From: jl@glen--canyon.com   
      
   On Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:47:47 -0500, Joe Gwinn    
   wrote:   
      
   >On Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:00:24 -0800, john larkin    
   >wrote:   
   >   
   >>On Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:37:50 -0500, Joe Gwinn    
   >>wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>On Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:44:49 -0800, john larkin    
   >>>wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>>On Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:17:31 -0500, Joe Gwinn    
   >>>>wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>On Fri, 6 Feb 2026 23:35:39 +0100, Jeroen Belleman   
   >>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>>On 2/6/26 22:22, Joe Gwinn wrote:   
   >>>>>>> On Fri, 6 Feb 2026 17:43:13 +0100, Jeroen Belleman   
   >>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> On 2/6/26 15:50, Jeroen Belleman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>> On 2/6/26 14:21, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>> On 6/02/2026 8:26 pm, Liz Tuddenham wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Bill Sloman  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> On 6/02/2026 1:52 am, Liz Tuddenham wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Don Y  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> I fully expect this to happen during Trump's administration.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> He probably realizes he won't be able to do anything about it,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> especially after his designs on other foreign countries and   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> alienation of his main allies.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> ["No, you haven't been ATTACKED by China so Article 5 doesn't   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> require us to come to your aid..."]   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Of course, more and more manufacturing is TRYING to be   
   on-shored.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> But, I suspect that is nowhere near enough to address the   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> potential of Taiwan going off-line -- even briefly.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm thinking back to how screwed up the supply chain got during   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> COVID and wonder what manufacturers and investors will do when   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the future is far less certain than a "pandemic".   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Opinions?   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We have sleepwalked into this and the few who have raised the   
   alarm   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> have   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> been (and still are being) ignored and ridiculed.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> There is a wider problem: we have become 'travel junkies' and   
   rely too   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> much on transport.  "I can get it cheaper from..." doesn't take   
   into   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> account the hidden costs such as liability to supply disruption,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> loss of   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> control over the design and the fundamental need to teach   
   underlying   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> principles and train people in making things themselves.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the factories.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the machines.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the people who know how to operste the machines.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the machines to make the machines.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the people who know how to make the machines   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the material.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the undustry to make the materials.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> In the thrall of Greenwash we have simply exported the 'dirty'   
   jobs to   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> other countries and then added to the pollution by shipping the   
   goods   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> back.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> If Russia could do to the UK what it is doing to Ukraine, the   
   country   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> would have to surrender within a week.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> If the UK ignored the fact that it has it's own nuclear weapons   
   and the   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> means to deliver them.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Has it?  I thought they were dependent on the U.S. for delivery.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> The ballistic missiles were manufactured in the US, but they do seem   
   >>>>>>>>>> to be under UK control. The proposition that the US engineered in   
   >>>>>>>>>> secret backdoors to let them disable the weapons if they were   
   pointed   
   >>>>>>>>>> at a target that the US hadn't approved is one that every conspiracy   
   >>>>>>>>>> theory nut would bring forward, but UK military security is even   
   >>>>>>>>>> deeper into daft conspiracy theories than internet lunatics.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Everything is software-controlled these days. If you thought that   
   >>>>>>>>> thoroughly checking the source code for backdoors will protect you,   
   >>>>>>>>> you should read this:   
   >>>>>>>>> "Reflections on trusting trust", by Ken thompson   
   >>>>>>>>>    
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> You'll never trust a compiler again.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Jeroen Belleman   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> It's a classic reference, never refuted.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Here is more background:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> .   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Sorry for following up on myself. I just read that text again and   
   >>>>>>>> noticed that Ken refers to some obscure US airforce document   
   >>>>>>>> where he first learned of this trick.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Am I a conspiracy nut for thinking that, if it ever comes to an   
   >>>>>>>> armed conflict with the US, all those F35s they sold us would   
   >>>>>>>> just drop out of the sky?   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> One reason is to prevent one's own weapons being used against one by   
   >>>>>>> the winner of a revolution who inherited a military.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> We'd better buy Saab or Dassault!   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> All that does is change who the master shall be.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Joe   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>That last point is true, of course, in the general case,   
   >>>>>>but I intended it to refer to the current rogue. Sweden   
   >>>>>>and France are still reliable allies. The US, not so much.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>The current rogues will not live forever, and their replacements may   
   >>>>>or may not be better.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>France is 5.7% of NATO, and Sweden is far smaller.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>Ukraine has caused the scales to fall from many eyes.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>Joe   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>If they had indeed taken Kyiv in five days, what would the Russians   
   >>>>want next? Great Rus' all over again.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>They can have Alaska. The food's not very good.   
   >>>   
   >>>Don't eat the minerals?   
   >>>   
   >>>Joe   
   >>   
   >>I had a girlfriend in Juneau. It was one of those relationships where   
   >>only the airlines come out ahead.   
   >>   
   >>"There's a woman behind every tree, and he nearest tree is 1200 miles   
   >>away."   
   >   
   >BTDT, but it was only driving to Philadelphia from   
   >Baltimore-Washington.  But there were lots of trees.   
   >   
   >Joe   
      
   Actually, Juneau has lots of trees. It's further north in Alaska that   
   things get bad.   
      
      
   John Larkin   
   Highland Tech Glen Canyon Design Center   
   Lunatic Fringe Electronics   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)