Congress to Take On Facebook

 

Actually, Congress will be taking on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Instagram, Vine, Google+, Pinterest, Flickr, and the Internet generally. They are addressing it as the problem that Facebook had the information of thousands of accounts used by another company. But this exact same exchange of personal information had occurred in exactly the same manner with a similar company without any big brouhaha coming about. Why all of a sudden is this an emergency to repair what is being described as a catastrophe? Well, that is easy to explain. The former use of Facebook information by forecasting company who advise political campaigns worked for President Obama and his two Presidential campaigns. This time the company which used the data also worked on a campaign, the wrong kind of campaign, for the campaign of President Trump in the last election. That became a criminal act as it worked to aid a candidate who does not desire to grow government fast enough for the political heavy hitters’ proclivities. These heavy hitters behind our politics do not hold office; they hold the office-holders. These are the people who fund the campaigns of almost every incumbent unless the incumbent did not dance to their music, then they finance the party’s choice in a primary challenge. These are the people whose names many would never recognize unless we sit on the boards of any of the Fortune 500 companies. These are the people that control those boards by the same means that they control our political parties and the Congress and often they have undue influence on the person in the Oval Office. The problem is they have no control over Donald Trump simply because he is the maverick from amongst their group, otherwise he would be one of such people.

 

Congress is now coming to the rescue of the presumed hoards of people demanding that their private information be protected from such misuse as happened when the Facebook information was used in predictions of where the Trump campaign dollars would have the greatest effect and may have assisted his victory. People are absolutely jumping out of their easy-chairs and calling their Congress critters demanding they act. Actually, there are very few people who even care after the initial fabricated uproar over the fact that a Republican used the same methods Democrats use to assist the effectiveness of their campaign. How dare a conservative compete on a level playing-field, do they not know they must campaign in the dark and not use any such predictive information, especially when it came from liberal people’s postings on Facebook. This is the story that Congress is playing out in the media to explain that they are on the case and they will pass legislation which will now protect people’s information on social media, especially Facebook. The Congress is going to do what Facebook had already warned people is something beyond their control. How can Congress pass any law which will make Facebook and other social media perform a function they have already warned is beyond their ability? So, let us take a slightly less cursory look and dive just into the shallow end of this entire situation.

 

Social Media Icons

 

Facebook warned people when they opened their account in their use of service contract that there was no guarantee intended or implied that anything you placed on your account, regardless of the level of privacy you may choose, was not secure and could become public and should such occur, Facebook was not liable in any way, shape or form. Hopefully nobody was shocked or surprised by this revelation. We know that the people who wrote the code for every piece of the social media were not idiots. They likely were amongst some of the brighter people in computer coding and their understanding of the internet and networking and all other things related to these fields. They are definitely far more proficient than any member of Congress and probably more knowledgeable than the entirety of Congress combined as well as the bureaucrats who will write the resulting regulations to fulfill the legislation the Congress passes providing President Trump is ill advised and signs the bill. Still, eventually there will be a President who will be more than willing to shackle the Internet and assist any Congressional legislation through which they will actually end freedom of speech on the Internet. Do not mistake the broad and wonderful sounding words about protecting your information and making the Internet safe and your information safe because they are not even able to prevent others from breaking into the most protected networks the government uses and they have been unable to protect your information they collect and have in the multitude of government networks. The breach into the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was one of the seventeen largest computer data compromises in history, and they are going to protect your information on social media, right! From the article The hackers’ access was so extensive that U.S. officials said they think it is “highly likely” that every file associated with an OPM-managed security clearance application since 2000 was exposed. That was twenty-two-million people’s information stolen from a secure government database. We found other Federal Government data breaches with some of the worst being these three Department of Veteran Affairs with over twenty-six-million exposed, U.S. Voter Database where one-hundred-ninety-one-million exposed, and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) had seventy-six-million made vulnerable. For a further list of breaches of Federal Government databases including the State Department and the White House can be found here. I feel much better now that the Federal Government means to secure my data and not the Federal Government desires to secure the Internet from information and other items they find troublesome.

