German resources, including troops and industrial capacity, to fight the Soviet Union.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill commissioned a secret plan called “Operation Unthinkable” to assess the feasibility of a Western alliance with German forces against the Soviet Union. The plan highlighted the logistical challenges and concluded that such a conflict would be costly and risky. While the U.S. did not formally endorse Operation Unthinkable, some American officials expressed similar views. General George Patton, for example, famously believed that the U.S. should rearm the Germans and “drive the Bolsheviks back into Russia.”
“Patton: A Genius for War” by Carlo D’Este is a comprehensive biography that delves into Patton’s military career and personal life, including his controversial views.
“The Patton Papers,” edited by Martin Blumenson, is a collection of Patton’s letters and diaries that provides insights into his thoughts and opinions.
Using German resources against the Soviets ultimately lost momentum as the U.S. focused on demobilization and rebuilding after the war. The Cold War soon solidified, with the U.S. and Soviet Union becoming locked in a global rivalry.
These discussions took place in the immediate aftermath of World War II when tensions were high, and the future of Europe was uncertain. The devastating war against Nazi Germany had created a deep mistrust of German militarism, and the idea of allying with former enemies was controversial. Even if there had been political will, using German resources against the Soviets would have been logistically difficult and politically risky. The German military was shattered, and the population was war-weary. And American bankers and corporations were going to make a killing rebuilding Europe.
J.P. Morgan gets his revenge.
While using German resources against the Soviets never materialized, it highlights the rapid shift in alliances and the growing tensions that characterized the early Cold War period—the beginning of the fabulous expansion of the U.S. Empire.
One can see why German dependence on Russian energy rankled neocons and neoliberals across the West.
Some saw Germany's dependence on Russian energy, particularly natural gas via pipelines like Nord Stream 1, as a strategic vulnerability. Neoconservatives and neoliberals often advocate for minimizing reliance on potentially hostile powers. They viewed Germany’s energy dependence as jeopardizing European security and giving Russia leverage over European decision-making. This was especially concerning given Russia’s history of using energy supplies as a political tool. It is as if the United States doesn’t do similar things. We trade energy in U.S. dollars, after all.
The US, under both Republican and Democrat administrations, had long pushed for Europe to diversify its energy sources and reduce reliance on Russia. In other words, buying energy from the U.S. Germany’s pursuit of Nord Stream 2, despite US objections, was seen as a snub to American interests and a fracturing of the Western alliance. Some argued that Germany’s energy dependence made it reluctant to take a hard line against Russia’s actions, such as the annexation of Crimea in 2014 or its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. This created friction with other Western nations who favored a more confrontational approach. Of course, Russia has its own views on strategic and security concerns. Still, Bob is never interested in empathizing with that, even if understanding Russia’s concerns could help the U.S. achieve its strategic objectives.
While Germany championed green energy initiatives, some saw its heavy reliance on Russian natural gas (a fossil fuel) contradicting its climate goals. Critics argued that this dependence hindered the development of alternative energy sources and perpetuated reliance on fossil fuels.
A Green Game dependent on fossil fuels is better than No Game.
Bob is what Nate Hagens would call Energy Blind.
The US imposed sanctions on companies constructing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, arguing it increased Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. Imagine buying a less expensive commodity from Eurasia! This caused significant tension between the US and Germany.
Criticism from Eastern European countries: Poland and the Baltic states, with their own historical experiences with Russian dominance, were particularly vocal in criticizing Germany’s energy relationship with Russia. They saw it as naive and dangerous. Why did Russia take over Eastern European countries? Please read about it; there are dozens of books on the subject.
Bob would never think the Soviets, Russians, or Chinese could have legitimate security concerns.
Again, Western long-term game theory seems lacking; sometimes, their moves are as shallow and ephemeral as spit on Arizona asphalt.
While the German government maintained that Nord Stream 2 was a purely commercial project, there was internal debate about the wisdom of increasing energy reliance on Russia. Why, one might wonder?
