Hi Bob,   
      
   On Thu 2011-Jul-07 23:56, BOB KLAHN (1:123/140) wrote to RICHARD WEBB:   
      
    RW> I recall that incident.  The thing is we're in even worse   
    RW> shape now, a lot of the subassemblies and spare parts we   
    RW> need are manufactured in China.  All the technology relying   
    RW> on rare earth elements must come from there as well.   
      
   BK>  The incredible stupidity of cutting taxes during war is exceeded    
   BK> by the incredible stupidity of sending the tech they need to    
   BK> destroy you to the countries most likely to try it.   
      
   BK>  Oh, and the factories to build the weapons.   
      
   BK>  And getting dependent on your potential enemies for your   
   BK>  military needs.   
      
   BK>  Damn are we screwed.   
      
   I"ve been saying that for years now.  We've screwed   
   ourselves in multiple ways with this one, first by the loss   
   of the manufacturing jobs, then by putting ourselves in a   
   position of dependence on potential adversaries for the   
   tools and equipment we'll need to defend ourselves.   
      
      
      
    RW> This is true.  IF you haven't seen it, borrow or acquire   
    RW> the May 2011 Playboy magazine and have a look at the PLayboy   
    RW> FOrum.  INteresting essay there regarding China's economic   
    RW> power and culture these days.  I know you'd find it   
    RW> interesting.   
      
   BK>  Yeah, I always did buy it to read the articles...   
      
   That's all I get in the braille edition, but it's worth   
   reading for the articles, in all seriousness.   
      
    RW> RIght, and that corruption is rampant, especially at the   
    RW> local level within their government.   
      
   BK>  Corruption is always the weakness of dictatorships.   
      
   tHey breed corruption, just by their very nature.   
    RW> THose require coordination, which requires communication.   
    RW> The state controls those channels remember.   
      
   BK>  Yet they got it going in other places. And if some outside help  is   
   BK> involved...   
      
   They did, but there were still some communications channels   
   that could be accessed, whereas China tightly controls   
   access to the internet, etc.   
      
    RW>> behind the Chinese government picking up people and   
    RW>> resettling them, imho one of their main strategies is to   
    RW>> divide such groups and mingle them in with the rest of the   
    RW>> populace in cities, in the name of jobs, but also to keep   
      
   BK>>  The traditional way of colonizing.   
      
    RW> OF course it is, the oldest form of.  Uproot native peoples   
    RW> from their homes, disperse them among the other populations   
    RW> in small enough numbers they can't band together, meanwhile   
    RW> feed their xenophobia.   
      
   BK>  China's answer to invasion has always been to absorb the   
   BK>  invaders. When they are the invaders they can still pull it off.    
      
   YEs it has, and they're doing that well with the various   
   ethnic groups within their teritories.  Disperse them,   
   control their access to communications, ergo no uprising.   
      
      
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ---   
    # Origin:  (1:116/901)   
    * Origin: Eye Of the Hurricane BBS (eoth.dyndns.org) (1:123/57)