In the business I used to be in, that is how you found out who was the Hero and who was the Villain. The good guys wore the white hats.
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
“You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, “There is a price we will not pay.” “There is a point beyond which they must not advance.”
“We’ll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.” -Ronald Reagan
Trump invites Chinese to build US auto plants
Sign of possible thaw as GOP candidate offers China the same deal Reagan gave Japan in the 1980s
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on March 18 invited Chinese automakers to build plants in the United States, offering China the same deal that Ronald Reagan extended to Japan in the 1980s.
The former president vowed to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese car imports either directly from the mainland or from intermediaries like Mexico. But he added, “If they want to build a plant in Michigan, in Ohio, in South Carolina, they can, using American workers, they can. They can’t send Chinese workers over here, which they sometimes do. But if they want to do that, we’re welcome, right?”
Addressing Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Trump said, “You and I are friends.”
Trump’s offer to China went unreported in virtually all media. Mainstream US media attacked the former president for using the term “bloodbath” to describe the impact of prospective Chinese imports on the American auto industry, implying that he had threatened actual violence if he was not elected. But the transcript of his remarks at a Dayton, Ohio, rally makes clear that he was referring to industry conditions.
Trump told the Dayton audience:
Let me tell you something to China, if you’re listening, President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal, those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now, and you think you’re going to get that, you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us. Now, we’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars, if I get elected…. And I’ll tell them if they want to build a plant in Michigan, in Ohio, in South Carolina, they can, using American workers, they can. They can’t send Chinese workers over here, which they sometimes do. But if they want to do that, we’re welcome, right? But they’re not going to build them in Mexico and they’re not going to do that.
Industrial automation is accelerating in China and lagging in the United States. According to Zhang Weiwei, a professor at Fudan University, China already has 10,000 applications of 5G to the industrial Internet. Compare that with fewer than ten in the United States, by my informal count.
China now installs more industrial robots and graduates more engineers than the rest of the world combined. In 2023 it became the world’s largest auto exporter. Electric vehicles priced as low as $9,700 for the well-reviewed BYD Seagull subcompact -- comparable to the 1908 Ford Model T in its affordabililty and wide appeal – are creating new markets for autos in the Global South.
China meanwhile has extended its lead in 5G broadband. Zhang reported that China now has 3.37 million 5G base stations out of a global total of 4 million -- 85% of installed capacity.
The United States may never be able to match China’s combination of skilled personnel, infrastructure and giant economies of scale. It’s easier to let Chinese companies bring industrial automation to the United States than to try to catch up after the fact. That’s the path of least resistance, and one that Trump has opened up.
https://asiatimes.com/2024/03/trump-invites-chinese-to-build-us-auto-plants/ Sign of possible thaw as GOP candidate offers China the same deal Reagan gave Japan in the 1980s
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on March 18 invited Chinese automakers to build plants in the United States, offering China the same deal that Ronald Reagan extended to Japan in the 1980s.
The former president vowed to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese car imports either directly from the mainland or from intermediaries like Mexico. But he added, “If they want to build a plant in Michigan, in Ohio, in South Carolina, they can, using American workers, they can. They can’t send Chinese workers over here, which they sometimes do. But if they want to do that, we’re welcome, right?”
Addressing Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Trump said, “You and I are friends.”
Trump’s offer to China went unreported in virtually all media. Mainstream US media attacked the former president for using the term “bloodbath” to describe the impact of prospective Chinese imports on the American auto industry, implying that he had threatened actual violence if he was not elected. But the transcript of his remarks at a Dayton, Ohio, rally makes clear that he was referring to industry conditions.
Trump told the Dayton audience:
Let me tell you something to China, if you’re listening, President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal, those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now, and you think you’re going to get that, you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us. Now, we’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars, if I get elected…. And I’ll tell them if they want to build a plant in Michigan, in Ohio, in South Carolina, they can, using American workers, they can. They can’t send Chinese workers over here, which they sometimes do. But if they want to do that, we’re welcome, right? But they’re not going to build them in Mexico and they’re not going to do that.
Industrial automation is accelerating in China and lagging in the United States. According to Zhang Weiwei, a professor at Fudan University, China already has 10,000 applications of 5G to the industrial Internet. Compare that with fewer than ten in the United States, by my informal count.
China now installs more industrial robots and graduates more engineers than the rest of the world combined. In 2023 it became the world’s largest auto exporter. Electric vehicles priced as low as $9,700 for the well-reviewed BYD Seagull subcompact -- comparable to the 1908 Ford Model T in its affordabililty and wide appeal – are creating new markets for autos in the Global South.
