Beltway Insider: Biden Amends UCMJ, China Unleashes Malware, Saudi's Host Ukraine Peace Talks, Aging and American Politics

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 30 July 2023 11:44; Written by Janet Walker

President Biden signed an Executive Order this week amending the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the first since its inception in 1950, to significantly change how the officials handle sexual assaults, domestic violence, murder, and other serious offenses.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending July 30, 2023 increased by 0.1% to 40.9% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased by 0.9% to 54.2% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Biden Amends Uniform Code of Military Justice

President Biden, this week, amended the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), the first amendment since the Military Justice system was established in 1950, removing military power to prosecute accused enlisted for sexual assault, murder, domestic violence, child abuse and other serious offenses.

"The historic reforms will better protect victims and ensure prosecutorial decisions are fully independent from the chain of the command," White House Senior Officials said.

The amended protocols will dramatically change the procedures to better protect victims, before, after and during the criminal prosecution. Among the other changes is the establishment of a new Office of Special Trial Counsel, (OSTC), who will decide, in lieu of commanders whether to prosecute and presenting a clear, defined and clarified statement that the prosecutorial decisions made by the OSTC are binding and are "independent from the chain of command."

Establishing the rules that will govern the new Offices of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC), the independent military prosecutors who will now decide, in the place of commanders, whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence, child abuse, and murder.

In addition to the amendment to the UCMJ, the Executive Order, builds on the Department of Defense's Independent Review performed in 2021 to address the increasing reports of sexual assault, sexual violence, murder, and career assassination for reporting these criminal offenses making prosecution more likely and justice obtainable.

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China Unleashes Malware on U.S. Bases

China's continued effort to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy the U.S. communication systems became apparent to government officials last May when the malware code was detected by Microsoft in the South Pacific region.

"The Biden administration is hunting for malicious computer code it believes China has hidden deep inside the networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases in the United States and around the world, according to American military, intelligence and national security officials," reported The New York Times.

The People's Republic of China poses the highest risk to the U.S. as President Xi-Jinping continues his countries efforts for global domination. The war isn't a land grab, as the world has witnessed with Russian and Ukraine, the PRC is determined to become the most advanced systems nation and continuing to find more innovative methods of integrating individuals into the United States, especially into the top four industries China seeks to advance and dominate, including Defense, for the purpose of stealth, corporate, and intellectual property espionage.

Former Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, wrote on China's determination for global dominance in December of 2020 in The Wall Street Journal, he calls the PRC's "approach of economic espionage "rob, replicate and replace." China robs U.S. companies of their intellectual property, replicates the technology, and then replaces the U.S. firms in the global marketplace."

The cold war with China is a tech grab war, seizing information and use the theory of "rob, replicate, and replace" on defense, technology and even on susceptibility of U.S. citizens to honor their government, which are all critical in the ecosystem of effort to build a tech grab.

As Xi-Jinping continues his effort to dismantle global democracy his methods will continue to be cloaked in unsuspecting and fair-trade goods. With every reported and repeated warning from government officials, there are many, hundreds that are not reported. Innovation and failure to drill down on improved and modernized weapons of espionage, including the most obvious, dental composite resin, continue to play to Xi-Jinping's advantage.

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Saudi's Host Russian/Ukraine Peace Talks

The government of Saudi Arabia has agreed to host Ukrainian peace talks although Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he will not attend, and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, has said the conference will be help Ukraine and other supporting nations determine strategies before the upcoming summit.

"According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on plans for the talks in Jeddah on Aug. 5 and 6, the meeting is intended to pave the way for a summit later this year, when global leaders hope to declare their support for shared principles for a lasting peace," The Washington Post reported.

As the Russian/Ukraine war is now nearing the 18month mark, Ukraine's counter-offensive is inching closer to disturbing the calm in Moscow, the unfortunate outcome of war is injury and death. Putin's determined land grab war has already cost both Ukraine and Russian citizens, and the counter-offensive, led by the world's supplies of state-of-the-art military supplies and especially ICBMs with a range of 12,000km can easily be launched from Kiev and land in Red Square, a distance of 869km.

