Generational Dynamics World View News

[tim]

https://www.wired.com/story/fengyun-shi ... otography/

The Unusual Espionage Act Case Against a Drone Photographer

In seemingly the first case of its kind, the US Justice Department has charged a Chinese national with using a drone to photograph a Virginia shipyard where the US Navy was assembling nuclear submarines.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/11/us-news/c ... orce-base/

A Chinese citizen has been busted after he allegedly flew a drone and snapped aerial images of the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California last month, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Yinpiao Zhou, a 39-year-old permanent US resident, was nabbed at San Francisco International Airport on Monday attempt to flee on a China-bound flight, according to the Justice Department.

“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/23/chinese-d ... ing-fears/

WASHINGTON – Chinese-made drones have breached restricted airspace above the nation’s capital hundreds of times in recent months, presenting both a possible security threat and means for foreign adversaries to spy on sensitive US locations, Politico reported Wednesday.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 260712007/

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Chinese citizens posing as tourists but suspected of being spies have made several attempts in recent years to gain access to military facilities in this vast state studded with sensitive bases, according to U.S. officials.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/18/us-news/d ... d-us-land/

Drones spotted near at least 17 military bases located next to Chinese-owned land in US

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/21/politics ... index.html

A series of drone sightings over military bases across the country has renewed concerns that the US doesn’t have clear government-wide policy for how to deal with unauthorized incursions that could potentially pose a national security threat.

“We’re one year past Langley drone incursions and almost two years past the PRC spy balloon. Why don’t we have a single [point of contact] who is responsible for coordination across all organizations in the government to address this?” the recently retired head of US Northern Command and NORAD, Gen. Glen VanHerck, told CNN. “Instead, everybody’s pointing their fingers at each other saying it’s not our responsibility.”

Indeed, there have been multiple instances of drone incursions over military bases since mysterious drone swarms were spotted around Joint Base Langley-Eustis and other sensitive military sites in Virginia last year, and since a Chinese spy balloon transited the continental US in 2023.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/why-are-t ... ted-states

Since mid-November 2024, U.S. residents in several East Coast states have reported hovering and low-flying bright lights at night that many observers assess to be uncrewed aerial systems (UASs), commonly called drones. To date, federal and state authorities have been unable to explain or corroborate the sightings, suggesting that some may be attributed to crewed airplanes or helicopters.

https://theaviationist.com/2024/05/17/s ... onage-row/

Swiss Hotel In Espionage Row: U.S. Fears Chinese Spy Plot Near F-35 Base

A century-old hotel in Unterbach, Switzerland, has become the focus of American intelligence due to its proximity to Meiringen airfield, where the Swiss Air Force plans to base its F-35A fighter jets.
Hotel Rössli, a century-old log cabin in the Alpine village of Unterbach, offers breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains and a nearby waterfall. However, it’s the view from the back of the hotel that has caught the attention of American intelligence. Located just 100 meters from the hotel’s back, the Meiringen airfield will soon host the F-35s of the Swiss Air Force.

[Navigator]

Overall, Trump seems to be doing pretty good.

Kudos for:

• Rounding up criminal illegal aliens.

• Strong-arming their countries to take them back.

• Stopping funding on completely "nutzo" foreign aid programs, like $50M for condoms for Gazans.

• Stopping wasteful/hurtful/divisive domestic programs, namely DEI

• Attempting to reduce Federal employees, especially those in wasteful jobs

• Moving incompetents and DEI focused leftists out of Senior leadership and policy positions

• Working to remove anti-Semite foreign nationals

• Removing the Security Clearances for those who signed off on the Hunter Biden laptop being "Russian Disinformation"

• Calling out, to their faces, the incompetent leadership responsible for the LA Fire disaster

• Restoring sanity to the "Transgender" issue.

• Starting to Seal the Border

• Ending Federal funding of Abortions

Yet there are some questionable things:

• Not killing Tik-Tok

• Bitcoin Initiative for the Treasury

• Nominating RFK Jr and Fox News Personalities to Cabinet/other High Level positions

• Trying to strong-arm Denmark to sell us Greenland (yes, I know its strategically important, and we should certainly help defend it. Denmark is, right now, probably our most dependable NATO ally).

