Is China Really Serious
The following story--blurb really--was in this morning's bird cage liner better known as the Arizona Republic.
China says 27 on trial after village attack
Beijing--A local Communist Party official and 25 other people are being tried on charges of organizing a bloody attack on protesting villagers that killed six villagers in June, the Chinese government says.
The annoncement of the trial comes as the government tries to defuse public anger over a separate clash last week in which police opened fire on protesters in a southern village northeast of Hong Kong, killing at least three. Villagers said as many as 20 were killed.
Unfortunately, this wasn't available online. So, there's no link. Fortunately, I copied it at work this morning, and it's copied word-for-word. The incident from last week occurred in Dongzhou Town, and I believe the Chinese villagers over the government on this one. The corroboration of the incident--in extreme details by many--happened as Hong Kong was breaking the news. The village was quickly sealed off from the world by the police. Military tanks moved into surround the village. Machine gun emplacements were erected, and phone lines to the town were severed. One of the last messages out of Dongzhou town was a warning to residents away when the shooting occurred to not return; their safety was not a guarantee. The other reason to believe the villagers over the government was the fact that the government sent in officials trying to buy the bodies from the families, in an effort to keep the story quiet. After all, dea men tell no tales, and if no dead men are found, there really is no story.
But the fact that the government is moving forward on a similar incident, is there cause to believe that they'll handle Dongzhou Town properly? And how honest is the aforementioned trial really going to be? Are those charged simply facing a slap on the wrist, or will the government find them "miraculously" not guilty of the charges? There is cause for concern with both incidents. China is a Communist nation, and perhaps one of the worst among them when it comes to basic human rights, like life.
We've seen and heard the stories from North Korea (no, not Barbara Demick's puff-pieces about the country) about the misery, the gulags, and the veritable slave labor society Kim Jong Il has erected in North Korea. We are well-versed in Castro's dislike of dissdents in his nation, and his eagerness to remove them from Agitators are never welcome in such a society. We're well-versed in the history of Soviet Russia and it's infamous gulags. China has them too, but their human rights abuses are legendary among Communist nations.
So, this begs the question of "why the sudden change in their outward appearance?" Well, this might have a lot to do with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. As a matter of fact, I'm betting on it. They'll be on the world stage to present the "perfect" society to the world. One in which the citizens are happy and prosperous, and where the government respects them as an individual; even within the boundaries of dispensing certain "freedoms" on their citizens. This facade will be viewed by millions around the globe. In my humble opinion (based on the studying and research I've done regarding China and it's ideology) this is pure PR; they're trying to win an eternal argument that was essentially ended in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Freedom and capitalism will topple repression and socialism each and every time once the populace has a grasp of it.
See, the Chinese have been running a PR campaign for some time. In 1989, they moved forward with a crackdown of free speech and demonstration by opening fire on student and urban worker protesters in Tianaman Square in 1989. They've been "trying" to clean up their image, but many reputable human rights groups have stated that there is little movement in the direction of bettering their human rights record. And if anything, this incident in Dongzhou Town didn't do that record any favors. If anything it made it worse.
And that may be why they're having this trial of an earlier incident. To show the world they mean business in giving their people the basic human rights that people deserve. The recognition that they screwed up, and people died because of it. Or, it's a sham. It's a show trial for the world, and the people of the country won't believe it. We have to remember that their abuses involve the basic freedoms of speech, of movement, of dissent, and even of certain ethnic minorities, like the Tibetan people. This is a Communist nation.
And it's about to be catapulted to the world stage. They will be bared for all to see. Of course, that's not true. We won't see the other side of Communism; the side where the people suffer. No we'll see a bright and shinging example of the good things about their ideology. I'm sure that a few of the Left in the Senate might even feel a tug of the heart strings when they see the 2008 Olympics. And that's the damnable thing about this whole Olympic fiasco: They're still getting it. Despite the tarnished image of a repressive regime (like the Soviets in 1980, and Pres. Carter's idiotic idea to boycott the Olympics) the IOC is going to let them keep it. Of course it would be equally idiotic to stop the Olympics, and move it to another site. There may not be enough time to prepare for it, unless a recent city is chosen to host them as opposed to China.
But nothing will happen to China. They're getting a slap on the wrist from the world community. As a matter of fact, I barely aw any sort of condemnation from any nation in the world over this incident. This was the worst act of violence since the events of Tianaman Square, and the world let out a collective ((YAWN)). So what? Who cares? It was only a few villagers, right?
Yeah, it was. Just like it was only a few Afriacans in Rwanda, a few farmers in Zimbabwe, and just a few Muslims and Christians in Kosovo. Oh, and Saddam Hussein only killed upwards of 300,000 Kurds. Yeah, they're only people.
