I have a problem.

Tibetan proverb  -  “Goodness speaks in a whisper, evil shouts” [in this case, shout through voice, intent or action]

I am confused and indeed taken aback by the lack of rationale from the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], its rhetoric and its self propagated rise to global stardom.  Friends, enemies, dominators, clients or supplicants?  We, as mere mortals, need to understand what’s actually going on, preferably prior to a nuclear attack. 

We see that the Chinese people are freezing through a lack of coal whilst a million tons of Australian coal the CCP impounded remained in bonded warehouses.  Now, they have been forced to use our coal - after a year of spurious trade bans.  This ‘bonding’ was reported as a ‘payback’ by the CCP for Australia cementing our sovereignty.  Payback at the expense of the Chinese people.  Indeed, the CCP after all that wanted to join an international trade pact despite belligerently trying to send some of those same members broke.   How about occupying and militarising international waters attempting to stop free trade and menacing neighbouring countries with claims of sovereignty and brandishing fear of war whilst pumping out military hardware including nuclear submarines?  Further, how about rampant claims of sovereignty on the India / China border with military build up and, deaths?

I watched spokespeople for the CCP and despair at their ‘toddler shouty rhetoric’. How about threatening us with a nuclear strike [Victor Gao] if we have the temerity to seek our own national defence through nuclear submarines even without nuclear weapons.  Maybe I am completely stupid but that threat is so out of line it’s below juvenile.  Since when did shouty people threaten and dictate to other sovereign nations?  Obviously, Stalin, Hitler and now Gao as a spokesperson for Xi Jinping and the CCP.

We as a global community have spent the last 70 or so years after WW2 trying to work together for everyone’s benefit yet we still see stupidity like Hamas lobbing thousands of rockets at Israel and expecting no retaliation or the Taliban disenfranchising women and starving ‘their’ citizen responsibility or the CCP puffing war rhetoric or North Korea spouting similar very shouty look at me rhetoric while marching in lock step to starvation.

All of this is disrespectful, of little intelligence and demeaning for the perpetrators. 

Perhaps I am the one missing the fact that a Neanderthal lack of thinking is starting to suppress intelligence?  Where is the logic, the rationale, the thought?   Where is respect?  Where is the desire to live ‘with’ people rather than dominate?  Where are the whisperers?

Remember every world leader wanted to be Hitler’s friend because he was resurrecting Germany in his own inimitable shouty way.  Then he invaded Poland on September 1st 1939!  Whoops.

Our ex prime minister Tony Abbott recently wrote that the CCP has no friends just supplicants and clients.  This includes Australia unless we pull our rhetoric finger out and adjust diplomacy to reflect reality.  The CCP heaped childish and grossly defamatory personal shouty abuse on Abbott for him daring to state known facts about the CCP.  ‘Infantile shoot-the-messenger responses.’  This is interesting in that it was Abbott who praised China a few years ago.  Something has changed and that something seems to be Xi Jinping.  When one person believes they are ‘chosen’ and, by political manipulation, control the armed forces as well as making claim to land of other sovereign nations  and treats his people as supplicants all the while demanding shouty loyalty, the force of truth is subjugated.  Power is a narcotic.

Remember the CCP and the Chinese people are different.  One controls whilst the other are supplicants albeit with some degree of national fervour, forced or otherwise.    As an example of control, the CCP has tried to change history by removing all mention of the Tiananmen Square massacre and refuse to admit it happened despite irrefutable global evidence.  You cannot change history with a head in the sand approach no matter how damning it is.  When Victor Gao [CCP] threatened Australia with a nuclear strike on Stan Grant’s interview we all had a jaw dropping gob smacking moment.  Apparently we have sacrificed our nuclear free status by harnessing nuclear power to drive a few submarines without nuclear weapons.  This must make the rest of the world with nuclear power quake, let alone nuclear weapons.  France, with its proliferation of nuclear power stations and weapons must be in absolute terror as Gao intimated they will be a target.  China has 12 nuclear subs of which 6 are armed with ballistic missiles and presumably nuclear warhead capable.  Maybe Australia’s one reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney will force the CCP to drop a nuclear bomb on Sydney?