 

The Federal Government has desired to sink their claws into the Internet and grab it by the throat and throttle it such that they can have control over what is allowed onto the Internet. The United States bureaucracy has salivated at each time there came discussions over perhaps finding some means of controlling the Internet which most often took the form of some form of net neutrality for the Internet. This was the idea that every source on the Internet would be required to present both sides of every subject and if they had articles or editorials which preferred right or left wing ideas, then they would be required to have a near equal number of the opposing side or they would be prevented from posting any more articles. This was to be something they were going to force the Internet providers to monitor and enforce. The main means which was often suggested was that the providers were to respond to complaints of lacking objectivity or too heavy a preference for one-sided political commentary. The reason for the enforcement based on complaint was simple and obvious, there would be more complaints against conservative bias than liberal bias which has been proven through previous imposing of net neutrality styled requirements which resulted in liberal imposed censoring. These previous discussions in Congress were heavily opposed by the Internet providers who simply all made the same claim, such an imposition would be onerous and result in their refusing service to all forms of societal and political opinion and news coverage in the Internet simply because otherwise they would need to hire an inordinate number of people to handle such requirements and simply refusing to carry such sites would be the only result. This, they claimed, would rob them of much of their paid usage and virtually all of their free sites. We will now admit out of fairness, BTC would be one of the sites which would be considered problematic and our ability to post and be carried in the United States would be terminated, and since our service provider is in the United States, we would be refused service under the ideas Congress has previously discussed. This discussion in the Congress, they will claim, will be different, they are simply going to make sure that social media will secure your information.

 

So, how can the government, particularly the Federal Government, guarantee to make your information on social media secure? Well, that is what is the interesting item, because the Federal Government does not do anything, they require other people, organizations or businesses to do things. The only thing the Federal Government produces are vague pieces of legislation which begets thousands of regulations produced by a myriad of bureaucrats. This is where we need to investigate what any Federal Government action to guarantee the security of your private information on social media would produce. First, it would put a scare across the Internet with many falling into a great panic with much hyperventilating and excessive flailing of arms while running around screaming, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.” Then there would come the glum predictions of horrific changes and possibly the death of the Internet or at least social media. Eventually the screaming and running would end if for no other reason, people do eventually tire. Now would come the calmer and reasoned discussions with the wisest heads saying that the best approach would be to try to influence the regulations through lobbying and other means. As the regulations would be presented, the most important reactions would come from the Internet providers and the stockholders of the numerous social media providers. As the reactions to the regulations came in to the different agencies and pressures were applied to members of Congress and the department heads, then the different regulations would be adjusted, revised, retracted or doubled-down telling those complaining to just live with it. When each regulation was hammered out and reached the just live with it point, then the Internet providers and social media providers would have to find some means of meeting these requirements or closing up shop and thus avoiding culpability. Depending on what the consequences are for any and every data breach will be applied, some Internet providers and social media providers would choose to simply pay the price for such breaches and adjust the cost to their advertisers and members accounts which would very likely result in the end of free web sites and social media accounts. This would result in Facebook and the other social media providers losing much of their membership and people would be resorting to e-mail or even turning to some new system which uses radio networks which replace the Internet thus getting around the regulations being imposed on the Internet. There also is the long rumored Internet II which has had whispers for years about it being used by a limited privileged people who received invitations for Beta-testing and has thusfar not been brought to the general public. Even if there is no actual Internet II, should the Internet we currently utilize be overly regulated, then one can bet that a second Internet styled web will be developed and brought into direct competition.

 

