China's Weather Modification Office?

FoxNews has a "back page" story about a Chinese Snowstorm, with very little concern other than a slight mention of "debate" over weather manipulation:

"Chinese scientists have artificially induced the second major snowstorm to wreak havoc in Beijing this season, state media said today, reigniting debate over the practice of tinkering with Mother Nature.

After the earliest snow to hit the capital in 22 years fell on November 1, the capital was again shrouded in white yesterday with more snow expected in the coming three days, the National Meteorological Centre said.

The China Daily, citing an unnamed official, said the Beijing Weather Modification Office had artificially induced both storms by seeding clouds with chemicals, a practice that can increase precipitation by up to 20 per cent."

Did I miss something? Is it old news to anyone that China has a Weather Modification Department and that they are actively manipulating the Weather paterns over China (and who knows where else)?

What are the regional or global impacts of this manipulation? What effects do these "chemicals" have on the environment, the ecosystems, or humanity? If you catch a "chemical snowflake" on your tongue, what exactly are you injesting?

I seem to find that the story should be more on the fact that China has the capability to manipulate weather patterns, and less on the grumpy Chinese citizens stuck in the snow!

If You Go Carrying Pictures of Chairman Mao…

October 1st, 1949, sixty years ago on this day, Mao Zedong declared victory in the Chinese Civil War where the Communists backed by the USSR defeated the Nationalists backed by the USA. The war and following awakening cost more human lives than both World Wars combined… somewhere between 26 and 72 million. The communist regime of China is the number one violator of human rights in modern times, is a growing threat to regional neighbors like Nepal and Taiwan, is currently in border disputes with Pakistan and India, and has been occupying Tibet for decades.

So let’s celebrate the accomplishment of the Communist Regime, their Liberation from liberty, and do it in the Capitalist Center of the World… New York City.

The unfortunate side effect of living in a country where freedom of speech is protected, you are subject to moronic ideas and illogic on a daily basis. If the Empire State Building wants to celebrate Communist Revolution, so be it… I will use the lighting not as a celebration of the Red Chinese, rather as a memorial reminder of the millions of souls murdered and starved to death by the Chinese. I will use it as an opportunity to remind my readers of the forced abortions and strict rules regulating basic rights on life. I will use it as a reminder that the United States continues to sell national interests of a “free” nation to the Communist regime – who is using that profit to build an army and navy capable of attacking the United States in a way that the Soviets never could.

Go ahead and light your building, NYC.

So much for the shiny beacon on the hill!

It is going to be a Long Cold (war) Winter

During the cold war, Soviet and US planes routinely escorted one another along the outskirts of one another's airspace, with the pilot's fingers surely on the trigger. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Cold War was considered over, and the Russian planes ceased their flights around US territory.

That was 1992 - This is now.

Russian bombers began flying off the coast of Alaska last year - a direct threat to US oil supply. This was the first real show of force from Russia towards the United States in nearly two decades. It adds to the increased tensions between the two nations, and may be pushing a direct threat in the face of the Georgian conflict.

Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, warned Moscow that they are playing a dangerous game by pushing the US into Cold War relations with the country.

Russia's resurgence has been made possible by the income gained from energy resources and their respective high prices. Europe's dependence on Russia for energy has given Moscow influence over the continent that the Soviets could have only dreamed of. And now that the once broken Russian government is being strengthened with Cold Hard Cash, and they sense an air of anti-Americanism throughout the world, Russia is looking beyond the Soviet era and into the beginnings of a new Russian Empire.

As this BBC report states, Russia is clearly back after the chaos from the Soviet collapse:


With the war coming to a general close in Iraq, tensions are rising as the US and Russia assert their influence - Cold War style. China is not yet a major player, militarily, though they have been a nuisance to US naval operations - shadowing US fleets and interrupting training exercises in deep waters. The US is faced with Georgia's situation, Iran's Russian backed Nuke plan, tensions due to Polish missile defense systems, Ukrainian pleas for help after Russia's claim to their territory (similar to Georgia), Russia's announcement that it plans to use a 1960's style tactic of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba, China's relationship with Taiwan and Japan, and the list goes on.

From where I stand, the 21st century is shaping up to look a lot like the 20th century. It would appear that we may have been witness to a false spring... and the Bitterly Cold Winter of War between Russia and the US is still simmering.

