Did He Or Didn't He? What Shinzo Abe Won't Say

Earlier this past week, the Asahi Shimbun reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had nominated Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. What is most curious is that this has been touted by the Trump Regime while the Prime Minister has downplayed this in Japan. What is known is that he did indeed write the Nobel Committee a five-page document praising Trump's efforts for peace with North Korea. What's troubling is that PM Abe's own spokesman has declined to say whether or not he nominated Trump for the coveted Peace Prize. Abe himself will neither confirm nor deny this. Rather, he made some vague blanket statement that the Nobel Committee does not disclose recommenders and nominees for fifty years. Thus Abe declines to comment. It is likely that PM Abe has been strong-armed by Donald Trump who has been obsessed with acquiring the Nobel Peace Prize for the sole purpose of equating himself with his predecessor Barrack Obama who won the Nobel Peace Prize just before taking office as 44th President of the United States. It should be further be noted, that if indeed he did in fact nominated Trump at his behest, he is embarrassed to have done so and looks to history to judge him in fifty years. We have long speculated that Shinzo Abe is playing Trump. It is no secret that Abe's wife loathes Trump and pretends to not speak English when they meet. In light of Abe's slow military buildup, it should be noted that he has been angling to strip away elements of Japan's Post War Constitution prohibiting Japan from any offensive role or capability to fight a future war. Let's hope Abe hasn't sold his soul to a conman and a bully to defend Japan and her long term security interests. 

Awkward at APEC

Seen here is Japanese PM Shinzo Abe with the Sultan of Brunei looking rather awkward with American Vice President & noted Gay Conversion Therapy Enthusiast Mike Pence in the middle at this year's APEC summit held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Wearing the same selected attire is nothing new at APEC. That being said, it makes no sense. As one comment on Japan Today noted, "You don't see world leaders wear Lederhosen when they summit in Germany or Mumu's in Africa, so why this?" This silly APEC summit tradition of wearing garish shirts sounds like a Communist plot to make World Leaders look silly. Call it what you will, but this is just one man's opinion, and I am sticking to it.

Dancing With Dictators Part III: When Tyrant Trounces Traitor

On the heels of the most recent G7 economic summit where American Anti-President Donald Trump alienated our allies and praised our enemies in Russia, the Summit to Nowhere Photo Op took place in Singapore. This should have never happened under these circumstances. Donald took his ill-equipped team that included former NBA freak show Dennis Rodman to the Dictators Love Fest and essentially fulfilled the desires of his puppet masters in the Kremlin to the delight of Beijing. As a result, the following failures occurred.

1.       Trump Legitimized Kim Jong Un.

2.       Trump excluded South Korea from the talks.

3.       Trump displayed admiration for a murderous tyrant.

4.       Trump called for a halt of all US/ROK Military Readiness Exercises.

5.       Trump declared his intention to remove American Troops from Korea.

6.       Trump walked away with Zero assurances for denuclearization.

7.       Trump opened the door to make real estate deals for personal profit.

8.       Trump declares victory for a meaningless photo-op.

9.       Trump made America look Weak.

10.   Kim Jong Un walks away the winner in Propaganda Coup.

The writers of the Cold War drama The Manchurian Candidate could not have dreamed up a more nightmarish script, unfortunately, this is our reality watching America fall in a slow-dive from grace in a grandiose act of stupidity and personal self-enrichment. In a nutshell, Trump has put South Korea in a dangerous situation of which could prime the Seoul for military invasion. Such an event would lead to catastrophe that would make Operation Frequent Wind look like child’s play. As an American, I am disgusted by the self-serving actions of this Anti-President who makes enemies of our closest allies and coddles up to dictators. We have a word for an American who works against his own country's interests. It's called Traitor. His removal from power could not come soon enough.

Dancing with Dictators Part II?

Just when you thought the world would be safe for another day, Donald Trump and his inflated ego and his desire for that Nobel Peace Prize strikes again. Rather than walk away mad, the catfished reality T.V. game show host turned president announced another go at producing the Dancing with Dictators show in Singapore. The problem is, this is not a reality T.V. show. This is a serious diplomatic summit of which Donald Trump is too ill-equipped to conduct. He has neither the tact nor the skills to not screw this up. For this reason, we do not support peace talks with North Korea. It is better to maintain the current balance of terror until we have a stable American leader with proven diplomatic skills to conduct these negotiations rather than risk catastrophe. Donald is more interested in the Peace Prize than the actual peace and Kim Jong Un knows that. He is not interested unless there is personal profit in it for him. He would easily sell out South Korea with disastrous results just to build another Trump Golf Resort north of the DMZ if he knew he could get away with it. Knowing his corrupt nature, he does not have neither America's or South Korea's interests at heart. At this rate, Dennis Rodman has more credibility and that's not saying much. Donald's brand of government by chaos will not serve us well. Pray this thing gets called off before someone gets hurt. 