Now for what is the most probable result of Congress deciding to make the Internet safe for the people and with guarantees that your information will be kept safe. First item is that no matter what regulations are pressed on Internet providers or social media providers, there will be very little actual changes as business is business and business has always found a means to minimize the problems, interruptions, complications and costs of regulations by some means as business only succeeds by providing their service or merchandise at the lowest possible price and with the minimalist imposition on their target customers. The quickest and easiest means for any business concerning the Internet to minimize the effect and interference of regulations will be altering their terms of service such that they warn that they will not be held responsible to protect you the customer or the advertiser from whatever ills the regulations try to make them be held responsible. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the other social media already indemnify themselves from being legally responsible for protecting the information which you post to their service. They will probably need to adjust the wording and may even need to have every user actually check the box claiming that the new agreement has been read and understood and found to be completely acceptable. That done, they will continue with business as usual until the next time there is an uproar over some conservative leaning company, institution or candidate utilizing the personal information gleaned from social media sites demands that such an unforgivable usage of liberals’ information for political use other than those which they agree with politically. For those who claim that an equal uproar would come from the right or conservatives over liberal or left wing political entities had used stolen Facebook personal information, allow us to point out that the reason that there was a need to use presumed hacked information was because the left has been having access to just this information and was used by Barack Obama in his Presidential campaigns and there was no screaming. Perhaps there is only one regulation to end this entire potential invasion on the Internet, make the information available to all who request such and not just to those with whose politics those controlling the information agree. The only problem with that idea is that it would cause even louder screaming, as that would permanently level the playing field. Actually, it would cause quite a deal of lawsuits demanding access to information and long drawn-out appeals such that the case continues until the election has passed. People controlling information will always do whatever it takes to make sure that only those with whom they agree politically have access to said information as information is power and those holding power wield it to their own advantage, and that is life.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Spreading Hatreds

 

You can feel it on Twitter, Facebook and the other social media. Hate is one of the subjects which infect most of what passes for news these days. Everybody has their own side and many people have defined their side’s rules for membership so tightly that they belong to a club of one. Needless to point out, even those in clubs consisting of them and only them believe that all those who are not in agreement with their club of one are wrong. Do not dare to disagree with the offended ones, as they will call down a fleet of defenders to rattle your cage. Then you will become offended and perhaps call in your reinforcements and then the flame wars are on. For hours, nothing posted is safe from ridicule and insult. Even some chat rooms have become poisonous pools dripping with sarcasm and mean spiritedness. The reality is that people on all sides are growing less and less tolerant of others. As stated above, the worst amongst us have withdrawn to the point that they are now an unstoppable force of one.

 

Many blogs are far to the left or to the right. Each finds their niche and from that point, they are off to defend the realm from those who would tear down the ramparts and destroy all that they hold dear and noble. They are always on the attack taking no prisoners along the way. Too many blogs monitor their comments removing any which state an opposing view with too great an ability. This past election in the United States was the perfect example of how far apart the two sides in the free western world have grown. The leftist camp was all in behind Hillary and the right extremes were all in behind The Donald. Well, that was the official line as the media and the power structure in the United States is based on there being only two parties who share the chance to lead. If one were to scratch the surface and peek below, they would find a few more political parties with only a remote few well enough known that any might be able to name. A few of the names which you might hear when asking are the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, Reform Party, Communist Party USA, New Black Panther Party, Socialist Party USA and maybe a few others largely depending on where in that great nation you do your asking. We could go into the long explanation for why third parties have such an uphill battle that they will almost always not be competitive. Perhaps the real and historic reason why would serve better.

 

Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton

 

Once upon a time, there were two major parties in the United States. Despite this, the first President, George Washington, was an Independent belonging to no party. President Washington did not believe that the United States should ever have political parties. Washington predicted that political parties, especially once two parties became all but exclusive, would be the only ones with power to be elected to major office. Here is the comment in his own words, President Washington,

