Photo, above: Stephen Yates, chief executive officer of D.C. International Advisory and former advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, on Taiwanese TV.  He's running for the Republican nomination for District 30A of the Idaho House of Representatives; see Hour 2, Block C.

朋友:

Steve Yates, 漢文名叫葉望輝, 他是少數對亞洲有深入研究的政經專業, 共和黨執政時白宮的重要幕僚, 長期擔任美國傳統基金會(American Heritage Foundation)研究員、顧問等.

Steve曾在台灣住過一段時間, 北京話非常流利, 對台灣事務非常關心, 對台灣本土派人士尤其友善.

對於陳水扁總統卸任後所遭受的政治迫害, Steve曾三次結合全球三十多位學者、專家聯名要求馬政府應公平審理, 但均遭置之不理.

我受牽連的高鐵減振案一審無罪判決後, 他馬上安排我去華府美國傳統基金會演講, 由於聽眾多是對台灣問題有研究的學者, 我被關及審判過程暴露出許多司法的問題, 馬政府擔心有負面影響, 在我之後趕緊派了一位國民黨的立委去進行消毒.

現在他決定舉家回他的故里Idaho州打拼, 準備選眾議員, 他是台灣人的好朋友, 這是我們台裔美人可支援他的時候.

下列的website請你點入, 認識一下這位友人, 如果同意, 讚成Steve的理念, 請捐助,也交個朋友, 先謝謝你, (但先提醒, 捐款不能扺免tax)

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-hosts: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com; Francis Rose, Federal News Radio.

Hour One

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 1, Block A: Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania, in re:  Beijing thinks that Taiwan is China's 34th province; but US commits to help Taiwan build attack submarines.  In 2001, Bush offered them, but the KMT was so [enamored] of good relations with Mainland; and Congress bottled it up till Bush was out of office. US hasn’t blt a conventional sub since 1960s, but the Japanese subs are good.  Chinese belligerence has alarmed it neighbors; "We would be loss were it not for the mistakes of" [our antagonists].  Look what Abe has done to strengthen Japan; countries around the world understand that the US will not help.  Germans, Japanese and Dutch make the best conventional submarines. Taiwan can make them if someone will sell them the technical package.  Ma Ying-jeou, Kuomintang, has been alarmed by recent dvpts showing China can switch from warm and friendly to cold and aggressive, is not interested in accommodation KMT is in to part: head of legislature is a rival of Ma, and has just come out on top.   China has created an arms race in Asia. Extremely dangerous for all involved.

Washington agrees to help Taiwan build attack submarines  The United States has agreed to help Taiwan build attack submarines, as the island has spent nearly a decade waiting to acquire them from abroad, the Taiwanese defense chief said Monday.  Minister of National Defense Yen Ming told a legislative committee that the United States "is willing to help us build the submarines together."  Yen also said Taiwan will continue to push the United States to sell eight submarines to Taiwan and to acquire submarines from other countries.  In 2001 the United States agreed to sell eight submarines to Taiwan but it no longer builds non-nuclear-powered subs. And countries capable of building conventional submarines hesitate to provide them to Taiwan, fearing political consequences from China.  Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since they split amid a civil war in 1949. Beijing has vowed to use military force if Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province, formally declares independence.  Taiwan currently has two Dutch-built diesel submarines acquired in the 1980s and at least two World War II-vintage submarines for training.  The Democratic Progressive Party, which ruled the island between 2000 and 2008, approved a plan in 2003 allowing Taiwanese shipbuilders to construct some of the eight submarines. But the plan fell through due to opposition of the Nationalist Party (KMT). [Note: the KuoMinTang is widely accused of "selling Taiwan" to Beijing.]  The DPP proposed last month a two-stage program to build eight submarines domestically, estimated at NT$400 billion (about US$13 billion).  Meanwhile, while the U.S. House of Representatives has . . . [more]