Patriotism or Pyongyang? NFL Owners Cave Into Trump's Demands

It's not even been a week since Reality T.V. Show host turned "President" Donald Trump who previously mocked North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un was last praising him. Now that Kim has catfished Donald in the most humiliating way, he is once again turned his un-presidential rage against Black NFL players in suggesting that if they do not bow to our national anthem then perhaps they should not be in this country. It's outrageous that the White NFL owners caved into Trump's racist demands to punish Black players, but worse, he is emulating the very man in Pyongyang he is angry at and all because he won't be receiving that coveted Nobel Peace Prize. Seeing Donald having the temperament of a spoiled child, it's no wonder Kim Jong Un had no trouble playing him like a fiddle. Truly pathetic!

It's bad enough we are not going to the World Cup this year, but worse that one man has forced another league's players to stand for an anthem as if this was North Korea. What's next? Will people be required to bow before his portrait like they do in Pyongyang? We can't let that happen. Not here, not now. I love this country dearly but hate this blatant racism and police brutality that is taking place. As much as it pains me to say, until further notice, I too will not stand for the anthem because one man says so.

This is not a dictatorship and I as a citizen whose family has served this county during war and in peacetime will not yield to this draft dodgers questionable authority. I am taking this stand in solidarity with our fellow Brothers and Sisters of Color because it is right. They are Americans too and many of them have spilled the same blood in the same mud for this country. This silent protest was never was about our military, or in any way a disrespect to it, but now it has become about one man's ego and you don't get to question this proud son of a Vietnam Veteran's patriotism. When facing social injustice, protest is the most American thing you can do. #EndRacism #NFLProtest

Dancing with Dictators Canceled

This week, it was announced both here in the United States and in North Korea that the scheduled meeting in Singapore between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will not take place. The world can now take a major sigh of relief. In a dangerous nuclear world, it is better for South Korea and Japan that these two unstable ruthless men never meet. While Donald loves to play Mob Boss on Reality TV and in the White House, he is too ill-equipped with his unimaginative negotiation skill set comprised of threats and name calling that further lacks any sense of diplomacy to sit down and deal with a real-life gangster like Kim. Anyone who thought to negotiate a peaceful de-nuclearisation of the Korean Penninsula via Twitter is sadly mistaken. The Kim family has had a generations stranglehold on power and will not give it up willingly despite the collapse of the DPRK's sole nuclear testing facility. It will take Korean leaders to work out how to settle their generations-long differences and not by some crass simpleton's threats on social media. We still have a long way to go before truly achieving peace. We hope it can be done in a world without Donald Trump.

Playing the Fool or Played by the Fool? PM Abe's Risk By Association With America's Unstable Leader

In a week of chaos made by America's Reality TV Show "President," PM Abe of Japan plays a risky game with Donald Trump at his private resort in Florida. We're not sure exactly what Mr. Abe is thinks he is doing there. On the surface, he's there to discuss the TPP agreement and other concessions. But is he trying to reason with the unreasoable? Or is he using his political savvy to out-con a notorious con-artist? They say there is guilt by association and for PM Abe, he is taking an awful risk that could cost him. With Abe's unpopularity at an all time high is it worth attempting to get close with a scandal ridden president facing possible impeachment who just threw his own Secretary of State under the bus while coddling up to Vladimir Putin? The risk for Abe is if he walks away empty handed, he becomes the fool. This would not look good for Japan nor for our alliance with Japan. By playing into Donald Trump's rule by chaos, PM Abe is seeking to follow Trump's toxic brand mirroring a metting with North Korea's leaders, a move that would give the rogue regime letgitimacy. That's something no American administration has done or should do for it weakens our levearge against the nuclear armed totalitarian regime as well as playing right into Pyongyang's hands. We would like to think based on PM Abe's early body language from his first meeting with Trump that he sees Donald Trump as the fool and not the other way around. But this may not be so. In becoming Trump's golfing buddy, this uncomfortable personal association exposes a weakness that will further hurt Abe politically at home and abroad not to mention his golf game which its well known that Donald often cheats. Many Americans here don't trust Donald Trump, and neither should Shinzo Abe. We sure hope PM Abe knows what he is doing. As we say here in America, the optics look bad. When you lie down with dogs, expect fleas. 