Uncle Sam: “It’s just business.”
Bob: “Russians are evil.”
The war in Ukraine has ensured subsequent efforts to rapidly diversify energy sources and buy more energy from the USA. Maybe their game theory isn’t that bad after all. Still, Europe remains dependent on Russian energy.
The European Union has set itself the goal of ending all imports of Russian hydrocarbons by 2027. But some countries in Central and Eastern Europe are struggling to quench their thirst for oil and gas from the east.
The Bobs of the world are techno-optimists, so there will be too cheap to meter machines available to power the weapons of the West someday soon, and the brutes and savages will be too stupid to create something similar. Shortly, every nation will have a Disney Land and send resources to the United States so American corporations can continue churning out high culture.
Or else there will be hell to pay!
War is the thing that gives homo sapiens meaning.
Why bring up WWII?
Bob thinks the West’s enemies are idiots and their equipment is junk. Can you imagine Generals, Think Tankers, and folks at the Pentagon making the same mistake? Well, come to think of it, how have all the wars, police actions, regime change, and civil wars the USA has instigated worked out for the world since WWII?
Have you seen any bugs on your windshield lately? The Omnicidal Heat Engine, A.K.A., the fossil fueled, financialized, modern techno-industrial civilization marches on.
America’s violent interventions across the globe require some reading before one can develop a robust opinion about their utility to world prosperity and posterity. (Serios reading and thinking, maybe even a tinge of imagination.)
Americans had some Mad Man fun with consumerism, global supply chains, cheap imports, and pro sports for quite a while, though — you can’t argue against that.
So why, oh why, is there so much discontent among Americans? Why are they divided so? Oh, it must be the WOKE or BLM or LGBTQ or Republicans or Democrats or Neo-Maxists, or Eagles Fans or something. There has to be a simple explanation that doesn’t involve systems and complexity theory, stocks and flows, thermodynamics, limits to growth, the sixth extinction, global heating, energy wars, overshoot, racism, nuclear war, and on and on, as Greta would say, blah, blah, blah.
Dear Lord, forgive Greta her hopium. She is young and doing her best to make a difference.
The Bobs of the world are natural-born, native, authentic Westerners, true believers in jingoistic, chauvinistic narratives created by various propaganda outlets. They shy away from studying propaganda or dark psychology because the cognitive dissonance it might engender is too painful. Bob makes short, curt statements and expects his interlocutor to take his utterings for granted.
Bob says, “A nuclear war will never happen.”
Enough said!
One man could start a nuclear war on his own. According to former Vice President Dick Cheney the President of the United States “could launch the kind of devastating attack the world has never seen. He doesn’t have to check with anybody. He doesn’t have to call the Congress; he doesn’t have to check with the courts. He has that authority because of the nature of the world we live in.” Democratic checks and balances, anyone…? It’s worth remembering here, that a nuclear conflict cannot be won, nor “prevented” by a decapitation strike:
“Once switched on, the Perimeter system can launch the entire Russian nuclear arsenal in response to a nuclear attack. It was part of the Cold War doctrine of mutually assured destruction, a means of deterring nuclear attacks by ensuring the side who initiated a first strike also would be annihilated.
Called “Dead Hand” in the West, the theory is that a command and control system measures communications on military frequencies, radiation levels, air pressure, heat and short-term seismic disturbances. If the measurement points to a nuclear attack, the Perimeter begins a sequence that would end in the firing of all ICBMs in the Soviet (now, Russian) arsenal.
Perimeter would launch a command rocket, tipped with a radio warhead that transmits launch orders to Russian nuclear silos, even with the presence of radio jamming. The rocket would fly across the entire length of the country. After a number of test launches to prove the viability of such a command rocket, the Perimeter system went online in 1985.”
Bob won’t read these sources because they contradict his faith. The Bobs of the world are true believers in Western Civilization. True believers couldn’t function if they thought Western Civilization had profound, systemic, structural, and ideological problems.
Drill, Baby, Drill!
