James R. Rummel

I am a self defense instructor who lives in Columbus, Ohio.

I Wonder Where They’re Getting Their Inspiration

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For some time now, we’ve been talking about how China continually makes noise about how they might just invade Taiwan.

My take on it has always been that China can’t win as long as the United States would oppose an invasion, and it’s going to be a long time (if ever) before China could hope to match the US forces that could be surged to the area in the event of a shooting war.

Something very interesting was mentioned by the readers in the comments. Since economic ties with both Taiwan and the United States are very strong and are growing every day, any invasion would mean devastation to the Chinese economy. It’s doubtful that the Communist government could survive such a disruption.

I’m mentioning this because Strategypage.com has a post that essentially says the same thing. (Post from April 11, 2005)

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“…Clubbed Like Baby Seals”

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The US military is looking towards China as the biggest threat in the foreseeable future. Every year the Chinese keep increasing their defense budget and modernizing their armed forces, all the while rattling their sabers and acting like the armed invasion of Taiwan is just around the corner.

While the Chinese might very well do something stupid like launch an invasion across the Formosa Straights, I’m not convinced that they’re as much of a problem as anyone trying to guard a defense budget says they are. As long as the US and her allies stand by Taiwan, they don’t have a realistic chance of taking the island by force.

This essay by Harold C. Hutchison at Strategypage.com examines the changes being made in the Chinese Air Force. (Post from April 9, 2005.) While the PLAAF has huge numbers of aircraft, the majority are outmoded models that wouldn’t stand a chance. Even the modernized aircraft that the Chinese can bring to bear couldn’t be used to their full potential due to a lack of force-multiplying support aircraft and low levels of pilot training.

It’s worth a read, if only because most observers have been focusing on the naval situation and missing the air force picture.

Interesting Spin

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I just came across two news reports about the same event. It’s interesting to make note of the way that the info is presented.

The event in question was the release of the third Arab Human Development Report. (Sorry, I can’t find a copy of it online as of this writing.) The previous reports were rather heartening to people who genuinely want to see the Arab world embrace democracy and economic progress, since they recognized the fact that it was mainly Arab culture that was holding them back.

This BBC item about the latest report has the headline REPORT URGES ARAB WORLD REFORMS. The author, Jon Leyne, states that the problems facing Arab culture come from within, mainly due to a lack of human rights and an abundance of judicial compliance. He goes on to note in passing that the AHDR also condemns the US for our support of Israel, and the invasion of Iraq. But the criticisms of the US and Israel are hardly the main subject of the news item.

Then we have this rather shrill item from Reuters, written by Suleiman al-Khalidi. (The full text is cut-n-pasted below, because both Reuters and Yahoo have a habit of changing the content of their news items without explanation or apology.)

The headline reads ARAB REPORT SEES LITTLE REFORM, FAULTS US ACTION. It looks to me that the author was rather desperate to find something critical to say about the US, and even goes so far as to accuse the United States of wide scale theft. Abu Ghraib is mentioned as well, although it’s very unclear how a scandal in one prison could keep the entire Arab world from enacting reforms.

It looks to me that the Reuters report is a prime example of how Arab culture will only improve after they start to take responsibility for their own actions.

Remember the BBC reaction to the invasion? How they were practically begging their imbedded reporters to find atrocities committed by US troops, or instances where Saddam’s soldiers defeated American units?

I never would have thought that I’d think of the BBC as the voice of reason when it came to the Middle East.

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Am I Wrong About This?

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In this post I linked to an essay by the incomparable Megan McArdle, where she says that there may be some unintended consequences to gay marriage. (Amongst other things.)

One of the readers who was kind enough to leave a comment to my post, a proponent of gay marriage, had this to say….

“I want to live in a country where people are not denied rights.”

This is a position that many who favor gay marriage assume. That refusing to grant legal sanction to marriages between same sex couples is actually refusing them some basic human right.

I have a problem with this.

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Something to Consider

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Most of my long time readers know that I volunteer for The Pink Pistols, a group that advocates gun ownership and self defense in the gay community. I do this for what I believe to be practical reasons. It’s important that help be extended to anyone who wants to learn how to safely and effectively use a firearm for their own defense, something of which the gay community seems to have a visceral hatred.

Those same readers also know that I advocate gay marriage, but for purely practical reasons. There are significant tangible benefits to marriage (taxes, insurance, loans, inheritance, division of property in case of divorce), and I fail to see why those same benefits can’t be extended to same sex couples.

(As a side note, let me say that I’m not swayed by arguments which claim that full gay marriage is necessary for public acceptance. For example, I own firearms for my own defense and I teach others how to use theirs. As long as this isn’t illegal I don’t care one bit if anyone doesn’t like me doing it.)

The reason why I’m mentioning this is due to this essay by Megan McArdle. (Quick follow up here.) She points out that there might very well be some serious unintended consequences if gay marriage becomes the law of the land. I’m not familiar with the examples she uses to reach her conclusions, so I can’t comment on them until I do some research. But if she’s correct, then I certainly will re-examine my own position.