The Politics of Parades

When General Douglas MacArthur stepped off the American Military Transport plane at Atsugi Air Base in 1945, he had ordered his officers to leave thier side arms on the plane. His reasoning in the face of over one million armed Imperial Japanese soldiers who were to stand guard was to display as he put it, "Old American Swagger." In otherwords, Confidence. Such confidence projects strength. Fast forward to the age of Donald Trump where American Swagger has been replaced by Fear and Loathing and an admiration on the part of the 45th Commander in Chief for Authoritarian Strongmen such as Dutartte and Kim Jong Un instead of the leaders of Democracy. Here is a man who talks tough but made excuses as to why he would not serve his country when he was called upon during the Vietnam War. It is a cruel irony that such a man would through the help of Russian meddling find himself in the position as C&C. His failure to understand our true military might has led to his demand for our military to parade in our nations capital at great tax payer expense. While this may be the practice of the Kremlin, Beijing, and Pyongyang, this is not who we are. We know we have the most lethal fighting forces in the world. We don't need 3rd world Banana Republic displays of strength to prove it. This only shouts to our geopolitical foes in Russia that Donald Trump is doing his best to erode American Confidence and Strength.

One must hand it to Vladimir Putin for learning the most valuable lession from the fall of the Soviet Union, make your enemy spoend all his money and watch them go bankrupt. This is a lesson our enemies around the world have been learning as we waste trillions of dollars in defense projects for weapons and missions dreamed up out of fear for tomorrow might come. Putin recently proved that with the announcement of a weapon he claims to be invincible but in reality is more invisible because he is proding Trump to misspend our resources and further drive our economy into debt all while failing to protect our nation from Russian cyber attacks and proxy attacks on our troops abroad that thus far have gone unanswered.

You can't have a victory parade without a victory. George Bush learned this the hard way with his Mission Accomplished Banner. Fortunately, there is great disdain for the call for this parade that serves no prupose other than to force our military to stroke Trump's fragile ego and salute it. Forcing this iussue in the wake of cuts to services for our military veterans will come at a great political price. Both for the Republican Party that backs him and for the rest of the free world who look to us with confidence in our military as a force for good. I believe it is always darkest before the dawn and we too shall recover from Donald Trump.This will take many years to correct the damage this man is doing but it must be done. And the sooner we remove him from power and put him on Marine One for the last time, the sooner we can get back to restoring American Confidence.

Japananese Whalers Resume Hunt

It was announced in Tokyo last Wednesday that the Japanese Whaling Fleet will put to sea and resume their hunt only this time in Japanese waters. They say their quota for 2017 is to "Capture" 43 Minke Whales and 134 Sei Whales to examine their stomach contents. Note the key phrase capture in place of kill. Their primary factory ship the Nishhin Maru is noted for its catch & release program BECAUSE IT DOES NOT EXIST! What possible research can be gained from examining stomach contents of so many whales? In the last ten years alone, the Japanese Whaling fleet has killed close to 700+ whales per year on the grounds of examining stomach contents. Who are they kidding? After each hunt whale meat suddenly appears on Japanese market shelves. This is consumed by less than 3% of the population largely older people who indulge in this holdover from the lean times of the American Occupation.

There's simply no excuse for it at the same time little can be done about it. While this blog is largely Pro-Japan, this is one issue we cannot support. This is not to say we object to some remote Japanese fishing village looking to feed its people with a single whale. In those situations we know its what they have to do to survive. But on a large scale commercial level, Japan has no excuse. Japan is no longer starving like they were at the end of WWII thus there is no need for this. Those who understand the issue know we are not ranting in the defense of some stupid fish. These are intelligent species and if after spending years examining stomach contents of thousands still requires scientific research with no real scientific value, then they ought to stop lying about their intentions and abide the international whaling committee's ruling suspending commercial whaling once and for all. You don't have to agree with us but that's just our opinion and we're sticking to it.

Spring Fools - Tillerson Threatens DPRK

This week in Seoul South Korea, Exxon Executive turned U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson openly threatened North Korea. Really? Oh yes he did! He is quoted as saying that the Trump administration might be forced to take pre-emptive action “if they elevate the threat of their weapons program” to an unacceptable level.Worse, he's said "the policy of strategic of patience is over." This was not only foolish, but down right dangerous. We would expect this kind of foolish talk from Pyongyang not from Washington but there you have it. 

