Framing the Argument (Sunday Supplement)

Bullet Points:

**SecTres Bessent: “New York spends approximately $235 billion per year. Florida spends about $125 billion. Both states have roughly the same number of people, but Florida doesn’t have an income tax. I can tell you, having lived in both, it’s better not to have an income tax, and Florida gives better services. So, we want the U.S. to be more like Florida, rather than New York.”

** Institute for the Study of War: Western reporting indicates that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is increasing drone deliveries to Russia while reducing sales to Ukrainian and Western buyers, further demonstrating China’s increasingly overt support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Bloomberg reported on May 29 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had recently stated that the PRC had stopped selling DJI Mavic quadcopter drones, which Russian and Ukrainian forces have used for surveillance and strike missions, to Ukraine and other European countries, while continuing to sell the quadcopters to Russia. Zelensky stated that Russia has domestic DJI Mavic production lines, and that “Chinese representatives” are present at these production facilities.”

** Appalachian word of the day.

** I marvel every day at the size of the bullet we dodged when the electorate pulled the plug on President Autopen. We had no POTUS at all, and Harris would have been the same. Not only did the Emperor have no clothes, there was no Emperor at all, just Government by the Faceless They.

Can President Trump undo it? It remains to be seen. The Left’s entire strategy is to block his every action through mass use of constitutionally questionable injunctions – rule by Judiciary, which I hope SCOTUS squelches – so they can say what a failure his first two years have been to take back the House to make sure his entire term is a failure. Not that they have any ideas, any leadership, vision, anything they believe in, it is all nihilistic TDS, and a solid chunk of the country would rather see Bad Orange Man fail than the country succeed.

** Financial Times: “Wall Street is warning that a little-publicized provision in the budget bill that allows the government to raise taxes on foreign investments in the US could upend markets and hit American industry. Section 899 of the bill that the House of Representatives passed last week would allow the US to impose additional taxes on companies and investors from countries that it deems to have punitive tax policies. It could raise taxes on a wide range of foreign entities, including U.S.-based companies with foreign owners, international firms with American branches, and investors. The provision could deter corporate investment and suppress demand for US assets, particularly as foreign investors are already withdrawing from American markets. This retreat, hastened by the Trump administration’s tariff policies, comes as the US is more dependent than ever on foreign investors to buy its growing stock of government debt.”

** The federal government has authority over immigration. Illegal presence in the United States is not a protected right. Congress has the power to deny entry, enforce expedited removals, and reject bogus asylum claims. Much of this is already authorized by law — it’s simply not being used.

** Science.org: “Hummingbird feeders are a beloved pastime for millions of backyard birders and a convenient dining spot for the birds. But for the Anna’s hummingbird, a common species in the western United States, feeders have become a major evolutionary force. According to research published this week in Global Change Biology, artificial feeders have allowed the birds to expand their range out of Southern California up to the state’s northern end. They have also driven a transformation of the birds themselves. Over just a few generations, their beaks have undergone dramatic changes in size and shape.”

** A blog reader wrote to me and asked if there were black people whom I admired. I don’t think that you have to go much farther than George Floyd – Saint George to many. Lionized, deified, they burned cities in his honor, built statues to him, and imprisoned those who took his name in vain. The guy was iconic. There are many Africans I look up to. Elon Musk and BRM, to name two. Barack is only half/half, so I can’t include him, but his husband, Big Mike (like 90% African slave), is a role model to many woke people. I don’t know who is the bottom and who is the top in that relationship (TMI), but does it matter?

** Paying your fair share of taxes: It means paying more. No matter how high the tax rate is on a given set of people, you can always raise their tax rate by arguing that they’re not paying their fair share. It’s a concept built around greed and envy, for the most part. Since 40% of all Americans pay no federal income tax, can we say that they’re paying their fair share?

** It’s arguably NOT EdB. But we can’t see his face either, so can we be sure?

** The White House wants to deploy 300 GW of net new nuclear capacity by 2050 and have 10 large reactors under construction in the U.S. by 2030 while expanding domestic nuclear fuel supplies, according to an executive order President Trump signed Friday. Trump signed three other orders on Friday to accelerate Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews of reactor license applications and reconsider strict NRC radiation limits; expand the roles of the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense in nuclear power plant licensing and siting; and speed up deployment of new test reactors.”

** In the gym – with the hairy guy with his courting tackle hanging out, claiming to be a woman.

***

Movie Review: WARFARE (2025)

RATING:    * 

The movie “Warfare” is based on an actual mission conducted by SEALs in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006. The SEAL platoon members contributed to the writing. The platoon deployed into two observation posts in Ramadi. The OPs, while close in proximity, were not mutually supporting. 

I found the storytelling to be weak in structure, and the tactics of the squad in question to be questionable in structure if that’s how it went down. I don’t want to delve too deeply into this one. I’ve known some weak Officers-in-Charge (OIC), usually an LT (O-3) in deployed platoons, and I’ve also known excellent OICs and superb chiefs. The locals discover the squad depicted, and they attack. The other squad, also in an observation post, comes to the aid of the squad under attack, and the Assistant Officer-in-Charge (AOIC), usually a Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2), takes over. Where were the chiefs/senior chiefs?

