China seized an American water drone — an arguable act of war — and the American Mainstream kept yapping about relatively trivial Russian antics

© 2016 Peter Free

 

19 December 2016

 

 

We can't even distinguish acts of war from harmless nonsense

 

For weeks, the US mainstream has been prattling about Russia's alleged hacking of American politics, as if this posed an existential threat to American democracy.

 

In marked contrast — to these comparatively trivial Russian actions, which the United States itself regularly engages in abroad — the People's Republic of China seized an American water drone from international waters in view of its American crew.

 

Yet, virtually no one in the American press or leadership has had noticeably much to say about this act, which sits nakedly on the brink of an invitation to war.

 

 

The moral? — Ours seems to be a genuinely silly country

 

Stephan Richter made this point (in another context) a while back.

 

We are in a world of hurt, when we cannot distinguish between:

 

 

(a) overt challenges to our military influence

 

and

 

(b) cyber-hacking propaganda shenanigans.

 

 

The United States seems determined to suicide in moron stew.