This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Vice President Joe Biden backs Japan as he heads for China
- North Korean government purge signals generational change
- Gun sales and gun patents surge thanks to Obama’s gun campaign
- The question is, which lies can you live with?
Vice President Joe Biden backs Japan as he heads for China
Joe Biden and Shinzo Abe, meeting Tuesday in Tokyo (AP)
As tensions continue to be high after the recent announcement by Chinaof an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) encompassing much of theEast China Sea, including regions belonging to Japan, American vicepresident Joe Biden is renewing the U.S. commitment to Japan. TheChinese are demanding that any aircraft entering the ADIZ must provideflight plans and details to China’s military in advance, or riskencountering “defensive measures” from China’s military. Americanpassenger planes are complying with the demands to avoid an incidentthat would risk passengers’ lives, but American warplanes are enteringthe ADIZ on a daily basis without complying. (See “30-Nov-13 World View — China vs U.S. air confrontations are now a daily occurrence”)
Meeting Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe, Biden said thefollowing:
“The U.S. is deeply concerned by the attempt tounilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea. Thisaction has raised regional tension and increased the risk ofaccident and miscalculation.
The world should not forget that our alliances have been criticalto the stability that has made this region’s remarkable progresspossible. And I told the prime minister that we will remainsteadfast in our alliance commitment.”
China Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s organ, respondedto Biden as follows, in an article entitled “Facts forBiden’s reference”:
“If the US is truly committed to lowering tensions inthe region, it must first stop acquiescing to Tokyo’s dangerousbrinkmanship. It must stop emboldening belligerent Japanese PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe to constantly push the envelope of Japan’sencroachments and provocations.
Most important of all, Biden needs to be reminded that Japan holdsthe key to peacefully solving the East China Sea dispute, becauseit is the Abe administration’s recalcitrant denial of theexistence of a dispute that has prevented Beijing and Tokyo fromconducting meaningful communication and crisis control. From thevery beginning, Beijing has demonstrated a consistent preferencefor shelving differences.”
North Korean government purge signals generational change
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) say that it’s likelythat Jang Song-thaek, the elderly uncle of the child dictatorKim Jong-un, has been removed from power, and that two of his closestassociates were executed in public last month, for corruption andactivities that countered the stance of the ruling Workers’ Party ofKorea (WPK).
It’s almost impossible to figure out what’s going on in North Korea,but it’s being suggested that this is a major purge that will resultin a generational change. From the beginning when Kim Jong-un came topower, Jang has been the adviser and moderating influence who wouldhelp guide Kim as he gained experience. The purge could mean a majorperiod of instability for North Korea, and the disappearance of Jangcould mean that there’s no one around to keep the child dictator fromdoing something really stupid. Yonhap (Seoul) and Reuters
Gun sales and gun patents surge thanks to Obama’s gun campaign
Gun manufacturers are reporting a 30-50% surge in firearms sales in2013 over 2012. Furthermore, the surge in sales and profits ismotivating research into better firearms, resulting in a surge ofgun-related patents, the highest since 1977. Recent patents are forvoice-command shooting, rifle scopes and a new trigger system.
President Obama and his anti-gun campaigns have triggered a deep wellof fury among millions of gun owners nationwide. People on the leftthat I’ve discussed this with do not have a clue how deep thesefeelings go, and how angry gun owners are for being blamed andpunished for something that is demonstrably not their fault.
As I’ve suggested in the past, the National Rifle Association (NRA)should really give President Obama an award for his spectacularsuccess in helping the gun industry, something that the gun industrycould never quite do for itself. Bloomberg
The question is, which lies can you live with?
I love this.
This is from L.Z. Granderson, a strong supporter of President Obama,on Obama’s handling of Obamacare:
“All Americans know politicians lie. The question is,which lies can you live with? And, time and time again, Americanshave said we can deal with the lies that President Obama tells usbecause we believe in his heart, he has the best interest for theAmerican people.”
This reminds me of the statement that I quoted many times from retiredEurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Jüncker during one of Greece’sfinancial crises: “When it becomes serious, you have to lie.” I guessPresident Obama thinks it’s VERY serious. Real Clear Politics
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