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A Lot is Going On for 12 October 2019

Combination post about the news from early October 2019.

The president has pulled troops back in Syria, allowing Turkey to invade and attack the Kurds. Most everyone is opposed to this, and yet the Republicans can only be so critical before they worry it will hurt their next primary. Donald John Trump is unfit to be president, and everyone knows it, but only one party can actually say it and act to do something about it.

But speaking of unfitness, you have the likes of Apple, the NBA, Blizzard Entertainment, and ESPN, all trying to appease China’s authoritarian bullshit. Not with chocolate cake, this time, but with various moves to promote their worldview, either against Hong Kong, against Taiwan, or in favor of an unfounded claim over a body of water they share with about five other countries. The preference for short-sighted profit motives does not surprise, but it does prove to be the losing side of things. The day will come when China inevitably democratizes (whether as a whole or as a set of separate states), and those citizens will remember the failure of these companies and institutions when that day comes. They will not remember them fondly.

One cannot imagine a tale of modern international history being portrayed in Chinese cinema, because they cannot tell the truth. They don’t teach it properly in schools, and they don’t portray it in their media. A society cannot be built upon amnesia. As America continues to reckon with its own past, we should recognize that other nations face that challenge, too, and worse, are far less equipped to face it. That amnesia is exactly what these corporations are supporting, for a buck.

There’s no power for chunks of California while the power company out there tries to decide if it’s safe to turn back on. Rather than do sufficient work to clear fuel on the front end, they’ve decided it’s more efficient to not make money for days at a time and hope that the weather changes. It seems better than having major fires, but one would suspect that clearing the fuel around lines would be the easier and saner way to go.

And that’s not even getting to the ongoing impeachment saga. The president continues to deny that he’s accountable for anything. The White House even sent a letter saying that impeachment was contrary to the law. One wonders, given all the times Donald John Trump has received beautiful letters from Kim Jong Un, why the White House never sends beautiful letters (re: impeachment or otherwise).

New revelations continue to come out about various worries officials have had from other phone calls and incidents. One suspects before it’s all over, Trump will claim Clinton won the election and it’s all her fault for not contesting the vote and taking the job. He already tried to pin the blame for the call on Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.

On the other hand, we’re finally having another Democratic debate this Tuesday (15 October 2019). Will be good to see the gang back together. Will be good to see Senator Bernie Sanders back at it. If the Republicans could find it in their hearts to ever have this kind of sanity in a group running for their nomination, it would be a great blessing for our nation.

CNN Faces Absurd Lawsuit

A lawsuit against CNN seeking $1 per person in China. At around 2200 lbs per $1 million, that’s approaching 300,000 lbs, or 136,000 kg; that’s as much as the ultrasaurus is estimated to have weighed.

Via ReutersCNN now sued for $1.3 billion – $1 per person in China:

[…] a suit against CNN in New York over remarks they say insulted the Chinese people and are seeking $1.3 billion in compensation — $1 per person in China […]

The suit brought because of comments by Jack Cafferty:

They’re basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they’ve been for the last 50 years.

What’s interesting about that quote from my perspective is, foremost, the notion that you could sue for $1 for every person in the country when even the most egregious, blanketed statement is undoubtedly wholly accurate in some minority of the cases.

That is, there is no way that all of the Chinese people aren’t “goons,” etc. And there’s no case that you could convince a jury a goon can be insulted for being what he/she is.

Of course, there’s other problems with the suit. Some of Cafferty’s remarks at the time were true. Most were not directed at the Chinese people themselves, but the government and businessmen. But even excepting that, and the above point about the existence of some goons in China, and supposing that judgment was made against CNN, you’re looking at the notion that every person in China would actually get their $1.

The actual costs of distributing that money would be enormous. Would prisoners (political or otherwise) get their dollar too? It’s just a downright absurd, preposterous lawsuit. Especially taking into account what should offend the plaintiffs and the majority of the Chinese people is their government’s behavior toward human rights, especially vis-a-vis Tibet, Syria, et al.

Just as we in the United States should be insulted by our government’s behavior with regard to Iraq and the mishandling of the war on terrorism, the complete lack of respect for the law shown by our President, and so on.

If anything this lawsuit will serve to bring more attention to China’s need for reform. As will, hopefully, the silly multi-billion dollar sporting event involving the circles and the fire stick.

Free China!

Dear Tibet,

Please release China from under your control and allow them to be a free and separate state that they long to be. This has gone on for too long*.

It is the right of man to be free. You are impinging this basic, fundamental, and most sacred right of man. It must stop.

The Tibetan Olympics, to be held in the near future, should be boycotted by all free peoples of the world to send a clear message to Tibet: suffering is caused by attachment. Only by liberating China will Tibet be at peace.

Thanks,

diehealthy.org

* A recent survey by People for the Universal Rights of People Living on Earth found that 58 years is exactly 59 years longer than one nation (in this case Tibet) should occupy another (China), assuming that at least one of them is full of Buddhists. In the case of non-Buddhist-filled countries it’s 58 years too long.