President Trump exerts Presidential authority over the flow of knowledge

Spurred by US companies who claim patent infringement by companies in China, Trump is attempting to control the ways in which one company finds out another company's trade secrets.  Now this "criminality" is international, and has been committed over the centuries.  I suppose it could be argued that the Englishmen who came to American shores with knowledge how to make furniture and other goods here in America rather than in England had copied the English methods of design and production of manufacturing certain goods.  The point is, its up to the company to hire security personnel to assure their secret processes and formulas are not stolen by other, e.g., their competitors.  And it is true that many US manufacturers would rather do business with India rather than with China companies just for reasons of secrecy in their own ways of making products and doing business.

What Trump can't control is the multitude of universities and research centers where ideas and formulas and computer code are exchanged every working day and then some.  Knowledge will be shared and widely disseminated, but that does not mean that in every country A-bombs are being manufactured nor are currently being planned for production!

There's a problem, to be sure with the very notion of patents; and patent infringement is being addressed by corporations interested in keeping their ways secret and protected.

Trump's tariffs to hit US technology companies and US farm owners, despite Trump's assurances

So, what's new and unanticipated?  Tariffs are bound to take a toll!  But the China-US trade war will have a lasting effect, since the Administration thinks it can continue on this road unblocked  and unimpeded. I think it will just will look like the US is having its own way!

The real losers will be the technology stocks.  The future of the tech world is contingent on trade on the same par between US and China.  Trump has been suckered into thinking he can simply raise the tariffs on goods from China; and everything will be ok with the US going on its own.  It is losing friendly partners fast.   

His deal with Japan on imported Japanese cars simply means that Japan must increase its trade with China and the East.  Defense of Japan has been a US responsibility; but with Trump as President, there is no certainty the US will be a controlling factor in the East.  Russia is already in the Mid-East.  The Saudis are not what they once were.  There's a stalemate in Yemen.  I don't think what once was is still the case.  International changes are taking place in response to US tariffs.

Add to these possible contingencies because of the US tariff war with China, the junk from pollution is filling the air and causing climate havoc to be likely felt during the summer humid months ahead.  In the offing are anticipated more storms, so often accompanied with tornadoes.  By the way, has there been relief on its way to Puerto Rico from prior occurrences?
     

I attended a recent diocese planning meeting

On Thursday, May 16 in the evening I attended a recent Diocese of Washington planning session to talk about possible happenings at the Episcopal Church in my vicinity.

 It was a fun event; and I enjoyed it.  I mentioned how I thought the Church could grow in membership in the future.  Alluding to the phenomenon in religion of great preachers like Billy Graham, I said that the Church's sermons today lacked especial relevance to the world we live in.  I urged that our priests could do well to take as their exemplar the Great Father Bacon of All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, whose sermons awakened his congregation with a sense of our doing the right thing as is part of God's purpose in our lives.

I brought out that we Christians should object to joining forces with the Saudis in the Yemen war to throw out the rebels.  I don't even think my hearers know our role in that conflict.  Oh well.

At the end of the session, I was glad someone spoke out that we should have something like a revival preacher come to Washington and stage an event or two!   

President Trump tries to force US foreign policy upon EU friendly countries

I think it's despicable and unseemly that our President Trump wants nations friendly with us to enforce our policy of sanctions against Iran upon them!  After all, it's was the US that pulled out of the nuclear agreement our several nations had with Iran regarding its nuclear development and armament.  I understand they are unhappy with the US' wanting them to continue the sanctions.

But then again, the US has been trying to topple the Iranian government since Carter and Reagan; but Iranian faith lives on.

Whack-O Theory of 5/15/19: President Trump Decreases US trading market share for sake of China Cash!

We don't know when a deal will be struck with the Chinese over trade.  So, a Whack-O Theory just in case the uncertainty lingers on and on!  Please remember, this scenario is a fake.

The following seems the case:

1.  The Republican Party has tended to lean toward "made in the USA" stamped on its goods rather
than "made in  China."  That is to say, Trump would have American sold items be made from raw materials found on US soil and produced or manufactured in the US rather than have such items made out of the country.

2.  By pulling out of the TPP, the US has enabled China to become the lead superpower in this trading block.

3.  As the tariff war continues between China and the US, the federal government can steadily feast upon the money taken in from tariffs imposed upon China goods.

4.  China has recently sent Italy a memo of understanding, it has been reported, confirming that it would be willing to act as distributor of EU made goods sent to African nations via its favored trade routes from Italian port cities. 

Ultimate result of a continued trade war between them could be an economic depression that would extend beyond the boundaries of the two countries.
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Also:

Iran claims the US is looking for a fight.  At first, it considered the chaotic situation in Venezuela but decided at this time not to send troops into South America but to float a US aircraft carrier into the waters off Iran as a sign of military presence in the near East.  If conflict were to erupt between them, Trump's attempt for  a second-term might benefit, since voters in the US may be favorably disposed that he should continue as President at such a time.       
   

Religion has its bounds of authority!

Christianity went through a time of reformation in which the bounds of religious authority in the lives of its believers became clear: the realm of the body was that of the physical; the religious realm was and is spiritual.  And if physical, capable of fact and knowledge; but if spiritual or community influence, subject to belief and opinion.

Just today, CBS news is reporting that a Jewish community is in the throes of a measles epidemic that some parents don't recognize nor think it will affect their children's health.  Put bluntly, these parents are endangering the lives of their children on behalf of their religious convictions.  But these demonstratives have no meaning in a physical world of body and flesh.

India and Nepal are lands where Buddhism sway parents on what to believe about the nature of illness and cleanliness.  They have there rivers and streams that can cause serious disease; yet humans and animals are freely permitted to pollute.  Something urgent must be done to rectify this problem in the physical realm, causing religious belief to become thought of as (scientific) knowledge.

"How well is the X-federal branch of government doing/federal project doing?"

The GAO evaluates the performance of agencies and departments, even sub-departments of the federal government rather nicely.  I've learned a lot over the years by reading some of them.  The GAO people are dedicated and filled with excellent ideas to improve an organization they are tasked to study!  And, of course, there's the voting public that through their vote express some overall opinion.

But the question needs to be asked of the various projects, some of which last for years and years "how well are you doing?"  Maybe, there's some clandestine group that asks the question of some project management team, that I've never crossed paths with, but I find if so, they're not having much of an impact.

I raised the question with those who had a say in the US involvement over the years in overseeing the training of the current crop of Chinese leadership in government, technology, and business.  How often did they express evaluative comments on how the training was going that we provided?   I think, personally. we did a fantastic job, far and above what could have been expected.

That's another thing.  I thing I like most about the US military brass is their commitment to de-centralization: they set the ground-rules and let the tasked commander do his job--with their help from above ever omnipresent, of course.  I've talked to a lot of decision-people who are under this chain of command; and they enjoy their work very much!

Anyway, I think a group like the GAO is needed to be on the job in the projects arena, to be sure.