The story was muddy mainly because of the writing. They had a $20 million budget, so it is considered a low-budget film. Somebody got it released, so it’s in theaters. I gave it one star from the perspective of an objective viewer. I didn’t view the film in a theater.

The story should have been “framed” better by giving it some context. We don’t know why the OP was established, how it was blown – they had every sensor available at the time deployed around them and overhead, and showed those sensors being utilized. When did the sand people place an IED in front of their OP? Somebody threw a hand grenade through a 12″x12″ hole in a second-story wall. Great throw, sand people. That’s the first they knew they’d been blown. The film should have answered some of those basic questions to engage the audience. I didn’t find the film engaging or even interesting, and I usually like those sorts of films. The significant weakness was simply in basic storytelling and writing.

Is De-Dollarizing a Thing?

Yes, I know there are people out there who hate the United States of America. Some people hate hamburgers, beach barbecues, and recreational sex, too. I’m not a hater. So I don’t fully grasp the attitude, but let’s discuss the US Dollar.

De-dollarization Talk vs. Dollar Reality: SWIFT Data Shows the World Still Runs on USD Despite escalating geopolitical tensions, trade realignments, and calls for multipolar currency systems, new SWIFT data shows that nearly 50% of all global payments are still conducted in U.S. dollars, the highest level in over 12 years. This is not a signal of decline. It’s proof of how inescapable the dollar still is.

1. Dollar Dependency Is Still Structural, Not Just Political

Even as nations diversify reserves and seek bilateral alternatives, day-to-day commerce, settlement, and liquidity flows still default to the dollar.

The world talks about alternatives. But when capital needs to move quickly, at scale, and with confidence, it still moves through U.S.-dollar rails. The financial infrastructure (clearing, correspondent banks, cross-border guarantees) is deeply wired into USD.

2. The Collapse in Euro Usage Is the Real Story

The rise in USD payment share isn’t just due to increased use; it’s also because the euro is losing its status as a trusted medium for global payment flows. Eurozone fragmentation, fiscal incoherence, and geopolitical ambiguity have made the euro a less attractive counterpart in volatile times. As confidence in Europe’s coordination wanes, the U.S. dollar becomes the default fallback. This means the dollar’s strength isn’t just about American dominance, it’s about the vacuum left by its competitors.

3. Countries May Say “De-Dollarize” But They Still Reach for the Dollar in Crisis

Even among BRICS nations and commodity exporters, emergency FX swaps, trade finance, and debt servicing still lean heavily on USD-denominated systems. This indicates that many “de-dollarization” efforts are strategic aspirations rather than operational replacements. As Standard Chartered and others warn of long-term risks to the dollar, the near-term reality is that demand remains sticky and reflexive.

4. RMB Is Rising, But Not Replacing

The Chinese yuan is gaining visibility, particularly in South-South trade, but its share of global payments remains under 5%. It lacks full capital account convertibility, global trust, and enforcement mechanisms. Most yuan-denominated trade is bilateral, not globalized. The dollar remains the only currency with scale, convertibility, legal enforcement, and global liquidity. That matters.

5. Final Synthesis: The World Still Runs on What It Claims to Be Leaving

SWIFT data confirms what policymakers won’t admit. Even in a world trying to hedge against dollar dominance, the dollar remains the anchor.

Nations may discuss de-dollarization for political leverage. But when global payments spike, war breaks out, or liquidity evaporates, they still run to USD. The real risk isn’t the dollar’s sudden collapse. It’s the illusion that there’s an easy alternative ready to step in. Until someone builds a full-stack global replacement from legal frameworks to payment plumbing, the dollar stays indispensable. Dependence is louder than rhetoric.”

When the CCP asks to let them put the Tip in – just the Tip

(CDRSAL) The article is well-written, and you may enjoy reading it.  If you give the CCP an inch, they’ll take a mile. Therefore, we must learn to rethink how we treat them. Just as we treat everyone else? No. And it’s not racist. You could say the same of Russia, except they’re broke, and the mischief they can get up to is more focused on their regional neighbors.

This comes as China has installed three structures in the PMZ, which South Korea fears could mark the beginning of Chinese territorial expansion. Beijing is also being accused of “militarizing” the Yellow Sea by maintaining a persistent naval presence in the area. Tear down the markers. Reject the Tip.

Islamism in France

“The Muslim Brotherhood movement is a ‘threat to national cohesion’ in France, according to a confidential government report to be examined by the Defence Council on Wednesday. The report pointed to the spread of Islamism “from the bottom up”, and said the phenomenon was gradually eroding secular values at the local level.” (more here) The French were so pro-Islamic for so long – like the British – that I find it odd that they’ve discovered at long last what everyone else on the planet (except the British) knows.

Behind the Lines – in Russia

Thirty percent (or more) of Russia’s Air Force’s long-range nuclear-capable bombers were reportedly damaged or destroyed during yesterday’s operation undertaken by the Ukrainian Security Service. Russian milbloggers are calling it Russia’s Pearl Harbor. I have no idea what Vlad’s reaction was, but I suggest it was unprintable on this family blog.

Imagine if China loaded shipping containers containing drones onto a few cargo ships off major US ports and cities. They could instantly attack our critical infrastructure and military bases on US soil. They’ve likely already tested it in recent years. Of course, that cuts both ways, doesn’t it?