While the DPRK lacks the military ability to bring the United States to its knees, they certainly have the ability to start a bloody war that will get a lot of South Koreans and American Troops stationed over there killed and turn the entire far east into turmoil. This is not the actions of a career diplomat. This is Amateur Hour on the world stage and its reckless actions are beneath the dignity of both the Secretary of State and the United States. This is what happens when a non-politician with the temperament of a four year old assumes office. They appoint equally unqualified people into positions of power. Tillerson has no business representing this country and the spineless Republicans who approved this man with no diplomatic experience are equally complicit in their quest for power. With so much scandal plaguing the Trump Regime in its first 100 days, it's likely they want a war just to distract us from the truth. While we don't expect restraint from the Hermit Kingdom, we hope the PRC will get them to listen to reason and ignore our temporary lapse in judgment. Wishful thinking right? In any case, tough talk means nothing without action and with the clowns running the circus inaction will be for the best so no one has to die. But who are we kidding right?

It's sad that Americans who are aware of what's really at stake must endure this embarrassment.  Somewhere out there, Kim Jong Un must be laughing his ass off that he's no longer the world's craziest leader. Good Job America! Not!

Failure to Bow and Other Little Details: Trump Meets Abe

Last week Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew to Trump Tower in New York to meet with the new President-Elect. Right off the bat, Trump failed to show respect with his failure to bow (a detail not lost on the Japanese) and further violated protocols when meeting foreign dignitaries. This should come as no surprise as this demagogue who spoke harshly of Japan during the election suddenly comes face to face with our most concerned ally who he has promised to abandon. It's clear who is the amateur here. But let's not waste anymore type on a man who shows no respect for anyone or the office of which he by which through the help of his friends in the Kremlin helped win by illicit means (who during the campaign demanded his political rival be locked up for using an unsecured email server) has the downright gall to allow his daughter Ivanka in the room and talk on an unsecured cell phone. It's outrageous and downright embarrassing. Now for Mr. Abe. We know he is skilled at diplomatic poker as he has been seeking deals with both Russia and China. Our hope is that he will use Trump's own ignorance and lack of political experience to his advantage and for the benefit of Japan's interests. Trump wants to arm Japan with nuclear weapons but we doubt this will happen. Abe will have likely went to see this man to get assurances as to the state of our Pacific Alliance with Japan. What we are hoping for is an increase of political leverage on the part of Abe to scrap Article 9 and perhaps seek the acquisition of a nuclear carrier capable of carrying strike aircraft. If Trump is to follow through with his threats that will most undoubtedly destabilize our alliance with Japan, they will need those military upgrades. This of course will not be popular at home as are many of Abe's military policies but they are a necessity in the face of growing threats from the PRC and a rearmed Russia. But this is in the long term interests for Japan's security. Will Abe succeed? It is difficult to say at this early stage. Abe has to work with a dangerously loose cannon that has hired a junta of right wing extremists looking to start a war. As Trump himself has said "I love war." We certainly hope this does not happen. It is our hope that Abe can give Trump a pause and a heavy does of reality that can not be served in Trump Tower or anywhere else on this planet.

America's Most Dangerous Game

As everyone by now knows, a vulgar Reality TV host with absolutely no political experience governing was elected the 45th President of the United States. It was done so through a vile campaign of fear and hate inflamed by a reckless demagogue who has embraced our country's enemies and scorned our allies abroad. While the effects will not be immediate, fears of what may come in the form of future wars and disastrous policies at home loom large among the free thinkers and those who reject racism and culture wars brought on by the religious right. We have survived bad presidents before (George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon) and will do so again as we have in the past but first we must get through this with the eyes of the world nervously watching. It is not with bitterness that we write this but with sadness that the question of how a nation could elect such a man who lied with impunity and who had shown incredible disrespect for our outgoing president could come to life. Our worst fears of history repeating itself have only begun. While this is not Nazi Germany, this is not supposed to happen here in the United States. Those who vehemently rejected Barack Obama on the basis of the color of his skin (and not the content of his character or his polices) as some secret Muslim have now come out of the shadows and shamelessly helped bring racism into the mainstream. They have gone so far as to legitimize such vile behavior and violence as entertainment. Reality TV has replaced common sense and responsibility in the name of American Exceptionalism or as the rest of the world knows as Arrogance. It is also in part the failure of the Media who held the new President-Elect to a lower standard than his Democratic opponent that the facts were often ignored or sensationalized for higher ratings than fair reporting that this has happened. 

