"Nah, you'll do fine in battle with this plastic butter knife and a couple of blow darts."

In an effort to possibly pander to the lumbering dictatorial and economic juggernaut known as the PRC, the US has decided to freeze the sale of weapons to the ROC.

Now I do understand that the US has a presence in the Taiwan Strait. But there is no real obligation for the US to be there. Looking at how things are going in certain parts of the world, the US isn't always going to be there. So if the US is really committed to defending the ROC, it should continue sales.

Unfortunately, the US has to utilize China to take care of problems that the US on its own cannot (or perhaps will not) solve. This was the same motivation that drove recognition during the later stages of the Vietnam War under Nixon.

It is unclear how long the US can dilly-dally on this issue. Even though cross-strait relations are improving, it is a matter of time when the saber-rattling gets more serious.