Someday, someday soon, we'll implement an economic boycott of the BRICS...

[Junkdrawer]

and belatedly realize that we just slapped a boycott on ourselves.

[Warpy]

1. Too true. We've exported too many basic industries

and it's become a national security issue. For instance, we no longer make cloth or shoes or many car parts or computer innards. All this stuff wears out or breaks down with use. None of it can be repaired or replaced with domestic parts.

Even a halfhearted blockade of trade to the US will cripple us. We don't need a shooting war. WWIII will most likely be a trade war with targeted sanctions.

[Junkdrawer]

5. The proprietary chips in some of our most of our most advanced weapons...

are made in China. There is some suspicion that hardware Trojan horses have been planted.

[TwilightGardener]

8. Well that wasn't too smart of us.

[Junkdrawer]

10. Nope. Link:

hthttp://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3438897

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Some New Balance shoes, at least, are made in the USA

http://www.newbalance.com/Made-in-the-USA/made_in_usa,default,pg.html

[Warpy]

9. Yes, one reason I prefer them along with the superior fit.

However, one running shoe company can't supply the footwear needs of the whole country.

We'll all be wearing old car tires made into sandals in very little time.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Speaking of BRICS--how is Edward Snowden NOT a spy for that organization?

Brazil, India, Russia, China--only one we're missing is South Africa, otherwise Snowden has been sheltered (or tried to be) at some point by them all. Glenn Greenwald and his husband--chief enabler--Brazil. Snowden's material driving a wedge between Merkel (EU) and the US, driving a wedge between the American left and Obama, demanding that we kill the NSA's abilities. It just seems so obvious sometimes.

[Junkdrawer]

3. I've always had a different view of the whole NSA /Snowden thing...

As it runs counter the two main camps here, I keep my mouth shut.

[TwilightGardener]

4. I generally do not like Snowden, but wasn't sure he was a spy. I'm fairly sure

he is now. Too much coincidence. And he isn't a spy for a country, maybe, but getting paid to spy for an organization who must now shelter him. And Greenwald, an expat with ties to leftie publications in America and UK, is always trying to convince liberals and Paulies in the US to neuter both the NSA and the Pentagon's reach. Why would an expat give a shit about American constitutional rights to privacy? And why is he paired up with Ebay man Omidyar, who has a hand in the Ukraine revolution apparently?

[Junkdrawer]

6. That's close...

The surface story, pro and con, had too many questions for my taste.