Propagandist warns China could down Nancy Pelosi’s plane during Taiwan trip

This makes absolutely no sense at all. China is a far bigger threat to the US both economically and militarily then Russia but look what we are doing in Ukraine. Very few Americans seem to have a problem with that. When should the US confront China?

 

I think it more to do with the fear of losing China's cheap imports.

 

I will admit that when everything is considered, I don't know which of the 2 countries is really a greater threat to the US.

China's land mass is 2nd only to Russia and its population is 1.4 billion while Russia at 5,977 nuclear warheads has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.

It is worth noting that Israel, America's most insidious threat, continues to steal America's military & industrial secrets and sell them to both Russia and China.

You asked: "When should the US confront China?" but my question is why and how should the US confront China?

 

Highly doubtful.... Nobody buys more cheap Chinese **** than America....

I hear the phrase "sabre rattling" all the time, and this was a textbook example of it..

It's already mostly forgotten, on both sides of the Pacific...

 

Having different people in the WH disagree with what the President was thinking or doing is part of our democracy. We are not robots that follow lock, step, and barrel-like in North Korea. I am well aware of the attack on the USS Liberty, the reasons why it was sent there, some of the conspiracy theories involved with the USS Liberty, and the lack of response. The whole incident was and still is controversial, especially to the crew members of that ship. What happened afterward were all the leaks that came out to the WaPo and the NYT, among others on the whole incident and some of the directives. The top secret stuff, I think, was officially declassified by Bush on the request or approval of the Johnson Presidential Library.


But we have had this with JFK before he decided to impose an embargo on Cuba, Reagan who did the Iran Contra Affair, per their testimony in Congress per the Tower Report, some in the Bush Jr Cabinet who were against invading Iraq in 2003, and so forth. And even though they disagreed, they would eventually leak out certain unclassified details as to the reason, etc. It is not a government within a government. or self-centered, it is politics, pure and simple. It can get ugly and it can get nasty at times. Even from my personal experiences, I have known senior management rewrite the directives from above to fit their. department or division, which technically goes against the wishes.

And this gets us to January 6th. Most of Trump's subordinates, from testimony so far, pretty much stated they advised Trump on the potential of danger on January 6th. This is especially true with Hutchinson whose testimony was, to say the least, damaging. And yet, all of Trump's aides who are now testifying before the committee are now labeled "traitors" by the Trump loyalists and hard right-wing extremists. Yet, none of that is what treason is, not even if Kavanaugh or Barrett or Gorsich decided a case against Trump on Constitutional grounds.

I think what some people in the GOP are finally realizing is that the only self-centered individual is Trump. Trump only thinks of himself and no one else. He is willing to use anyone and everyone, and by any means necessary, to get what he wants. And that is the sad reality here and why I don't see the connection you are trying to make.

It's not the history that makes your argument weak, it's your subject, aka DJT, that makes your argument look weak.

 

No disagreement on the cheap Chinese crap.

 

Economically, China is not a threat. China is a competitor in the world market. Second, we have more in common with China economically than politically. YOu are making the mistake that economy and politically go hand in hand. It does not.

Any war with China by the US will be more devastating to the US than to China, period. China just has certain comparative advantages that we do not nor can we ever get. We do have comparative advantages as well, but those comparative advantages don't always translate into trade though.

 

Russia is only a threat to Europe. China is a greater threat to US's economy and militarily grows stronger and bolder every year. Israel's does have ties to Russia's large Jewish population which is a concern for the US.

 

When it comes to cheap products, i only look at price as my determining factor and don't care where it is made. I do this because I know in 3 months or 6 months I will have to buy the same cheap product again.

However, when it comes to the "finer things in life," then I look at quality and price. Want the best quality at the cheapest price available? This is why I only buy these things when there are sales. Sales in not a matter of if, but when.

 

No one is talking about disagreements. Disagreements happen all of the time, my example in the case of Johnson was despite the disagreements they respected the Office of the Presidency and President Johnson. Sure, they printed their books and grievances after the fact, but at no point did we ever get something like we got out of the Washington Post like "We're here in the West Wing, we hear you and we're going to protect you from Trump!"(this headline I'm referencing came out in or about 2017 or 2018. Two years before the 6th.)

As I said previously, there cannot be a 'government within the government'. The ego of someone called to serve, must be left at the door. The administration of government is no different from the discipline in a military unit. The President is chief commander of the armed forces. His presence has to be respected, at least within his own administration for there to be a government at all. And in the Trump years, we saw an utter unwillingness to serve with any class or discipline. No wonder there was heavy turnover, there should've been MORE.

If I had been President and I saw that headline, and I thought there were leaks of information, I would've fired every single cabinet member of the West Wing. Had Trump been that authoritative and put his boot down right then, sure they would've complained but they also would've gotten the message. Either abide by the administration or you won't be asked to serve within it.