Is Offshore Oil the Answer?

Before we delve into this question, we must first understand the history of the mess we are in with regards to the oil price spike.

I was recently attending a discussion by a representative of the gas and oil industry who covered the topic of oil output versus price, and why the oil/gas price spike began.

He began by showing a chart, representing the fixed price of oil based on supply from US wells.

He then made a comment that has to be retold: After Katrina and Rita, we have not been able to open up our Gulf of Mexico wells.

That was the key. The oil industry's inability (or unwillingness) to open those wells due to fear of continued storms (and the low cost of oil at the time to cover any future losses) created the first artificial spike in the oil and gas prices. Since then, subsequent drop in oil production in the middle east and throughout the United States has driven the prices higher yet.

Now Congress is being asked by President Bush if they will allow continued exploration off the coasts of the United States.

I say, let them. They should not have been stopped in the first place... assuming they have adequate protection for marine life and against spills, especially in sensitive areas.

Not to mention that the very oil that the US is unable to drill due to Congress, China is drilling. That is right. China is drilling off the coast of the United States with the help from Cuba. China is tapping into the United State's oil fields while we sit by and do nothing. There is something wrong with that picture.

There is one other problem with the oil crisis that must be spoken. In watching congressional hearings on CSPAN (yeah, I am one of the few who actually watch that channel), I noticed that the oil executives had a common theme (let us develop). They wanted to be able to explore and build new refineries... that comment struck a chord with me. Are the oil monopolies holding Congresses feet to the fire by way of artificially high fuel prices to get access to these additional fields?

If so, this is criminal. You are putting the very life of the country in jeopardy for your own gain, which I amount to holding the US hostage for a ransom. If this is, in fact, the case, I hope to see a drastic hammer falling in favor of the US people.

Until such time that we can sort this mess out, let us open the capped wells in the gulf, and continue drilling in new offshore fields.

It happened in the USSR...

When the USSR collapsed in the late 80's, the Cold War ended. The United States was filled with joy of the end of the CW, but new threats began to arise.

Those threats were rogue states, unstable nations, and civil wars throughout the old soviet republics.

What would it look like if the US government, and it's complacent voters, continues the gap between the people and the leaders... What would it look like if the gas prices reached $4.00 a gallon and drove the nation into an economic panic, as the lower and middle class could no longer afford the basic necessities. What would it look like if the lower and middle class was systematically uprooted from their homes because of government mingling in the private housing market?

What would it look like if the US ceased to be a union of peaceful states, and instead became a series of independent states fighting for resources enough to survive?

It is not crazy... we have done it before... and as the people are less and less able to thrive, let alone survive, we march forward along the same path that destroyed the Soviet Union.

We are truly at a pivotal point in our nation's history... and our nation's existence.

Here is an interesting timeline starting in 2008... it is from a video game, but is hardly unlikely.

Iran's Goal: A Nuclear Apocalypse

Iran's quest to bring about the End-Times is as clear as listening to a speech by any one of her leaders. The self-fullfilling prophecy of bringing about the savior of man, or the next prophet, is done so by tragic warfare, with total destruction of humanity in it's current form... It would appear, to anyone actually listening, that Iran's hopes for world peace come only from making haste on bringing about global nuclear war.

This is the problem with religious fanaticism in leadership positions... such as the Iranian panel of religious leaders and the Ayatollah, in charge of overseeing all that the governemnt and people do. Their hope is to please their god by aiding the end times.

Don't believe me? Iran has been trying to obtain the technology to build nuclear wepons since before the revolution, and since 2003 has redoubled their efforts to create not just enriched Uranium for fuel, but Plutonium for bombs. All the while speaking of peaceful energy use, but ending the speeches and policy with "and by the by, we also are going to blow Israel off the map"... let me guess, blow them off the map with peaceful energy?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regularly mentions the Mahdi, the Muslim Messiah, in his speeches regarding the future of Iran and Iran's energy program.

If we analyse the events and the rhetoric, we can better understand what is unfolding.

The use of religion, or the invocation of the name of a god on behalf of one's cause has been the oldest and strongest form of coorsion in the history of man. Fighting in "god's army" has been a battle cry of both sides of countless wars throughout the ages. Most famous was the Crusades, in which the Holy Land was being reclaimed in the name of Christ. What better way to get atonement than to glorify your god in battle?

