News of the Day (August 21)

From the China Support Network: The founder of the parent org comments on Gao Zhisheng's arrest; Between Heaven and Earth puts the seizure in the context of the larger crackdown against attorneys in Communist China. For more on the arrest of the human rights lawyer (fifteenth item), the Epoch Times is all over the case.

More from the China Freedom Blog Alliance: BHaE also has the latest from the Canadian theatre of the Falun Gong War (see Epoch Times for more). The Korea Liberator, meanwhile, is busy as ever with analyses on a Stalinist "human rights organization", SNK counterfeiting (see also Daily NK), Asia Times views on the Stalinist military, and the latest SNK news.

More on the Communists' Korean colony: Remember when South Korea threw cold water on reports of a possible Stalinist nuclear test (second item)? They've stopped the waterfall (Yonhap via Yahoo). Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (Counterintelligence Blog) thinks the two nuclear satellites (SNK and Iran) may be coordinating their programs. South Korea also began military drills with the United States (United Press Int'l via Washington Times) and arrested an alleged Stalinist spy (BBC). The floods in northern Korea leads to the dovish South pledging 100,00 tons of food aid (BBC), and has Time Asia thinking they could become a convenient excuse for Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il (Daily NK is worried about this, too). Daily NK sees SNK expecting an American pullout from the peninsula. KJI's top talks envoy dies (Washington Times).

On Middle Eastern proxy one (Iran): Speculation runs rampant as to how the Communist-backed mullahcracy will respond tomorrow to calls to end its nuclear weapons program (Cybercast News, Newsmax, Sunday Times - UK, UPI via Washington Times). Meanwhile, the regime conducts "defensive" (Newsmax) military exercises, and further cracks down on its own people (Sunday Times). John R. Thompson (National Review Online) and Robert Novak (Cybercast News) have conflicting views on how to handle Tehran (Thompson is much better). Peter Brookes (Cybercast News) ponders the mullahcracy's next move. Rich Galen (Cybercast News) laments Kofi Anna's plans to visit Tehran.

On Middle Eastern proxy two (Syria): Claude Salhani (UPI via Washington Times) calls for talks with Syria and takes the Ignorant Comment of the Day award. However, the worse news comes from the Israeli government, which is seriously considering talks with the Assad regime (Washington Times).

On Middle Eastern proxy three (Hezbollah): The terrorist group is rearming (World Net Daily) and once again threatens to destroy Israel (Ynet). The role of the United Nations is, as expected, harmful (National Review Online, Toronto Sun, Washington Times). Canadian MPs (none of whom from the governing Conservative Party) join in the terrorist propaganda campaign (Small Dead Animals, Steve Janke). Lee Smith, from the Hudson Institute, examines the reactions of the U.S. and Israel (Daily Standard).

Canadian rabbi joins Olympic boycott call: Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a member of the Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation, tells an organ donation panel that if Communist China continues the organ harvesting exposed in the Kilgour-Matas report, the democratic world should stay away from the 2008 Games (Ottowa Citizen). Meanwhile, the dark side of the regime's preparation for the Olympics is revealed in The Concrete Revolution (reviewed in the Epoch Times).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation examines the ties between the U.S. and Communist Chinese ally Pakistan with surprisingly clear eyes (National Review Online). Time Asia examines the prospect of Shinzo Abe becoming Japan's Prime Minister, as fellow hawk Taro Aso throws his hat in the ring (BBC). Communist China continues to decide it's better to feed anyone other than the Chinese people (Epoch Times). Jerome Corsi examines Communist China's economic damage to North America (Human Events). Xin Fei (Epoch Times) examines the effects of Yuan Sheng's defection.

Cadres worried about population shrinkage (but nothing else in "one child"): Communist China may finally be starting to have second thoughts about its hideous "one child" policy (tenth, second, ninth, ninth, thirteenth, lead, tenth, fifth, tenth, sixth, ninth, eighth, ninth, eighth, ninth, and sixteenth items). Was it the forced abortions, infanticides, and forced sterilizations? Of course not - Chen Guangcheng is still in jail, after all (National Review Online - sixth item, Time Asia, Voice of America via Epoch Times). The problem , from the cadres' perspective, is this: "after 2030 . . . China's labor force will shrink, putting China at a competitive disadvantage with India" (Taiwan Central News Agency via Epoch Times).

Leading Hong Kong Democrat attacked: Albert Ho, a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council and Vice-Chair of the city's Democratic Party, "was attacked by three or four men using baseball bats and batons as he ate at a fast-food restaurant" (BBC). While the attackers are still at large (and thus their actual motive unknown), at least some speculation centered around Ho's decision to support an investigation into Communist organ harvesting (Epoch Times).

More on human rights in Communist China: Simon Elegant (Time Asia) examines the battle between the Chinese Communist Party and millions of non-Communist Christians. The editors of the Washington Post lament the continued imprisonment of Ching Cheong. Xin Fei, Epoch Times, reviews the growing movement to leave the Chinese Communist Party.

More news from inside Communist China: Confucious has a new friend in Britain - the CCP (Independent, UK). The regime's central bank raises interest rates "to cool its booming economy" (BBC); said "booming economy" did little for the Communists' flagship airline, Air China, which had a spectacularly weak initial public offering (BBC).