My “favorite”. We need more oil, so out with those pesky regulations together with nit-picky officials and let’s get down to business! Frack the gas from underneath Europe, lay pipelines all across America, give drilling leases to everyone who has a desire to put holes into the ground — and all will be fine.
“In the Sands of New Mexico they’re creating an atomic bomb, and there’s a calculation made by a physicist called Leo Szilard where he essentially calculates that there’s a very very small, infinitesimal chance that if you ignite the bomb, it’ll actually ignite the entire atmosphere with it — killing every single life form on the planet. It will incinerate the entire biosphere. It’s low probability but it can’t be ruled out… Of course, they still go ahead and do it. And not only that, they actually take bets in a very sardonic way on whether or not this will incinerate the entire world.
Now, imagine an alternative Universe, where the decision to use the atomic weapon (to basically have the Trinity test) is not taken by a bunch of physicists and policy makers in the US, but instead they decide to do a jury. They randomly select a number of citizens, plumbers and nurses from across the US, they have them sit down and they are briefed by the physicists. Leo Szilard says we can’t rule out the possibility that this will destroy all life on Earth. Importantly the intelligence agency analysts also come to them and say we know that the Nazis are no longer going to build their own bomb. They weren’t taken the right course in the first place and they’ve actually given up on a bomb stage. So, this is no longer even a race to prevent a Thermonuclear Third Reich. This is essentially just about US power, and potentially — in the very best case — ending the war early. Imagine these people — a dozen people, maybe even more — given that information and told to make a decision on whether or not to ignite the Trinity test. What decision do you think they make?” — Luke Kemp
Don’t get me started on Democracy. The USA is an Oligarchy. And now, smoke-filled rooms are unfashionable and unnecessary. The big shots have Big Data, AI, and social media accounts and blow smoke in your face on YouTube. Everything is electronically gas-lit these days.
Of course, all Chinese technology is nefarious, but the Players have TikTok accounts. They have to figure out how to take the company away from the Chinese shareholders and executives and make TikTok American so that it will be a force for good in the world. Good equals money in the pockets of The Players in the West and their bosses in America. TikTok must be an exclusively American propaganda platform and cash generator.
“It’s amusing that you think we have propaganda in Russia. You in the West have it too, but you’re simply not aware of it.” — Putin
The Military Industrial Complex is a big business and makes a lot of money for the Players of The Great Game. Again, there are libraries on the subject.
Bob knows that the only way to defeat the Japanese was to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Bob: “Keep it simple, numbskull prole.”
The calculus was only about winning the war. There could be no other reasons. Bob knows what happened and that the Japanese surrendered after Little Boy and Fat Man incinerated Japanese cities. Thinking about the broader implications is dumb. We killed Japs. Enough said. There is no need to understand the greater context of the event. Internment camps, putting the fear of Capitalism into the Soviets, and so on, never mind all that. We killed Japs. I’m not that smart, so I have a feeling that internment camps are relevant and speak to the racism in the USA and represent a tiny but essential facet of the decision-making process that went into dropping nuclear bombs on Japanese cities. Bob would say, “The Japs were savages. One word, Kamikaze!”
Mic drop!
Was all the shock and awe necessary in Iraq — we killed ragheads, enough said. Later, we helped kill a new brand of terrorist, ISIL. All of this killing was good for business. Let’s refrain from discussing the war on drugs. One could write hundreds of pages from solid sources and recommend libraries of books and studies, but Bob is smart enough not to read that stuff because it might shake his conviction.
True believers want to believe; they don’t have to know.
Believing always feels better than knowing, and epistemic questions are always unnecessary if one is an Enlightened Westerner. Epistemic humility is a slippery slope that makes a person weak.
Are you not entertained? Are you not hubristic? Are you not dogmatic? Are you not a fanatic?
America and its Western minions are good; the rest of the world is full of evil idiots. Colonialism and Imperialism civilized the brutes and savages. The Raj was the best thing that ever happened to India.
