China dismisses Pentagon report - Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune

China dismisses Pentagon report - Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune

Humm. In reaction to the US report of Chinese military buildup there wa not too big of a tantrum by China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing over this. He said that China would continue to "pursue a path of peaceful development." He also said "China not only poses no threat to anyone, we also are willing to establish friendship and all kinds of win-win cooperation with other countries to push forward cooperative development."

Well, China's military budget has grown in double digits since the mid 1990's. It has those Short Range Ballistic Missiles, all 650-730 wedged across from Taiwan with more coming every day. It's increased the size of it's submarine fleet, it's continued to grow it's troop transportation ability across the Taiwan Straights. Yup, our mistake. All peaceful. And if you believe that then you've probably sent money to those Nigerian scammers and anxiously wait to see your bank account fill up with free money.

Annual Report on China's Military Power (and Threat)

Report to Congress:

This long awaited report, having gone through the political filters as deemed necessary, documents China's modernization efforts and the strategic threats posed by China's huge military buildup. In the words of the report.

"Preparing for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait is the primary driver for China's military modernization. Beijing is pursuing the ability to force Taiwan to negotiate on Beijing's terms regarding unification with the mainland. It also seeks to deter, deny, or complicate the ability of foreign forces to intervene on Taiwan's behalf. Beijing has been influenced by the emerging revolution in military affairs (RMA) and is seeking the means to counter advances the United States has made. Chinese doctrine stresses surprise, deception, and preemption as a means to offset weaknesses in equipment and other areas. Currently, China's conventional SRBM force is its most credible and immediate threat to Taiwan."

SRBM's are short range ballistic missiles. All of China's SRBM's are posed against that great military threat to China- Taiwan. They serve no other reason but to intimidate Taiwan and to be used against Taiwan in a sneak attack on the island. The report is bound to be blasted and denounced by China in short order. History buffs will recall that Hitler himself assured everyone that his military buildup was no threat to anyone and that anyone who thought it was a threat was a warmongering crazy. Humm. I wonder how China will say that same exact thing.

CNN.com - Congressman suggests way to retaliate for nuclear terror - Jul 18, 2005

CNN.com - Congressman suggests way to retaliate�for nuclear terror - Jul 18, 2005:

Representative Tancredo muses on what sort of responses to make to a mulitiple nuclear attack on US cities by Islamic Terrorists. Terrorists have no State of their own to attack and are otherwise not deterred by being killed or by dying in their attacks. And if you think about it they do not expect that the United States would be willing to attack and 'nuke' the one place they might actually care about. And you can bet as sure as the sun rises that Tancredo will be assaulted and demonized for even suggesting that the threat of a nuclear attack on Mecca be used as a deterrent to a nuclear attack against the United States.

An attack on the United States by four airplanes and which killed thousands of people resulted in two wars by the United States. The Afghanistan and Iraq wars are the direct results of those 9-11 attacks. A nuclear attack against the United States by any stateless terrorists will cause a similar reaction. Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran will be under the barrel of the gun and it would be a remarkable level of restraint if some nukes weren't dropped. The outcry for revenge will be overwhelming and like the voices of liberals which were silenced after 9-11 they will likewise be completely silenced in the rage that follows nukes used in US cities.

So the remarks of Representative Tancredo are really not far from the truth as to what would happen if that nuclear attack materializes. I fully believe it will happen and my guess would be Newark/New York being bombed. If the leaders of Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia were thinking rationally they would do everything they could to see that such an attack did not happen. As soon as a mushroom cloud rises about any US territory those despots can say goodbye to their power and their lives. I don't believe they are able to think that rationally or that far ahead.

C-SPAN.org: House Armed Services Cmte. Hearing on Possible Merger of China Oil with Unocal

C-SPAN.org: Search Results

I caught this on CSPAN last week. To watch it, click on the first link to this CSPAN search House Armed Services Cmte. Hearing on Possible Merger of China Oil with Unocal. If you weren't concerned about China and it's behavior before then this hearing in front of Congress should start to wake you up. First of all, the hearing is a response to Chinese efforts to buy Unocal, a US based oil company. One red flag is that Unocal is an oil company that supplies Taiwan through Indonesian oil fields.


Admiral Woolsey, a former CIA director, says we are concerned because this is the largest Dictatorship, the largest Totalitarian government attempting to acquire strategic resources in support of it's increased militarization and expanding military capabilities. Woolsey also notes that dictatorships often seek a foreign enemy to help hold themselves up and have used Taiwan for this. Woolsey also notes that while we can hope China will turn toward democracy but that view, a view of a peaceful China is extremely naive.

