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Welcome to Grappy's Soap Box - a platform for insightful commentary on politics, media, free speech, climate change, and more, focusing on Australia, the USA, and global perspectives.

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

So Much Winning

Victor Davis Hanson laid it out straight: Trump’s not just defying expectations — he’s making experts eat their words. In just three weeks, the results have been pretty hard to argue with.

Here’s the punch list of wins Hanson highlighted:

  • Lowest illegal border crossings ever under U.S. Customs & Border Protection

  • Economy didn’t crash thanks to tariffs — stock market hitting record highs.

  • Military recruitment up and armed forces slimmed down and refocused

  • Foreign alliances reshaped, with bold moves that "experts" said would fail.

  • Iran’s nuclear program weakened — without needing a full-blown war 

Veteran analysts scoffed. Ph.D.’s rolled their eyes. But here we are: borders controlled, markets up, military refocused, diplomacy redrawn, Iran contained.

Hanson: “All their letters after their name meant nothing.” Trump’s transactional style is delivering real wins — and nobody saw it coming. 

Watch Victor Davis Hanson's video below.



Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Weekly Roundup – Top Articles & Commentary (Week 29, 2025)

 

Here are links to some selected articles of interest and our posts from this week;-


We welcome all feedback, so please feel free to submit your comments or communicate with me via email at grappysb@gmail.com or @grappysb on X. 

Taiwan, China ...and Australia's Wishful Thinking




Here’s the uncomfortable truth Greg Sheridan just laid bare in The AustralianIf China takes Taiwan by force, Australia is in deep trouble.

You’d think that would be front and centre in our national security debates, right?
Nope. Barely rates a mention. Why? Because the Albanese government still clings to the idea that we can dodge China's wrath while quietly leaning on the US to protect us, all without actually pulling our weight.

Let’s be clear: Washington isn’t asking us for an ironclad promise to fight if Taiwan is invaded. That would be absurd. Even the US won’t commit that far. But they are asking us to be serious — and we’re not.

We’ve supposedly been told these are the most dangerous strategic times since WWII. So what has the Albanese government done? Nothing real. Defence spending remains at 2% of GDP, unchanged since they took office. And after inflation, that actually means less buying power. Most of the new spending doesn’t kick in until well into their third term — if they even get one.

Meanwhile, China is building a war economy and telling its military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027. The US knows Australia’s defence posture is weak. Our subs and ships are years away. Our navy is small, old, and in poor shape. The audit reports confirm it.

And here’s the kicker: while refusing to commit to helping defend Taiwan, we’ve asked the US to hand over three of their precious nuclear submarines under the AUKUS deal. That takes some serious chutzpah. We're expecting the US to trust us with some of their best hardware, yet we can’t even bring ourselves to say we’d use it if Taiwan — and the whole regional order — were under attack. This is a lose-lose strategy. If we won’t make that commitment, China sees weakness, and the US sees a flaky partner. That makes it more likely China tries something, and more likely the US rethinks giving us the subs in the first place.

Sheridan points out what anyone with a memory should already know — we’ve been here before. In the 1930s, we ignored the looming Japanese threat. When war came, we had nothing. Our “ancient” navy got battered. And now we’re doing it again — same mistakes, new century.

If China takes Taiwan, it’s not just Taiwan that loses.
The entire Indo-Pacific order breaks down.
China will be able to threaten Japan, the Philippines, Guam, and the US. If the US falters or is forced to choose between fronts, we’re on our own. And we’re not ready.

We can’t pretend this threat doesn’t exist, and we can’t outsource our own security forever. If deterrence is going to work, we have to put more skin in the game.

Because if we don’t, history shows exactly how that ends. And it’s not pretty

Monday, 14 July 2025

Natural Kill Cell:Our Built-In Cancer Fighter

Here’s some genuinely good news: we’re not defenceless in the fight against cancer. In a recent interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, Dr. Patrick Soon‑Shiong revealed that our bodies already possess powerful natural killer (NK) cells, and science is finally learning how to unleash them.

This isn’t new hype. Soon-Shiong explains that NK cells are our immune system’s first responders, hunting down dangerous cells—virally infected ones or early-stage cancerous cells—without needing reprogramming.

What’s groundbreaking is that we now know how to activate and supercharge them. Tested treatments are waking up NK cells (and T-cells), retraining medicine to work with the body’s own defences instead of wiping them out. Soon-Shiong calls it a “triangle offence”—turbocharging NK cells, killer T-cells, and memory T-cells together.

The takeaway? Cancer treatment doesn't have to mean brutal radiation or chemo that demolishes your immune system. We have an internal army—and it's time we let it do its job.


This is a massive shift from the one-size-fits-all treatment model. If you’re curious, check out the full interview below.




👉 In short: Your body has the tools. We just need to know how to turn them on.

Disclaimer: This is super promising—but still early days. Don’t expect results tomorrow. Talk to your doctor about any new therapies.









Friday, 11 July 2025

Is Iran's Enriched Uranium Still in Play?




So, after all the strikes and bold claims about crippling Iran's nuclear program, it turns out most of their enriched uranium might still be intact. French intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner recently stated that while Iran's nuclear capabilities have been significantly delayed, a substantial portion of their enriched uranium remains under their control. 

The exact whereabouts of this uranium? Uncertain. With the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors pulled out due to safety concerns, there's a glaring lack of oversight. The Times of Israel Wall Street Journal

This situation raises more questions than answers. If the uranium is still accessible, what's stopping Iran from resuming its nuclear activities? And with limited international monitoring, how would we even know?

Ultimately, while the strikes may have set back Iran's nuclear timeline, the game is far from over. The uncertainty surrounding the enriched uranium's status keeps the stakes high and the situation tense.