With this in mind, there is no question that the leaders of Iran look to influence their subjects, as well as Muslims around the world, who see the tasks they are undertaking as the work of the muslim god. As a muslim, or a citizen of Iran, how can you question the actions of your divinely inspired leaders? To do so would be blasphemy... and to blaspheme would mean death. So it goes, that the leaders of Iran have taken the most widely used page out of the history book, and are once again invoking religion over reason, and their loyal subjects are powerless to stop god.

Next, let's evaluate the "code words" being used by Iranian leadership. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad often talks about the use of Uranium for "peaceful purposes" while in the same breath talking about the destruction of Israel and the West. Let me explain: in the eyes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad they are not mutually exclusive... they are, in fact, one in the same. According to the story of the Mahdi, there will be peace on earth when the restores righteousness and changes the world into a perfect and just Islamic society alongside Jesus (who, of course, was Muslim and not Jewish... right?). So the peace comes when the world is controlled by Islam, and we are all subject to Islamic law. That is the ultimate "peaceful purpose"... death to the infadels, and survival and submittal of all loyal islamic subjects to the islamic leadership... I mean allah, of course!

Iran is in a dangerous bind... and that bind is tying knots in the stomach of the rest of the world.

Should Iran obtain nuclear weapons, or the capability to manufacture them, we will be within a decade of nuclear war.

I ask, if we can see the future and know what tragedies are going to come, is it our obligation to stop them?

Of course I am not suggesting all out war with Iran... but destroying the ability for Iran to enrich nuclear material... for energy or for weapons.

The alternative could be much worse.

The World has had Enough

Socialism took a major blow in 1989 when the Soviet Union collapsed... The Iron Curtain came tumbling down, sparking freedom and liberty (and in some cases Civil War) across Eastern Europe.

Oddly enough, as the people of Eastern Europe were yearning for liberty, and fighting for freedom, the people of Western Europe were slipping into deeper destitution due to Socialism in their own countries.

We have seen Ireland turn itself around economically by adjusting it's tax infrastructure, lowering taxes from the 90th percentile, and letting the free market boom. Ireland has never been a more risk-free place to bring your business.

And slowly, Western Europe is starting to come around... save Spain, of course due to the terror attacks affecting their elections. France elected Sarkozy, a US friendly conservative who has already cut taxes in France, has been tough on crime, and is making sweeping policy changes that will make France a self sufficient country (as opposed to bathing in US dollars STILL being poured into that country as part of WWII relief!!!)

But the good news for worldwide conservative movements (conservative being "classic liberal" ideals of freedom and liberty, of course, not the definition of radical religious conservatism of oppression) is that countries that were thought lost forever to Socialism are starting to come around. Like France, Italy has begun cleansing their elected offices of Socialists, and have begun voting in conservative politicians.

In the face of Global Warming, Global War on Terror, and Global Markets, the people of the world are saying "Enough is Enough".

"Enough" about Al gore's world Socialist doctrines on Global Warming. The Earth naturally warms and cools... at a rate of roughly 0.4 Celsius a decade... the same rate that Gore is complaining about... and the same rate that has been recorded since the late 1800's. One day the earth will begin to cool... should we save all of our carbon emissions and try to pump them all out then and save us from Global Cooling? Instead of trying to stop the last straw that is going to break the camel's back, why don't we simply learn how to remove some of the straw already on the back of the camel? Why not ensure that we choose crops that can survive such heating trends? Why not focus on improving housing conditions with air conditioners? Why not plant more trees and have grassy parks, instead of a series of paved parking lots with scorching heat blacktops!

"Enough" about the war on terror. It is too ambiguous, and is little more than a tool used to give a tyrannical hand to the government. Are you trying to say that there should be a global war on anyone who is willing to overthrow their government, or petition their government, or how about even questioning their government's motives? If you want a war in which the government squashes rebellions of the people angry with the government itself... you have a Tyranny! Let's call the war what it ought to be called. A religious struggle between Islam and the Judeo-Christian values of the Western World. Then we will know who our enemy is. But an undefined global war on terror is nothing more than a never-ending war against whomever the government decides to label as a terrorist group... This is the tool that gives the world government absolute power over the subjects of the government... not citizens... subjects.