Frank Gaffney - Center for Security Policy President & CEO notes that this purchase is part of a larger and omnious strategy by China. He says that China is a fascist state and the US needs to focus on strategies of deterrence. That the US is on a collision course with China. A conflict that may be unavoidable. And that the US needs to maintain access to strategic resources to include 'rare earth' minerals that are used in many advanced military technologies. The one mine where these rare earths is owned by Unocal in Indiana specifically needs to be kept out of the hands of China.



The warning bells are ringing and they ringing loudly. It's an issue that needs to be brought to the front and dealt with. The video of the House Armed Services Comittee is there at CSPAN free to view.

People's Daily Online -- Remarks by university dean were personal views: FM spokesman

People's Daily Online -- Remarks by university dean were personal views: FM spokesman: "Responding to inquiries about Zhu's remarks, the FM spokesman said Zhu met with a visiting delegation of Hong Kong-based reporters organized by the Better Hong Kong Foundation on Thursday."

The official distancing from the words of nutjob Zhu Chenghu. Notably you will see no demotion of Zhu and only a lukewarm distancing of his views by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. And also notably you will hear the diplomat speak which says basically that they appreciate that the US is committed to the 'One China' policy and that they will not tolerate Taiwanese Independence.

It's all the language of folks whose world views are not reality based. Of course, Taiwan is independent and has been since it's life as a Japanese colony was ended by the United States. Since the end of WWII it has been independent of Japan. The basis of Chinese claims of sovereignty go back to the days of glory when China accepted 'tribute' from small nearby nations who didn't want trouble with the 500 pound Gorilla living nearby. By that rational of course, Egypt could claim suzerainty over Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, etc. Or the President of Italy could claim suzerianty over all of Europe. Or the leader of Turkey could claim the middle east and half of Europe... well you get the idea. It's nonsense. Dangerous, like Hitler wanting Alsace-Lorraine back dangerous and just as justified.

FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - China ‘ready to use N-weapons against US’

FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - China ‘ready to use N-weapons against US’: "“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on
to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to
respond with nuclear weapons,” Zhu Chenghu, a major general in the
People's Liberation Army, said at an official briefing."

This is the old Soviet game of bluff and bluster. Not speaking for the government but nonetheless speaking for the militant branch of the Communist Party and the Army says again that China is willing to use nuclear weapons in any conflict over Taiwan. It's part of the bluster that you would see in a conflict between two groups of monkeys or men. Someone comes out and bellows and pounds their chest as both groups pose and assess the willingness to fight of the other. It does not really reflect any imminent conflict unless of course one of the parties immediately flinches. It's much more complicated than that but it's effectively how you can characterize the words of Zhu Chenghu. Not speaking for his government he is nonetheless probing the willingness of the United States to stand by it's commitment to defend Taiwan. If the United States flinches at the screeching of this buffoon then it will provide ammunition for the militant forces in China who will be strengthened and more willing to invade Taiwan. Right now it serves the same exact purpose of the massing of the missiles and other military capabilities across the Straits - namely to sow doubt and present a dangerous face to China that the militant Chinese mistakenly think will give them an advantage.

What the Chinese need to understand is that these sort of tactics perform just the opposite reaction as hoped for. These sorts of comments in fact strengthen the hands of those who would ring the alarm bell against Chinese intentions in the world. Less money for defense and less resolve in defending it's commitments would more naturally come from a China who leashes radical voices like Zhu's. When the Defense Secretary can quote someone like Zhu who is a professor at China's National Defense University and a Major General in the People's Liberation Army, it's worth billions in defense funding. Thank you General Zhu, you're acting like a great American Patriot.

Fat Cyclist: Tour de France Personality Test

Fat Cyclist: Tour de France Personality Test

A bit of Tour de France humor. Very little humor but what's ya gonna do? It's the Tour de France for goodness sakes and as such isn't in the radar of most of the people. The Tour that is, humor is everywhere. I only link to this because oh I don't know, it's like a horoscope. It's mostly wrong, a bit funny but mostly wrong. A brief stop on your surfing way. Alright, this does stick in my craw a bit. The writer, who first of all is writing at 'msn.com' for pete's sake, which is as lame as is possible to be, the writer says that in his personality test that you want Lance Armstrong to win then "you are a pragmatist....and a 70% chance you voted Republican. ....and if you are willing to vigorously defend Armstrong's character flaws, there is a 95% chance you are Republican."
That takes shots at people who are fans of Lance. It's just wrong headed. Like I said, almost could have been funny but went for the jabs at Lance Armstrong.

