What amazes me is that they honestly believe that people are going to believe such nonsense. What amazes me even more is that there are still people around who do believe such nonsense.

The U.S. provocations regarding Taiwan are for one — and only one — purpose: to gin up another crisis. What better way to justify the continued existence of the U.S. national-security establishment and the vast "defense" industry and their ever-increasing taxpayer-funded largess?

A national-security state always needs crises and official enemies. It has to keep people agitated and afraid. In that way, people will say, "Oh, my gosh, thank goodness we have the national-security establishment to keep us safe. Please give them more of my income and please let them take more of my rights and freedoms away from me."