Visas and the International Astronautical Congress — the United States' petty Adam Henry-ism

© 2019 Peter Free

 

23 October 2019

 

 

China was absent, this week . . .

 

. . . from the International Astronautical Congress in Washington, DC.

 

While the American press avoided verifying the cause, the People's Republic forthrightly told the world that the American government had denied its visa requests.

 

Given that China launched more earth orbits last year than anyone else, the American action seems conspicuously petty. At least so, to anyone with a gram of diplomatic sense.

 

The US justified its Adam Henry action this way:

 

 

US space officials are forbidden by law from bilateral cooperation with their Chinese counterparts.

 

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said “that problem is above my pay grade.”

 

This morning, vice president Mike Pence pointedly noted that space cooperation would be aimed only at “freedom-loving nations.”

 

Bridenstine said . . . . “We need to be careful about how we go about bringing new partners in that ultimately could be more harmful than helpful in future. That’s probably what the vice president was referencing in his speech today.”

 

© 2019 Tim Fernholz, The Chinese are noticeably absent from an important global space conference, Quartz (22 October 2019)

 

 

Rather than be honest . . .

 

. . . we evidently choose to keep our silly visa machinations mildly secret.

 

Juding by my Internet search just now, the American media cooperates in this subterfuge by not investigating what's going on (on our end). See, for example, lazy New York Times coverage, here.

 

 

Notice, also, hypocrisy

 

Our puke-inducingly smarmy Vice President flapped his lips about freedom's righteousness.

 

Yet, the United States' long and bloated international record of aggression emphatically does not support his claim.

 

Contrast China's borders-contained historical posture.

 

 

Meanwhile, we continue to lose economic and diplomatic ground

 

While the US struts around the world acting, for the most part, like pillaging jerks, China is quietly building a comparatively peaceful trade network, wherever it can reach.

 

 

For instance, Cuba

 

Did you see this report anywhere in the American press?

 

 

As part of a program to modernize Cuba's aging railway network, the four Chinese trains are now offering nationwide service to the local people, and more and more Cubans have relied on these trains as their key means of cross-country transportation.

 

These four trains have almost doubled the passenger capacity of the previous seven trains, which were acquired secondhand and have been retired after four decades of service.

 

And more Chinese-built trains are on the way. Thanks to a soft loan from China payable over 15 years, Cuba purchased a total of 240 railcars, which are to be delivered in batches of 80 each year through 2021.

 

Each train, built particularly to meet local conditions and needs, as well as international transportation standards, can accommodate up to 720 passengers, a feature new to Cuba.

 

Zhao Jun, vice president of the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC), the manufacturer of the new trains, has told Xinhua that the company has been working with Cuba's Ministry of Transportation for several years to help modernize Cuba's rail system.

 

© 2019 Xinhua, Chinese-built trains benefit over 200,000 Cubans in 3 months, Global Times (22 October 2019)

 

 

Notice another Adam Henry contrast

 

What has American policy toward Cuba been for decades?

 

Mercilessly quarantine the commie bastards.

 

To no geopolitically effective result.

 

 

Equally laughable — in this international comparison of effectiveness

 

Can we keep our own, very slow trains from crashing on a regular basis?

 

No.

 

Yet, we all know — or should know — how fast and efficiently modern Chinese trains run.

 

 

On the basis of all the above — let's pose a policy question

 

Do you think that not granting visas is going to keep the People's Republic of China from making its space presence felt?

 

 

The moral? — The United States is really good at misdirecting our assholism

 

Given resentful human nature, a policy of self-righteous nastiness appears unlikely to win (us) a long happy future.

 

Vice President Mike Pence's brain-dead oiliness is probably a good predictor of the United States' pustulent tomorrows.