The resistance was not honorable, it was selfish. It was the selfish actions of fools who thought they could disrupt the elected Trump administration of 2016-2020, and made j6 possible. To be clear, Trump is responsible for what he did and didn't do, but the seeds were planted as far back as 2017 with open insubordination praised, for the first time in American History.

 

Xi uses his power to force countries to play ball with China. He does this by destroying industries in countries who refuse to play. Just look what he has done to Australian businesses. It's not so much the imports we get from China that hurts us although it does, it is the exports we send to China. If you think Xi won't hit us with tariffs if we don't play nice with him then just look at what he did to Australia.

https://www.uschina.org/reports/us-...in America’s ports and throughout the country.

 

I believe many Americans look at what they can afford now and aren't willing to wait for a better deal on a better product. And most products that are better will cost more even during a sale. How many Chinese fast food workers make $15 an hour? Americans cannot compete with China's low cost of living.

 

Citing exports and trade deficits is not going to make your case and your link does not prove your claim. Trade deficits can be a good thing, especially if that trade helps with inflation or provides goods at a much cheaper cost than here for consumers willing to buy. That is not destroying the economy at all. Any type of international trade creates jobs in both countries. In the home country, china, it is mainly "cheap" facotry jobs. Here it is the warehouse, transportation, export traders, and so forth that have the jobs here.

What do we send to china? This link tells you. You might think of soybeans or aircraft, usually commercial jet liners or prop aircraft for their airlines. Microchips maybe, but you need to know what type of microchip. And that is usually something where we make sure it does not go for military purposes.

https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/why-trade-deficits-aren-t-so-bad

 

Cost is different in China than here for living, grocery, electricity, etc. In 2004, I had an engagement party in China and rented a large room at a restaurant establishment. We had chicken, shrimp, "meat," vegetables, rice of course, hot tea, and booze. Booze was extra. I invited 30 of her family and friend for the engagement. What do you think the cost was and what do you think the cost would be if it were held in Texas for instance? In China, I paid 900 RMB for everything except the booze. The booze amounted to another 280 RMB. At that time, it was 7.5 RMB per US Dollar, so that would give you a hint at my actual cost.

In the US, it would have been around $35 per person for the same food. The rental of the room would have been another $1000 or so, plus a deposit, and the booze would have been maybe $100 more than the booze in China I paid for. Yes, it is "cheaper" but 1 RMB to a Chinese is like $1 here in America for purchasing goods, services, etc. Are there expensive places to live in China? You betcha, and they cater to foreigners AND extremely rich Chinese persons. But for the average Chinese, their rent and cost of living are much lower because the prices of everything are much lower compared to here.

Over the years it has gotten better there, mostly because of trade and their GDP growth. And the average Chinese citizen loves the choices they have and they don't want to give that up. But they are not willing to fight the government if it does go because of them or us. And that's our problem, not theirs.

 

Leaks are part of politics. From the West Wing identifying a CIA agent named Valery Plume to Whistleblowers in the Trump administration and others before and after, it has always been there and is part of life in the WH and the West Wing. You just have to learn to deal with it. You may not like it, but you need to deal with it and move on. Second, what it sounds to me is that if someone leaked information that was detrimental to the person holding office, then you are arguing that is a "government within a government?" I don't think so if that is your argument. And what you are arguing is exactly what the GOP appeared to do when Obama was president and when Clinton was president. Be careful what you wish for there AN.

For me, a "government within a government" would be a rogue agency or agencies doing whatever the hell they wanted to do regardless of what the President or Congress says or allows. The CIA came closest to this definition in the 1970s but did not meet the standard of the definition.

My personal belief, January 6th would have still occurred if the Dems never impeached DJT twiice. It still would have occurred and it may have been much worse, assuming all other things are equal.

 

Insurbordination is only part of 'politics' of an unstable country, not the United States. It says the information is classified for a reason. No, we don't have to deal with these bastards who didn't like an administration, did everything to undermine it and then are shocked, shocked I tell you that the incumbent president didn't take his loss like a man. Again, he is in charge of his own actions, but these actors don't get to undermine the federal government and then claim "who me"?

Yes, them, and the danger is ever present that they could slip into an administration again, and 'serve' it with their chaotic elements. They are more dangerous than Trump. Trump's one term is over, and he may/probably not win another one. But these actors were 'appointees', they smeared the idea of 'serve at the pleasure of the President'. As self-serving bastards, with credentials the danger is very real that they can upend our government in the future.

Wanna know what I worried about in those four years? I worried about an attack on the United States. My fear was, if attacked the military would be unable or unwilling to respond. I worried even if the military came to the defense of the US in the case of an foreign attack, the US Congress would not properly fund the military in the Trump era.

This was a very real fear for me during 2016-2020, and it's now a fear for me in a future administration that others may not like. Be it De Santis or anyone else(including a Democratic POTUS.). And I don't know how we can fix the problem if appointees think they have free will to destabilize the American Government at any time of their choosing.