For the recond, I admire all these riders. It's a very punishing sport both physically and mentally. I admire the strength and perseverance of people like Armstrong and Ullrich. These guys push through pain and the failings of their bodies. They crash and get up again just to take more pain to get further down the road. I think Armstrong will win, I think Ullrich will never give up. I take particular issue with some of those critics who say Ullrich is a loser. Man, as long as you never give up you are never a loser and Ullrich has never given up. Even the guys who failed to get to the end of the race today, notably Jans Voigt who was eliminated from the Tour today for not getting to the end within a certain percentage of the time of the winners can't possibly be labeled a loser. I watched him pushing himself up that mountain on dead legs. You know, for me losers would be those people who call people like that losers. Ah, but that's my opinion.

VeloNews: 2005 Tour de France Special Coverage

VeloNews: 2005 Tour de France Special Coverage: "The 33-year-old Texan surged back into the yellow jersey on Tuesday's
decisive climbing stage across the French Alps to Courchevel. And while
he couldn't drop everyone - Michael Rasmussen, Alejandro Valverde and
Francisco Mancebo rode his vapors - he opened up important time gaps on
just about everyone else."

"No more seven-minute breakaways for Michael Rasmussen." said Lance Armstrong at the end of this stage of the race. That sounds about right. The audio feed came from Eurosport a bit spotty today which made things more tense. Ah, like the old days of listening to Nuggets basketball games in Sacramento. The signal would fade in and out and half the fun was in trying to pull the signal from Denver all the way to California. Fun listening and exciting all in all.

Eurosport - Cycling - Live and Results. Men and Women. - Tour De France - Live and Results

Eurosport - Cycling - Live and Results. Men and Women. - Tour De France - Live and Results. Men and Women.

Getting quite a few hits to my site at www.gadlaw.com from people looking for the live audio stream of the Tour de France. If you follow the above link it will take you to the Eurosport site and links right to the player which gives you the live audio. Make sure you are using Windows Explorer and the latest Windows Media Player for it though. I'm also seeing a lot of google quests saying that the Eurosport live audio link does not work. Well. Today it was a bit spotty and there's nothing for that. If you get absolutely nothing at all it's perhaps because you are running Firefox. I use Firefox as well but to get the audio I have to run Explorer. I don't open anything else up with Explorer but the race audio and use Firefox to follow the Eurosport live text feed and the DK (Dutch) site to get the near live pictures. If you still have trouble with Explorer then you might want to check to see if you have the latest Windows Media Player loaded up. That should do it for you. If you have cable TV and you have OLN TV then you should be able to watch it all day long. If not, then yell at your cable operator or change to Satellite TV. You might also want to go complain at OLN online since they should have a nice audio feed for us but they don't. Buggers. Good race today, Lance Armstrong powered up those two mountains and took the Yellow Jersey back from Voigt and is a good four minutes ahead of Ullrich. Unfortunately though, Lance was nosed out of the stage by Valverde and he has Rasmussen from Rabobank less than a minute behind him in the overall. Great race so far.

Microsoft Downgrades Claria Adware Detections

Microsoft Downgrades Claria Adware Detections: "By Ryan Naraine

July 6, 2005"

I hate Microsoft. I hate that I have to fight any of their products when I have to install them for any reason. I hate having to immediately go into the options of say, Microsoft Media Player since it defaults to make itself the main thing on your computer. I have to uncheck those damned drm 'features' they try to put on everything. I hate that it defaults to check back with Microsoft every day. It is in fact spyware itself. It wants to report back to Microsoft on everything you watch and listen too. If that isn't the definition of spyware I don't know what is. And if I didn't need it to listen to the Tour de France I wouldn't have the thing on my computer. It's just the Borg like way of Microsoft. So this article comes at no surprise whatsoever. The Microsoft antivirus checker - one they bought from someone else rather than developing one - now sees any of that Claria/Gator stuff as not spyware. Well how amazing. Microsoft happens to be in discussions for either a buyout or a partnership with that other evil spyware company (my own opinion) and so while Claria/Gator is seen as spyware by every other spyware detecting software it isn't seen as such by Microsoft's antispyware software. So why on earth would you trust Microsoft to be your antispyware software? No good reason since they aren't there for you to protect you from spyware. Use Ad-Aware and Spybot and give Microsoft Giant Antispyware the boot.

