Deterring Beijing without tax expenditure

War between the Chinese and U.S. governments seems likely and not very far off now. Though there are many positive things we can say about post-Mao China and even its government, the ugly truth is that an actual America-threatening expansionist tyrant has come to power again, and the glow is dying fast. Here are some thoughts on peaceable ways to avert a conflict with Xi, ways which do not involve appeasing him, aggressing against him or abandoing any nation. No one seems to be listening, but why not be on the record as having at least tried to spread the obvious win-win solutions? Practically no one else is talking about some of these options. Fortunately, you can undertake a few of them yourself.

Unlike basically all the other U.S. wars since 2001, conflict with Xi’s China would probably bear many similarities to World War One, with nukes and small robots thrown into the calculation. It would also probably have another similarity: Though overextended, cruel and incompetent…the big English-speaking Power in this conflict would generally be far less wicked than its opponent to the east. The latter would probably take on the part of Kaiser Wilhelm and quickly turn the world against it. There is a reason most of the countries bordering China are less than friendly toward Beijing.

But it would be much better if the war were prevented…and prevented without government expenditure. Here are some taxpayer-friendly options that enemies of the CCP outside China…can use to help stop its threatened violent expansion. If undertaken too late to prevent war, they could at least prevent war from occurring on Beijing’s terms.

1 ) Pressure any government at risk from China… to eliminate most controls on the private ownership and defensive use of first-rate weaponry. Excessive govt. restrictions on private ownership of weaponry…infects nearly every nation and puts each in unnecessary danger of foreign mischief. Changing this means more than just gun freedom, as conventional firearms may become obsolete when high-tech war evolves. Let average people and big manufacturers alike ship weapons or ammo to Taiwan and Japan more or less as we see fit, while we still can. Let their people acquire the weapons and learn to safely use them, while they still can. Let each nation have a weapon behind every blade of grass if its people choose that…and thus be unconquerable by any foreign army. Private militias should also be allowed to exist…but not to commit acts of aggression.

If you think this sounds scary…well, the idea is not competing with perfect. It is competing with militaristic bankruptcy, monetary collapse, possible nuclear war and the extinction of civilization. On your head be it. In any case, places like Switzerland and New Hampshire…with high levels of gun freedom…are some of the safest in the world.

2 ) Figure out a way to make uncensorable information spread easily, widely and safely inside China. Actually we could seriously use that in the U.S., too. Let the people of China and all nations make up their own - fully informable - minds about their rulers. Probably a government wanting this to happen could simply put out a request to their citizens - or to the world - from their bully pulpits. Oh just once to have such a pulpit…

Or imagine a sort of “free speech X-prize.” A big firm or inventor should try to develop or inspire some means of spreading news this way and be the hero of the day. Or thousands of patriotic volunteers acting on their own in small ways… could bypass the Great Firewall by reaching one person at a time. When a government is so terrified of free speech…maybe all that has to happen is free speech. Beats a General Fleet Engagement anytime.

You tell me… what are the best ways to get info into China on a reasonably large scale, and what content should be sent? We have crypto currencies that can do this with money… why not info? People act as though the Chinese government has numerical superiority…but it does not. Many of “its” people are against it, and almost all the nations surrounding it are suspicious at best. This will intensify if it invades Taiwan, but can we intensify it now by giving China’s people easy access to uncensored reports? It’s the least we can do to comfort our occupied brothers and sisters in Hong Kong.

3 ) Have No Center. Well, not quite… maybe the way to put it is… “Have No Central Points of Failure.” Norway became an easy target in 1940, because its weapons and ammo were concentrated at depots. Switzerland did not, because its weapons and ammo were dispersed…many people chose to store major weaponry on their own property and had the government’s support.
" How the Swiss Opted Out of War - Antiwar.com Original 1 " lays out the many ways a nation or community can inexpensively harden itself along the Swiss lines as the FedGov builds bigger and bigger central points of failure. Listen to Bill Walker and be Switzerland … except for the parts that cost tax dollars.
" Free online book - Nuclear War Survival Skills " lays out the ways a family can do the same and help prevent their preparations from ever being needed.

4 ) Bury the hatchet with Russia. Wielding a defense budget around 15% the size of America’s…Vladimir Putin is more Mustapha Kemal than Hitler.

4 ) Do nothing that could reasonably be called an act of aggression or indescriminate trade sanction against the Chinese government, or people from China, or anyone! Remove all legitimate grievances they might have, and yes a trade sanction of nearly any kind…is a legitimate grievance. Let the goods move, or the armies will. There’s no reason CCP members can’t benefit too from the action items in this letter; after all…peace and robust trade helps everyone keep what they have or build on it. Whatever abuses the top leadership is guilty of…punishment should not harm merchants or friendly factions within the Party.

In practice, these measures would pile on top of a large anti-Beijing military coalition and its overpriced, vulnerable capital ships. The latter should be dramatically reduced as privately funded defense options come online and attain sufficient levels of decentralized effectiveness and unpredictability.

Most people can do some of the things above on a small or individual scale, most can lobby their governments to do - without any tax expenditure - the ones which are beyond private capability. I’m doing a couple…will you join me or wait until you are hiding in a moldy unpowered basement, unable to do much of anything?

Contact me at the link below if you’d like to work on this project with me or improve this list of action items. It could use more detail:
" Redirecting... "

Dave Ridley
Winchester, NH
Nov. 13, 2021


Reply to Dave at: forum.shiresociety.com/t/deterring-beijing-without-tax-expenditure/12975