News of the Day (August 7)

UPDATE AND APOLOGY: Until roughly 7:15PM EDT, the link to the Times of London piece (fourth item) was miscredited. That error has now been corrected; I humbly apologize to the Times for the error (and for not catching it sooner).

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: The Korea Liberator has the latest from Stalinist North Korea.

Stalinist firms hit with U.S. sanctions for aiding Iranian regime: The two firms, Korean Mining and Industrial Development Corporation and Korea Pugang Trading Corporation, were punished by the Bush Administration for "the sale to Tehran of equipment capable of helping the development of weapons of mass destruction" (BBC).

More on the Communists' Korean colony: While the Stalinists' projectile dysfunction garnered the most attention (Washington Times), the Washington Post (third item) reported that the six short range missiles launched the same day "fell within their targets." The Stalinists reverse course and will now take flood aid from South Korea (Washington Post). South Korea's former defense ministers (second item) continue their rhetorical battle against the dovishness of Roh Moo-hyun (United Press Int'l via Washington Times).

As for the Communist-backed mullahcracy, its continued backing of Hezbollah "is seen by some Bush administration officials as a bid to break the West's unified focus on forcing Iran to stop enriching uranium for use in nuclear weapons" (Washington Times). The mullahs are not above using other avenues to protect its nuclear ambitions: "the Islamic Republic has now specifically announced that should their nuclear dossier be voted for referral by the United Nations Security all political prisoners, whether on furlough or in prison, will be summarily executed" (Michael Ledeen, National Review Online, via Small Dead Animals, emphasis added). Meanwhile, Tehran is looking to Africa for nuclear material (Times of London, World Net Daily) and Hezbollah is looking to America as a target (Newsmax).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Normally, the author of a piece takes this dubious honor, not a subject. However, an exception must be made for Virginia Senate candidate James Webb, who proposed negotiations with the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad (Washington Times). What earned Webb the ICOD label was his reason for believing Assad could be convinced to break off his alliance with Tehran: "There is a way to cut Syria away from Iran. It is not a natural alliance. The Sunnis are a secular society" (emphasis added). Putting aside the Khomeinists' ability to work with Osama bin Laden's son and heir, Webb apparently is unaware that Assad is an Allawite Shiite. As for the larger issue of Syria, former Pentagon official David Schenker details the reasons why those who think like Webb are so far off base (Weekly Standard).

U.S.-China Commission (the good one) holds hearings: The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission held a two day-set of hearings on Cold War II, ahem, " China’s Role in the World." The Commission has a history of being the most-clear-eyed governmental unit in Washington on Communist China (Epoch Times).

More on Communist China and the United States: Communist China is looking beyond the old military conventions, both in space (Agence France Presse via Breitbart) and on the ground (Insight). The National Basketball Association gives me good reason not to watch professional basketball (BBC). The Kilgour-Matas report reverberates in America (Epoch Times).

Communists using "Patriotic Catholic" priests as spies abroad: Thanks to the slow thaw in ties with the Vatican, Communist China is sending priests from its version of Catholicism around the world. The reasons have nothing to do with theology; according to France's Intelligence Online, the Communist prelates "are, in fact, intelligence operatives, as European counter-intelligence agencies have come to realize in recent months" (World Tribune).

Communist China's support for radicalism in Chad pries loose another Taiwan ally: The government of Chad has been facing a Communist-backed rebellion for years. Yesterday, the Communists made clear the price of Chad's stability: the end of its diplomatic support for Taiwan. Chad paid up (BBC).

Leading East Turkestan persecutor tightening the screws in Tibet: Zhang Qingli, a longtime colleague of former brutal Tibetan party boss Hu Jintao (the same Hu Jintao now in charge of Communist China) is in charge of what Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet calls "an increasingly repressive political climate on Tibet" (Washington Post). Zhang cut his occupation teeth while running the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the folks tasked with keeping the Communists in charge of East Turkestan, largely against the will not only of the East Turkestani people, but the very "Corps" personnel themselves.

Communists insist Uighur captive will live: Speaking of East Turkestan, escapee Huseyin Celil, who became a Canadian citizen before being captured by Uzbek authorities and sent to Communist China, will spend the rest of his life in a prison cell. The cadres are hoping their assurances that Celil's imprisonment will be long - and not end in execution - will score them points with Canada (CBC). Let's hope it doesn't.

The Communist policy of making the world safe for dictators makes its presence known in Cuba (Worldwide Standard).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: A Japanese military officer is accused of passing secrets to Communist China (Epoch Times). The European Union can't agree on measures to protect against Communist shoe dumping (BBC). An electronic game store owner in Toronto tries to square his support for Falun Gong with the abundance of merchandise in his stores from Communist China, and creates a human-rights fundraising vehicle in the process (Epoch Times).

Hong Kong legislature passes espionage law: The law was approved "after pro-democracy legislators walked out of the marathon debate" (BBC, see also next-to-last item).

Lin Mu offers support to Gao Zhisheng: The aide to the late Hu Yaobang praised the human rights attorney (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, sixth, fourth, sixth, eleventh, eleventh, fourth, last, sixth, eighth, tenth, thirteenth, eleventh, eighth, tenth, last, next-to-last, next-to-last, twelfth, seventh, tenth, and sixth items) in an interview with the Epoch Times.

On Communist China's labor camps: Tim Luard (BBC) reminds all that the torture method "both within and outside the regular prison system - remains very much in place."

Rabies outbreak hits Beijing: The Communists' plan for fighting rabies - namely, kill every dog in sight (BBC, last item) - has not stopped the disease from reaching the capital (Epoch Times).