Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, April 27, 2020

China is under global attack from all sides. It’s not just the government, but a sizeable portion of the Chinese people who cooperate with that government. We don’t know how many in China are part of the problem or the solution. Reports from China remain silenced and Chinese culture is beaten down and overtly compliant even to tyranny. While Chinese students at Western universities volunteer themselves as mouthpieces for Chinese Communist propaganda, they join the party deemed guilty by the jury of the world.

African governments are in panic about Chinese government gentrification of their own nations. China is seen as the villain who covered up information vital to the EU. Great Britain is fed up with China, claiming the Chinese don’t just lack or hide information, but lie about it. Trump has been warning the world about China since before he was president—arguably that got him elected.

Then again, there’s Taiwan again. Former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has a petition for Taiwan to be admitted to the WHO. Even in a recent scuffle over some infected Navy sailors who walked around in Taiwanese public, there still are no new person-to-person virus cases in Taiwan 14 days later. The staggering success is largely accredited to Taiwan’s miraculously brilliant and swift handling of the situation. It’s all based on a germ-phobic population, slow and steady sectional school closing protocols, but it started with immediate and utter lockdown against the since-become world villain: China.

Taiwan has foresight. Maybe that’s why China wants Taiwan out of the WHO. And now, the truth isn’t hiding anymore.

Great Pacific

“Rebel from the outside”
Bookseller urges external HK resistance // Taipei Times

Kaohsiung police hold three over HK bookseller attack // Taipei Times

Bookseller who fled Hong Kong attacked with red paint in Taiwan // Yahoo News

China

Virus Outbreak: China tried to block EU criticism // Taipei Times

DOMINIC LAWSON: We’ve been far too cosy with China, but a Tory revolt is fighting back // Daily Mail

China Vs Foreigners Blacks & Africans!!! This Is Why Multiculturalism Doesn’t Work!!!? // YouTube @ American Curlss

US and UK propagandists put their Chinese rivals to shame // SCMP

Coronavirus: two congressmen want Americans to be able to sue China for ‘deaths, pain and suffering’ // SCMP

Taiwan

Petition by Nikki Haley backs Taiwan’s WHO bid // Taipei Times

Survived another oops: Taiwan stays clean
Virus Outbreak: No local infections for 14th day: CECC // Taipei Times

It’s actually under discussion!
Virus Outbreak: No lockdown needed in Taiwan: Chen // Taipei Times

Taiwan’s navy ship outbreak threatens its coronavirus success // Straits Times

Hong Kong

Hong Kong leader replaces five top officials // Taipei Times

5 Hong Kong ministers replaced in cabinet reshuffle // HKFP

Korean Peninsula

US monitoring intelligence that North Korean leader is in grave danger after surgery // CNN

Military Faceoff

US aircraft passes south of Taiwan for 12th time // Taipei Times

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Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, October 15, 2018

Trump hosted several guests in the Oval Office this week, including Kanye West, Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Nikki Haley.

Haley is resigning from the United Nations. A likely successor could be Jared Kushner. If Jared is not named her successor, then he will continue to rise in respect behind the scenes elsewhere. Haley mentioned his effective negotiation work with the new NAFTA deal in her resignation.

Andrew Brunson was released from captivity in Turkey relating to imprisonment of Christians in a clash with Middle Eastern religion, law, and culture. His return home was thought to be a lost cause when Trump took office. The president mentioned that North Korea had also been a lost cause by the previous administration, with war being immanent. He pointed out that many supposed "lost causes" had turned around since he took office, Brunson's return being only one of them with many more yet to come.

Inviting Kanye West into the Oval Office gave Kanye a platform to be heard. Apparently he had many things to say that had only been distorted by the media. Being heard from across the desk of the president he supports allowed him to be heard clearly and accurately. He's not the only one with such a need.

Faith Goldy is running for mayor in Toronto. She is surrounded by opposition, including questions about advertising contracts that were not honored and possible lawsuit cases in her favor. She is up against a comfortable incumbent and an establishment comfortable with the incumbent's comfort. Being in the top three candidates she was still rejected from participating in an election debate.

From the look of things, along with the ever-swelling #WalkAway movement, it seems that an election fraud effort may be in effect and over-optimism from the Left is the attempt to persuade public opinion otherwise. Considering that Canada has similar issues, the effort against Trump seems to be part of something both greater and international.

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Symphony

Encore or Revival: America, September 17, 2018

Trump's sanctions about elections are about the election. Turn all eyes to Texas. The seat of Senator Ted Cruz should not be in jeopardy. Democrats have no reason to dump such large amounts of money into a Texas race where senators are trending Republican—unless they are either crazy or they happen to know about other plans that could affect the vote. They aren't campaigning against Cruz because they think he is weak, but because he is so powerful.

Without the additional sanctions on foreign interference, it would be much easier to meddle in your opponent's election by asking a foreign power to do the meddling. Americans know better than to meddle in American elections because they have nowhere to run. Off-shore meddlers are another story—at least they were until Trump ordered his sanctions.

This is a shot across the bow, not so much deterring foreign powers from meddling as much as making foreign powers—and any domestic cooperatives—aware that the White House is aware that there are attempts to meddle. Only a fool would think Trump's order is purely for the optics of pleasing his unusually loyal base, which cares more about jobs and walls than defusing accusations they have already decided are fraudulent. These sanctions from the White House could be what wins Cruz his second term. We'll see.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley lives in a unit in the famed Waldorf Astoria. She originally had the $135k/month unit occupied by Susan Rice during the Obama years. Rice had ordered $52k worth of drapes and motors to close them, but the furnishings didn't arrive until Haley had insisted on moving to a less-than-half-the-price unit of the lavish Obama ambassador, at only $58k/month. New York is an expensive place for everyone, but Haley also rejected the set of drapes. Of course, in New York newswriting, Obama's bad decision must be blamed on Trump. It's all Trump's fault what Obama did.

Senator Feinstein should be impeached and Judge Kavanaugh should be approved Monday rather than Thursday. After a long and—according to Democrats—interesting career in the White House, an uncorroborated claim from a supposed victim of a so-called assault—much less severe than anything Clinton was praised for by his base—came to Feinstein in July. The accuser didn't mention anything in all the other years of Kavanaugh's career, nor did Feinstein mention the accusations in July or August. Everyone waited until the last possible minute.

If it is true that Democrats don't mention important facts until time is almost up, they should be expelled from Washington. Many voters in the #WalkAway movement seem to agree. But, this looks more like something made-up. By doing this at such a late hour, Democrats have implied that there is nothing more meaningful to discuss. Democrats are still angry that they can't read all the private memorandum that other people wrote to other people which Kavanaugh was the confidential delivery boy for. So, they pull an Anita Hill style accusation that looks fake in every time and manner they choose. The only credibility this accuser can gain at the bottom of this ninth inning would be for Feinstein to resign in disgrace for either trying to pull a fake "September surprise" or for exploiting a victim in doing so. Fat chance on a Democrat not exploiting the victims so desperately engineered into their voter base.

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