The Jewel was in a British Crown!
The enlightened had the ideological, religious, and techno-industrial power to bring the world to ruin through modern fossil-fueled, neoliberal, global, financialized, industrial, and late-stage Capitalism. It’s human nature—or, better put, the nature of enlightened Westerners who got there first! The brutes couldn’t compete because of their weak-minded cultures and traditions.
To hell with the plebs and proles if they can’t borrow money to buy things. And if the capitalists can’t have and control everything, no one can.
“Don’t listen to Putin; he’s an evil idiot. He’s Putler!” —Bob
“Why do we need a world if Russia is not in it?” — Putin
Putler, like Hitler, is considered to be both insane, an evil genius, and a rational actor at the same time. Bob can’t see the contradictions.
Bob says, “Do you read the Moscow Times? Idiot! Why would you want to know what evil idiots think?”
Bob: “Watch FOX, CNN, MSNBC and read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The National Review, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politico, and listen to NPR and PBS if you want to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Putler and Xi are dangerous, but they are idiots, so don’t worry about them. We will grind their countries to dust and destroy their allies.
See Beyoncé at a venue near you.
BRICS will cower and fade away like all boring, idiotic memes. Putler is bent on destroying Western Civilization, but he’s also an incompetent fool with cancer and brain disease and no match for the brilliant strategists of America and NATO. We have NATO-trained troops with NATO rounds! We have the Brits! French kids can’t wait to fight in Ukraine. Don’t worry about North American troops; they can sit in comfortable wood-frame houses in Idaho and operate killer drones and robots. We’ll still send Special Forces for covert and vital ops because those boys need experience, and Hollywood needs war stories based on actual events.
Bob has got it all figured out.
“He’d never annex Crimea, surely?” Putin said he would, and he did.
“He’d never start a war in the Donbas.” He did. Who did? Read up on the Maidan Revolution in 2014. Choose your sources wisely.
“He’d never launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.” He did, and the war grinds on years later with no end in sight. But was it a full-scale invasion, though? At the start of the war, Ukrainian reserves were 900,000, with U.S. and NATO support, almost one-half the size of Russian reserves. But we must remember how stupid Russians are, so the fact that they committed the blunder of sending in so few to confront so many is not surprising to Bob. Let’s not even think about it.
Best money ever made.
I’ve concluded that the phrase “would never do” doesn’t apply to Vladimir Putin. But Russians are stupid, and their equipment is junk. Thank God!
The modus operandi is to make the world safe for Western oligarchs. Russia must cease to exist so that heroic Western business leaders can swoop in and take control of Russian businesses and resources.
Bob: “It’s them or us.”
Western leaders’ Game Theory is as shallow and ephemeral as spit on Arizona asphalt in the summer.
Foreigner leaders are stupid, but American leaders are fanatical clowns. What a world we live in.
Thank God for the Enlightenment and fossil fuels. Wink, wink….
Bob says: “The Russian nuclear arsenal is mothballed; it’s junk.”
Bob’s faith and belief in American financialized Capitalism are unshakable. American capitalists make the best stuff and give the world a way forward. Jack Welch made a showstopping genius move when he financialized General Electric. Bob has read every book about Jack that he can find in airport bookstores. The world is safe and secure with American leadership at the helm.
This is yet another considerable subject to delve into, and why bother? We have a good narrative — it’s almost biblical. Why should we explore the complexities and the various contexts surrounding geopolitics, energy, and blah, blah, more deeply? Let’s stick to our story and feel good about ourselves. This is the secret to Bob’s easygoing happiness and friendly confidence. When you are Bob, you take your outrage cues from cable news and your intellectual inspiration from Fareed Zakaria. Anyone who flogs the story that keeps Uncle Sam’s machine running.
The US government is not being shut down, or at least not yet. We will see what happens in March.
There is confusion on who will be inaugurated as President in January. As Musk is an immigrant (does he have a green card?), he can’t be President, but, for that matter, convicted felons cannot be President either, so it is unclear what will happen.
