Note: This is a news and opinion blog on the happenings in Okinawa Japan and the Far East. The opinions expressed here are my own. I don’t comment on every article linked here but, ask that for the sake of context please read the articles, in there entirety, first.

Okinawa in the News:

U.S., DPJ firm in Futenma disagreement

U.S. State and Defense Department representatives are quietly but firmly reiterating that plans for a Futenma relocation will continue as scheduled, even as Democratic Party of Japan political leaders promise to shake things up.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9767

Noise data tests conducted near Marines’ Camp Schwab

American Marine Corps helicopters conducted special flight surveys over Camp Schwab in northern Okinawa yesterday as part of a project requested by Okinawa’s governor.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9769

Okinawa to be model for DPJ changes

Okinawa has been chosen by the Democratic Party of Japan as the prefecture model for implementing changes to its financial and other systems plans in the new government.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9768

Comment: I actually think that this proposal by the DPJ is one that I could actually support. For one, I believe that the local government has a better feel for where money needs to be spent than does the national government. I don’t favor bloated, ineffectual, unresponsive centrally controlled government anymore than I support centrally controlled economies and the malaise they generate. The problem will be where the money was originally supposed to be spent and how vs. who has their hands on it and what they will eventually do with it.

The governor is correct in that Okinawa is a special place as a result of the many military bases here. Projects and money that was/is earmarked for projects concerning the defense of the nation should be controlled by the national government. Given the antimilitary bent of many of the local politicians who are in positions where they might find that they might suddenly have access to funds that were originally supposed to go to national government related projects, there is the opportunity for monkey business with the people’s money.

Japan in the News:

Hatoyama firm: MSDF tour to end

Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama, who is expected to be voted in as prime minister next week, indicated Thursday he remains firm on his plan to end the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, despite Washington's calls for its continuation.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090911a2.html

Comment: This of course will not set well with the U.S. but, the current U.S. administration, other than saying "screw you" to the Okinawan's isn’t doing much to help the situation either.

China, Taiwan, Korea in the News:

China Moves to Retaliate Against U.S. Tire Tariff

China unexpectedly increased pressure Sunday on the United States in a widening trade dispute, taking the first steps toward imposing tariffs on American exports of automotive products and chicken meat in retaliation for President Obama’s decision late Friday to levy tariffs on tires from China.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/business/global/14trade.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Comment: Don’t do it! This is the first step toward repeating the mistakes of the Smoot Hawley Act of the 1930’s that deepened the Great Depression. China probably thinks that they can withstand a protectionist trade war and if they pulled the “nuclear option” of forcing the U.S. to make good on their markers, it could be the beginning of the end for civilization as we know it. I don’t know who said this but they were right when they did; “borders where goods do not pass, armies will!”

Liberal Fascism in the News:

This category is dedicated to the coverage of a host of issues that demonstrate the long armed reach of intrusive “fascist” government policies from around the globe or anything else that limits individual liberty and freedom.

Conservative Grassroots Protest Obamacare, High Taxes, and Big Government

The numbers of conservative protesters at the March on D.C. on Saturday, September 12 wasn't entirely clear. But if numbers for the inauguration were around 2 million, eyeball estimates for the crowd would have been about half that.

http://townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2009/09/12/conservative_grassroots_protest_obamacare,_high_taxes,_and_big_government?page=full&comments=true

Comment: I was surprised to find that this event made the Japan morning TV news. I was in the next room checking email and enjoying my morning coffee before heading off to work so I didn’t hear what the Japanese MSM commentary regarding the event entailed. Unlike the story attached above, it probably branded the participants of the event as rouges and scalawags, which has been the American MSM template. But it’s important to note that they, the Japanese media, didn’t ignore it. That in itself is a sign that hope and change is loosing its flavor on this side of the pond too. Are Japanese voters seeing what is happening in America and as a result, getting a dose of buyer’s remorse?

It will be interesting to see what Japan’s new leadership does as a result of this. Are they seeing that “Hope and Change” isn’t all its cracked up to be, and will as a result actually decide to follow through with their economic policies as promised vice just the lip service they likely gave it during the campaign? For Japan’s sake, and for their political future, they had better be able to read the tea leaves here. If they were just following the American Demagogue Rat Party model of promise everything and deliver nothing, they could be in for a big surprise. Are protests like this in Japan’s not too distant future? It’s going to be fun to watch.

Svensmark: “global warming stopped and a cooling is beginning” – “enjoy global warming while it lasts”

Indeed, global warming stopped and a cooling is beginning. No climate model has predicted a cooling of the Earth, on the contrary. This means that projections of future climate is unpredictable, writes Henrik Svensmark.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/09/10/svensmark-global-warming-stopped-and-a-cooling-is-beginning-enjoy-global-warming-while-it-lasts/

Quote of the Week:

"My favorite poem is the one
that starts 'Thirty days hath
September' because it actually
tells you something."
~~~~Groucho Marx

Joke of the Week:

Clunkers...

-I guess I must be on the wrong page. A vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline.
-A vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year.
-So, the average clunker transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year.
-They claim 700,000 vehicles were traded in so that's 224 million gallons a year.
-That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil or about ¼ of one day's consumption.
-At $75/bbl., 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars.
-So, we all contributed to spending $3 billion to save $350 million.
-How good a deal was that???

Once again, the joke is on all of us! 2010 is just around the corner; this time around let’s throw all the bums out!!!!

Bonus Joke:

A man is sitting in a bar in Arizona and far from home when Barack Obama comes on TV. The man looks at the TV and says, "Obama is a horse's behind."  Out of nowhere, a local jumps up and punches him in the face, knocking the guy off his bar stool, then stomps out.

He gets back up, rubbing his cheek and orders another beer.  Shortly after, Michelle Obama appears on the TV.  He looks at the TV and says, "She’s a horse's behind too!" Out of nowhere, another local punches him in the other side of the face, knocking him off his bar stool again.

He gets back up and looks at the bartender, "I take it this is Obama country?" "Nope." replies the bartender. This is "horse country."