Ever since the protests began in Hong Kong, the BBC World Service has treated them as the most important story in the world. I think of it as a dog bites man story myself; I am astonished that it has taken this long for Peking to initiate its version of gleichschaltung.
However that may be, today the BBC reported that China suggested that protesters might be guilty of terrorism. The BBC correspondent in Hong Kong said this would likely deter some protesters since no one would wish to face a terrorism arrests in China where he or she might be imprisoned for years without charges.
Exactly like in the United States, I thought.
Then this evening CNN's Wolf Blitzer announced breathlessly that his network would reveal for the first time how shadowy Russian mercenaries we're being used around the world to help reestablish Russian dominance.
Never mind that reestablish is the wrong word, but exactly like in the United States, I thought.
It would be nice if our policy were different from those of our adversaries. It would make it easier to choose between them.
CNN produced an interview with Oleg, a purported member of the Wagner mercenary group. The correspondent asked Oleg how much training he had received for his mission to conquer the world. Almost none, Oleg said. He had been trained for six days including two visits to the rifle range and one session firing a machine gun.
That describes the training that I received from the United States Army during the first week of ROTC summer camp 50 years ago. I did not then feel prepared to conquer the world or even lead a platoon in South Vietnam.
If Russia is indeed attempting to establish world dominance, I am pleased to learn that its military is as stupid and incompetent as ours.
The Russians are in a copycat game, as you well observe:
ReplyDeletehttps://theintercept.com/2019/05/03/erik-prince-trump-uae-project-veritas/
With mercenary armies and a Nero as Emperor, the USA is well in the path of a very famous Empire of the past. So I guess the copycat game is a long one here.
That article was really long. Where really=unnecessarily. So I can't promise I read it carefully, but I did give it a reasonable skimming.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how you get "mercenary armies" out of it. Or, indeed how that article amounts to more anything more than Erik Prince's vainglorious ability to promise far more than he can deliver.
Also, the article managed to use "Trump" 44 times, without actually implicating Trump or the administration in anything.
Here is the outro:
"As in so many other episodes involving Prince over the last decade, his involvement in the Trump-Russia political scandal is a result of his relentless ambition, combined with his snake-oil salesmanship and his ability to gain entry to rooms with genuine power, even if it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn’t belong there."
By "Trump-Russia scandal", does the author mean the two and a half-year investigation into what was transparent nonsense from the outset?
I am pleased to learn that its military is as stupid and incompetent as ours.
ReplyDeleteHarry, given your manifest, and oft proven ignorance of all things military, your stupidity and incompetence on the subject leaves you in no position to criticize.
I can provide links.