"Enough" about this global economy talk. Governments should be encouraged to bolster their own economies in an attempt to encourage competition on the world market, true... however, when economist after economist continues to spread the message that we should all be investing in China's economy, it makes me want to strangle someone! China is our worst enemy... the worst enemy of freedom. Their government has fought us in Vietnam, Korea, and committed themselves to hurting our economy through Sudan, Iran, and other means. They protect our enemies, and covertly spy on our military in hopes that they will soon be the world power. Why should we embolden their ability to manufacture while diminishing our own? Why give them the power? For Money? For Greed?

Enough is Enough.

True conservative values, which our Republican Leadership is lacking lately, is winning out around the world. Strong borders, strong national pride, and strong defense of each nation of and by itself. Then, we can be a world union of free and prosperous nations. Not a world of one government under the UN banner... or under a forced and corrupted US banner.

Where'd all the good people go?

The Olympic torch is in the United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area today... protests have begun days ago in preparation of the arrival of the torch of freedom being paraded by the worlds most evil empire - China.

Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and I have agreed for the first time: Boycott the Olympics. Do not support the human rights violations and repeated offenses against humanity and freedom that have been committed by the government of China.

And to top it off, our fearless leader, GW, is supporting the Olympics by attending the opening ceremonies WITH the ruler of China...

What happened to the America in which I was raised?

Where is the strength and anti-communist efforts upheld by everyone from Kennedy to Reagan?

Do we care more about commercialization and globalism than human rights?

Where is the outrage? Where is the humanity?

And why the heck do I find myself allied with the most liberal socialist democrats? Why is this not a united struggle? Have we all become complacent?

I ask... Where'd all the GOOD people go?

China just doesn't get it - "torches" freedom

The Olympic Torch has met resistance as it makes it's way across the globe ahead of the Beijing 2008 Summer Games. Wild protests have broken out across the Chinese border regions in India, Nepal and within Tibet which have been met with stiff resistance from the Chinese and other local authorities. As the torch moved into Europe, the clashes with torch carriers increased, often causing security measures which include blowing out the torch and busing the torch past protesters.

The people around the world are protesting Beijing's history of, and current practice of, human rights oppression as well as militarization, authoritarian communist control, threatening entities which desire freedom from oppression (such as Taiwan) and invading and occupying their neighbors (like Tibet).

After the torch left Paris, the brave and respectable French President (yes, I am paying homage to a French-man!) Zarkosy has said that his countrymen may refuse to attend the games due to the international outcry for justice in Tibet.

Meanwhile, Bush has stated that the US will participate... I believe his actual statement was something like: "Heh-heh... Being in the Olympics is hard... it's real hard... and what the Beijingese peoples are trying to do is hard...look people, China is just as much a part of America as you or me... We should support China, cause these little guys, well, they never did anything to hurt the US... heh-heh..."

As the torch makes it's one stop in the US, protests are expected to continue. China has made pleas with the US to suppress protesters in SF, and give the image of US's unity with the Chinese Government. I have heard that they have even offered to increase security for the torch's remaining route (see picture).

China's official response is thusly stated:

China quickly condemned the disruptions as "vile" and, in a departure from past reticence, state-run television and newspapers showed the protests and upset spectators.

"We express our strong condemnation of the deliberate disruption of the Olympic torch relay by 'Tibetan independence' separatist forces," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement posted at www.fmprc.gov.cn.

At a later briefing, she said Chinese and U.S. officials had been working together to ensure the visit of the torch to San Francisco on Wednesday would go "safely and smoothly".

"We also warn groups and elements attempting to disrupt and sabotage the torch relay that their goal -- of using the Olympics for their unspeakable ends and to blacken and put pressure on China -- is absolutely unattainable."

There you have it... Peaceful China's goal of suppression is the only outcome... freedom and independence of millions of people is "absolutely unattainable"... why even TRY to petition your government for a redress of grievances? You will only be met with the gun!

Sounds like the perfect country to host the games of unity and peace!

Tibet is Burning

Communist China reports that 10 protestors have been killed, meanwhile activists groups report the number to closer to 100 killed. Knowing the oppressive media that exists in China, I am more inclined to believe the higher number. Could this be another “Tiananmen Square”?

The country of Tibet has been under communist China’s rule for over 50 years, stuck behind another iron curtain. China has as much claim to this territory as the Russians had to any one of the Soviet States incorporated into the USSR… zero.