Where this ship of state will go now is anyone's guess. The United States has been up to until now a beacon of stability and a leader for World Peace. Never before had the outcome of an election brought about so much fear and loathing that our standing in the world is so threatened. We now have a man who regularly throws childish temper tantrums on Twitter at former beauty queens and anyone else he doesn't like at three in the morning in control of the Nuclear Codes. Worse, he has threatened during the campaign to use them without giving any thought of what that could actually mean. This is a frightening prospect that as of this morning became real. If your reading this from Russia or from The People's Republic of China, you should not be celebrating. This should worry you as much as it worries us. The World already has one Kim Jong Un and does not need another yet here we are. We who have stood against the "Trump Train" have absolutely no confidence that the weight of such responsibility would temper such a man given the keys to the world's most powerful military. Particularly since he has vowed to fire the entire General Staff because as he puts it "they know nothing." This is as Bill Maher called it "A Right Wing Coup." Sounds a little too dramatic? Arguably it is when you consider the forces that backed Trump that include War Criminal Allen West famous for violating the Geneva Convention in Iraq with the use of torture of prisoners. It will be now up to our standing Military Officer Corps to live up to their oaths of protecting us from all enemies foreign & domestic (and I do stress the word Domestic) should things go terribly south. We are counting on them to reject illegal orders such as the promise during the campaign use of torture and far worse that our fragile democracy will need to survive this Right Wing Coup that threatens not only American Democracy but World Peace in an already unstable world. 

At some point we will get past the shock of this electoral outcome and come to grips with the new realities facing the home front. We now have a new leader with a hot temper and a fragile ego who will likely come after us who criticize him as he routinely threatens to do like some two bit third world dictatorship. Well, America is not a Banana Republic and we still have many good people here despite this nasty election. (Good going John Oliver!) We hope that those who still view Americans favorably do not judge us as a whole for what folly our recent election has done. And perhaps those who have fought for freedom will one day forgive us for embarking on this Most Dangerous Game Show where people don't just get kicked off the island, they go home in flag draped coffins or they are strung up by ropes and hung from trees in the amber glow of burning crosses. While some Americans will rejoice, the rest of us are filled with dread and nausea and unyielding sense of national shame that this has happened in our country. We are better than this but it seems we may take a hard fall from a self inflicted wound to realize this. The brief unity that brought this country together after 9/11 has been long forgotten and the nightmare of a Trump Presidency has only begun. It's like a bad dream we would like to wake up from but can't. Thus, the Free Thinkers of America will continue to write and voice their opinions and people will find a way to go about their lives. But will it be the same? It's too soon to say but it is clear we are now a more polarized divided nation than ever before that must together endure what we have so foolishly wrought. The Far Right has no interest in uniting the nation or representing all of its citizens nor does its new leader. We've lived through bad presidents before and hopefully we will get through this again. As actor Robert Whul once said in his famous HBO Assume The Position lecture: "Bad Presidents are as American as Apple Pie." In the unlikelihood we are offered a slice in Mr. Trump's Noninclusive America, We at American Mishima shall pass.

Is Baby Kim Serious or Just Looking for Trouble?

The Korean Peninsula's favorite moon-faced assassin of joy baby Kim Jong Un is at it again talking smack and threatening the United States with Nuclear War. Yes, that's right. The half starved malnourished militarized hermit kingdom whose portly leader won't properly feed his own people has once again misprioritized what few scarce resources the tiny isolated nation has to create weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems to wag at the United States it's so-called “Sworn Enemy of the North Korean People.” It was reported last night on CNN that North Korea threatens to deliberately provoke a confrontation with the United States by conducting a nuclear test firing a long range rocket capable of reaching the continental United States at the US mainland. I would love to say I'm shaking in my boots but the fact of the matter nuclear war is nothing to joke about. Just ask any surviving Pacific Islander or Japanese fisherman who happened to be down wind of an open air nuclear test during the 1950's. It's deplorable if not downright repugnant for this novice dictator to be making such threats to an already tense region. One has to ask if he is crazy or just trying to be a tough guy in front of a captive gun pointed audience? Normally this would be laughable right out of an Austin Powers sketch minus a Mini-me if it weren't for the fact this pudgy North Korean dictator didn't actually have nuclear weapons. Seriously! How does this help his people? It doesn't. And why stir up trouble? There are much easier ways to get attention but belligerence should not be one of them. In our opinion, this is most likely just talk to make the “Dear Leader” look like he's leading his country into some glorious 1950's styled Communist Propaganda Fantasy Film. We'll say good luck with that Baby Kim. American Mishima laughs at you.