The Sweet Hustle: No, the $100K story came from Fox News, not Babylon Bee. It’s attributed at the top of the article. The problem with Babylon Bee (if indeed there is a problem) is that the satire does pass for “News” in this world where CNN and MSNBC is pure Democrat propaganda, designed to create a socialist/collectivist government in the US. The Bee strikes a lot closer to the truth than MSNBC does. Our fellow blogger, Larry, points out the headline in USA Today: $700K for an apartment? The cost to solve the homeless crisis is soaring in Los Angeles. And yes, I’m sure that illegal aliens will given preference for luxury accommodation. The insanity continues.
Hong Kong: The dissatisfaction of at least half of the population that lead literally millions to take to the streets is a profound thorn in the claw of the Chinese Dragon. I get phone calls every day on the matter and, quite frankly, the PRC and their cats paws in Hong Kong government, botched the situation in just about every way possible and they have a large problem on their hands. A person I’ve known for some years is flying to Arizona from Hong Kong to speak with me about the situation. But there’s not much that I can do. I’ve offered my advice. The problem could have been handled to the satisfaction of all early on, but the genie is out of the bottle now.
Clandestine weapons smuggling into Hong Kong by intelligence services from East Asian countries has already happened. A PRC official asked me, “how that can happen?” I said, “if drugs can be smuggled, so can weapons.” And for the moment, weapons are tight. But that could change if the tactics change to moving armed troops in.
Contrary to popular belief in China, the US isn’t involved in giving advice and aid to the insurrection, but if the People’s Liberation Army moves in and starts killing people, that will change.
Last Friday evening, protesters formed a 28-mile human chain across 39 train stations in a show of unity that was inspired by an example seen in 1980 during the collapse of the Soviet Union. The oligarchs in Beijing will get the message.
Monopoly – Socialist Edition
It has hit the shelves and there’s a lot of outrage from the socialists because the goal is not to win – “winning is for capitalists”. Here’s the tutorial from YouTube.
I doubt that I’ll be playing the game anytime soon, but you can buy the game for your friends who are Democrats. They’ll love it.
A friend of mine (who supports Bernie) lamented that in the local store there are only TRUMP! hats for sale. I told him that if the merchant had Bernie hats, he’d be obliged to give them away ‘free’.
Now the Sermonette: Nobody Cares
The current rant runs something along these lines: Muslim – I don’t feel safe in America.
There really isn’t anything keeping them in the United States if that’s become a problem. And that goes for all of the Hollywood Celebs who will promise (yet again) to leave if President Trump is re-elected.
By all means, leave. And if you intend to stay, work to build up the country that you or your ancestors fled to for safety and freedom.
Denmark
I have friends in Denmark, and the mood there is (and was) anti-Trump. They are angry at the president for a host of things including demands that they pay their contractual obligation to NATO. Many Danes are ‘cheap’ and they’re presently unhappy because Denmark had put out some money in preparation for President Trump’s state visit. That was canceled because of the flap over Greenland. President Trump will go to Poland instead. The Poles love America and they love President Trump.
The Danes need to get over themselves. They really do. It’s a beautiful country but visiting Denmark will cost something on the order of three times the cost of visiting New York City. My advice is that you visit ‘virtually, on your computer’ if you are set on a trip there.
So – Denmark said the Greenland deal was off the table, and Trump saved some money by canceling the trip. He gave the Danes a look at cheap from the other side of the fence, and they didn't like it?
Frank
I have a son who, sadly, would probably enjoy the socialist Monopoly game; but I won't spend the money to support it.
Great post, especially the Hong Kong update. Thank you, LL.
"Last Friday evening, protesters formed a 28-mile human chain across 39 train stations in a show of unity that was inspired by an example seen in 1980 during the collapse of the Soviet Union. The oligarchs in Beijing will get the message."
The Oligarchs will get "A" message from this but if it will be the intended message is open to debate.
I am a Dane, living in Denmark. Yes, the mood is anti-Trump here. Especially in the media. But there is a strong undercurrent of pro-Trump, pro- Western Civilization here also. We're just invisible. We hardly ever get to be heard, or seen.
I wrote a comment on "midweek observations" August 21st, about Greenland. I think it disappeared into the ether, so I will copy it here:
Mr. Hall and LL;
I was born in Greenland, and I have lived there on and off for 20+ years. I consider myself a Dane, but I could just as well be called Greenlandic.
