CHINA RESPONSIBLE FOR 60 MILLION DEATHS IN AMERICA

How's that for an inflammatory title?  I keep carping on the Military Industrial Complex for planting scare stories about China, but even they don't go this far.  I drafted this article last year and never got around to posting it.  This is a slow day, so here is this non-MIC red herring titled fear piece about China.

Beginning in 2002, a biological attack from China has infested 15 states from New York to Tennessee.  To partially quote from this article, this "mass carnage" is "the most destructive forest insect ever to invade North American."  Yes, these are not human deaths, for the "spreading infestation has killed some 60 million ash trees."  All because of the emerald ash borer :

which came to America burrowed inside wooden shipping pallets.

But about the Military Industrial Complex regularly arranging with certain reporters to plant ominous stories about Chinese military dominance, when China purchased three aircraft carriers from Australia and Russia, they learned something, then converted them into amusement parks.  Much was made when commissioned last year was the first real Chinese aircraft carrier:

Until you learn that this is just a refurbished Russian ship.  Interesting complication that in sailing the Varyag to China, Turkey wouldn't allow the ship to pass through the Dardenelles, and held it hostage for 15 months until China provided a $360 million tourism and economic aid package, with the story that this was to be refurbished into a casino.  A name has yet to be selected, but it is outfitted with 50 J-15 fighters, a virtual copy of a similar Russian craft.  The avionics are Chinese, but this fighter can't competete with the F-22, once the kinks are removed.  Yet, you got to worry that we taxpayers paid more than $400 million each for 187 of them, which were deemed unfit for war, and are now grounded.  And the first F-22 flew in 1997!  It has two tails, we have them in Hawaii already, and 20 Raptors will be stationed here to protect us from...

Some of you have already viewed this formidable next generation Chinese terror shown to the left.  Fear was expressed that this ship could service their nuclear submarines in secrecy between the hulls.  Oh, this craft  would move at twice the speed of our aircraft carriers.  The reality is that all this is no doubt part of a grand scheme to build up the next Cold War.  Odds are that the American public will believe, but don't be surprised about this particular ship that there was an artistic misunderstanding and the two hulls "seen" in a Chinese shipyard end up being two separate ships.

Also if you keep up with these things, last year:

Chinese 'Carrier-Killer' Missile Could Reshape Sea Combat,

proved to be just another scare story when you find out that this missile has not yet been tested and, according to military specialists, will NOT be a game changer.  But, then, appreciate that this tale of awe came from FOX News, and you begin to understand.

Yet, The Economist showed this comparison to the left.  Graphs of this type can be distressing, for the trend looks dangerous.  However, this same article shows that the Chinese defense budget is less than one-eighth that of the USA.  You see, Congress needs these issues of trepidation to save the next defense budget, so Republicans in the House can instead justify cutting needless spending on food stamps, Medicaid, social services and other questionable government expenses.

By the way, this is not hurricane season for the USA yet, but there are three ocean storms, with Alberto being the first named and expected to veer into the mid-Atlantic.  The disturbance in the east Pacific is predicted to become a hurricane and crash into Mexico:

-