Month: September 2015

China Launches Biggest Military Overhaul in Decades as Warships Spotted Off Alaska for First Time

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It’s never a good sign when the world’s second largest economy announces the most significant revamp of its military in decades, at almost the exact same time that its economy implodes. Unfortunately, this is what just happened. From Bloomberg:

President Xi Jinping will as soon as this month announce the most sweeping overhaul of the Chinese military in at least three decades, moving it closer to a U.S.-style joint command structure, people familiar with the matter said.

The blueprint would unify the army, navy, air force and strategic missile corps under one command, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the proposal hasn’t been released. The plans call for thinning the ranks of officers and traditional ground forces, helping elevate the role of the navy and air force, to better project force in a modern conflict, they said.

Xi is preparing to unveil the proposal in the wake of Thursday’s World War II anniversary parade in Beijing, which will showcase his authority over the People’s Liberation Army and China’s growing clout in the region. The plan to mold the military into a force that meets Xi’s goal of being “able to fight and win a modern war” has been delayed for months as anti-graft investigators swept up dozens of current and retired generals, referring the PLA’s former top general to prosecutors in July.

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Bloomberg Announces Major Reorganization – Is it Trying to Become More Clownish Like CNBC?

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Bloomberg News puts out a lot of good stuff. I link to Bloomberg articles often when it comes to finance and market stories, and I’m grateful for them. As such, when a news source this huge fires 90 journalists, and its recently hired editor in chief writes a 3,000 word memo announcing a major reorganization, it’s important to pay attention.

As much as I appreciate a lot of the work Bloomberg does, I have noticed what seems to be an increasing number of headlines pandering to what I call “oligarch porn,” as well as stories that seem to serve no news purpose other than celebrating the inane and superficial. Here’s a recent example, which I flagged via Twitter:

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South Dakota Makes Teaching Early American History Optional for High School Students

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Want to know the quickest way to ensure the nation’s youth grow up to be a collection of unthinking, ignorant drone-slave adults? Just ask South Dakota’s Board of Education. They’ve got it down to a science.

From Argus Leader:

History teachers across South Dakota will be working with a new set of classroom guidelines after a Monday decision to approve social studies standards.

College professors balked at the new benchmarks because there isn’t a requirement for teaching early American history at the high school level.

In spite of protests, the state Board of Education agreed to overhaul the standards after an almost yearlong public hearing process. There is no requirement for teaching the first 100 years of the nation’s history, including the Revolutionary War and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, but the rewritten standards do give teachers a choice.

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October 13, 2015 – The Day Digital Privacy Officially Dies in Australia

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At least in America, the authorities feel a need to lie to the public while engaging in invasive and tyrannical warrantless surveillance. In Australia, a nation in which you are more likely to die by hitting a kangaroo with your car than in a terrorist attack, government officials have no qualms with doing it right in your face.

We learn from the Sydney Morning Herald:

The digital privacy of Australians ends from Tuesday, October 13.

On that day this country’s entire communications industry will be turned into a surveillance and monitoring arm of at least 21 agencies of executive government.

The electronically logged data of mobile, landline voice (including missed and failed) calls and text messages, all emails, download volumes and location information will be mandatorily retained by Australian telcos and ISPs.

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KKR Employee and Former CIA Head, General David Petraeus, Suggests Supporting al-Qaeda Against ISIS

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Members of al Qaeda’s branch in Syria have a surprising advocate in the corridors of American power: Retired Army general and former CIA Director David Petraeus.

The former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has been quietly urging U.S. officials to consider using so-called moderate members of al Qaeda’s Nusra Front to fight ISIS in Syria, four sources familiar with the conversations, including one person who spoke to Petraeus directly, told The Daily Beast.

– From the Daily Beast article: Petraeus: Use Al Qaeda Fighters to Beat ISIS

No, unfortunately, this is not a headline from The Onion.

In a world in which U.S. foreign policy looks more like a tragic comedy than a projection of strength and democracy, things continue to get more and more surreal. I suppose this is what happens when an inept status quo fails to step aside (or be imprisoned), despite decades of gross mismanagement and monumental failure.

We see the negative outcomes all around us. Whether it’s the destruction of the American middle class and a solidification of an untouchable oligarchy following the forced taxpayer bailout of the financial status quo, or the humanitarian disasters and chaos across the Middle East that resulted from a zero accountability policy for military-industrial-intelligence complex “leaders.” When those in positions of power face zero repercussions for their failed actions, this is exactly what you get.

As such, the nation continues to be led right off a cliff by greedy, incompetent, unethical “elites” who still can’t recognize what an enormous mess they’ve created. With each new crisis (created by them in the first place), these clowns bail themselves out and maneuver to firmly maintain the reins of powers. This is the primary reason the middle class has died, and why America has become a glorified Banana Republic.

Which brings us to David Petraeus. One of the best representations of the dangers of “elite” privilege. Not only was he given a pass for passing along classified government information to his mistress, but he then went ahead and took a cushy, and no doubt lucrative, job with private equity giant KKR. Apparently, that’s not enough for the good general. He is now suggesting the U.S. government align with al-Qaeda in Syria in order to fight ISIS.

Yes, you read that right. American citizens are now supposed to ally with the very group our nation was conned into relinquishing our civil liberties to battle.

Why are we molested at the airport before getting on a plane?  al-Qaeda.

Why have we given up our digital privacy to a surveillance state panopticon? Because al-Qaeda.

Why do governments now want to ban cash? Because al-Qaeda.

Why is free speech under attack around the world? Because al-Qaeda.

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