Tibet has existed as an autonomous kingdom, led by the spiritual leaders believed to be the reincarnation of the previous. This is the Dalai Lama… the ruler of Tibet, exiled since 1959 to northern India. A leader that, when he dies, China has claimed that the government will be selecting the successor… hardly who I would want appointing my spiritual leader… but an effective way to control the territory once and for all.

The people of Tibet struggle for nothing more than the founders of America struggled for… the right to exist in peace, and to freely practice their religion. China’s iron fist has come down time and again against students and monks, often leading to massacres of peaceful protestors… blatant human rights violations.

But the protests of the last few days have something more than the protests of the past. They have traction… worldwide traction. Chinese embassies around the world are under siege by protestors who favor a free Tibet. And China, the host of the 2008 Olympics, is under a microscope as we move closer to the opening ceremonies. (We all know that China is one of the worst offenders when it comes to Human Rights Violations.) But the struggle needs one finishing touch to turn into a full scale revolution: The blessing of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan people worldwide are pushing for his call to arms, as finding the middle ground has led to little more than murder in the past.

What are my thoughts?

I believe that there is one just cause worth fighting and dying in this world we live: freedom.

Fellow blogger KTracy.com has suggested that the struggle of the Tibetan protestors is little more than the terror groups in Iraq fighting the US soldiers… I would caution him that the people of Tibet fight for freedom, where the terror groups in Iraq fight for fascism.

I support the struggle of the people of Tibet. I believe that all men should be free from living in fear and repression. As a believer in liberty, personal property rights, and freedom of religion, I have little patience for repressive regimes like that of the Communist Republic of China.

If it were up to me, as we move forward with this slaughter and manhunt for remaining protestors, I would issue an immediate statement condemning the reaction of the Chinese government, followed by a threat of sanctions of all Chinese products. I know this would send a shockwave through our economy, but that is just a sign of our dependence on foreign goods for sustaining our way of life. As such, we would need to rethink how we conduct ourselves, how we live, and what we need to survive and enjoy life from within our own borders.

Am I proposing, then, the death of a free market in America by not allowing procurement from foreign countries? I would argue that such a global market is harmful for the very reason stated above, and restated here: we become too dependant on foreign goods, and that leaves us with no leverage as the moral authority in issues of freedom and liberty.

So I suggest calling your legislator, calling the local Chinese embassy, or joining a protest speaking out against the atrocities of the Chinese government in Tibet. Our voices can be a part of the roar!

The Implications of a Communist Moon Landing

It is a feat that only the United States has been able to accomplish: Landing a Man on the Moon.

Communist Russia failed, and since the great space race no one else has even tried.

In fact, the United States has been sitting in the Ivory Tower of space travel so long, that many fail to see the problem with China stepping ever so close to landing a communist on the moon.

When the US beat the Soviets to the moon, there was a lasting impression that only in a free society was man capable of achieving the impossible. Russia gave up their lunar ambitions, and within 20 years they ceased to exist as a communist led society.

Fast forward to the 21st century, where China is making all the appropriate advancements in their plan to permanently inhabit the moon. Today they will launch a lunar orbiter, proving that they have the capability to at least get to and orbit the moon. And with their space program cloaked in secrecy, they could be just a few years away from planting a flag of an oppressed people on the surface of the moon.

Remember, the US left a plaque on the moon which stated that our journey was for all men... the significance of this plaque was that it represented the heights to which free men could travel... and now that we are sitting idly by and watching, let alone providing help (Thanks Bill Clinton - Ass), and who knows what this could mean.

In fact, working on the current US moon program myself, I take issue that we are slipping schedule and focusing so much time and energy on the ISS. We are unloading a significant amount of time and energy on a way station that serves little to open the expanses of space to the next generation of explorers. I compare it to Columbus rowing a dingy around the harbor instead of sailing across the Atlantic.

When the US fails to dream big, we fail... period.

This is a case where the ambition of an oppressive entity is greater than the drive for being the best from a free society.

So perhaps this means that the America that existed just 50 years ago no longer exists. Are we no longer up to the challenge of proving the superiority of a Free Society? Are we even still a free society, or are we bogged down with suspicion and corruption... the legacy of freedom?

Think long and hard about what we are giving up in allowing China to have dominance in the new Moon Race... leave a comment... and perhaps, if you think the implications are as I have stated, give your government representatives a call and tell them to Make Space a Priority!