President Obama is in China for a meeting of the G20. There are a great many important issue and some surprising recent events in that region. Here are just a few:
1. China is trying to take control of a large part of the South China Sea by building islands on top of coral reefs and establishing air and naval bases there. This part of the Pacific is one through which almost 40% of world trade passes. It is and has always been international waters. The UN ruled that China has no valid claim to the area. Nevertheless, the Chinese power grab continues.
2. North Korea continues to build missiles. Just today, it tested three medium range missiles. It will not be too much longer before the NKs have ICBMs that can hit much of the USA.
3. When Obama landed in China, the Chinese made a point of treating him rather brusquely. They didn't roll a stairway to Air Force One so that he could make his usual grand entrance. Instead, Obama had to leave the plane via the escape stairs in the belly of the plane. Then, a Chinese official got into a shouting match on the tarmac with National Security Adviser Susan Rice. The altercation got so bad that the Secret Service had to step in to stop it. No country would normally treat the president of the United States in this manner. China, where formality is so important in diplomacy, certainly did this intentionally to make a point. It is a terrible omen for future Sino-American relations.
That's just a sample. So today when Obama gave a short press conference in China, what was the subject on which the media focused? It's simple; the media asked questions about what Obama thinks of Colin Kaepernick, the second string quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers who did not stand for the national anthem before two games.
It's hard to imagine why the mainstream media ignored the major issues. I know they don't want to embarrass Obama especially now when Hillary and Trump are running so closely in the polls. Still, having Obama address the real and important issues is more important than trying to help Clinton get elected. Each of the three items above could indicate that America is on a course to war. I'm not saying that is likely, so don't send emails. Still, these are a lot more important than whether or not the backup quarterback stands for the Star Spangled Banner.
The media ought to be ashamed of itself.
1. China is trying to take control of a large part of the South China Sea by building islands on top of coral reefs and establishing air and naval bases there. This part of the Pacific is one through which almost 40% of world trade passes. It is and has always been international waters. The UN ruled that China has no valid claim to the area. Nevertheless, the Chinese power grab continues.
2. North Korea continues to build missiles. Just today, it tested three medium range missiles. It will not be too much longer before the NKs have ICBMs that can hit much of the USA.
3. When Obama landed in China, the Chinese made a point of treating him rather brusquely. They didn't roll a stairway to Air Force One so that he could make his usual grand entrance. Instead, Obama had to leave the plane via the escape stairs in the belly of the plane. Then, a Chinese official got into a shouting match on the tarmac with National Security Adviser Susan Rice. The altercation got so bad that the Secret Service had to step in to stop it. No country would normally treat the president of the United States in this manner. China, where formality is so important in diplomacy, certainly did this intentionally to make a point. It is a terrible omen for future Sino-American relations.
That's just a sample. So today when Obama gave a short press conference in China, what was the subject on which the media focused? It's simple; the media asked questions about what Obama thinks of Colin Kaepernick, the second string quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers who did not stand for the national anthem before two games.
It's hard to imagine why the mainstream media ignored the major issues. I know they don't want to embarrass Obama especially now when Hillary and Trump are running so closely in the polls. Still, having Obama address the real and important issues is more important than trying to help Clinton get elected. Each of the three items above could indicate that America is on a course to war. I'm not saying that is likely, so don't send emails. Still, these are a lot more important than whether or not the backup quarterback stands for the Star Spangled Banner.
The media ought to be ashamed of itself.
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