Chinese Copies

The Chinese are shameless at copying Western products. Some of the copies are comical and some sinister, with their pilfering through the Internet highly-classified technical documents. (which I have wondered why we put some of the most sensitive documents on the Internet, but what do I know?).

Apparently with at least one weapon, they somehow got the ingredients wrong, although the Jordanians aren’t saying much.

An Unwanted Guest

After nearly 7 years, and a change in government in Ecuador, apparently Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has worn out his welcome.

“We aren’t going to allow Ecuador to be turned into a center for hacking,” she said. “And we can’t allow illegal activities developed in the country to harm citizens from Ecuador or other countries or any government.”, said Ecuador’s  Interior Minister,  María Paula Romo.

Dude logic

March 22nd, 2008

I guess I dropped track on NY state politics after ex-Governor Spitzer took the long walk. Turns out that things didn’t stop hoppin’ upstate, even after Spitzer split. In the NY Times, columnist Gail Collins notes that the ink hadn’t dried on his replacement’s contract before New Yorkers learned of new Governor’s serial infidelities:

A Good Op-Ed on the Mattis Resignation

Was in the WSJ today. According to them, James Mattis resigned after being blindsided by President Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria.

James Mattis is one of those men whose leadership style should be emulated by those wanting to be great leaders. Lex, who I think was also one of those rare leaders, admired James Mattis with an anecdote.

I’ve read today good arguments – pro and con, about Syria.

Alexis de Tocqueville Quotations

I wrote a bit about Alexis de Tocqueville the other day. He was a young French aristocrat, sent by the French Government in 1831 ostensibly to study our prisons, but he used the mission to study the American character and society. When I read his 2 volumes in 1971, I was astounded at his observations.

They are no less astounding today.

In From the Cold

By lex, on September 12th, 2011

Lacking a coherent plan to stop the bloodshed in Afghanistan, the US Government has decided to accommodate the irreconcilables, according to the Daily Mail:

Classy

By lex, on May 4th, 2011

W knows he’ll never have to run for another election, and has wisely forgone an invitation from the sitting president:

President Obama invited former President George W. Bush to join him at ground zero in New York City on Thursday to mark the killing of Osama bin Laden, but Mr. Bush declined, a spokesman for the former president confirmed on Tuesday.