China meanwhile has extended its lead in 5G broadband. Zhang reported that China now has 3.37 million 5G base stations out of a global total of 4 million -- 85% of installed capacity.
The United States may never be able to match China’s combination of skilled personnel, infrastructure and giant economies of scale. It’s easier to let Chinese companies bring industrial automation to the United States than to try to catch up after the fact. That’s the path of least resistance, and one that Trump has opened up.
https://asiatimes.com/2024/03/trump-invites-chinese-to-build-us-auto-plants/
Marshall Islands
What are the odds 2 freak happenings in 1 week close the airport at Roi-Namur which houses the US Army's most sophisticated space-tracking equipment as part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site. Both happenings on the northern part of the island.
Freak waves cause damage at US army base, shut airports in remote islands
10:20 am on 22 January 2024
Powerful waves, driven by offshore storm surges, hit an important US military installation in the Marshall Islands on Saturday night, causing damage and resulting in the evacuation of all "non-mission personnel" from the island.
Flooding caused by the waves also hit two airports at Ailinglaplap Atoll, leaving rocks, coral and debris in their wake, keeping those airports closed for weeks.
A video circulating from Roi-Namur, an island at the northern end of Kwajalein Atoll, shows an approximately one-metre wave hitting the Army's dining hall, breaking down doors, knocking people down and washing them from outside into the facility.
Look what else happened last week at Kwajalein Atoll.
Jan 13, 2024A NOTAM warns aircraft to avoid the north of Kwajalein Atoll's runway due to radiation hazards. Flights are directed to use southern routes to ensure safety.
Click on 2nd link, story scrubbed.
Following reports of an attack on a U.S. warship in the Red Sea, here was former Obama CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta last night at the Reagan National Defense Forum about how the U.S. should respond to the increasing number of attacks by Iran's proxy groups against U.S. forces in the Middle East:
"I would be much more aggressive," Panetta said. "I want to go after those who are firing missiles at our troops and make sure they understand that when they fire a missile--they are going to die."
10:27 AM · Dec 3, 2023
How does this reconcile?
https://qposts.online/post/2807
Dear fellow Republicans,
We, the undersigned, write today as former officials of the Reagan administration, deeply committed to the classical conservative principles espoused by President Reagan that have defined our party for the past four decades.
As we approach the critical 2024 election, we believe it is our opportunity and pleasure to endorse a candidate who embodies the spirit and principles of Ronald Reagan.
That candidate is Mike Pence, and we wholeheartedly endorse him for President of the United States.
Ronald Reagan’s presidency was marked by a profound commitment to limited government, individual liberty, and a strong national defense.
His unwavering belief in the American people and the power of free markets lifted our nation to new heights of prosperity and freedom.
His leadership on the world stage helped win the Cold War and created a more peaceful world.
We believe Mike Pence is the candidate best equipped to uphold the Reagan legacy and lead our party and our nation forward.
Mike has consistently demonstrated a commitment to conservative principles throughout his career.
From his time as a congressman to Governor of Indiana to his tenure as Vice President, he has championed limited government, lower taxes, individual freedom, strong defense, and the right to life.
Like President Reagan, Pence understands that the strength of our nation lies in the hearts of the American people, not the hands of an overreaching government.
Just as President Reagan rebuilt our military to protect American interests and promote peace through strength, Mike Pence is committed to restoring America’s military might and equipping our Armed Forces to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Mike Pence agrees strongly with President Reagan that every human life is precious and should be protected in law as a child created in the image of God.
And like President Reagan, Mike Pence knows that our democracy depends on heavy doses of civility. As president, he will strive to unite our nation around our highest aspirations and our deepest values.
And he will never forget “that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”
As former Reagan administration officials, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of principled leadership that adheres to conservative values. Mike Pence embodies these values and has the vision and experience necessary to lead our party and our nation with honor, integrity, and a deep commitment to classical conservative principles that define the Reagan legacy.
We urge our fellow Republicans to join us in supporting Mike Pence in the Republican primary. Together, we can ensure that timeless conservative principles exemplified by Ronald Reagan and Mike Pence continue to guide our party and lead our nation toward a brighter future.
Sincerely,
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs
Counselor to the Attorney General
The Honorable Edwin J. Feulner, Jr.
