Monthly Archives: May 2022

UN Failure

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Here’s yet another.

Human rights high commissioner Michelle Bachelet attempted to temper expectations prior to her arrival on Monday, saying the trip was not an “investigation.” Bachelet will visit two locations within the Xinjiang region, where China’s human rights abuses against Uyghurs have been widely documented.
She has agreed to stay within a “closed loop” of individuals set up by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in Beijing, however. CCP officials say the measures are an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Bachelet should have gotten right back on her plane and left the PRC when they refused to let her and her team run around Xinjiang on her initiative rather than within the Communist Party of China’s restrictions.

And

No members of the press will be permitted to follow Bachelet on the trip.

Which is a clear indication of the Xi’s need to hide…something.

Raising the Military Age Limit

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Is Russia running out of military age bodies to feed into the barbarian furnace that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has lit off with his invasion of Ukraine? Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin:

Today, especially, we need to strengthen the armed forces and help the Ministry of Defense. Our Supreme Commander is doing everything to ensure that our armed forces win, and we need to help[.]

Then the Duma moved to raise the upper age limit on military service from the erstwhile 40 years to…no limit at all.

This age pyramid, from the CIA’s World Fact Book, illustrates one facet of Russia’s problem:

The prime age group for Russia’s army—the blocks from 20 years old to 29 years old—is the smallest set of blocks on the pyramid that are younger than 65 years old. It’ll be five years, at least, before that changes—and that change is temporary: below10 years old, the population blocks shrink again. Russia’s birth rate just isn’t there.

What a Contrast

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In the wake of the Uvalde school mass killings of children and two adults, former President Donald Trump (R) offered condolences as well as thanks to the first responders via Truth Social:

So hard to think or report about anything else after watching the Texas school “massacre.”
Thank you to the great wisdom and bravery of our Law Enforcement Professionals, and condolences to all who are suffering so gravely with the loss of those incredible souls so close to you. No words can express the sorrow and grief of this absolutely horrible event. It is a moment in time which will never be forgotten!

Condolences offered, and no political pitch made.

President Joe Biden (D) had a different attitude. After spending a few seconds expressing his sorrow over the tragedy, he got to his so much more important political screed:

As a nation, we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name, will we do what we know in our gut what needs to be done?
We have to act. And don’t tell me we can’t have an impact on this carnage.

Prove It, Mr Biden

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President Joe Biden (D) said Monday (Tokyo time) that the US would intervene militarily if the People’s Republic of China attempted to invade and conquer the Republic of China (though Biden referred to the nation as “Taiwan”).

The president was asked if the US would get involved militarily in response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan after declining to send American troops to Ukraine to fight Russia’s invasion.
“Yes. That’s the commitment we made,” he said.

Then prove it, Mr Biden. Get out of the way of arms sales to the RoC, stop slow-walking them. Do more, in fact—accelerate both the sales and their delivery.

As an aside, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin promptly came out and said Biden didn’t really mean what he said. Such public undercutting should get Austin summarily fired. But it won’t.