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 1, Block B: James Holmes, professor of strategy at the Naval War College and a former surface warfare officer, in re: China may seize the Ryukyus, inhabited by 1.5 million people?  Okinawa was the center point when the US took them seventy years ago.  China has a lot of good reason for taking them (see Red Star over the Pacific). Many things look improbable till they happen.  "Plans are useless but planning is indispensible." – D D Eisenhower.  China may not follow the code of conduct dozens of other nations have  Japan putting a radar installation on an island near the Senkakus.  Nice to trace vector of Japan's geopolitical attentions over the last century: China, Russia, US, Russia, China, etc.  Does Japan wonder if the US will stand by it?  Under debate among us all.  Was Ukraine an alarm bell in Asia, too? Yes, although the US has no formal alliance treaty with Ukraine.

Japan to build military site near disputed Senkaku islands       Skipping China, Obama Seeks to Reassure Asian Allies

China Might Actually Seize Japan's Southern Islands; It's not as crazy as you think-- and here's how the United States and Japan can prevent it from happening. by James Holmes, foreignpolicy.com — In a speech in Tokyo on April 6, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made a not-so-subtle reference to China's aggressive behavior in the disputed Senkaku Islands, warning that countries cannot "redefine boundaries and violate territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations by force, coercion or intimidation," whether that be "small islands in the Pacific or large nations in Europe." [more]

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 1, Block C:  Francis Rose, FNR, in re:  Obama Arrives in Asia as Disasters Complicate Mission  President Obama, who began a four-country tour on Wednesday, will encounter leaders under pressure from angry, often grief-stricken constituents.    Obama’s First Order of Business: Sushi from the Master

Obama-Abe Meeting Could Set Trip's Tone Obama arrived in Japan for the first state visit by an American leader in nearly two decades, kicking off a weeklong tour that will give the U.S. a chance to reassert itself in Asia.   Security Tight for Tokyo Visit  Creeping Isolationism at Home   After Sushi Dinner, Obama Tells Abe: 'Best I've Had'

TPP is the one thing that could avoid war in Asia.  With excessive diplomacy, we feed China's already-inflated sense of self-importance, leading them to be arrogant and then belligerent against neighbors. I applaud Pres Obama's not visiting China on this trip . . .  Harry Reid generally doesn’t like big trade deals – didn’t like NAFTA. If you can get the TPP signed up widely, China will get the message.   Domestic tragedies: Japan – shrine and Fukushima; Korea – terrible ferry tragedy; Philippines – typhoon; Malaysia – the search for the aircraft.   How will we gauge their reactions later?  We'll see in days and weeks – need follow-u in Washington at all levels, incl Pentagon and State Dep.  Napoleon recommended: get into the battle, figure it out latter.  China said: "Don't do a NATO to us, surround us with states that oppose us."  - but that's what we’re doing, Beijing will take their cue from Pres Obama's resoluteness.  If he shows strength, they'll stay in their box.  Otherwise, all our fears may come true.

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 1, Block D: David H. Grinspoon, Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Astrobiology, Library of Congress, in re: Hotel Mars, episode n: Little Green Men edition.   Pretty excited about finding an Earth-sized planet 500 light years away, Kepler 186,  in the habitable zone, probably also rocky, being same size as Earth.  No reason why it shouldn’t have Earth-like conditions – continents, with oceans lapping up on beaches. An important first in our effort to see if there are planets like our. FR: Let's call it planet Batchelor.  DG: It’s so far away that follow-up observations wd be difficult. What this is is proof of concept. We want to find more of them, know how many there are in the universe. / In Mars, we see abundant evidence that here was liquid water on the surface of Mars – river rocks, sediments altered by water; yet the climate models we have say that Mars was extremely cold and frozen over. New study: craters.  If an atmosphere is thick, small asteroids don’t get in; looks as though Mars' atmosphere was thin; it may have been ice-covered unevenly.  Rover is exploring different sediments as it climbs Mount Sharp. We’re gradually getting a picture of the early history of Mars, just as we’re doing with Earth.

