The June jobs report…
But will the left give people a moment’s breather to notice?
Speaking of notice – although it’s on a different topic, bad things are happening in Hong Kong at the hands of China:
Beijing-controlled police “arrested more than 300 people on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets in defiance of sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent,” Reuters news agency confirmed.
The so-called National Security Law was passed by the Chinese Communist Party-controlled National People’s Congress without consulting the Hong Kong legislators, a violation of its constitution agreed when the territory came under Beijing’s control in July 1997. China is creating a new security apparatus in the region to apply the law. The crackdown coincides with the 23rd anniversary of Britain handing over of Hong Kong to Communist China…
Hong Kong residents could be deported to Mainland China and face life imprisonment if found guilty under its provisions.
The “law empowers Beijing to bring into Hong Kong many of the methods that mainland Chinese agencies use for policing activities that challenge Communist Party rule,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
In Hong Kong, they have already arrested at least 10 people under this new law.
We need to invite Hong Kong citizens to become citizens of the US, as Boris Johnson has for the UK.
Local news made a passing reference to the job numbers. But they put more emphasis on DJT’s press conference in which he was asked to account for the recent increase in Covid19 cases, as if he had a hand in it. Trump, being Trump, responded to the question with the care and nuance it deserved by assuring us that he’s already saved millions of lives.
Neo, if you will forgive me I am intruding on this thread because it is fresh and I have some information pertinent to the face mask discussion on the previous thread.
Just talked to my daughter. Her bona fides. She is the Director of Rehab Therapies and Chief of Physical Therapy at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (owned by LA county). She also oversees the PT departments at the other LA County hospitals. In her position, she has personal access to all of the upper echelons of the LA Country health department; and from the beginning routinely attends meetings and receives face to face briefings on COVID-19. When I write about what she tells me, it is information that she has received directly from those sources.
She told me this evening that she had a conversation today with the MD who heads up LA County’s COVID 19 response, because of concerns that some of her staff are exposed to infected or recovering patients.
He told her that if both parties wear masks and follow recommended hygiene practices, the chance of transmission is very slim; almost negligible. Now, her staff have N-95 masks, of course. I did not ask, but presume that the patients have the ordinary masks available in the lobby of every health care facility. Clearly, this information applies to indoor situations. I have no insight as to under what circumstances outdoor masking is prudent.
Again, I apologize. I thought it important, in view of the diverging opinions about the efficacy of masks, to bring to your reader’s attention this unequivocal statement that masks are effective, offered by a credible expert on the cutting edge of COVID 19.
As I have said, I do not wear a mask to please anyone. I wear it because I have been told by someone I trust that it is important. That was confirmed for me this evening.
Regarding Hong Kong, mass CCP surveillance state of China via digital is an entirely new level of micromanaging totalitarianism. Not even the historical evolution into today’s hyper electronic vortex of population control and monitoring has been outed to the public. We were not only unprepared, we enabled the onset of this New Cold War.
The 1971 (or was it 1969?) universal movie (for TV in the US), “Colossus: A Forbin Project” was the grandfather in film fiction. ( I saw if free, online, during April’s lockdown; I think I’ll see it again.)
Fast forward, and on Pomp interview with consulting geostrategist Peter Zeihan (2 May 2020, Youtube), and when he covers Egypt (immediately before Europe, but after Saudi, I think), he gives us a quick paragraph history.
Now, the big unasked question here is how much did Big Tech in the US assist this New Totalitarianism? How much did the Obama, Dems, even Pubbies advance this? Hugely, moderately? (And are we ever going to find out? Much less hold them to account?).
The sequence Zeihan give is this. Egypt elects Muslim Brotherhood; the military shuts them down by cutting off the internet, circa 2011. Russia enquires, how did you do that? Simple, one internet pipeline; turn it off!
Russia then copies the “Kill Switch” on the internet and improves on monitoring all socio-political dissent through this. So does China, improving even more upon this, using AI to monitor any three person oral or written criticism of CCP, today.
Thus, both China and Russia now export similar totalitarian political controls to other regimes who fear their own people, and it all took less than a decade.
Now China can do this to Hong Kong. Welcome to the New Totalitarian World Order.
What do we do now?
PS Aussie PM Morrison wants HKers to flee to Australia! CCP wants him dead.
Oldflyer: N-95 mask is best. But if you practice social distance and frequent hand washing hygiene routines, a lesser face mask ought to suffice. User error will defeat these barriers quite easily, however.
Couple of comments at the LI Hong Kong post, kind of says it all about our own home-crown totalitarian fascists (hint: they aren’t the R’s even if they are the original Reds).
So, since the economy has thwarted the attempts to throttle it (at least in the opened states), and the CCP is revealed (again) as being a totalitarian despotism, time for another deflection by the Left (politicians and media) to make everything about Orange Man Bad.
This report at the Federalist suggests the vehicle of their latest hit-and-run, but the old jalopy-with-new-paint has a couple of problems (same song, 932nd verse).
https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/02/schiff-learned-of-russian-bounty-intelligence-in-february-withheld-information-from-congress-and-took-no-action/
RTWT to get the details, but they are distressingly familiar; kind of like the way Pelosi had Blasey-Ford’s denunciation of Justice Kavanaugh in hand for a lengthy time before throwing that card on the table.
Another take:
https://justthenews.com/government/security/reports-about-russian-bounties-part-based-part-old-reports-intelligence-sources
JTN shows both why Schiff didn’t move on the briefing (probably just a bit of background for some of his staff; he likely would have already heard it before), and also why the IC didn’t put it in any of Trump’s briefings (because, why should they?) — but the Democrats are notorious for “breaking” old news, when the new news isn’t breaking their way.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/08/trump-email-key-wikileaks-hacked-documents
Two comments about alleged Russian bounties in Afghanistan.
One. Isn’t everyone sick of unverified reports that Trump did this or that; or didn’t do this or that? Does any person with functioning cognitive faculties believe any of it any longer?
Two. So what if they did? I know it is ancient history to some; but, the U.S. was actively supplying arms to the Afghan rebels (read Taliban) fighting the Russians. This included, among other technology, stinger missiles that played havoc with Russian helicopters.
The U.S. and Russia have fought proxy wars all over the planet since about 1945. I guess Schiff and others of his ilk pretend not to know; while the younger woke generations are truly oblivious.
Apparently the May jobs numbers were revised significantly upwards too. At this point, isn’t it pretty obvious that the Democrats are kneeling on the neck of America?!
I am from Hong Kong, I am all for granting Hong Kong people citizens but there must be a vetting system that only anti CCP citizens and those who had participated in the anti extradition bill peaceful rallies Should receive such privilege. granting All BNO holders pathway to citizenship indiscriminately Is not the right way to go about it since half of BNO holders are pro ccp blue ribbons who support police brutality against young peaceful protesters, only those who has been arrested and charged during the protest should be granted citizenship
David is correct.
Broad HK amnesty will just open the gates to CCP functionaries.
Beware the Chinese! As a people, they are sly and durable. As we have seen with all the non-black rioters in the multi-city US riots, indoctrination is in fact highly effective, and the CCP has done its utmost in that regard since 1948, a long time.
David has the right idea, but we have already, supposedly, been vetting incoming immigrants for jihadist allegiance, communist allegiance, and other supporters of ideologies and nations that are fundamentally opposed to the American Constitution, and haven’t managed to keep them out.
And we elected some of them to Congress.