One-Trick Party

The other day my friend, Zane, mentioned his annual prediction.

This time he predicted the Republicans, should Mr. Trump lose in 2020 or become unemployed prior to the election, will return to their ol’ tried and true strategy: misinformation, misdirection and obstruction.

“I predict”, prognosticated Zane, “That the Republicans will return to the days of yore by once again demanding that the federal budget be balanced and the national debt be reduced or eliminated, else the USA will become bankrupt.”

“And, if those far-left-leaning liberals (read socialists) a.k.a. the Democrats, don’t do their bidding, by eliminating or at least greatly reducing those outrageous ‘entitlements’, a.k.a. Social Security, Medicare, child support, unemployment insurance, food stamps, etc., they’ll shut down the government.”

“Why?” I asked.

“That’s the only strategy they have ever had,” he explained.

“They’re a one-trick party.”

“But, what about the $3 Trillion Mr. Trump and the Rs added to the national debt by cutting taxes for the rich and the corporations? Plus, the expansion of the Defense budget  by more than $ 133 Billion? And, the missing, $21 Trillion?”, I exclaimed.

“Like I said”, Zane reiterated, “A one-trick party.”

"Cut taxes for the rich and the corporations; eliminate our (the 99.9%) meager social safety net; and, make a whole bunch of blood money for their corporate benefactors through endless wars."

Expecting something else, like Mr. Einstein said, is the definition of insanity.”

I guess we'll see, won't we? But, then, I thought, I've lived through this before.

Paul Simon - One-Trick Pony (Live) - 1980

How Rude… and Spooky, Too!

Our Canadian brothers and sisters at the University of Waterloo have developed a new form of radar that puts to use "quantum entanglement". You might recall that Mr. Einstein labeled that stuff, "spooky action at a distance."

“Quantum radar”, as it’s called, “ uses a sensing technique called quantum illumination to detect and receive information about an object. At its core, it leverages the quantum principle of entanglement, where two photons form a connected, or entangled, pair”.

The new technology helps “cut through heavy background noise and isolate objects —including stealth aircraft and missiles— with unparalleled accuracy”.

How rude of them! How many $zillions did we spend on stealth aircraft and other stealthy tech?

Here’s the story:

Quantum radar will expose stealth aircraft, University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, 12 Apr 2018.

"Stealth aircraft in the Canadian arctic will be no match for a new quantum radar system."

"Researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing a new technology that promises to help radar operators cut through heavy background noise and isolate objects —including stealth aircraft and missiles— with unparalleled accuracy."

“In the Arctic, space weather such as geomagnetic storms and solar flares interfere with radar operation and make the effective identification of objects more challenging,” said Jonathan Baugh, a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and a professor in the Department of Chemistry who is leading the project with three other researchers at IQC and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. “By moving from traditional radar to quantum radar, we hope to not only cut through this noise, but also to identify objects that have been specifically designed to avoid detection."

"Stealth aircraft rely on special paint and body design to absorb and deflect radio waves—making them invisible to traditional radar. They also use electronic jamming to swamp detectors with artificial noise. With quantum radar, in theory, these planes will not only be exposed, but also unaware they have been detected."

Please go here for more about quantum radar...

Classics IV - Spooky - 1967