Astronomers Uncover Earth-Like Planet That Could Support Life  Astronomers have discovered a distant planet that appears to have an atmosphere similar to Earth, the possibility of water at its surface and the theoretical potential to support life.  It is the first validated planet found in the “habitable zone,” defined by the distance from a star that might allow for the existence of liquid water. The planet is orbiting Kepler-186, a dwarf star that’s cooler than Earth’s sun and burns hydrogen, according to a report in the journal Science. Life is most likely to arise on planets with liquid water.

“The host star, Kepler 186, is an M1-type dwarf star which means it will burn hydrogen forever,” said Justin Crepp, as astrophysicist from the University of Notre Dame who worked on the mission. “There is ample opportunity to develop life around this particular star and because it has just the right orbital period, water may exist in a liquid phase.” The planet was found using the Kepler Space Telescope and confirmed by ruling out other possibilities for what astronomers were seeing with . . . [more]

Hour Two

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 2, Block A: Charles Burton, professor at Brock University, in re: Zhou Yongkang, earning $26,000 a year, and in charge of the oil sector, grew fabulously, jaw-droppingly rich. Members of the Politburo divide up segments of the economy for their own benefit and that of their extended family and contacts.  With Xi Jinping's investigation, well over a billion dollars have been transferred to Xi's crew. High-risk strategy, as it shows a lot of corruption in the regime, suggests things ain't going too well.  "The National Security Commission" includes military, the environment, a broad swath of the society.  Tang Dynasty, Eighth and Ninth Centuries: a dynasty was a recognizable phase.  This is not that – it’s just about people who grab everything they can. Post-Mao, it as agreed that succession will not include violence, but that's not working here, either.  Two previous leaders have asked Xi to slow down his anticorruption drive.  May see Jiang fighting with Xi ! A lot of these elements are interconnected.  In Rome, the emperor became no stronger than his Praetorian Guard.  If Xi has made PLA generals his Praetorian Guard . . .  When Xi came to power, had no faction of his own (which is why he was selected) has made the military his faction. What will sustain an authoritarian system that lacks the sanction of the people?

Investigating Family’s Wealth, China’s Leader Signals a Change.    His son landed contracts to sell equipment to state oil fields and thousands of filling stations across China. His son’s mother-in-law held stakes in pipelines and natural gas pumps from Sichuan Province in the west to the southern isle of Hainan. And his sister-in-law, working from one of Beijing’s most prestigious office buildings, invested in mines, property and energy projects.  In thousands of pages of corporate documents describing these ventures, the name that never appears is his own: Zhou Yongkang, the formidable Chinese Communist Party leader who served as China’s top security official and the de facto boss of its oil industry.  But President Xi Jinping has targeted Mr. Zhou in an extraordinary corruption inquiry, a first for a Chinese party leader of Mr. Zhou’s rank, and put his family’s extensive business interests in the cross hairs. A web of intrigue surrounds China's investigation into the former security chief Zhou Yongkang and his family. Curious Chinese have started to visit his home village of Xi-qian-tou in eastern China, peeking inside his brothers' houses and snapping pictures at the Zhou family's ancestral grave.  Even by the cutthroat standards of Chinese politics, it is a bold maneuver. The finances of the families of senior leaders are . .  . [more]

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 2, Block B: Bob Collins, former senior Pentagon analyst now based in South Korea, in re: Kim Jong-il used the OGD (Organisation and Guidance Department of the Korean Workers' Party) to transfer power from his father to him: all reporting from any part of the govt had to be funneled to him, giving him complete power over the entire country.  The persons who run OGD – four individuals; Party, personnel, military, and inspections – are the backbone of DPRK politics and helped Kim Jon-eun obtain power, These are the four most powerful people in the country.  Inside OGD are two special officers, control every single general with a maximum amt of monitoring and surveillance, decided who does what, when.  Problem with this structure is its inflexibility: as the economy shifts a bit, these four wont change, so eventually the brittle system will break.  OGD prepares all the decision papers for Kim Jong-eun.  Kim Il-sung used the Politburo to control. His son transferred that power to OGD. 