And some things that are downright scary:

• Pardon and release of those Jan 6 protesters who committed assault or other violent acts.

• Ending the security protections of former senior officials who are under threat by Iran, just because they disagreed in some matters with Trump (namely Bolton).

These last to things are scary in that it seems that he is ok with violence in his behalf, or against those that he views as "disloyal". Hopefully this is not followed by revenge initiatives on his behalf. Though I will point out that going after the Biden crime family would have been in the cause of justice, since they were obviously all crooks/thieves/influence peddlers.

[Jack Edwards]

Thanks for posting Navigator and keeping the forum alive. It's a good list, in the spirit of healthy debate some of my opinions:

-Rounding up criminal aliens: I recognize that every person that entered the country illegally is a criminal, but I wish we would differentiate between the violent criminals - drug runner - illicit sex rings etc. and folks that are just trying to make a better lives for themselves more.. I know many hispanics and have worked in youth ministrys with many of their kids. They are good folk, and their kids know english better than spanish. I don't ask if they here legally. It's just lumping everyone into one category that feels unnecessarily over the top. It is an issue that doesn't have an easy solution. Employers that cheat the system with undocumented workers should be heavily penalized. It's also critical that we get bad actors out NOW before a crisis war happens and that can negatively impact us - and somewhat justifiable that some immigrants who are actually adding value get scooped up with the bad... But I wish we could handle it in a more nuanced manner.

-DEI - I didn't expect this forceful of a response, but I've seen so much bad/evil come from this that I do approve of the abrupt firing and elimination of these programs.

-Reducing federal employee staffing. Well, yes it's massively over staffed and wasteful. But this recent initiative of get back in the office NOW or resign is heavy handed and punishes the good with the bad. I feel for a friend who I know works his tail off that has a job that can easily be handled remotely. I've had a similar initiative hit me in my private work place.. where rules were made for one class of employee and applied to all. Doesn't feel good to have a policy enforced on you that doesn't make sense for your job role - especially when you weren't abusing the privilege. The model of reducing staffing they are following is - let's see how many people we can get to quit by treating them badly.. It's a crappy way to manage people. The problem with the federal government - and plenty of private employers is they don't want to manage their folks. If you want to downsize the staffing of the federal government by 20% - the best way to do it is to manage out the worst 20% and keep the best performers.. But this is the federal government - so it's probably not possible to do that...

-Not killing Tik-Tok. Laws are laws.. congress makes them the executive branch enforces them.. I learned that in 4th and 5th grade.. It's bad when Biden tried to make his own laws, it's bad when Trump decides he isn't going to follow a law.

-Nominating Hegseth. You made good points about how he doesn't know about what kind of technologies to fund (which is half the job).. I wish we could debate the capability of people for the job at hand vs this idiotic showmanship we do now. He seems to have made a lot of sketchy decisions in his personal life. If you want to run a large organization - go get experience running a smaller organization first.

-Nominating Kennedy. Some of his positions may be out there, but somebody needs to do something about the poison being put into our food and the run-away pharmaceutial industry putting their expensive drugs into everything. The Dems are supposed to be for standing up for the little people that don't have a voice - but they really are about control and corporate money. The R's are supposed to be for limited government - but this is a place where we need more government because the systems we have are terrible. I kind of doubt he will get confirmed, if he does, I figure Trump will reign him in. But I would like to see what he would do if given a chance.. and I know you feel differently about that.

-Greenland - yea, this is stupid.. so is changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico. I didn't like it when the D's told me what my vocabulary had to be so I would be more inclusive, and I don't like it when Trump tells me to change my vocabulary. I believe that 350 million of us own the American English Language and one person doesn't get to choose to change what we all own. Feels like picking a stupid fight.. why?!