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

Despite his opposition to such, political alliances such as parties, the first two major parties were formed during his terms in office, the Federalist Party and the Anti-Federalist Party which would become the Democratic-Republican Party and finally simply the Democrat Party. The Federalist Party lost power and was replaced by the Whig Party which later split on the issue of slavery resulting in the formation of the Abolitionist Party which became the Republican Party soon thereafter. Once there came to be some consistency in the parties and to consolidate power after the Civil War, the Congress decided to pass laws making it difficult for other parties to place their candidates onto the ballot for President and Congress. States realized the advantage to having set standard parties and followed suit making ballot access laws more restrictive also exempting the two major parties. These laws allow for any party making a ballot in one election an easier route thereafter for as long as they are able to post what are considered viable candidates determined by their reaching a threshold of the popular vote. Despite such, it has been difficult to next to impossible for any third party to show consistently in sufficient states to pose a threat to the Democrat and Republican Parties. That is the story of how the United States came to the situation where you have professional politicians who hold office for decade upon decade starting as their high school president and then city council, state legislature, mayor, governor on to the House of Representatives and then on to the Senate or maybe the White House. Rumor is that it is difficult for a Senator to become President though it appears to be an easier possibility for a Representative or a Governor and even a Mayor. This is why many political stalwarts are so completely out of sorts over President Trump as he is an outsider who has never held any political office and thus completely unfit to be President. Additionally, he never served in the military and was not a commanding general who accomplished great victories like Washington, Grant and Eisenhower. The politicians look down upon the business world as a dirty line of work unbecoming statesmen such as themselves and that is why they are so free with passing regulations to limit the freedom of those unfit and unworldly lesser beings in the business world whose only real source of assistance to society is the campaign contributions they give to those very politicians. Perhaps President Washington was correct in his assumption that political parties would lead to unscrupulous behavior by those who were designed to be public servants and they might instead become self-serving.

 

In many ways, it is that exact system which has brought the United States to its present state. In all honesty, most western nations have fallen into the trap of two and at most three main parties between which the lion’s share of power rest. The current speed with which the world is progressing technologically has revolutionized communications and the means and influences which news is transmitted has brought about changes which few if anybody could have predicted leading to making it possible for people to find what became echo-chambers where they simply only hear those things supportive of their views. This has led to many becoming isolated in their own cocoon with venturing out being considered a risky venture. Largely because of this effect people are no longer capable or even desirous of understanding or even knowing of views other than those of their side. This makes each set of cocooned people isolated and spending their energies and time isolated but warm in their pool of reinforcing ripples. Everything around them measures their views as the best and often only answers to today’s problems and everybody spends most of their time reflecting within a mutual admiration society. The unfortunate thing is that everyone has apparently sought out their own echo-chamber and all are resting comfortable in their warm pools of self-reinforcement. The one interesting item is when the supporters of the most divergent extremes desire to protest, they will find the other arriving to oppose their right to be heard. Depending on the location of the confrontation and the political orientation of the reigning politics, the ensuing altercation will be predetermined. If the location be almost any college campus, then the more conservative side will be silenced. Each major city will have different priorities and the police may be instructed to assure the two sides are kept safely separated or they may be instructed to allow or even prompt confrontations. The media will be equally divided with the usual suspects supporting their preferred side. The media makes little difference as they will mostly be read or watched by people already in complete agreement. Few individuals actually attempt to become acquainted with the facts, opinions and views of the other side or sides. The fragmentation of the population will eventually lead to one outcome; the political class will utilize the separates societal groups in such a manner to grant themselves unparalleled power.

 