No, I'm no bleeding heart liberal here. I'm a concerned citizen. Concerned as much for the people being murdered by their governments, and we look the other way--the whole world looks the other way--and tolerates these actions. Yet, we went into Iraq to disarm a dictator, cease a connection to terrorist groups in the region, and stop him from killing and torturing more of his people. And yet we look away from China. They're a trade partner, and we'd to upset that now, wouldn't we? Fine, we can trade...when they clean up their act, and start observing some basic human rights and freedoms.
The president recently visited China, and gave them a solemn warning.
Pointing to Taiwan -- as well as South Korea -- Bush said political freedoms are the inevitable product of the kind of economic liberalization China has begun pursuing.
"Men and women who are allowed to control their own wealth will eventually insist on controlling their own lives and their own future," he said. "As China reforms its economy, its leaders are finding that once the door to freedom is opened even a crack, it cannot be closed."
HT: Cox & Forkum for the quote. http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000715.html
It's time for China to wake up and smell the coffee. But for them to do so, a world has to hand them the cup. Their nation is starting to see more and more people desiring Western Freedom, and with this moves of recent in terms of their economy, Pres. Bush is correct. The desire is impossible to shut down. And for China to do so, they'll have to resort to tactics used before in Tianaman Square, and recently in Dongzhou Town. For them to show the world they've changed, they need to quit resorting to these tactics. Their arrogance since winning the Olympic games has grown.
They've opened fire on protesters in recent months.
They've rounded up bloggers for violations of freedom of speech.
Any protest revolving around freedom of speech is immediately broken up, and leaders are arrested.
Student dissidents have been arrested for violations of demonstrating and freedom of speech.
The people of China are as fed up with their regime as we are, and as much as the Iraqi people were with Saddam. Am I advocating "regime change" in China? No. I am, however, promoting a return to the same sorts of tactics used to bring the Soviets to their knees. If this can be dealt with now, we may not have to deal with another "Cold War" down the road. I said may; nothing is set in stone.
But don't believe this trial for a moment. It's all public relations to show that they mean business when dealing with those that shoot civilians. I doubt much will occur, much less a serious verdict against these 27 people. They'll be lucky to escape without a slap on the wrist.
Publius II
The following story--blurb really--was in this morning's bird cage liner better known as the Arizona Republic.
China says 27 on trial after village attack
Beijing--A local Communist Party official and 25 other people are being tried on charges of organizing a bloody attack on protesting villagers that killed six villagers in June, the Chinese government says.
The annoncement of the trial comes as the government tries to defuse public anger over a separate clash last week in which police opened fire on protesters in a southern village northeast of Hong Kong, killing at least three. Villagers said as many as 20 were killed.
Unfortunately, this wasn't available online. So, there's no link. Fortunately, I copied it at work this morning, and it's copied word-for-word. The incident from last week occurred in Dongzhou Town, and I believe the Chinese villagers over the government on this one. The corroboration of the incident--in extreme details by many--happened as Hong Kong was breaking the news. The village was quickly sealed off from the world by the police. Military tanks moved into surround the village. Machine gun emplacements were erected, and phone lines to the town were severed. One of the last messages out of Dongzhou town was a warning to residents away when the shooting occurred to not return; their safety was not a guarantee. The other reason to believe the villagers over the government was the fact that the government sent in officials trying to buy the bodies from the families, in an effort to keep the story quiet. After all, dea men tell no tales, and if no dead men are found, there really is no story.
But the fact that the government is moving forward on a similar incident, is there cause to believe that they'll handle Dongzhou Town properly? And how honest is the aforementioned trial really going to be? Are those charged simply facing a slap on the wrist, or will the government find them "miraculously" not guilty of the charges? There is cause for concern with both incidents. China is a Communist nation, and perhaps one of the worst among them when it comes to basic human rights, like life.
We've seen and heard the stories from North Korea (no, not Barbara Demick's puff-pieces about the country) about the misery, the gulags, and the veritable slave labor society Kim Jong Il has erected in North Korea. We are well-versed in Castro's dislike of dissdents in his nation, and his eagerness to remove them from Agitators are never welcome in such a society. We're well-versed in the history of Soviet Russia and it's infamous gulags. China has them too, but their human rights abuses are legendary among Communist nations.
