Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, April 20, 2020

The pneumoniavirus’s biggest casualty is Democratic politics. As the party of ostensibly “helping people”, Democratic governors gambled that “taking action” would sway public opinion in their direction. Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia governors did not need to create the greatest restrictions among the States. But, their Democratic Party’s moral compass guided them there. They might have added a dose or two of theatrics—especially understandable when one is in the DNC spotlight for the VP candidacy; clear your throat while saying, “Michigan.”

It is a fascinating turn of the usual pendulum: States stepping on Constitutional rights while the Federal government defends them, all the while, States calling for more Federal powers while they object to the Federal powers stopping them.

The other factor is kookery. Since when did young Democratic voters, especially Sanders supporters, trust numbers put out by a Republican-controlled Federal government? Requirements for deciding “cause of death” do not include a diagnosis of disease, yet a disease is being declared the cause of death for many who have not been diagnosed. Those numbers come from a Republican-controlled Federal government, then Democratic voters enshrine those numbers to support Democratic governors’ action.

What numbers are made-up and what is real remains another question that can’t be answered now. The big takeaway is a meltdown in the Democratic voter base. Their justification of numbers doesn’t make sense, nor does their idea that steps toward martial law will be popular. We could be looking at an even greater, greater Republican victory this November. That’s interesting since the reported number of pneumoniavirus deaths hasn’t come close to the number of abortions.

Trump

Roger Stone denied new trial; gag order lifted // CNN

Oh Thank God: Trump Appoints Ivanka and Jared to Council to Reopen America // Vanity Fair

Federal System

U.S. coronavirus crisis takes a sharp political turn // Yahoo News

State & Local

Defiant healthcare workers clash with anti-lockdown protesters in Colorado // Daily Mail

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says schools to remain closed for rest of academic year but eases some coronavirus restrictions // Dallas Morning News

Michigan manbaby protest: Wait, we thought conservatives were ‘rugged individuals’ // Salon

US in the UN

Trump announces formal freeze on WHO funding, pending an investigation // STAT

What you need to know about Trump’s suspension of WHO funding // Quartz

Global condemnation of Trump’s decision to suspend WHO funding during pandemic // Times of Israel

Trump’s Call To Suspend U.S. Funds For WHO: How Would It Affect Efforts To Fight The Coronavirus? // NPR

Prices, Rates, Oil & Food

Rep. Doug Collins on bringing the supply chain back to the US // YouTube @ Fox Business

Science, Weather & Health

U.S. coronavirus death toll passes 35,000, cases top 700,000 // Yahoo News

Wild animals are reclaiming cities during coronavirus lockdown // NY Post

Stanford study suggests coronavirus is more widespread than realized // The Spectator

Coronavirus began months earlier and not in Wuhan, bombshell UK report claims // Daily Star

No plan in sight: Test troubles cloud Trump recovery effort // AP

 

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Symphony

Cadence of Conflict, Asia, July 8, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnbkog5BUzA

China has been had. It has been had by Western freedom. It has been had by its own culture's psychopathology. It has been had by the concept of a promise—something the Chinese can't understand, let alone keep. It has been had by Marxist propaganda. And, it is still being had by its obsession with power.

British officials are turning their eyes toward Hong Kong. This is a move of revival in the English-speaking world. The English have a conscience. It is more than political smoke-blowing. Britain fully intends to protect the people of Hong Kong. And, they can do it because China has already reneged on a treaty registered with the United Nations.

China has difficulty understanding the concept of a promise. Living fully and wholly by the psychopathology of Gorgias—that all statements are lies and only rhetoric matters—the Chinese truly believe that their promise to not interfere with Hong Kong until 2047 is irrelevant trivia. They truly believe that if the world distrusts China for breaking treaty, it would be the world just looking for ways to be mean to poor, suffering, victimized China. They truly believe that any "distrust" from the West, citing broken promises, would be pure propaganda from any and all, everywhere on Earth.

The British dealt with China for centuries. They must have at least suspected that China would break treaty. In fair honesty, by allowing a fifty year window, they showed high hopes that China would at least be capable of pretending to have a conscience for half a century. If China could lie to the world for fifty years and conceal its spite for any race lacking Han blood—if China could at least pretend to be nice for fifty years—then perhaps Hong Kong would be safe long after 2047. Britain gave China the benefit of the doubt.

But, China didn't make it fifty years, not even half that.

Call it temptation. Call it the "Tienanmen fix". China can't not oppress and boss and dominate. From Beijing, Hong Kong calls, begging, "Oppress me! Oppress me!"

From Xi Jinping's perspective is one of power. He believes that the Russian Communist downfall of 1989 happened because the Communists didn't oppress enough. It never occurs to him that people do not overthrow governments that they trust—but to a psychopath, all statements are lies and all protests are propaganda. People would only hate an oppressive government, so they think, because someone told them to.

Hong Kong knows differently. Though they do not have complete self-rule, they do have free speech, free markets, free press, and free religion. To them, China stinks, and not only from the pollution of mismanagement.

Still, China wants to force its embrace upon the free people of Hong Kong. The legal justice system has a term for criminals who force their love on unwilling victims. In that scenario, everyone knows who everyone is.

Like an alcoholic claiming that alcohol is the medicine, China sees voluntary support as a threat—as a lack of power—and that power is the cure for power resisted. China has been had by everyone, its own vices above all else.

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