Yep.
Those nasty air-filled prog heads continue to explode in reaction to President-elect Donald Trump's refusal to be just another politico.
The latest skull pop resulted from President-elect Trump taking a congratulatory call last Friday (December 2) from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen--please note, a democratically elected woman, no less. One would think that in this ten-minute call, the President-elect had agreed to give Apple, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft to Taiwan.
The press and some of my old colleagues at State are all abuzz that Trump has "violated" diplomatic protocol which holds that we do not recognize Taiwan and that only Beijing has a claim to governing China. This hoary protocol dates from the ancient mists of time . . . well, no, it dates from 1979 when Carter--our second-worst President--officially switched us to a One China policy, and ended formal diplomatic relations with Taipei (we still have an Institute there which for all practical purposes is an embassy.)
You know what else dates from the Carter era?
The terrorist and murdering regime of Iranian Ayatollahs, that's what. Yes, the very same ones with whom Obama has been playing kissy face--letting them have a nuclear weapon capability PLUS some $150 billion (at least) in frozen assets and renewed international respectability without demanding anything solid in return. For that "deal," of course, the progs hailed Obama as a hero, as a man who defies convention. The same thing with Cuba, of course, wherein Obama has given away our leverage over that execrable and dying regime in exchange for . . . well, not much, if anything.
But, let Trump talk to a democratically elected official from a place with which we do all sorts of business and whom we are pledged to defend . . . and POW!
I tire of the stooooooopidity . . . Go Trump!
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ReplyDeleteThe Usual Suspects, both public and private, all have their hair up in curlers over Trump. Why?
ReplyDeleteBecause it's their way of admitting they're a bunch of piratical idiots, to use one of el Lieder Maximo's bon mots.
For almost thirty years, these 'public-private' partners have given away the candy store to hostile nations while leeching liberty and wealth from the American people all to accrete more power and money unto themselves.
As they grew stinkingly richer, they were able to secure their position, in their own minds seemingly to last forever.
And like that, with the 'impossible' - according to the marxstream media - election of Trump, it was gone.
And they know it. The almost thirty years' long party for them at our expense is over.
So of course they squeal like pigs stuck. They whine. They blame all on the evil, greedy, Reaganite Trump.
The more they whine, the more the hard put American citizens smile.
To use a phrase coined by their hero, Vladimir iulianov, 'the worse for them the better for us.'
Coincidentally, I was on Ihla Formosa election night. I spent the entire afternoon surfing through the various US and European cable news outlets, drinking in their glorious tears. Mrs. KGB (Taiwan citizen) and our daughter (dual citizen) have remained in Taiwan until April so that the little one can nail Mandarin and hopefully pick up some Taiwanese. Let's hope that when I go back in March Trump's still taking calls from President Tsai.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I'm fully cognizant of why State minions and the chattering class have got the vapors over this, I'm a little confused as to the sense of proportionality. So Obama and the Foggy Bottom flying monkeys can court the Iranian mullahs and the Cuban commies and everyone's pleased as punch, but Trump takes a call from the democratically elected (Taiwan puts the lie to the "Asian Values" bullshit of Lee Kwan Yu, Mahathir Mohammad, and the CCP) President of a good friend and customer, when the KMT's not in power, and everyone loses their nut? It's bizzaro world. Let the Butchers of Beijing bleat all they want about how offensive this is to the feelings of the Chinese people. Our country and segments of the West are finally learning how to push back against the sentiments of such special snowflakes.
Hi, KGB. Before I joined the striped pants brigade, I taught a number of years in Taiwan, where I met my wife and started my family (we're Ye Ye and Nai Nai, now, thank you).
DeleteYes, I have Mandarin--read and write [poorly] as well as speak. I didn't learn much Hoklo Wei ("Taiwanese"), but did pick up a bit of Hakka form living in southern Taoyuan and Hsinchu counties.
One of my dissents, which I may openly voice now that I'm no longer an FSO, is that whether Taiwan calls itself the rump of Dr. Sun's Republic of China, Taiwan, Great Liu Qiu, Dong Ning Guo, or even Charlie, it deserves international recognition. Our refusal to deal officially with them is a leftover from the days when the Communization of Asia was "inevitable".
Further, I taught in Taiwan briefly again in the early 2000's, and found myself outnumbered by Canadians in the English-teaching racket where I lived. I then considered that we Americans could've decided to scream invective at the "reactionary, counter-revollutionary running dogs of English imperialism" and shout "Fifty-four-forty or Fight!" till we were blue in the face (after all, WE are the rightful heirs of Britain's North American empire). However, we ended up figuring that a pacific and reliable neighbor was worth a dozen disgruntled territories, and it did not hurt our rise to great power status.
If Beijing can't come up with a workable, peaceful, mutually respectful arrangement with people of the same language, culture, and a good bit of history (after all, even the "Taiwanese" language was originally that of southern Fujian), it sure isn't the fault of Washington or Tokyo, or even some collusion of the two.
I am warming to the POTUS-elect for whom I voted while holding my nose.
I voted for Donald Trump on the ABC (ANYBODY but Clinton!) principle without any personal attachment to the guy. But, Mattis as Sec Def? Sessions as USAG? Common courtesy to Free China? Damn, hand me one of them red hats!
