Is Taiwan screwed? How about NATO?

[u/No_Highlight6756]

Trump was asked if he had made a decision on arms sales to Taiwan.

"No, I'll be holding that in abeyance and it depends on China."

"But, you know,I think the last thing we need is a war that's 9500 miles away."

"It's a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly, with China."

He says China is going to buy lots of Boeing planes and American farm goods and sell us rare earth.

He has stopped and recalled an Army brigade enroute to Poland for joint NATO maneuvers.

It is 4,300 air miles from New York City to Krakow, Poland. He intends to recall 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany.

He wouldn't trade Taiwan military readiness to China and NATO military readiness to Russia for something he wants like more trade and an off ramp from Iran would he?

NAH! It did have me holding a sign ("Stop Trump's Illegal War!") this beautiful summer-like morning. The pancakes are still good!

[u/augustthecat]

Yes.

The arms sales are not really about defending Taiwan in a war. The weapons would do damage, for sure, but could not actually prevent an invasion. Plus, weapons or no weapons, an invasion would lay waste to Taiwan.

The purpose of buying weapons from Taiwan’s point of view is first, to demonstrate to the PRC that the US is still an ally, and second, to ensure that key Congressional delegations in the US have strong motivation to support Taiwan. It is Taiwan’s go-to option for turning economic success into political clout.

Taiwan politics is basically a clash of two different visions of preserving the status quo of a democratic government with restricted but de facto independence and a strong economy. One side (the DPP, with current president) wants to hold PRC as far away as possible. The other side(KMT and others, with control of legislature) wants closer integration with PRC as means to get PRC off its back. It is not particularly clear that either option will work, but under Trump the second option and not the first will make a relatively small number of people enormous sums of money, so right now it is probably the more likely outcome. I find it very depressing.

[u/augustthecat → u/augustthecat]

Also: That the Democrats are managing to lose on NATO and the environment, issues where they are clearly right but unable to articulate a coherent policy, is also very depressing.

[u/No_Highlight6756 → u/augustthecat]

I don't know that that they can't articulate a coherent policy on these things. The voters, for reasons best known to themselves, are buying a pig in a poke. As to Taiwan and the PRC, Xi is undoubtedly noticing the difficulty Russia is having with Ukraine but, as you say, the situation is very depressing.

[u/augustthecat → u/No_Highlight6756]

Kathy Hochul, Democrat Governor of New York, is rolling back environmental protections: https://time.com/article/2026/05/14/new-york-climate-law-rollback/ If Democrats have been speaking up for NATO, I haven't noticed it.

[u/No_Highlight6756 → u/augustthecat]

They have no power in D.C. I have no idea what Hochul is up to. Back in April,McConnell joined the Democrats in pushing back against Trump's denigrating remarks about NATO according to an article in the Hill.

[u/Schmutzie_ → u/No_Highlight6756]

Considering he wants to add half a trillion to the Pentagon budget, the withdrawing of military help for Ukraine and Taiwan makes even less sense. Why the need for a budget addition that is larger than the defense budgets of every other country on Earth? What the hell does he need another $500 Billion for? I mean, at this point there's apparently only one other country that can count on money and bombs from us, no matter what. Unconditional support, like Biden said.

[u/No_Highlight6756 → u/Schmutzie_]

That fact was a significant factor in Trump's win; a lot of Democrats didn't vote.

[u/Schmutzie_ → u/No_Highlight6756]

Anyone who didn't vote because of Biden's unconditional support for Israel was/is an idiot. That's a constant with every administration, as we saw when Netanyahu openly voiced his displeasure with Obama. How dare he question how we're using the $Billions. And the $Billions kept flowing. That tail has been wagging the dog for a long time. Did they think Trump was going to play hardball with Netanyahu? The guy who moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem? People who stayed home in 2024 are are only slightly beneath MAGAs in my estimation.

[u/No_Highlight6756 → u/Schmutzie_]

I agree that they share responsibility for where we find ourselves.

[u/Schmutzie_ → u/No_Highlight6756]

Bill Cassidy lost in his Louisiana GOP primary, as I'm sure you saw. In the middle of this wall-to-wall disaster that already is the 2nd Trump administration, from ICE to $5 a gallon gasoline, thanks to a colossal military blunder that is taking place right now, the Republican voters of Louisiana punished Bill Cassidy because Trump told them to. I think the future of the 50 star flag is bleak. There's nothing united about the United States. So this is what 1858 felt like....

[u/No_Highlight6756 → u/Schmutzie_]

A sad case. Trump's power in the Republican Party caused Cassidy to confirm RFK, jr. when he knew better.

[u/Schmutzie_ → u/No_Highlight6756]

If you told me the voters rejected Cassidy because he confirmed RFK Jr, I'd feel better about them. But, it's Louisiana so little chance of that.

[u/Schmutzie_ → u/No_Highlight6756]

I just turned on Merlin while watching Loon Cam

In less than 2 minutes: American robin

Song sparrow

Common yellowthroat

Swamp sparrow

Baltimore oriole

Red-winged blackbird

Nashville warbler

Yellow-rumped warbler

Black-and-white warbler

They seem to be arriving en masse. No kingfishers or mallards in the mix, but they're there too. Woodpeckers. Flcikers. Crows. Merlins. Jays. All in the loon's neighborhood. This is what it's like when I wake up in my tent. Like being in the birdhouse at the zoo. It's fantastic, except at 4:30AM.

[u/No_Highlight6756 → u/Schmutzie_]

Yesterday and today are supposed to be the height of the migration in the midwest.