Rumsfeld’s speech in Singapore

I found it on the Internet on Wednesday.

 

First I googled "why the investment" (together with Rumsfeld, of course), it did not work.

 

Malicious.

 

And nasty, too.

 

The U.S. Congress requires that the U.S. Department of Defense report annually on China's perceived military strategy and its military modernization.   The Department's 2005 report is scheduled to be released soon.

 

Among other things, the report concludes that China's defense expenditures are much higher than Chinese officials have published.   It is estimated that China's is the third largest military budget in the world, and clearly the largest in Asia.

 

China appears to be expanding its missile forces, allowing them to reach targets in many areas of the world, not just the Pacific region, while also expanding its missile capabilities within this region.   China also is improving its ability to project power, and developing advanced systems of military technology.

 

Since no nation threatens China, one must wonder:

 

• Why this growing investment?
• Why these continuing large and expanding arms purchases?
• Why these continuing robust deployments?

 

Call it like I see it?

During the election campaign, Paul Martin advised me on how to join in the fray: "Call it like I see it."

How I wish I had the luxury to "call it like I see it"! Naturally, it's easy for Martin to do so because he is the one that calls the shot, or second in command.

To appreciate my situation, take, for example, of what happened to me almost a week ago.

Last Saturday afternoon, just when I was getting ready to call my friends and relatives in China to wish them a happy New Year, I received a call from a telemarketer who wanted to interview me on funeral homes, cemeteries or cremations.

I still have not got out of my foul mood to call my friends and relatives.

Was it a genuine marketing call, or was somebody trying to irritate me? That's an indeterminate call. -- In the tradition of quantitative assessment, I would say that the chance is 80% that it was a harassing call. [Why do I think so? - I don't want to get into the details because it's too boring to do so.]