Chairman, Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Founder, The Heritage Foundation
The Honorable Donald Paul Hodel
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Energy
The Honorable E. Pendleton James
Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel under Ronald Reagan
The Honorable Helene von Damm
Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel
Ambassador to Austria
Background: 'CALL BOYS at the White House'
With a story about "key officials of the Reagan and Bush administration" involved in a "callboy ring," the Washington Times in late June seemed poised to give this town the one thing it adores -- a summer scandal. But as of last week, journalists have been left debating whether the Times published a blockbuster or a "blockbluster," as one critic put it. The story is intriguing -- involving male prostitution and a lobbyist who used parties to promote his business connections and business connections to promote his parties. But is it a government scandal or just a sordid slice of life in a city that happens to be Washington, D.C.?
OMAHA — A scandal over $38 million believed to be missing from a shuttered Omaha credit union has spawned half a dozen federal, state and local investigations, some of which also are looking into allegations of sexual abuse of foster children.
Latest to join the inquiries is a special state legislative committee that last week interviewed former CIA chief William Colby as one of the candidates to head its probe.
The collapse of Franklin Federal Credit Union late last year attracted national attention, in part because its flamboyant, jet-setting manager-treasurer, Lawrence E. King Jr., is a prominent black Republican.
Allegations of sexual misconduct involving several 15- and 16-year-old girls and at least one teenage boy first emerged last month, when state Sen. Ernest Chambers, vice chairman of the special legislative committee, told colleagues he had received reports of child sexual abuse said to be linked with credit union officials.
No one has publicly linked King with any of the allegations and no formal charges have been filed, but FBI agents in Omaha said they are investigating the possibility that money taken from the credit union may have been involved in the transport of minors across state lines for vice activities.
More allegations of sexual misconduct with minors surfaced when files held by state foster care officials were turned over to the committee in December. The allegations, dating as far back as 1984, include nude photo sessions and fondling at parties in Omaha and elsewhere at which credit union officials were said to be present.
''These kids were telling them the highest bidder got to take the pictures and fondle them, but could not have sex with them,'' said State Sen. James McFarland of Lincoln, a committee member.
Julie Walters, a former family counselor who interviewed one of the alleged victims in 1987, reported that the girl-who was 16 at the time-claimed to have attended parties in Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and the Bahamas, traveling under the guise of a babysitter for the family of a credit union official.
A Nebraska child-care official, who would not speak for attribution, said the same teenaged girl had passed four lie-detector tests administered by state officials.
Franklin, which was formed to help the poor of Omahas North Side, was closed Nov. 4, after federal investigators found a secret set of books listing $38 million in sales of unrecorded certificates of deposit. The money could not be found, and Franklin officially reported only $2.5 million in assets, loans and cash. The National Credit Union Administration is suing King for the missing millions. Even more investigations into Franklin may soon be underway. U.S. Sen. J.J. Exon (D., Neb.) has asked the Senate Banking Committee to look into Franklins collapse, and Rep. Douglas Berueter (R., Neb.) is seeking a similar investigation by the House Banking Committee.
National Credit Union Administration investigators say they have traced at least 40 percent of the missing millions to personal expenditures by King on jewelry, clothes, apartment rents, hotel, restaurant and flower bills, and chartered jets and limousines.
''Its astounding. Its the most unbelievable thing Ive ever seen,'' Robert Fenner, legal counsel for the agency, said of the expenditures. King, 44, was once prominent in Omaha social and charitable circles. He is a former vice chairman of the National Black Republican Council and is also known as an extravagant entertainer at national GOP gatherings. He sang the national anthem at the partys 1984 national convention in Dallas.
Last Monday, the law firm of Erickson & Sederstrom, which had been representing King, asked U.S. District Judge William Cambridge for permission to withdraw from the case, saying King had failed to comply with a payment schedule for legal services.
About 18 percent of the missing millions went to pay dividends to certificate of deposit holders, Fenner said. Six percent went for salaries of the Consumer Services Organization, an organization connected with Franklin that sought to help poor people manage their finances. An additional 16 percent went to other business ventures involving King.
Fenner said the remaining 20 percent went for ''other'' purposes, apparently still being traced.
When the Community Services Organization did not have money to pay its bills, Fenner said, certificate of deposit money received by Franklin was funneled into it. Then, with forged letterheads from charitable and religious organizations, some of the money was funneled back to the credit union as bogus grants and donations, Fenner said.
Meanwhile, the certificate of deposit operation at Franklin was operating as ''a classic Ponzi scheme that got started small and got out of control,''
according to Fenner.
New CD sales were going to pay dividends on old CDs, while deposits from the old CDs were being funneled out of Franklin for King`s personal use, the National Credit Union Administration charges in its suit.
''It snowballed until it went absolutely insane,'' Fenner said.
The agency has paid out $35 million from its insurance fund to Franklin depositors.