Boing Boing: Sign The One Camapign letter before delivery to G8 tomorrow

Boing Boing: Sign The One Camapign letter before delivery to G8 tomorrow

Boing Boing seems saddened by the fact that only 390,000 Americans went over and signed the Live 8 'stand against poverty.' I for one am gratified to see that such a tiny percentage of my fellow Americans fell for the delusional rants by privileged out of touch rock stars who seem to think that there are easy answers for the self inflicted problems of Africa. Corruption, civil wars, lawlessness are problems that Africa has throughout the continent. Forgiving their collective debts will do nothing to stop or change any of those facts. The efforts of Bob Geldolf and Bono will have the same exact effect they had when they thought a concert and 'awareness' would help the problems of Africa all those years ago. Same problems, even worse. So don't bother going to the Live 8 site. If you want to help someone then help someone, give money to causes that you think actually will help people. Chances are there are people who need help in your own Country, in your own State and even in your own neighborhood. Certainly if you follow some rockstar personalities you'll be wasting your time and your money. - Oh, and Boing Boing incorrectly spelled 'Campaign'

Eurosport - Cycling - Live and Results. Men and Women. - Tour De France - Live and Results. Men and Women.

Eurosport - Cycling - Live and Results. Men and Women. - Tour De France - Live and Results. Men and Women.

I love Eurosport.com now. I can get the live audio feed from the Tour from them, in a nice British accent and they even answer my questions about the Tour on air. Whoa. Sent them an email, a good question considering the crashes that have happened lately and the seemingly horrible injuries that some riders endure and still keep riding through. I wondered if the race doctor, or the tour fathers or whoever could keep a rider from continuing if they thought the rider was too injured to continue. Basically there are no TKO's in the Tour and there are stories of these guys continuing with broken bones even. Very tough people in a very tough sport. But cool, I love listening, I love watching when I get a chance. Again, if you are trying to listen to the Eurosport audio feed you should know that you can't really do it with Firefox and that they on times turn the feed off before and after the race - depending. Depending on what I have no idea.

Danish Guantanamo-prisoner Slimane Hadj Abderahmane -Want to Fight in Chechnya

TV 2 News in English: "Chechnya"

I just sent this one to littlegreenfootballs.com. One of the people who has been released from Gitmo has expressed a desire to go fight in Chechnya. Of course, a condition of his release from Gitmo was that he would not take part in terrorist activities. Whether it was legal to hold him in the first place or not is one issue to be argued about but the issue at hand is the one about him signing an agreement to not do certain things. That would be his personal bond, his character and his honor.

The article goes on to state that some Danish politicians would like to hold him under arrest. Some Chechnya terrorist leaders have said they don't want him. Apparently though, the Danish authorities are keeping a close eye on him and are in contact with American officials about Mr. Slimane. Interesting story.

BBC SPORT | Radio Five Live | Listen to BBC Radio Five Live

BBC SPORT | Radio Five Live | Listen to BBC Radio Five Live

Listening to BBC Sport radio on the internet and the only thing they keep talking about is their charming little 'Live 8' concerts. The main thing about it is that they are chagrined that the US doesn't care. "Why oh why doesn't the United States give a darn about debt relief to Africa?" - To which I answer - Why Should We care? Why should we care that millionaire out of touch rock stars want us to give our money to Africa? Why would we want to lobby our government about African Debt Relief? We've got Supreme Court Justices and Eminent Domain issues to worry about. We've got pedophilia laws to worry about strengthening. The least important issue for us to worry about is whether or not corrupt dictators in Africa get relieved of the the debts they have run up. We see ourselves with our debts and we know that nobody is coming to save us from those debts. It's just plain stupid. Oh -and U2 sucks, they haven't had a good album since the Joshua Tree.

Tour de France 2005

Tour de France 2005: "Sebastian Moll offers a look at the day's events from the perspective
of Jan Ullrich. I said at the end of the stage that T-Mobile would have
to give serious thought to switching alliance to Alexandre Vinokourov,
who finished 3rd on the day, 53 seconds back, and Moll examines the
question in more depth:"

You know we all don't have access to OLN.TV. So those of us who would like to keep track of the Tour de France 2005 would like very much if there was a audio feed of the event, somewhere. Anywhere. I'm watching this blog to see if they have information on where and how to listen online, I'm checking here at cyclingfans.com for their list of places to see and listen to the Tour. But no luck. OLN has fallen off the job and hasn't even got there website running consistently. Sirius is a big time Satellite radio system with every NFL football game but they don't have time or a place to pull a feed of the Tour. Discovery Channel which now sponsors Lance Armstrong's team doesn't have a live feed of the audio, let alone a video feed. France has a feed but you have to be in France to get it. If only I knew how to run a proxy I'd try to grab the feed from there. It's very frustrating. ESPN hardly mentions it. Instead there was pool trick shooting and something I can't even remember on their channels. Not even a crawl, not even updates, not even a word. Instead there is only a 'live' text on a number of websites to let you know in a few words what happened a few minutes ago. Just frustrating.