"Tied Up and Tortured": The Persecution of Christians, April 2021

PO1 Kevin Dougherty So what's you course of action when the tell you to kick Rocks and boot you from the table?

PO1 Kevin Dougherty And what agency do you have to take an action without starting a.conflict that can ultimately consume you in an entitlement?

Cpl Benjamin Long Entaglement...clearly Google autocorrect is unfamiliar with myamoto mushahi's book of the five rings...

The simple fact is, I suspect China needs us more than we need them. Yes, they have lots of our dollars, but they have been spending them hand over fist on building their military and infrastructure, including highways to cities with no one living in them. We can never be sure in a society where the central government has such a tight control, but some very smart people who study such things and who have some knowledge of the inside workings believe that China would be in some serious caca without a steady flow of USD. If that is the case, then we have some serious leverage on them.

All that said, I suspect it's just a mater of time before they move on Taiwan. If they do, I see two choices. We help Taiwan stand up to the bullies on the block, or we write off SE Asia. If they take Taiwan, I suspect Vietnam will be next, as they have significant amounts of resources that China wants. Heck they already tried to annex part of Vietnam along the border. Of course if they and others see that we were not willing to back our words re: Taiwan, they may just fold under pressure and let China take what they want. Not that they're lacking in courage, but realistically, they know that if they do not, China can make the an offer they can't refuse. Face it, we are the only nation strong enough to stare them down.

al-Ḥajaru al-Aswad, the black stone. There are some stories that he spared a statue of Mary and Jesus, but the Christians of that period were not believed to have had statues. In fact such things were prohibited well into the 3rd Century CE. I am not sure, but from what I remember it was at least the 5th century before such art began to emerge.

PO1 Kevin Dougherty Hubal is the only statue he did not destroy at the Kaaba. It is the one true god of the Kaaba.
My god is greater. Allah akbar.