The demolition of critical infrastructure is imperative to stopping Russian reinforcements from reaching the Ukraine and Putin is determined to scorch the earth in a Hitleresque campaign.

The European continent is already seeing run-off of Russia's mercenary Wagner group's failed coup as the soldiers are attempting to gain access to Poland disguises as Belarusian soldiers and illegals,

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, "The situation is getting increasingly dangerous … Most likely they [the Wagner personnel] will be disguised as the Belarusian border guard and help illegal migrants get to the Polish territory [and] destabilise Poland," Morawiecki said at a press conference in Gliwice, western Poland. "They will most likely try to enter Poland pretending to be illegal migrants and this poses additional threats," Aljazeera reported.

Coronavirus Totals

Mandates have been altered or lifted in most urban areas with limited exceptions, and the population is encouraged to maintain personal protective practices. Masks are optional and tolerated. Vaccines and boosters are still considered the most effective agents against contracting the Coronavirus.

For the week ending July 30, 2023, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 768,560,726 people, with a total worldwide death toll of 6,952,522 deaths. (Data from The World Health Organization).

COVID U.S. Totals

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the 7-day period ending July 30, 2023, the total hospitalizations resulting from new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased to 6,216,701. The coronavirus has claimed 1,135,919 total U.S. deaths. (Data from CDC).

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Agism and American Politics

Ageism is defined as discrimination based on a person's age, which in America has been shifting since the now famous words, "Don't trust anyone over 30" spoken by Cal-Berkeley activist Jack Weinberg, in 1964.

Baby Boomers, those credited for shaping America into the ideals they fought and died for in the streets of every American city during the 1960s and 70s Vietnam era protests, are now facing a mirror that reflects a sad truth of life, time waits for no one.

For those who continued the effort to construct an America that reflected their ideals they became political leaders. Today, these elected leaders are aging. In fact, in Washington the average age of American elected leader's hovers near the traditional retirement age.

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"The current class of lawmakers is one of the oldest in history, with an overall median age of 59. The median age of senators is 65, the highest on record. In the House, the median age has hovered between 57 and 58 for the past decade, higher than in any year before that period, reported The Washington Post.

It isn't that age, that pesky chronological reminder that pulls and nags as everyone who reaches a certain point begins to deal with the concepts associated with what are commonalities associated with aging, cognitive decline being the most prominent.

No matter the terminology, the same generation that defied their parents' ideals and were determined to change America are now attempting to reshape the way society thinks of elder leaders.

Agism is once again becoming a hot topic in American politics and brought home this week when GOP Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, 81, momentarily froze, and remained incommunicado for 23 seconds before he was led away by aides. He returned later to explain to reporters he was fine.

McConnell and Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, who has already announced she would not seek reelection to the position she has held since 1992, are becoming the subject of criticism for their continued efforts, despite repeated health issues to remain active members of the U.S. senate, and more importantly are they serving their constituency by remaining.

'"I don't know what the magic number is, but I do think that as a general rule, my goodness, when you get into the 80s, it's time to think about a little relaxation," said Trent Lott, 81, a former Senate majority leader who retired at the spry age of 67 to start his own lobbying firm. "The problem is, you get elected to a six-year term, you're in pretty good shape, but four years later you may not be so good,"' The New York Times reported.

President Biden, 80, is the oldest serving president and appears to be in good mental health, as many politicians have served, even in the White House, suffering from degenerative physical health, including World War II leader Franking D. Roosevelt, who was paralyzed from the waist down and needed a wheelchair. Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, (D) an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs in battle, serves her constituency as does (R) Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who was out jogging when a tree fell on him and crushed his spine.

For more information on President Joe Biden w ww.whitehouse.gov.