FROM my Facebook Page.

My Thoughts on The News.

New York Times: “Rules for Pentagon Use of Proxy Forces Shed Light on a Shadowy War Power.” Managing irregular warfare surrogate fighters is anomalous as it is costly. From Chinese Civil War 1940s to Central American crisis 1960s to 1990s etcetera to the current Ukraine War, Washington has supported a chosen party via proxy forces. Digging up numbers on expenditures and aid for U.S. proxy wars is tricky. The $50+ billion arms aid sent to Kyiv so far should give us ideas. 

       Proxy war occurs when a major power instigates or plays a major role in supporting and directing a party to a conflict but does only a small portion of the actual fighting itself. Yet wars per is senselessly a huge waste of taxpayer money. For example, U.S. Defense spending in Afghanistan’s 20-year war was $2.3 trillion. That easily outclassed the $757.8 billion spent in Iraq. But the World War II involvement also cost the U.S. $4.69 trillion. ☮️☮️☮️

New York Times: “When Your Champions League Dream Runs Through a War Zone.” And adds: “Shakhtar Donetsk’s foreign stars fled Ukraine when Russia invaded. Now some are returning or signing up, proof that the lure of opportunity can trump fear.” Not all of the country is battered by war as media tends to suggest. Kolomyya and Kosiv in the Carpathian region, as well the Western towns of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi are safe destinations. (Ukraine is slightly smaller than Texas, or twice the size of Italy or the U.K. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

Time: “The Case for Protecting AI-Generated Speech With the First Amendment.” Not the speech per se but the mindset, the reset of the psyche to fit a paradigm of political correctness that bothers me. And AI is bound to push a New Morality that is ideologically detached. Meanwhile, Microsoft spends a lot on AI, but Google is set to bankroll about $300 billion for its AI tech “improvement” through 2028. The federal government upped the IT/R&D budget to $9.6 billion for FY23. 💻🤖🖥

Time: “Zelensky Was the Star of the G7. But the Summit's Focus Remained on China.” Theatrical absurdity. Media turns Volodymyr a “star” but as object of grand folly. Ukraine has got to stop begging for weapons and instead talk economics with China. After all, the world is very high on Beijing business, regardless of sinophobia. Top regions that trade with China, as of 2022, is Southeast Asia ($975.3B), European Union ($847.3B) and the United States (yes! $759.4B). 

       China is easing up the manufacturing mojo over FDIs and loan-giving. So India (and Indonesia) are the logical fallback/s per labor force. But China has plenty of pertinent raw materials and essential minerals that global industries need. That is why Beijing isn’t hot on war. War is bad for business. 🇺🇦☎️🇨🇳

New York Times: “Why Do Cats Hold Such Mythic Power in Japan?” And adds: “A journey through a country where felines are revered, adored and sometimes seen as actual demons.” No one in their right mind messes with cats! Especially in Japan, where hoomans pay respect to shinobi felines in Aoshima Island. Also known as “Cat Island,” Aoshima has only 15-20 hooman residents but hundreds of cats! Some are invisible. “Watashiniha kachi ga arimasen!” 🐱🇯🇵🐱

New York Times: “Germany Announces Its Biggest Military Aid Package Yet for Ukraine.” The nearly $3 billion package is part of an effort by both sides to reset rocky relations, which have become “...increasingly important to maintaining European unity in backing the war.” Unity? How’d the region recover from Russian energy dependency–78 percent oil, 45 percent natural–by relying on Kyiv’s corrupt fuel economics? The U.S. could, in years. OPEC? That’d be complex. 

       U.S. can supply Europe oil/gas but that isn’t that easy. The region is a massive market. And energy exports to E.U. would shudder America’s homebased needs, which is already #1 in the world. Meanwhile, the post-Merkel Berlin, led by the spineless Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party, is under dictation from some 1 Percent power? Europe has got to fix its energy issue so it could focus on other pressing problems. Angela Merkel was Germany’s Chancellor and de facto leader of the E.U. for 16 years. There were problems along the way, but indecision wasn’t her badge. Isolating Russia isn’t as linear as cutting Vladimir Putin out. The West has lost considerable global clout as 21st century strode in. Scholz’s recent move isn’t helping Europe. China calls for peace, and why not? 🇧🇪👎🇺🇦

New York Times asks: “Can My New Boyfriend Stop My Ex From Visiting Our Dog?” The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether a former partner has the right to see a previously shared pet. Tough, isn’t it? With years of my life (from 2009) spent more with dogs and cats, I simply don’t know how to deal with parting with them (beyond them passing away or dying). Different. But really tough. But no I am not going to replace them with A.I. Are you kidding me, LOL! 💔😥🐕

New York Times: “The Discreet Thrill of Lurking Online.” And adds: “There’s a world of wholesome drama out there in strangers’ social media content, if you know where to look.” Why do people post TMI in here? Experts say to bring valuable and entertaining content to others. Inform, amuse, and help people in our lives. That’s why 94 percent of people share drama on Facebook. Me? My dinner royale and day’s kitty shenanigans. But no I ain’t going to talk about my ex’es. 📱🧐📲

New York Times: “GOP faction decries $113B for Ukraine.” Sure, you can thumb-down me as Republican, which I am not. But I concur, especially with Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) who fumes that Kyiv’s leadership “...thought it was an obligation for every American to pay $10 a month to fund their war.” Anyhow, after the meeting in Poland, Volodymyr Zelensky’s guys thanked the bipartisan U.S. delegation for the additional aid a.k.a. F-16 fighter jets to help in the war against Russia. 🇺🇦☮️🇷🇺

New York Times: “The Latest Rift Among Ukraine’s Allies Is Whether to Send F-16s.” And adds: “The United States is resisting a European push for the powerful fighters. But will it relent, as it did before with tanks, rocket launchers and air defense missiles?” Latest news after recent U.S. lawmakers meeting with Kyiv reps in Poland is likely a green light. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block costs $64 million. Others depend on kind and make: From $12 million to $35 million, to as high as $108 million.

       Remember: Last year, U.S. Congress signed a $113 billion aid to Ukraine. And in February 2022, the State Department approved the sale of 12 F-16 fighter jets with an estimated cost of $4.21 billion — a deal that also included radios, targeting pods and associated munitions components like guided missile tail kits. F-16s et al to Kyiv is not a “sale” though. Those are handouts. Paid for by taxpayers. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