So, this begs the question of "why the sudden change in their outward appearance?" Well, this might have a lot to do with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. As a matter of fact, I'm betting on it. They'll be on the world stage to present the "perfect" society to the world. One in which the citizens are happy and prosperous, and where the government respects them as an individual; even within the boundaries of dispensing certain "freedoms" on their citizens. This facade will be viewed by millions around the globe. In my humble opinion (based on the studying and research I've done regarding China and it's ideology) this is pure PR; they're trying to win an eternal argument that was essentially ended in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Freedom and capitalism will topple repression and socialism each and every time once the populace has a grasp of it.
See, the Chinese have been running a PR campaign for some time. In 1989, they moved forward with a crackdown of free speech and demonstration by opening fire on student and urban worker protesters in Tianaman Square in 1989. They've been "trying" to clean up their image, but many reputable human rights groups have stated that there is little movement in the direction of bettering their human rights record. And if anything, this incident in Dongzhou Town didn't do that record any favors. If anything it made it worse.
And that may be why they're having this trial of an earlier incident. To show the world they mean business in giving their people the basic human rights that people deserve. The recognition that they screwed up, and people died because of it. Or, it's a sham. It's a show trial for the world, and the people of the country won't believe it. We have to remember that their abuses involve the basic freedoms of speech, of movement, of dissent, and even of certain ethnic minorities, like the Tibetan people. This is a Communist nation.
And it's about to be catapulted to the world stage. They will be bared for all to see. Of course, that's not true. We won't see the other side of Communism; the side where the people suffer. No we'll see a bright and shinging example of the good things about their ideology. I'm sure that a few of the Left in the Senate might even feel a tug of the heart strings when they see the 2008 Olympics. And that's the damnable thing about this whole Olympic fiasco: They're still getting it. Despite the tarnished image of a repressive regime (like the Soviets in 1980, and Pres. Carter's idiotic idea to boycott the Olympics) the IOC is going to let them keep it. Of course it would be equally idiotic to stop the Olympics, and move it to another site. There may not be enough time to prepare for it, unless a recent city is chosen to host them as opposed to China.
But nothing will happen to China. They're getting a slap on the wrist from the world community. As a matter of fact, I barely aw any sort of condemnation from any nation in the world over this incident. This was the worst act of violence since the events of Tianaman Square, and the world let out a collective ((YAWN)). So what? Who cares? It was only a few villagers, right?
Yeah, it was. Just like it was only a few Afriacans in Rwanda, a few farmers in Zimbabwe, and just a few Muslims and Christians in Kosovo. Oh, and Saddam Hussein only killed upwards of 300,000 Kurds. Yeah, they're only people.
No, I'm no bleeding heart liberal here. I'm a concerned citizen. Concerned as much for the people being murdered by their governments, and we look the other way--the whole world looks the other way--and tolerates these actions. Yet, we went into Iraq to disarm a dictator, cease a connection to terrorist groups in the region, and stop him from killing and torturing more of his people. And yet we look away from China. They're a trade partner, and we'd to upset that now, wouldn't we? Fine, we can trade...when they clean up their act, and start observing some basic human rights and freedoms.
The president recently visited China, and gave them a solemn warning.
Pointing to Taiwan -- as well as South Korea -- Bush said political freedoms are the inevitable product of the kind of economic liberalization China has begun pursuing.
"Men and women who are allowed to control their own wealth will eventually insist on controlling their own lives and their own future," he said. "As China reforms its economy, its leaders are finding that once the door to freedom is opened even a crack, it cannot be closed."
HT: Cox & Forkum for the quote. http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000715.html
It's time for China to wake up and smell the coffee. But for them to do so, a world has to hand them the cup. Their nation is starting to see more and more people desiring Western Freedom, and with this moves of recent in terms of their economy, Pres. Bush is correct. The desire is impossible to shut down. And for China to do so, they'll have to resort to tactics used before in Tianaman Square, and recently in Dongzhou Town. For them to show the world they've changed, they need to quit resorting to these tactics. Their arrogance since winning the Olympic games has grown.
They've opened fire on protesters in recent months.
They've rounded up bloggers for violations of freedom of speech.
Any protest revolving around freedom of speech is immediately broken up, and leaders are arrested.
Student dissidents have been arrested for violations of demonstrating and freedom of speech.
The people of China are as fed up with their regime as we are, and as much as the Iraqi people were with Saddam. Am I advocating "regime change" in China? No. I am, however, promoting a return to the same sorts of tactics used to bring the Soviets to their knees. If this can be dealt with now, we may not have to deal with another "Cold War" down the road. I said may; nothing is set in stone.
But don't believe this trial for a moment. It's all public relations to show that they mean business when dealing with those that shoot civilians. I doubt much will occur, much less a serious verdict against these 27 people. They'll be lucky to escape without a slap on the wrist.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 7:26 PM
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