Trump’s Mineral Revolution

Storm'n Norm'n 

Age of Trump 

Trump’s Mineral Revolution Secures Our National Sovereignty

by Ronald Beaty | Mar 23, 2025

In a world where nations wield resources as weapons, President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” signed March 20, 2025, stands as a clarion call to restore America’s industrial might. This isn’t just policy — it’s a declaration of independence from the shackles of foreign dependency and bureaucratic paralysis. For too long, the United States has ceded its mineral supremacy to adversaries like China, watching helplessly as Beijing’s grip on rare earths, lithium, and cobalt strangles our economic and national security. Trump’s EO, rooted in conservative principles of self-reliance, deregulation, and economic vigor, is a masterstroke to reclaim what is rightfully ours: the ability to fuel our future from our own soil.

This is not blind nostalgia for smokestacks but a forward-looking stand for sovereignty.

The stakes could not be higher. America’s vast mineral wealth — lithium in Nevada, uranium in Utah, copper in Arizona — lies dormant beneath a web of federal red tape, a legacy of progressive overreach that has kneecapped our miners and enriched our rivals. China controls 60-70 percent of global rare earth production and over 80 percent of their processing, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, while we import 100 percent of our rare earth oxides. This isn’t just an economic embarrassment; it’s a strategic vulnerability. Every F-35 jet, every Tesla battery, every wind turbine relies on minerals we don’t produce at scale.

Trump’s EO rightly frames this as a national security crisis, invoking the Defense Production Act and a prior “National Energy Emergency” (EO 14156, January 20, 2025) to slash regulatory barriers and unleash private enterprise.

At its core, this order embodies the conservative ethos: government as a facilitator, not a dictator, of prosperity. It mandates agencies to identify and approve mining projects within 10 days, prioritizes federal lands for mineral extraction, and mobilizes capital through innovative mechanisms like the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Defense Department leases. This isn’t reckless — it’s resolute. The EO’s timelines are tight because freedom delayed is freedom denied. When the Bureau of Land Management takes seven years to permit a mine, as it did with Nevada’s Thacker Pass lithium project (still pending in 2025), we lose jobs to Beijing and sovereignty to bureaucrats. Trump’s order cuts that Gordian knot, proving that limited government can still act with purpose.

Consider the economic stakes. The mineral sector could be America’s next great frontier, a modern echo of the steel and oil booms that built our industrial backbone. The American Mining Association estimates that domestic critical mineral production could generate 50,000-100,000 jobs, mostly in the heartland. In states like Wyoming and Montana, where unemployment lingers from coal’s decline, this EO offers a lifeline. Onshoring battery and magnet production could slash EV costs, boosting firms like Rivian while cutting reliance on Chinese supply chains.

Critics, predictably, will cry environmental apocalypse. They’ll conjure images of scarred landscapes and poisoned rivers, ignoring that modern mining, from heap leaching to tailings management, has evolved since the 1970s. The EO doesn’t gut safeguards; it streamlines them, demanding Congress clarify the Mining Act of 1872 — a law so outdated it predates the light bulb. This is a mandate to strike a balance: stewardship of natural resources doesn’t mean locking resources away but using them wisely for human benefit.

Besides, the real ecological threat isn’t American mines — it’s China’s, where lax standards devastate ecosystems while we wring our hands. If we don’t mine here, we outsource the damage there, a hypocrisy no one should accept.

The EO’s genius lies in its fusion of public power and private dynamism. By waiving cumbersome DPA requirements and delegating authority to Defense and the DFC, Trump turbocharges investment without ballooning the deficit. Picture this: private firms leasing DoD land in Nevada to build refineries, backed by SBA loans and Export-Import Bank offtake deals. Government clears the path, entrepreneurs pave it. The proposed DFC mineral fund, paired with Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis, could rival China’s state-backed juggernauts, proving that free markets, not socialism, win resource wars.

Obstacles to Extracting Minerals

Yet, Americans must temper their enthusiasm with realism. This EO isn’t a magic wand. Our mineral processing lags — zero rare earth refineries operate stateside, per the Department of Energy — and rebuilding could take a decade. China’s cost advantage (20-30 percent cheaper, per industry analysts) means U.S. miners need tariffs or subsidies to compete, tools the EO sidesteps.