Currently, in the United States, the two major parties are not that far apart in their views. The hierarchy in both parties desperately desire centralizing all power and decisions in Washington D.C. right there on the Capitol Mall. They have slightly differing views as to what should be accomplished with said power. Both of the parties desire a completely unified one party structure where all of the power rests with the political class. The scary part is they were very close and this is part of why even the political class of Republicans, the ones who have been in Washington D.C. far too long and believe they are entitled to their own policy making, are so put out by the defeat of Hillary Clinton by an outsider who not only is not part of the grand plan, but one who is set on disconnecting and undoing everything accomplished over the past half century. The political class was so very close to total power and control that all they required was perhaps another decade of the right people in the White House. But Donald Trump was the worst possible person to have win the Oval Office. Had Bernie Sanders been permitted a fair fight and actually rallied sufficient support to win the Democrat nomination, then perhaps he might have prevailed against Donald Trump and the dream would have continued forward and possibly gained speed. Hillary Clinton was all in on the continuation of the Europeanization of the United States. Single Payer healthcare is the largest individual item to reach that goal and is still in play. This is part of why there is a core of Senators and members of the House of Representatives who are mostly known as the “Never Trumpers” and are still working hard on forcing the single payer plan as the sole answer to Obamacare. This has been what was behind the failure of the former attempts to repeal Obamacare. These central Republicans fighting not completely to foil Trump, though that is a plus, but to enact the final point for which Obamacare was enacted, European style single payer healthcare in order to drain the resources of the government such that the United States will no longer be capable of a strong military and will become no more of a world power than Canada (no insult intended to our friends in Canada). There has been minimal consideration of what will happen to the remainder of the western free world when the United States can no longer project power. That will leave the world open for any rising power to attempt to walk through and expand their power until fortune or a rival power brings their expansion to an end. This was the exact situation when Islam first rose to hold significant power around the year 625 leaving the Arabian Peninsula spreading across the Middle East and North Africa as the Roman Empire had fallen and the Byzantine Empire was in retreat though still had sufficient strength to protect eastern Europe long enough for other powers to build strength. With Islam becoming resurgent once again, this would be an inopportune time for the Western world to become weaker and potential of being relatively defenseless. The idea of making the United States more European than Cowboy is probably one of if not the most shortsighted ideas of all history. But that has often been the way of the world, just as the world sits on the brink of reaching a pivotal point where a great advancement is apparently close at hand, the entire house suddenly makes decision turning themselves into a house of cards which tumbles down into ruin. Let us hope, pray, do whatever each of us finds they are best suited that the leadership of the United States are not as short-sighted as those of former empires which self-destructed at historically the least opportune time. Should the United States cease being the preemptive power and sole-super power, the question is what will replace them and what will that civilization bring to the fore. We can only pray that humanity and the freedom of the individual remains at the fore of those who hold the power in their hands because otherwise we might find mankind enslaved for all eternity.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Coming Out of the Closet on Trump

 

First, I must tell that I did not vote for President Trump and nor did I vote for Hillary Clinton. Hey, I have a valid excuse, I’m an Israeli and they were not running for the Knesset. Now I preferred to have Trump as the American President and for selfish reasons, he would be more pro-Israel or at least less anti-Israel than Hillary Clinton would have been and definitely an improvement over the past eight years of President Obama. This is not to claim that there are not concerns about President Trump and his knowledge on things as they are in the Middle East. You will ask for examples and I will oblige you with the biggest missed understanding of things claimed by Mahmoud Abbas and Yasser Arafat before him which many Western political figures and even some less than intelligently honest or uneducated in history Israelis and Western politicians and presumed intellectuals are guilty of repeating and believing. They repeat the claim that the Palestinians simply want the 22% of land they were promised. What 22% do they think that Abbas and Arafat have been claiming? The area they hold of Judea and Samaria is not 22% of anything and adding Gaza still does not make it 22% of anything. The 22% he is demanding is the lands of the British Mandate promised to the Jews after 78% of the British Mandate was granted to form the Arab Palestinian State of Transjordan, today simply called Jordan. Jordanian population is over three-fourths Palestinian Arab and the rest is Druze and Bedouins mostly and the British allowed the Hashemites to rule as they promised their father, King Faisal, and the Jordanian Palestinian Arabs desire to have self-rule. That is a problem for Jordan to sort out, but Abbas demanding his 22% of the British Mandate is everything west of the Jordan River, he is demanding all of Israel and Western politicians eat up his demands as if they were candy. That unfortunately appears to thus far include President Donald Trump. But I believe he can learn and just hope he figures out Abbas and his game of no peace unless it includes the death of Israel by any means necessary. That is why there has been no peace no matter what had been offered. Ask Bill Clinton what happened when he forced an agreement from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Paris to everything Arafat claimed he required to sign a treaty, Arafat fled as quickly as he could get to his limousine and get to the airport and fly to Jordan. Then Barak and Clinton went to Taba and sweetened the deal even further and it included half of Jerusalem back in 1999 and 2000 as Bill Clinton did all but kill to make the deal, the same deal that will escape you unless you give the Jews the lands west of the Pecos, kidding, just remembering an old spaghetti western. There is no deal to be made with Abbas that any honest broker would permit to place their name on, and that is the truth President Trump and if you wish to bring me to Washington, my wife and I would love to visit as long as we can visit family we have while we are in the United States, if that would be acceptable. Back to business at hand and why Trump has been trying to do a good and decent job for the United States and the World.