I must have my stupid shoes on because I find this shouty rhetoric disarming to say the least.  Match political fervour and access to the red button and .....  BANG.  This is happening right now.  Shouty people have already lost the discussion / debate but seek to dominate with closed mind through and by a vocal and physical overbearing trying to block intelligent response.  Remember shouty Hitler and the brown shirts!  A closed mind and the red button.  OOPS! 

For some, power is intoxicating and never to be lost. 

So what?

Gao threatening Australia with a nuclear strike may be posturing and definitely ill chosen rhetoric from a closed mind or it may portend something more serious. He also said Australia doesn’t need to know where this strike will come from.   Either way Gao epitomises CCP shouty juvenile rhetoric but with huge military backing.

Keeping the peace is not one countries responsibility.  The USA has done a fantastic job as a democracy tilting world order in favour of peace but to assume that will continue is naïve.   ANZUS [1951], QUAD [2007 / 2017]and a number of other partnerships between ‘friends’ support each other to be safe and prosper in the face of dysfunctional ‘attacks’ whether they be cyber, trade, military, race persecution or whatever.

 

Whose problem is it?

Indeed, it’s obvious the CCP are floundering.  Like a physically large young child aware of their intimidating ability but not aware enough to act any other way except physically.  The CCP are clearly demonstrating a position of weakness through and by shouty rhetoric apparently designed to obfuscate and intimidate.  Unfortunately for them shouty does not cut it with adults, adults for whom clear thinking is a way of life.

The CCP loudly abuse and grossly insult anyone or any country that does not agree with them seemingly with no fear of retribution.  Indeed, Xi Jinping is acting like a state sponsored keyboard troll except he is front and centre albeit in the exact knowledge he alone controls the PLA as a self elected demi-god.

The issue is that the free world has let the CCP grow in strength based on cheap Chinese products whereupon they continue to build and command military might and from that position of perceived power feel free to threaten other countries, for example Taiwan and Australia, with nuclear attack, invasion, death, destruction and a reversion of democracy to the CCP ideal.

How did this happen?  Simple, we all sat back and assumed no one in their right mind would invade a sovereign nation such as Taiwan in our modern world.  Think back to Poland.

This is a world issue and one that will not just go away by itself.   The conundrum is that we cannot interfere in the workings of another sovereign nation as it’s none of our business.  And, if we did, we would be guilty of the same crime.  The exception being if the actions of that nation threaten international law and/or another sovereign nation.  A BIG decision but a decision which must be made by a whole gaggle of very smart people capable of rational thought having all the actual facts at hand.  No fake news and no ‘go it alone’ because it’s a world issue!

In this regard, sanctions are good but they tend to affect the ordinary people rather than the guilty ruling class or those with the armed forces at their beckoning.  For example, North Korea is in locked step to starvation as is China.

Desperation actions by leaders in a failing state tend to get more and more shouty trying to convince the masses to believe in them.  Lots of parades, grand displays and military might trying to persuade those masses that they ‘belong’ to a grand future, a future deemed ‘great’ by the ruling class whilst ignoring proletariat personal freedoms and indeed even food.  Keep the working classes in awe of greatness.

And sadly, it’s that greatness we all seem to want.  Look at the following Trump has but with equal lack of substance. 

The key is ‘respect’, respect which is not earned but a God given right.   The CCP shows no respect for anyone preferring to try and dominate by shouty intimidation and defamatory threats all of which are unfounded and juvenile.  A once proud culture now resorting to childish personal insults and sneaky cyber warfare through state sponsored keyboard juvenile trolls – it is very sad to see a once great empire devolve.  China has always sought respect as a way of life through millennia yet today that clear and honourable thinking has vanished under Xi Jinping replaced by look at me shouty war mongering.

