News of the Day (May 3)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: China Intel approves of a more muscular Japanese military. Shaun Kenney comments on the Communist regime thumbing its nose at the Vatican (thirteenth and fifth items). The Korea Liberator defends Jay Lefkowitz, has the latest news from Stalinist North Korea, and makes an endorsement (of an analyst) in the South Korean elections.

More on Communist China's snub of the Vatican: As the cadres appoint yet another bishop without Vatican approval, two Asian Catholics weigh in (both links from BBC).

More on the Communists' Korean colony: The Committee to Protect Journalists releases their top-ten list of worst nations for press freedom, and Stalinist North Korea tops the list (Washington Times). Daily NK has the latest whispers on Shinuiju (second, second, second, and sixteenth items).

Protestors stage civil disobedience for Wang Wenyi: Three activists were arrested during a protest for Dr. Wang Wenyi (third and second, fourth, and third items); in this case, it was a standard civil disobedience situation (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng (sixth, tenth, fifth, lead, third, last, twelfth, eighth, third, second, third, eighth, eleventh, eighth, fourth, fourth, last, fourth, fifth, twelfth, fifth, second, lead, next to last, seventh, last, next to last, lead, second, last, sixth, tenth, eighth, second, eighth, ninth, lead, sixth, eighth, seventh, fifth, fourth, last, fifth, seventh, next to last, fourth, last, twenty-first, twenty-second, seventh, fourth, and sixth items) comes to Dr. Wang's defense (Epoch Times), as does Jay Nordlinger (National Review Online, second bullet) in the Enlightened Comment of the Day.

A Communist doctor acknowledges Falun Gong is a source for organs in a recorded Q&A with a reporter from Sound of Hope Radio (via Epoch Times); although the doctor was smart enough to avoid any mention of coercion or imprisonment.

Appellants in Communist China numbered 30 million last year, according to a Communist professor (Epoch Times). Appellants, also known as petitioners, are citizens who come to Beijing in the hope of winning redress for grievances against local cadres back home; the hope is almost never fulfilled (eighth, second, fifth, fifth, seventh, ninth, seventh, and eighth items).

On Google and Communist China: Andrew Keen, author of Great Seduction, sums up Google's outlook thusly in the Daily Standard: the firm considers itself "beyond good and evil" (emphasis in original).

U.S. forces Chen Shui-bian to make stopover in Alaska: Taiwan's elected President has routinely made transit stops in the United States during his trips to diplomatic allies in Latin America. This time, however, his plans for stopovers in New York and San Francisco were sidetracked by the Bush Administration as it looks "to court China over issues such as Iran" (BBC). Fantasies such as that forced Chen to delay his trip to Costa Rica and Paraguay, as he now must travel to them via Alaska.

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Communist China "began its first ever patrols with a foreign ally" (Washington Times), i.e., the fellow Communist regime in Vietnam, last month. The naval patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin "were intended to strengthen joint cooperation and maintain security of fishing fleets and oil exploration." Meanwhile, the Communist-Kazakh oil pipeline began shipping oil last month (same link, second item); it should be noted that the terminus for the pipeline, the Dushanzi oil refinery, is in occupied East Turkestan.