ReplyDeleteFWIW Diplomad, I put you name in on the greatagain.gov website as a suggestion for SoS.
ReplyDeleteI think selecting you would make some heads explode too!
We need to start firing government workers who mess up as we would in private industry. Then they can sue, if they want to, but they will be gone and a message will have been sent. Beyond still waiting for the Hollywood people to leave the US, I'm still waiting for the 25% of civil service who supposedly were going to quit or retire. Still waiting folks.
ReplyDeleteWe need to reform--maybe repeal--the Civil Service Act.
DeleteLower level government workers get fired all the time, for not meeting quota, for absenteeism, chronic lateness, and a wide rang of other offenses. The higher ranks who seem to have permanent lock? They are following orders from a higher power, we are the only people who can fire them. Last month, we did.
DeleteMichael Adams
If lower level government workers get fired all the time, why are the atrocities they perpetrate at the Department of Veterans Affairs allowed to continue?
DeleteThe Hollywood people belong in Hollyweird, but the civil service needs a major cull, I wonder if the republican party is capable? I am not optimistic with Ryan and O'Connell still in appeasement mode, stinking up Washington.
DeleteThanks Diplomad for reminding us colonials how these ridiculous "who can we speak to" rules came about. I look forward to further hints that the US embassy to Israel may be relocated to Jerusalem from the Trump cabinet, as well as active obstruction of the UN, paleswinian objectives.
Trumps election is the new broom that Washington so badly needs, a secondary benefit is the screaming from your Journolist corps.
Great fun, and he is not even the White House yet.
The UN Headquarters building would make a nice condo conversion. New York City has a housing shortage, I understand. Is it too much to ask ?
DeleteTheOtherSean wrote
Delete"If lower level government workers get fired all the time, why are the atrocities they perpetrate at the Department of Veterans Affairs allowed to continue?"
Because the VA is Socialism Medicine realized. True single payer with the mandate to make it fall within budget, which is to say the Five Year Plan of medical care. It is a puzzlement that anyone thinks this will work for making widgets, much less something as complicated and individual centric as medicine. The only way to Not have happen what inevitably happens in socialized medicine is to have true egalitarian medicine: Give everyone an open ended credit card to spend how and where they will on medical expenses. Anything less is butting a Marxist stump.
Diplomad sounds just like a typical lifelong devoted servant of the American national security and interest who, having seen the first truly anti-American president deliberately and massively betray that national security and interest for eight years, and the second narrowly averted, is cheering on a patriot president.
ReplyDeleteSame old, same old.
I stand corrected. A patriot president-elect.
DeleteI would've felt honored to have served under our host during my short and undistinguished Foreign Service career. But that did not happen.
DeleteThank you for your service, Kepha. And you for yours, Mr. W. Lewis Amselem.
DeleteI should have said that long ago. I feel better now.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38209665
ReplyDeleteWhy did a story about a fraudulent US embassy operating in Ghana not get reported until a month after it was disclosed?
Oh... oh... maybe it would've reflected poorly upon a former secretary of state who was 'needed' to win the white house?
- reader #1482
This is the sort of immigration scam that preys upon ignorant people in various parts of the world. Probably the axe will fall on either a Foreign Service National (an employee hired in the host country) or a consular officer on the take.
DeleteI think our host has a story about a consular officer doing this in Asia.
DeleteDidn't Peanut-Head also give back the Panama Canal years before our lease was up?
ReplyDeleteIIRC that worthless peanut farmer was also the one who had the US navy evacuate the survivors of Arafats' attempted coup against the Jordanian government... and all the fall- out from that operation.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying all these decompensating libs. I'm finding them far more entertaining than when the right lost the last election!
ReplyDeleteI've been waiting and hoping to get your take on this. As an Australian, my thoughts are this was the most brilliant diplomatic manoeuvre I've ever seen. What Trump has done IMHO is the equivalent of the big kid in school walking up to little Jonny, who is always being bullied, in the middle of the playground, gently putting his arm around him and just looking at the bully. Nothing was said but the bully gets the message; Jonny is under my protection now. And as bullies do in situations like this, China has basically grumbled a bit and muttered to its mates, "Oh well, I was sick of bashing him up anyway." It's allowed China to back off on Taiwan, and I suspect the whole South China Sea kerfuffle, without losing too much face, and sent a message to Asia that America is well and truly back in the game. With one phone call, Donald "He's gunna start a war!!!" Trump has just stopped WW3 from happening. The man is a bloody genius! Dick from Oz.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing the Left has failed to grasp from this simple phone call is the message Trump is sending to every world leader:
ReplyDeleteI am the President of the United States of America. You will not dictate to me whom I can call, When I an call them, and What I may discuss.
The punditry is all atwitter over how this will damage our standing with China. I think its about time the rest of the world starts worrying over their standing with the US.
** the rest of the world starts worrying over their standing with the US **
ReplyDeleteWe've fawned over foreigners for over 60 years determined to waste our blood and treasure for purposes that "asinine" doesn't even begin to describe. Purposes that rarely included strengthening and preserving America.
A Chinese gent on a ship from HK to Japan told me, "Americans are too naive. Too naive."
That was in '67 and he didn't know the half if it.