ZHILAOHU

In 1956, Mao Tse-tung (d. 1976) the founding father of The Peoples Republic of China and Chairman of the Chinese Communist party referred to the United States as zhilaohu:  translation: a Paper Tiger.  He meant 'in appearance very powerful but, in reality, nothing to be afraid of.'

I was in grade school at the time.  It was during the beginnings of the cold war.  We scoffed at the term.  No backward China or any other country was willing to challenge the U.S.  We were the most powerful country on Earth and we knew it.

Since then, our prestige has been damaged by fruitless, ill-conceived wars we fought without full commitment to winning.  We have been scarred by various attacks on our embassies and troops.

Our eyes store lasting memories.  The first time I remember being shaken was when I saw film of American soldiers fleeing Saigon rooftops by helicopter in 1975.  In 1983, I saw the aftermath of a bombing at the Marine Barracks in Beruit, Lebanon.  In 1993, I saw bodies of U.S. Marines being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia.  In 2000, I saw a Navy guided missile destroyer, USS Cole, being towed home from Aden Harbor with a debilitating hole in its side made by a suicide bomber's boat.  Of course, the lasting memory we all have is the crumbling of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 2001.  In 2012, Islamic radical militants attacked our embassy outpost in Benghazi, Libya.  Americans died in each of these cases - each an embarrassment.

Now we have a whole string of embarrassments to cope with.  *Earlier this year, it shook me to see US sailors on their knees while being detained in Iran. *I'm amazed that the Russians were allowed to annex a portion of Ukraine.  *I'm shocked that the Philippines, once our possession and forever our ally hosting strategic US military bases, snubbed our President and has now leaned toward China. *I cannot believe that Syria was given an ultimatum not to "cross a line in the sand" or expect repercussions and they did - and without repercussions.  *I shake my head at the fact North Korea has been warned more than once in the last five years to stop with the ICBM development - and they haven't.  *I'm unbelieving that China has been warned to stop building sea island bases off shore - but they haven't.  *I find it morbid that Turkey and Greece are more friendly with Russia than the U.S.  *I can't comprehend that we sit here being attacked by Russian and Chinese cyber hackers and do nothing.  *It's puzzling to me that we were so steadfast in our opposition to Iran getting nuclear weapons yet we made an agreement with them that only delays that happening.  *Who could have ever imagined that a group of terrorists backed by Iran would fire missiles at our Navy ships and go unpunished?

Mao Tse-tung was right - just a little early in his assessment.  So now I guess the emperor has new clothes and the tiger IS made of paper.


Everyone wish our lady Musketeer a happy birthday, today.