On top of general confusion, exhaustion is setting in as the planetary hyperdisaster is still being ignored. Ignoring reality is hard work, and substitutes must be found because what is being ignored can’t be discussed.
The steady collapse of representative government and its takeover by chaos monkeys is the focus of highly emotional discussion. This is a sandbox fight among four-year-olds while massive storm clouds gather on the horizon.
Things will be rearranged and somewhat abbreviated today in the interest of the holidays and sanity. https://rlandok.medium.com/the-weekly-flail-december-21-2024-81d2d6c4d85c
Chinese stuff is junk that Americans bought at their big box stores for decades, just like Japanese stuff was junk; Russian tanks during WWII were junk, and hypersonic missiles from Russia with love today are junk.
A New York Times article, “Chinese carmakers are taking Mexico by storm while eyeing US” notes that advertisements for Chinese cars are everywhere in Mexico: airports, soccer stadiums, and large billboards on the streets of its biggest cities, an approach that is clearly working, given the numbers of Chinese vehicles, both gasoline and electric, to be seen on the roads there.
Five years ago, Chinese brands made up a fraction of sales in Mexico, and had a reputation for low quality; they now account for 9% of new vehicle sales, making up the same figure in Brazil, and with an 18% share in Thailand. China’s global car exports already exceed Japan’s, accounting for a third of global sales in March this year, a feat The Economist explains by extolling their quality and innovation.
Such growth is not the result of chance. Years ago, Chinese brands like Nio began using innovative production techniques to position themselves as leaders in the manufacture and sale of EVs in the domestic market, the world’s largest, and then began making inroads into North America. Now, in addition to high-end vehicles, they also offer very good quality electric utility vehicles at around $18,000 in Mexico, $10,000 less than the cheapest EV in the United States. In Spain, Leapmotor’s TO3, retails for €11,900, or €90 a month.…
Bob would troll this article by saying, “It’s bull shit!”
Drop the mic already.
America can’t compete anymore, so the sentiment goes with the dumb malcontents (let’s leave derivatives markets out for now), but it can bomb, and it can get its allies to bomb.
More importantly, it can recruit others to fight and bomb, making money while doing so.
I’m sure the Japanese, South Koreans, Filipinos, and Australians are lining up at the recruiter’s office. I bet US treasuries will continue to fly off the shelf as Uncle Sam takes care of business and bombs his competitors back to the Stone Age, where they belong.
Or perhaps we always belonged in the Stone Age.
Folks in Congress are foaming at their mouths, imagining a war with China.
America has Modern Monetary Theory for the rich and powerful.
Bob knows that American leaders are geniuses who bring home the white goods made abroad so that US corporate institutions (Financial Institutions) can make money forever on income based on the faith that foreign competitors and weak States can only survive on the charity of American global business and loans.
Amen.
So, let’s forget about these silly facets and perspectives and feel safe and secure in knowing our geopolitical competitors are evil idiots who couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag.
American business has given the West the best of all possible worlds and, as a bonus, dependencies on the U.S. dollar and U.S. treasuries. The world isn’t only addicted to American entertainment products.
Bob understands how the world works. It’s sad when people stray away from Bob’s perspective. Believing in the benevolence of The American Way feels fantastic.
There isn’t a problem that can’t have a profitable solution.
So get out there and work hard, invent, innovate, and get rich!
Enough said; drop that freaking mic already.
Over thousands of years, many people have made a good living telling the same stories over and over again, albeit in slightly different ways. As we know from reading Western literature, our stories lead to destruction and redemption and are repeated again and again.
Empires rise and fall, great floods occur, ice sheets grow and recede, and people go where they need to go and do what they must to survive and thrive, conquer, control, and lord over people, places, and Great Nature.
Sit down, relax and listen.
The only stories that matter to Life are the stories we glean from Nature. If we don’t listen carefully, all the stories will end.
Bob’s story will end; of this, those who listen to Nature are certain.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.