You Americans have one big, base left there, the Thule Air Force Base. This is of course of great military benefit for all of Western Europe, including Denmark. It is of no immediate benefit for Greenland, besides providing employment for hundreds of people. Which is nice. Denmark is responsible for protecting Greenland militarily. There is a Danish naval presence, as well as the Sirius Patrol in North Eastern Greenland. (Seriously, look that up – the Sirius Patrol is unique). So yes, you have a military presence there, but you're not protecting Greenland per se – you're protecting yourself. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Denmark will never, ever, sell Greenland. Greenland is the ONLY good card on Denmark's hand. Greenland is what makes Denmark an Arctic superpower. Greenland is what makes the big, important countries listen to what Denmark has to say. NOTHING ELSE.
Denmark and Greenland have practically nothing in common. The culture, the people, EVERYTHING is different. Greenland used to be a colony of Denmark. After WWII, Denmark was smart enough to include Greenland into the Kingdom of Denmark, giving it superficial autonomy, thus avoiding all sorts of problems that fell on other colonial powers after the war.
Greenland is an economic black hole. It has no monitary value at all. Sure, there are untapped natural resources in Greenland. It's just too expensive to exploit them. The population of Greenland is tiny. The country is huge. The indigenous population is, overall, not very well educated. Infrastructure is limited, by Western standards. The local government is mostly left wing, and corrupt. The effect of this corruption is in large part of no immediate consequence – it's small time, everyday, petty corruption. BUT:
There is a growing independence movement in Greenland. This should cause worry among intelligent people. Not that independence is wrong. Not at all. It's just that independence for Greenland would, in short order, result in drastically reduced standard of living, followed by continuous political upheaval. The corrupt government would easily be fooled, or bought, by outside powers. Throw in an aggressive Chinese interest, an adventurous Russian "expedition" to the huge uninhabited parts of Eastern Greenland, and you could have a real mess on your hands in no time. Trump knows this.
I think that THIS was Trump's point, in making his offer to buy Greenland. It was not a serious offer. He does not want Greenland *. He wanted to stir up some shit, and make Denmark and Greenland wake up to the realities. I think he succeeded! In making such a blatant, crude and impolite offer, he made everyone involved in Greenland think "what if…?". What if the US bought Greenland? Not going to happen -Denmark will not sell. But what if Greenland got fed up with being owned by Denmark? Why SHOULD Greenland be owned by Denmark? WHO, then, will own Greenland? THAT, my friends, is the issue. And Trump made everyone crap their pants, and think about the status quo, and HOW TO KEEP IT.
/ A reader in Denmark
* Of course, IF Denmark had taken his offer seriously, he WOULD have bought Greenland, just because it would make good military sense to do so.
He would also be buying a lot of problems. I'm sure Trump is aware of this.
Does the situation in Hong Kong affect the USA in a significant way?
Yes, I know about the Danish military, and I know they protect Greenland.
They just don't protect it from very much, because their military is tiny – which
is reasonable, because the nation is tiny.
My point is that from any serious threat, Greenland would be protected by NATO,
which overwhelmingly means it would be protected by the US, since the rest of NATO
combined has considerably less military strength than the US alone. When we talk
about expeditionary strength, which is what would be needed to protect Greenland,
it becomes even more starkly one sided.
The same thing can be said about Greenland "making Denmark an Arctic Superpower".
Greenland makes Denmark an Arctic player, but it takes actual power to be a superpower,
and Denmark has essentially no power that is not on loan from NATO and the US.
I doubt the sale will ever happen, but it's far from impossible. Stranger things by
far have occurred in history.
-Kle.
Hasbro is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island… for now. The business environment here is so disastrous that there's a lot of talk about them leaving, like all the other businesses have over the years. R.I. used to be a worthwhile place, and an important manufacturing center (Pawtucket is where the US Industrial Revolution began), but the place has been going down the tubes since the 1930s.
Now we're just a lame California wannabe, and I guess the guys at Hasbro are fed up with it.
-Kle.
You are of course right in regards to Denmark needing the help of NATO (or rather, the US) in event of a real war. The Danish military presence in Greenland is only a token defence. It is primarily a formality, brought on by the dispute with Norway over Eastern Greenland (settled in 1933, in Denmarks favour). It is also cheap and practical matter, such as when a few dog sled patrols fought the Germans in Eastern Greenland in WWII.
Still: Greenland makes Denmark a superpower in the Arctic. Denmark gets to sit at the table, as a peer, along with Russia, the US, Canada, and so on.
/ A reader in Denmark
"if the merchant had Bernie hats, he'd be obliged to give them away 'free'."
It didn't work that way with Bernie's book sales.
He needed that book money as a fig leaf to cover the giant bribe the DNC paid him, for keeping his mouth shut after they sandbagged him for Hillary!
-Kle.
What a powerful sermon! The Monopoly aspect was especially useful. I can think of several worthy recipients.
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