Legal challenges loom, too; environmentalists will sue under NEPA, as they did with Minnesota’s Twin Metals (blocked 2023-2025), testing the order’s mettle. And rural communities near mines may balk, fearing water shortages or cultural disruption — a reminder that liberty includes local voices.

These hurdles don’t diminish the EO’s vision; they refine it. Success will require complementary steps: tax credits for processing plants, vocational programs to train miners (only 13 U.S. universities offer mining degrees, per the Society for Mining Engineers), and trade policies to level the playing field. Congress, too, must act on the Mining Act, a task Trump’s team should press with the same urgency as border security. With Republicans holding the House and Senate in 2025, this could pass by year’s end, cementing the EO’s foundation.
The broader implications are profound. For decades, we’ve let globalists hollow out our industries, trading self-sufficiency for cheap imports. Trump’s EO reverses that surrender, echoing Reagan’s call to stand tall. It’s a middle finger to the Davos crowd who’d rather we beg Beijing than dig in Boise. And it’s a strategic coup: uranium independence bolsters our nuclear edge, rare earths secure our tech primacy, and copper fuels our grid. In a multipolar world, where China and Russia hoard resources, this EO positions America to lead, not follow.

This is not blind nostalgia for smokestacks but a forward-looking stand for sovereignty. Yes, execution matters — agencies must deliver, investors must step up, and greens must be reasoned with, not steamrolled. But the alternative is grim: a nation beholden to Xi Jinping’s whims, our factories idled, our defenses exposed. The EO’s flaws — tight timelines, processing gaps — are fixable. The American people should back this effort at mineral independence with the same resolve that built this nation. If we don’t, someone else will. And they won’t wave our flag.

So you want to buy some gold do you?

 

Don't ask me why I said what I said...but when Levin mentioned Gramsci I...

 The best of Life, Liberty, and Levin.

Until we get rid of the cancer that eats away at our Republic, there will be conflicts amongst us; aka, "There will be wars and rumors of war." 

Barack Obama is the carcinogen that damages the DNA of America and is spread widely within the Democratic Party.  Rather than saying that Obama is a follower of Gramsci, Marx, Engel or others, it would be more correct to say he is the ultimate follower of Columbia University which is the institutional summation of Communist thought in today's America. Whether we dwell on FDR's "The Forgotten Man" or Obama’s "From The Bottom Up", these are appeasing words coming from the men who never forgot themselves and governed from the top down.

"I think we have to rebuild healthy mediating institutions, worker organizations, civic associations, religious associations, trade groups, both in the real world and the virtual world, and they need to be adapted to how we live today. And they have to operate from the bottom up, and we have to find ways of bringing people from different backgrounds together in these groups, so we can all develop better habits of listening to each other, and debating each other, and making group decisions together for the common good." ~ Barack Hussien Obama 

~ Storm'n Norm'n 

CHINA, JAPAN, and AMERICA...in my humble opinion

A senior official in charge of the Communist Party of China's external activities expressed his wariness of Taiwan, where Japanese politicians continue to visit, when a delegation from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan visited Beijing.

　On the 21st, Liu Jianchao, director of the Central Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China, met with a delegation from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, including former Chairman Katsuya Okada, who visited Beijing. Liu reportedly mentioned the successive visits of Japanese politicians to Taiwan and the movement towards an Asian version of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
Former Chairman Okada explained that "it is short-sighted to say that a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency," but said that there are many Japanese businessmen and tourists in Taiwan, and that "if a Taiwan emergency were to occur, Japan would have no choice but to take a great interest in it.

　" In response to former Chairman Okada's statement that "disarmament should be discussed between Japan and China," Director Liu reportedly emphasized that China's increased military spending is "for the sake of protecting the country," saying that China's capabilities are inferior to those of Japan and the United States.

________Storm'n Norm'n OPINION_______

The thing that caught my eye was in that last paragraph:

China's increased military spending is "for the sake of protecting the country," saying that China's capabilities are inferior to those of Japan and the United States.

I don't believe for a minute that China's military spending is for "protecting" the country, but rather in preparation for an attack offensively against America. Their long range goals have been documented elsewhere and its Japan interests would be only if Japan would get in their way in accomplishing their long range goals.  