-Ending security details - it could have handled differently - like telling him he was losing it in 90 days and to make other plans. It looks vindicative, although I generally think he is more interested in winning the next fight than retaliating against a fight of the past.

-Not mentioned - firing IG's without giving 30 day notice.. Come on! follow the rules.

So, on the one hand, Trump 2.0 is much more effective and is doing what he said he would do - albeit in a heavy handed way. On the other, Trump doesn't believe in democracy - or our constitution, he's just another autocrat and as such needs to be watched and criticized. There's a group of followers that are going to make excuses for anything he does.. I hate that when it happens with the D's and will hate it when it happens with Trump.

Regards,
Jack

[spottybrowncow]

It is an issue that doesn't have an easy solution.

That's the best entry I've ever seen for "understatement of the year."

To give the criminal illegal aliens who haven't committed any other crimes except to come over illegally a pass, or worse, a path to citizenship, would be an absolute back-hand-bitch-slap-to-the-face of every foreigner who has waited patiently and tried to gain entrance legally. Not to mention, I'd bet every cent I have that the ones trying to come legally are head-and-shoulders more qualified than the ones who come illegally. I can actually stomach DACA, and mercy for people brought over illegally as juveniles, but any adults who came illegally need to get out, even if they've been here 20 years and teach Sunday school, at least temporarily. After we have worked through the rolls of people patiently waiting to come legally, maybe the former illegals can try to do it correctly.

But of course, I voted for Trump, so all my opinions are probably racist.

[Navigator]

The immigration problem could have been solved by a graduated guest worker program. Apply to enter it. If approved, you come here, without your family and work. Prove you are productive, and you get to bring in your immediate family (no extended family). No handouts along the way. Guest worker program has a self funded insurance plan (so they don't clog up our ERs at high cost to taxpayers).

Employers required to use these "guest workers" if they show they cannot find US workers for the jobs. SEVERE penalties for hiring/paying people without proper documentation. (like $100K per instance, plus 30 day jail time for the HR person doing the hiring, or 6 months in jail if you can't pay - like a landscaper paying illegals in cash).

Overstaying a visa would mean 3 months in a work camp prior to deportation and a permanent entry ban. Proof of citizenship or proper visa/documentation required for any government id and service. Also required upon employment or in the course of any law enforcement enquiry.

The above would have fixed the problem 50 years ago. Problem was, neither side wanted it. Dems wanted to flood the country and create a bigger pool of dependents whose votes they figure they could count on. Republicans beholden to corporate donors who wanted to hire illegals at below market wages. Plus many on both extremes are opposed to any kind of documentation requirement (for example, anyone getting any kind of government ID or service should be fingerprinted, and give a DNA sample)

[Navigator]

The problem now is that there are so many millions of illegals that it is probably fiscally impossible to round them all up and send them back. If the law abiding one's keep their heads down, they will probably remain here.

That is, until there is a crisis war. Then, due to the sabotage that will most likely happen, people will have to prove who they are and how they have a right to be here.

[Cool Breeze]

Trump's doing a great job so far, but we'll see how it progresses. There are a ton of challenges ahead, including the fiscal issues and huge debts/deficits. Also, we'll see if he gets pushed into war. There are a lot of war hawks on this forum, sadly, so I hope they can shelve that for a clearer understanding of how impactful peace can be, and just how anti-peace a lot of the American foreign policies have been, especially recently.

[Guest]

I was not sure I would ever get to see this but, we are witnessing the dismantling of the old guard in real time. I wonder if this is what it felt like after the election in 1932. Wish John was able to see what has happened over the past two weeks.

[spottybrowncow]

Pray that it continues, Brother.
TGBTG.

[Navigator]

More Kudos to Trump for getting Mexico and Canada to agree to the border control conditions he wanted as a result of the 1 day trade war.

Same for going after USAID, and its beyond belief funding of LGTBQ stuff around the world.

Even more Kudos for the agreement with El Salvador to take the violent criminal illegal deportees. It would be great if we could send the most violent US citizens there too, but I'm afraid that will be blocked.