News of the Day (September 6)

Communist Chinese ally Pakistan makes "peace" with local Taliban: The military regime of Pervez Musharraf signed an agreement with Taliban forces in North Waziristan, allowing freedom in the region to any terrorist who "is being like a peaceful citizen" (ABC, hat-tip TKS - National Review Online) - including Osama bin Laden himself, although the military tried to backtrack from that later (ABC). The deal is sending shockwaves through the region (ABC, BBC, and Washington Post). For those of us who have never trusted the Musharraf regime - due to its ties to Communist China and pre-9/11/01 support for the Taliban, this is not much of a surprise (Newsmax). Communist China has been an ally of Pakistan for over 50 years, and Zhongnanhai has its own long history of support for the Taliban and al Qaeda.

On to the Middle Eastern Proxies One (Iran) and Two (Syria): President Bush ripped the Communist-backed mullahcracy yesterday, comparing "leaders in Tehran to Al-Qaeda terrorists" (Agence France Presse via Breitbart). This fueled speculation continues to run rampant as to whether or not the U.S. will use force against Iran's nuclear weapons program: John Podhoretz (New York Post) thinks so; Eli Lake (New York Sun) is not so sure; Worldwide Standard thinks it may not be necessary. The Center for Strategic and International Studies produced a report on how the mullahs could string out the U.S. and its allies until they (the mullahs) were a nuclear power (United Press Int'l via Washington Times) - the regime did just that by postponing nuclear talks with the European Union (BBC). Stanley Kurtz (National Review Online) examines what a nuclear-armed Iran would mean, and it's not good; David Ignatius (Washington Post) pens the Ignorant Comment of the Day, insisting once again on talks with the mullahcracy. Jeff Jacoby (Boston Globe), by contrast, writes the Enlightened Comment of the Day regarding the continuing visit of Mohammed Khatami (second item): "Khatami's visa is a win for the mullahs, but a slap in the face to the people of Iran. What a blunder by the Bush Administration. What a disgrace." Khatami's plans to visit Harvard gave Governor Mitt Romney an opportunity to strike a blow for Iranian freedom - which he grabbed with both hands (David Frum - National Review Online, Worldwide Standard). As for life inside Iran, the repression continues (Open Democracy and Time Asia). Meanwhile, Syria hijacked a Lebanese protest against an Israeli blockade (UPI via Washington Times).

Even South Korea's doves are angry at Communist China's Koguryo claim: Communist China is "bolstering its historical claim over Korea's ancient kingdoms" (UPI via Washington Times), especially Koguryo, which included most of what is now SNK. Similar historical "claims" were used to justify the conquest of Tibet. Naturally, this has upset many Koreans - even elected officials from the dovish Uri Party.

Communists are claiming U.S. wants to end its colony: Communist China's propagandists "are attempting to condition world opinion ahead of a possible North Korean nuclear bomb test and new missile launching" (China Confidential via Epoch Times) by blaming the U.S. for it all: "The party propagandists and analysts are spreading the word that the United States is not sincere about negotiating an end to the North Korean nuclear dispute and is instead determined to topple the regime of Dear Leader Kim Jong-il."

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance (The Korea Liberator): TKL takes aim at Donald Gregg and Don Oberdorfer for their weak Washington Post column on Stalinist North Korea. TKL also takes note of the decreasing financial and physical health of Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il, exposes the truth about South Korea's monitoring of aid for SNK (or lack thereof, to be more accurate), and has other SNK news.

More on the Communists' Korean colony: The Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights ripped the South Korean government for trying to stop them from spreading the truth to the people of SNK (Daily NK). The Stalinists are insisting that the United States "changed its attitude and succumbed as we declared possession of nuclear weapon" (Daily NK); perhaps this is to distract attention from the one failure no dictatorship can admit - the trains no longer run on time (Daily NK).

"Darfur is China's war for oil." That's how an unnamed "friend who knows the world of international organizations well" described the situation to David Frum (NRO). The editors of the Washington Post also weigh in - and quite well - on the subject; Patrick Goodenough (Cybercast News) examines the larger issue of Communist China in Africa.

Zhao Yan to file an appeal: The New York Times researcher serving three years in jail (see second, sixth, tenth, ninth, last, third, twelfth, last, and last items) won the support of Reporters Without Borders (Boxun).

More on the Communist media crackdown: RWB also came out in support of two other dissident writers currently in jail: Deng Yongliang, "who was arrested on 18 August 2006 as he was traveling to Yinan, in the eastern province of Shandong, to cover the trial of the dissident lawyer Chen Guangcheng" and Guo Qizhen, "a cyber-dissident who is due to be tried for 'subverting state authority'" (Boxun).

On the Falun Gong War: Alan Adler (Friends of Falun Gong via Epoch Times) examines the causes of the practitioner trial in Singapore (last and third items).

More news from inside Communist China: Another bank projects a bigger Communist bubble (BBC); a Malaysian pharmaceutical businessman who lost over $12 million to Communist fraud tells his story to the Epoch Times.