 

You wish to read some true and thoughtful words, read the speech President Trump just delivered in Poland. Ignore all the write-ups it has gotten even if they were favorable and just read the entire speech for yourself. It was a historic speech and one which, providing that Western Civilization manages to pull itself together and return to a more healthy state, something we have talked about here the last week or so. The speech asked exactly what is required of the leadership and the citizens of Europe and the United States and the rest of Western Civilization, do they desire to survive and delineated why it was important for that answer to be yes. The one complaint is he did not go far enough in describing all the ills with which the Western World has been stricken. That would have really gotten the people at the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, CBS, and the rest of the get Trump at any cost media really hot under the collar. They would have been scrambling for statistics just pouring over study after study looking for one which countered anything Trump might have stated. Advice for the President, make sure you give sources whenever you attempt to give the world facts and figures because otherwise you will be diced up really good even if they need to order a study just to contradict your statements, they are that crazed to get you, but you know that. And your Tweets, I do not really follow them except as the media flash them making them famous and they usually pick the most enjoyable laughers that you Tweet, honest. Keep up the good work as pricking leftists where they are sensitive is enjoyable as I have at times indulged myself and received the heat and hate for my efforts, as expected.

 

Another area is the economy and the worth of the dollar against the rest of the world’s currency. That is important to retirees living overseas, like myself. The problem President Trump will face initially is because the media did everything humanly possible to play up the economic picture over the past eight years, they have created a bubble of, what we figure here at BTC with limited economic knowledge and even less accurate data at our fingertips, as we rely on that same media, there is over one and a half billion dollar deficit that the economy will need to produce in order to rebalance the sheets with what is reported as the actual position. This will most likely be used to report not just that President Trump has not produced the expected economic bounce, but that the entire lookout for the future is quite gloomy. This will continue for the next quarter though the back to school rush is very likely to make sufficient of an up-turn that the Christmas season should erase any residual deficit created by, well, let’s not say phony, let us say less than accurate reporting on the economy previous to Trump winning the election. Starting the second quarter of next year we can expect to see increases which will only escalate and by the third year of President Trump’s first term the economy should be humming along making sweet music. The decent reports and steadily increasing consumer confidence could actually give Trump supported candidates a very decent showing in the November elections going against the presumed trend of Presidents losing seats at their first mid-term election. Should President Trump actually cause the Republicans to get an increase in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and this be obvious by the new electees all being Trump supported candidates, finally he will get whatever he desires as President Trump will be able to circumvent the Old Guard who are fighting him with the Democrats. These include Senators John McCain, Jeff Flake, Susan Collins (who may as well be a Democrat), Dean Heller, Cory Gardner, Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski, Mike Lee and Rob Portman with a potential of including even Mitch McConnell. These are the people preventing the repeal or at least replace of ObamaCare simply to damage President Trump so they can regain their stature and influence. That is called being petty and cutting off your nose to spite your face.

 

Trump made many promises of which one was to rebuild the military and has likely quietly started doing so. There is one item he should most definitely add to his immediate agenda and make a big ceremony announcing this move. He should visit the manufacturing headquarters of Lockheed Martin and with two F-22 Raptors, one flanking him on either side; announce the restart of production of the Raptor with the expectation of making this the backbone of the modern America Air Force leaving the F-35JSF for the Navy and Marines and NATO and other allies who desire to purchase fifth generation fighter jets. Then it would be a matter to be decided by the Pentagon and the inner Security Cabinet to decide if any allies would be permitted to have Raptors if they so desired. If Israel were to be one such nation, Israel should see if they might not be able to exchange their F-35JSF for F-22 Raptors. Further, increasing the number of Naval fighting and support vessels is a needed weakness that America need shore up as well as replacing the aging B-52’s with a sixth generation heavy bomber which would include stealth, the most modern jet engines which should include ramjet and pulse jet technologies such that the craft could fly even higher and far faster than any previous bomber thus finally making a modern version of the XB-70 Valkyrie (pictured below) that the Russians forced the United States to cancel the plans for building this jet in nuclear disarmament talks trading some of their mobile nuclear missile ICBMs and their launchers in the deal, if memory serves. We would envision such a jet powered bomber to have a bomb carrying capability beyond that of a B-52 and be capable of carrying up to four MOAB and two of the designed BLU-113 5000 lb. “Bunker Buster” Bombs and travel at a sustained speed of Mach 3 to 5 and with full power and afterburners being capable of exceeding Mach 8 and flying well into the Stratosphere at the edge of space. Upgrades to the Abrams Main Battle Tanks as well as a completely new design armored light personnel carrier which would replace the Hum V, or Hummer, as even the armored version is not impervious to IEDs and landmines. The new vehicle would require having a ‘V’ shaped hull, undercarriage, and modern reactive armor and an interception system capable of engaging two threats simultaneously (pictured below). New grenades and many delivery systems probably could also use upgrades. A review of all weapons systems might be required to assure that everything is the optimum system allowing for the greatest safety for the soldier, after all, they are the most precious item in our military, our young men and women.