North Korea steps up activity at its nuclear site, South says. North Korea has stepped up activity at its main nuclear test site, possibly preparing to carry out a fourth underground blast, South Korea said Tuesday.  The report comes just days before U.S. President Barack Obama is due to arrive in South Korea as part of a visit to several Asian countries.

"We confirm that we have spotted several activities related to the nuclear test in Punggye-ri in North Korea," the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement. It declined to specify what the activities were, saying the information was classified.  The ministry said it had increased its military preparedness since Monday morning and was monitoring around the clock for signs of activity at the Punggye-ri site in a northeastern region of North Korea.  North Korea said last month that it wouldn't rule out "a new form of a nuclear test" to strengthen its nuclear deterrent. Experts have speculated that that could refer to the testing of a uranium bomb.

Former DPRK Courts’ Boss Kim Pyong Ryul Dies   Kim Pyong Ryul, a member of the Korean Workers’ Party [KWP] Central Committee and immediate past president of the DPRK Supreme Court (DPRK Central Court) died on 4 November (Monday) at the reported age of 83.  Kim’s death was announced in DPRK state media through an obituary published by the KWP Central Committee.  According to KCNA, Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) sent a floral wreath to Kim Pyong Ryul’s funeral “to express deep condolences over his death.”  Kim Pyong Ryul began his career during the late 1950s as a guidance officer in the KWP Education Department (currently part of the KWP Science Education Department).  He held successive positions in the Education Department working as a section chief, deputy and senior deputy (1st vice) director.  In 1968 Kim was appointed Chief Secretary of the North P’yo’ngan KWP Provincial Committee, a position he held until 1989.  In 1974 he was . . . [more]

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 2, Block C: Stephen Yates, chief executive officer of D.C. International Advisory and former advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney.  He is running for the Republican nomination for District 30A of the Idaho House of Representatives; in re: Pres Obama's trip to Asia. Secy Kerry find foreign policy difficult.  US economic interdependence we have with Asia. Atrophy of alliance agreements.  TransPacific Partnership.  In the 1970s: Kissinger and Nixon  [waffled]; then Reagan, willing to use American power and accomplish much.  If the leader of our nation rallies the people to a cause, we can accomplish great things. Not, apparently, with this president.  Asian leaders probably tell the US president, "Thank  you," and hurry him on to the next stop.  It'd bring us closer to peace in the region if the US simply asserted that it'd defend its allies.  Puzzling about PLA aggression and "Don't do a NATO with us!"  More than threats; moves by PLA navy. Today's PLA is similar to that of 2001, as even then they'd receive an American guest and do a missile test. Today, China's reach is farther and stronger, and our allies no longer believe we'd take action if called on.  A critical pivot in the Carter years, the 444 days of the Iranian hostage crisis, showed that weakness is provocative, allowing Reagan to be elected.   A bloody-minded and calculating regime in China evaluates [weakness shown by the US president].

Welcome to Yates for Idaho! The campaign to bring fresh ideas and new commitment to our neighbors in Idaho's 30th legislative district.  I believe voters value choice and accountability in each election. That ideal is the organizing principle for this campaign. Please join the discussion and help build a movement for positive change in SE Idaho.

Steve Yates - The right experience to promote your priorities:

* Small-business owner in Idaho Falls

* Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University

* 24-year career in public policy

* Expanding choice and opportunity in education

* Partnerships for employment, advancement, and business growth

* Affordable & resilient energy strategy for Idaho 

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 2, Block D:  Joseph Sternberg, WSJ Asia editorial board, in re: In West Bengal, the Party has collapsed, look with envy at the unions.  However, Bangladesh is not a great economic success. Why is the garment industry to only successful one? The only industry allowed to break free of govt restrictions and export.  Stifles investment coming in to other industries.  Safety improvements difficult to be borne by smaller factories; some will go out of business.  Increasing safety costs hitting mfrs at the same time as increasing fabric costs. Might have to make 29 cents per piece extra to cover new costs. Global retailers have stepped up inspections; still have to deal with the difficult regulatory envt and multiple stakeholders.  There's only so much that can be done by H&M or WalMart to improve the economy; eventually, Bangladeshis will have to step up and take control. 