China has openly declared its desire to occupy America and in recent years have actually purchased thousands of acreage to establish a pre-invasion presence. (By the way... Where are all those military aged men who recently entered the country across our southern border?) You can read more about China's interests in America by clicking on the following statement by a previous Chinese Defense Minister:

"Only countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia have the vast land to serve our needs for mass colonization."

As far as the inferiority/superiority assessment of Japan vs China I think it was fairly accurate described some years earlier than the above article; as follows:

China and Japan have distinct approaches to military readiness, with China prioritizing a large, modernizing military focused on maintaining CCP control and Japan focusing on defense and technological advancements, though both have been modernizing their militaries. 

Here's a more detailed comparison:

China:

• Focus:

  China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is primarily focused on upholding the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) rule, rather than preparing for large-scale war. 
• Modernization:

  China is rapidly modernizing its military, investing heavily in advanced technologies like hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence. 
• Naval Power:

  China has surpassed Japan in terms of aggregate tonnage of principal surface combatants, with the PLAN exceeding the JMSDF in total tonnage by about 40 percent by 2020. 
• VLS:

  China's catchup in vertical launch systems (VLS) has been stunning, with the PLAN having 75 percent more VLS cells than the JMSDF by 2020. 
• Doubtful Combat Readiness:

  Some analysts, including RAND, raise doubts about the PLA's combat readiness, citing internal corruption, political priorities, and a lack of combat experience. 
• Historical Lessons:

  China might be drawing lessons from Imperial Japan's World War II strategy, aiming for swift strikes to prevent U.S. interference in a potential conflict over Taiwan. 

Japan:

• Focus:

  Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) prioritize defense and maintaining regional stability, rather than aggression. 
• Technological Advancements:

  Japan is known for its advanced military technologies, including the E-767 AWACS plane, which has a long flight range and high speed. 
• Naval Power:

  While China has surpassed Japan in terms of aggregate tonnage, Japan maintains a lead in average tonnage per combatant. 
• Strategic Alliances:

  Japan is strengthening its military and forging strategic alliances with other countries, particularly the United States, in response to growing threats from China. 
• Defense Capabilities:

  Japan is ramping up its military defenses, developing advanced technologies like railguns, and responding to China's actions in the region. 
• Historical Context:

  The relationship between China and Japan is deeply rooted in their long history of conflict, particularly during the "Century of Humiliation". 

FBI agent who publicly accused the agency of a pro-Trump bias has been arrested

Former agent who accused FBI of political bias is charged with disclosing confidential records

Politics Mar 20, 2025 5:26 PM EDT by Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — An FBI agent who publicly accused the agency of a pro-Trump bias has been arrested and charged with disclosing confidential records after authorities say he included sensitive material about investigations and informants into a draft of his memoir.

Johnathan Buma, who claimed in 2023 that the FBI went after President Joe Biden’s son Hunter while stifling his own investigation of President Donald Trump’s ally Rudy Giuliani, was arrested Monday evening at Kennedy Airport in New York as he was about to board a flight out of the country, authorities said.

In the draft of his book, Buma described himself as “the most significant whistleblower in FBI history.”

Federal prosecutors in California, where Buma had worked as a counterintelligence and counterproliferation agent, charged him on Tuesday with a single count of disclosure of confidential information. The charge is punishable by up to one year in prison.

Buma submitted a letter of resignation Sunday, according to an affidavit prepared by an FBI agent involved in the investigation. The probe into Buma’s conduct began well before Trump took office for his second term. The FBI searched Buma’s home in November 2023, when Biden was in office.

Messages seeking comment were left with Buma’s lawyer.

After filing a whistleblower complaint and testifying before Congress, the court affidavit said Buma went to his FBI office in Orange County, California, in October 2023 and printed copies of about 130 confidential files. The files included summaries of information provided by confidential informants, the identity of an informant and screenshots of text messages he exchanged with an informant, the affidavit said.

Some of that information also appeared in a draft of Buma’s book, the affidavit said.

After emailing his bosses that he was taking an unpaid leave of absence, Buma posted excerpts of the draft on social media and emailed copies to various people, some of whom were helping him negotiate a publishing deal, according to the affidavit. Among other things, the book contained information about an FBI investigation into a foreign country’s weapons of mass destruction program, the affidavit said.