If you compare today with 1939 we are way behind, but even then it took a couple of years to really get on an effective defensive footing. And even then we wouldn’t have stood a chance without our big friends,
The minerals deal is a nonsense. Any country can issue a minerals lease. They then receive royalties, usually 2% to 5% of sales revenue. More than that and the project is not economic. It takes billions to establish a new mine. How can Trump extract more than the 2-5% amount and still have the projects funded by the stock market? It makes no sense.
I suggest reading “The moon is a harsh mistress “ by Heinlein in about 1960 on AI taking over politically. It could also do animated simulation of its persona on TV.
I was just listening to the local radio. They said the bloke who wrote "summer of 69" was challenged as he was only 9 years old in 1969. He answered that "I never said it was about the year 69!"
I just got a message from the Victorian Government asking me to register for Mylandtax. I deleted it. I will wait until they send me a bill and then I will pay it. I think they want me to do their admin for them.
We lived in Tumut with the Ford Pilot. I agree that the real risk was winding muddy steep roads often with no barriers against a steep drop, and bridges built by the SMA with no sides. Slipping and sliding with badly adjusted mechanical brakes at the back. Sometimes towing a heavy home-made camping trailer.
I recall that the CSIRO has admitted that they have no expertise is estimating the cost of nuclear. They subcontracted the work to a consultant who also had no specific expertise, and who used juniors to Google the information needed for their estimate.