Hour Three

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 3, Block A: Monica Crowley, Fox, in re:  The Craft and Craftiness of Henry Kissinger  . . . One such man was Henry Kissinger, Nixon's brilliant but ... constantly leaked anti- Kissinger stories to the press; and Richard Nixon was a secret ..

The act of defiance that infuriated Henry Kissinger  Henry Kissinger and Archer Blood were the same age, both 48 years old ... House tapes show, President Richard Nixon and Mr. Kissinger (then ...

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 3, Block B: Joe Carroll, Bloomberg, in re:  Ukraine’s Unpaid Gas Bills Dwarf U.S. Aid as Tensions Mount

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 3, Block C: Tunku Varadarajan, Hoover and Daily Beast, in re:  Motherland is 'mother's land' for Rahul, mocks Modi
 Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi accused him of considering the country his “mother's land” instead of his “motherland”    In Bihar rally,  Narendra  Modi's  'RSVP' jibe at the Gandhi family  Rahul Gandhi conducts rally in Mumbai targetting Narendra ... In Narendra Modi's election speech in Katihar, there were repeated barbs at the Congress but no mention of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Referring to Robert Vadra, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law, and the corruption allegations around him, Mr Modi said , "An American paper has presented a new model - of having one lakh rupees and converting that to Rs. 300 crore in four years. This is the RSVP model - Rahul, Sonia, Vadra and Priyanka."  Also taking on Rahul Gandhi, Mr Modi said, "Rahul ji goes around the country to look at the poor, for tourism. He wonders what . . .

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 3, Block D: Mary Anastasia O'Grady, Wall Street Journal THE AMERICAS, in re: Easter No. 3 for a Prisoner of Castro

Hour Four

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 4, Block A:  Justin Elliot, ProPublica, in re: recovery from Hurricane Sandy; funds still not available to distressed homeowners. "Funds being allocated in meticulous fashion."

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 4, Block B:  Peter Berkowitz, Hoover and Real Clear Politics, in re:  "The DA, Duke Lacrosse, and Higher-Ed Hypocrisy," 

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 4, Block C: Bud Weinstein, SMU and Investors Business Daily,  in re: Tax Reform May Be the Best Energy Plan of All  Over the past several years, members of Congress, citizen panels and business associations have proposed major reforms to the federal tax code. These disparate groups all agree that our tax system is broken and needs to be overhauled, not tweaked. Unfortunately, political gamesmanship has stalled reform efforts.

Energy taxation is a classic example. The tax package proposed late last year by former Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., then the Senate Finance Committee chairman, would increase the tax burden on American oil and gas companies by an estimated $46 billion over the next decade by eliminating "unnecessary tax breaks for hugely profitable Big Oil companies."

But what Baucus took aim at were not "tax breaks" or "subsidies," as President Obama likes to call them, but cost recovery measures that are available to most other industries.

In February, a comprehensive tax reform plan was . . . [more]

Wednesday  23 April  2014 / Hour 4, Block D:  Peter Coy, Bloomberg, in re:   KANSAS TRIES TO SHRINK ITS WAY TO PROSPERITY  When Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011 he set about making the state a laboratory for putting conservative principles to work, including cutting funding for public education and the eventual elimination of the state’s income tax. A little more than a year has passed since the first phase of the Brownback tax cuts went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, and Bloomberg Businessweek takes the opportunity to make a preliminary assessment of their effects.

..  ..  ..

Music

Hour 1:  The Hunted. Noah. Science Fiction, Vol. 1. 

Hour 2:  Batman Returns. The Quiet American. March of the Penguins. 

Hour 3:  Lord of the Rings. RoboCop. Die Another Day. 

Hour 4:  Battlestar Galactica.