Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Neglect is hurting military morale

J. Michael Cole 寇謐將

In his Art of War (孫子兵法) military treatise, ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu (孫子) makes a convincing case for the need to ensure good morale in the ranks while undermining that of one’s opponent, adding that this will be a determining factor in a military’s will to fight.

If Sun were alive today and asked to assess the balance of morale in the Taiwan Strait, he would quickly conclude that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is faring much better than the Taiwanese military. A handful of factors in recent years have contributed to this state of affairs, including the inability of Taiwan to keep up with the PLA in terms of modernization of its military, defeatism in the public sphere and lack of a clear mandate from the executive branch.

US lawmakers welcome Dalai Lama at Capitol

Taipei Times

US lawmakers hailed the Dalai Lama as a global inspiration as they welcomed him on Thursday at the Capitol, urging US President Barack Obama to defy China and also meet the exiled Tibetan leader.

Members of the US House of Representatives briefly put aside a rancorous debate on taming the US debt to receive the Dalai Lama, a rare figure embraced by both sides of the US political spectrum.

US House Speaker John Boehner, the third highest-ranking US official under the Constitution, said lawmakers spoke to the Dalai Lama about “our shared values not just in Tibet and China, but in the Middle East as well.”

Obama turning away from Taiwan

John Copper

Liberals don’t like Asians. Asians are basically conservative: They don’t like big and intrusive government and despise high taxes and welfare. Asians espouse strong family values. They are not egalitarian.

When Asians are asked what they don’t like about the US, their top answer is affirmative action and quotas in college and university admission that grievously discriminate against Asians — core tenets of the liberal Democratic Party’s agenda.

US President Barack Obama is an uber-liberal, the most liberal US president ever. Hence the above view of Asians held by liberals applies to him even more. He is an enthusiastic advocate of expanding government, higher taxes and racial quotas.

Opposition questions comic fest choice

Taipei Times

Taiwan has turned down an opportunity to join an exhibition as a “theme country” in a renowned European comic convention, prompting criticism from opposition lawmakers yesterday over the government’s commitment to participating in international activities.

The organizers of the Angouleme International Comics Festival, the largest of its kind in Europe, had invited Taiwan to take part in the convention next year as a theme country, but the Taiwanese government rejected the invitation.

Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) defended the decision at a press conference, saying “it was simply due to limited budget resources and manpower,” making it difficult for the government to prepare for the event in such a short period.

More Articles...