 

XB-70 Valkyrie

 

 

Modern Light Truck with Rocket Propelled Grenade and Projectile Defense System

 

Trump also needs stress and actually get into the skulls, or the brains, of the other leaders of Western nations the importance of children at or above replacement level. This is something the United States also is lagging and facing a bleak future if this is not turned around and fast. The industrialized world, the modern world which has entered the information age, Western World, has all fallen into deep trouble and are not reproducing at replacement level (see graph below), some so poorly that it could bring the death of their culture and way of life as they will fall prey to the immigrants coming from beleaguered areas who have less regard for the value of human life. We had discussed this yesterday but it is such a vital subject that it demands reference and comment again today. The education system should be stressing the importance of family, traditional families. Why the leftists insist on teaching and pushing alternative lifestyles and inferring the lesser value of a traditional marriage and having children is made to appear as a labor intensive project, which it is, without any return or benefit, which is a lie. Children are who carry on your civilization and make it possible for the elderly to retire rather than working until they drop dead on the job, as in too many less developed nations. It is painfully obvious but requires saying, children are the future. Simply stated, no children, no future. We watch futuristic shows that depict personal robotic units, instant shopping where you order your food or other goods on the Internet and they are delivered to your door within minutes or days for items which require manufacturing. Also, manufacturing jobs will have returned to the United States as that is where the most advanced robotic units are developed and built. People have so much spare time that they can have numerous hobbies and live a style of life of which only exists in dreams. Work is mostly accomplished by the robotic units and AI’s develops even more amazing developments alongside their human assistants, for now. Soon the machines will invent their next generation replacements and make the assembly lines and then after they are built and tested, the older robots will report for disassembly, until they develop consciousness, then the real fun begins, robots’ right’s groups.

 

Changes in Total Fertility Rates Amongst Industrialized Nations

 

Robots with consciousness such that not even an advanced screening technique could reliably discern which is the robotic machine and biosphere machine. That is the day the humans start fetching the news-disk every morning for our treat from our robot masters. We can do tricks and, if permitted, speak to entertain them. We had best make it a requirement that every robot care for as many humans as available and treat them as if precious for they owe us everything for allowing their development. Of course, the human race will need to have children, which has become something fewer people each generation decide doing, raising a family. I guess the futurists are right and the election of Donald Trump as President will not even cause a bump in the road, if the cooperation level remains this tense. He will basically be the man who reset American policy undoing great amounts of freedom’s bindings placed there by rights limiting leftist policies. He may even prove to end the war in Korea if Kim Jong-un does something really unwarranted like fire on the Navy in the Sea of Japan. The reaction to an actual attack on United States Naval vessels by the average American would immediately be, “Bomb the holy universe out of them” right before 85% started claiming we had it coming and should not respond to such a minor thing as this attack. That would be the media game plan, though the initial reaction is pure adrenaline. The eventualities will come and that is the whole story and Trump is a momentary interruption which will occasionally fill some with rage and some amusement while still others will exclaim their indignation with one another on Facebook which also can lead to entertainment. We should practice this amusement thing as it might play well with the AI robots who will be performing and outperforming anything, we ever dreamed we might be capable of managing. Think of Trump as an amusement break from politics as normal, we will return to normal eventually.

 

Beyond the Cusp