You know, I once admired Xi for his ‘forward’ very long term thinking and his focus on strategic plans such as his belt and road.  A fantastic concept for China and other countries but brought down by hidden agendas and petty power grabs.  Yet, there is hope.  China has already proven they can dominate the supply of goods making the world dependant and have proven they are a world power and have proven they plan for the long term.  May I suggest, from a self confessed moron, that ‘war’ is a state of mind and does not have to be physical or fatal but can be construed as competitive advancement through intelligence, respect and harmony.  Golf is such is war.  A continual personal desire to get better whilst working within the rules, recognising that grass will always win and enjoying the company of fellow advocates who are also striving to get better.  In a world sense, each and every country challenges themselves to get better within the rules [WTO], accepting almost impossible challenges as a global citizen [e.g.  nett zero] and enjoying a camaraderie with other nations as we all strive to ‘beat the grass’.  Friendly but intense competition where respect wins. 

The big toddler, used to dominate through shouty size, grows up.  The question is, ‘how can we help that toddler join the real world as a whisperer?’ 

PROCESS, LAW, CONSEQUENCES

 

[An opinion from one somewhat picky cook]

A ‘process’ or procedure’ has little to do with the law itself other than to provide a ‘fair’ time and a vehicle / platform for defence and/or accusations and/or rebuttals. 

If that process follows and upholds the law then good but, the process is always secondary to the law itself.  This is a no-brainer.  The opposite being disquiet and even anarchy.

The whole point of ‘process’ is to enable and action the law and its intent from its written form.  Therefore deliberate deviations from that process must be deemed unlawful as they attempt to obfuscate or ignore the law.  The only defence could be that the law/process is duplicitous or unclear or subject to multiple interpretations.

Indeed, good procedures or processes are put in place to allow an orderly pathway from clear thinking to focused action and appropriate solutions.

In a recent decision by the Federal Circuit Court the judge seemed to allow a flawed process to obviate the law in that, the law was ignored because of deemed flaws in the process.  This was later overturned by the Federal Court as they ordered the law was to be followed despite a possibly flawed process.  In this case the law was clear but ignored by the first judge because the process was hijacked by people with a commercial agenda attempting to confuse the law through arguments that were proven irrelevant.  This makes the perpetrators guilty of trying to subvert justice.

This is where logic, deductive argument and clear thinking must rule.  Argument in tautologies is a good start providing the associated premises are proven valid.  Rogerian argument has no place as compromise has no place -  that is, unless the law itself is unclear or contradictory and there must be room for actions taken in ‘good faith’ or perhaps where actions are mitigated by circumstances of ‘no fault’ disenabling compliance then, intent being really important as a decider of appropriate punishment.

So, does this mean we are bound to uphold the law?  Absolutely!!  Nothing stopping us disagreeing and being vocal with our opinions attempting the change the law but, loud brain-dead disobedience is no rod for change!  Instead go with clear thinking emotion free tautological discussion [not mere Rogerian conversation] leading to appropriate laws which can be ‘processed’  through a procedure which is also clear and succinct and time efficient.

Take for example our laws on vaccine compliance for international visitors.  Simple, covid positive by test – no entry and no jabs – no entry.  However, there is mitigation by exemption based on being physically unable to be vaccinated [leading to quarantine and testing etc].  Note that there is no ongoing exemption for not having to get jabbed following a ‘serious’ bout of Covid as a condition to stay is to get jabbed after recovery and, quarantine still applies.  Those refusing vaccination on other grounds are excluded.  Simple and clear despite Tennis Australia and the Victoria State Government offering unlawful exemptions based on personal monetary agendas and ignoring the fact that they actually can’t offer those exemptions as only the Federal Government controls the borders.

In this case the ‘process’ failed because it allowed people to obfuscate through media by-line even though the law is clear [Federal Court].  As a matter of fact, letting into our country a sporting megastar et alia who refuses to be vaccinated when Victorians have been locked away is beyond stupid and needs to be addressed as deliberate attempts to subjugate the law.