News of the Weekend (Sept. 9-12)

Communist air defense parts on way to Syria (and possibly Hezbollah) halted in Cyprus: A ship loaded with "radars which 'appear to be part of an air defense system'" (BBC) was seized on route to Syria. Cyprus authorities held the ship after hearing from Interpol that "the vessel might be smuggling arms and that it had been loaded in China and North Korea" (emphasis added). According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the air-defense shipment "may have been on its way to Hezbollah."

Communist academic calls U.S. response to 9/11 "erroneous": Yuan Peng, a researcher at the Communist-run China Institute of Contemporary International Relations wrote in the Party-run People's Daily that the "erroneous US response to September 11" (Agence France Presse via Yahoo) was "what really changed the world" - not the attack itself. Nearly five years ago, the Communists produced a video on 9/11 "glorifying the strikes as a humbling blow against an arrogant nation."

Two cheers for Fred Stakelbeck and his Front Page Mag column on Communist China's ties to Iran. If it weren't too narrowly tailored to energy issues, it would have contended for Enlightened Comment of the Day.

Communist claims of "terrorism" in East Turkestan answered: Just before the rest of the world began asking if Communist China would support sanctions against Iran, the cadres claimed a major anti-terrorist operation in occupied East Turkestan. As is the standard, the Communists presented no evidence to back up the claim. The Uyghur Human Rights Project responded.

U.S. bans Iran-regime bank, but goes soft on nuclear issue: Saderat, a bank owned by the Khomeinist regime in Iran, is now banned from "any dealings with the American financial system because of what U.S. officials say is the bank's role as a conduit of Iranian money to Middle East terrorists" (Voice of America via Epoch Times). The bank "transferred hundreds-of-millions of dollars to groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad" - also reporting: United Press Int'l via Washington Times and Weekly Standard. Now for the bad news: the Bush Administration is apparently OK with a mere "suspension" of Iran's nuclear weapons program (UPI via Washington Times).

More on Middle Eastern Proxy Number One (Iran): Speaking of asking questions about Communist China's ties to the mullahcracy, the editors of the Washington Post are doing just that. James Phillips, of the Heritage Foundation, has a rather weak Fox News column on the mullahs' nuclear ambitions. The Tehran crackdown against freedom continues (Washington Post, seventh item) as does criticism of same (National Review Online, sixth item). Former regime mouthpiece Mohammed Khatami (second item) praises Hezbollah (VOA via Epoch Times) as anger over his visit continues (Washington Times and World Net Daily). Finally, a top aide to Iranian backed Moqtada al-Sadr sees Iraq as a future copy of Iran - unless American troops stay (Washington Post via MSNBC).

More on Middle Eastern Proxy Number Two (Syria): Why would the BBC (among others) has trouble believing a government's claim that terrorists attack an American Embassy in its capital? When the government is the Syrian regime, the question answers itself. Meanwhile, members of Germany's leading center-left party make nice with Bashar Assad (UPI via Washington Times).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Jay Nordlinger (National Review Online, see sixth item) for highlighting the danger of America's Silicon Valley helping Communist police.

Montaperto gets a slap on the wrist: Ronald Montaperto, the former intelligence analyst who admitted to being a Communist spy "was sentenced to three months in prison yesterday - far shy of four to five years called for in sentencing guidelines" (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). The shockingly light sentence by Judge Gerald Bruce Lee was due to "letters of support from current and former intelligence and military officials." That has already led House Intelligence Committee Peter Hoekstra to promise an investigation on this subject.

More on Communist China and the United States: The recent successful U.S. missile defense test may have been aimed in part at Communist China (UPI via Washington Times). As Communist China's trade surplus hits another record (BBC), the regime won't move on its deliberately devalued currency (BBC). Former Washington Governor Gary Locke does his best to ensure this corner will never endorse him should he run for something else (Seattle Times). New York University Professor Jonathan Zimmerman sounds the alarm on Communist China worming its way into American academia (Christian Science Monitor). Joe Buff (Military.com) reminds his readers that the U.S. is always an enemy to Communist China.

The Canada file: The recently turfed Liberals are worried about the Conservatives' anti-Communism (Globe and Mail), earning the party a well-deserved keyboard-lashing from Steve Janke. The Bank of Montreal's role in helping the Communists fleece investors, ahem launching Communist IPOs, is revealed by the Globe and Mail. Ezra Levant (Western Standard) and Paul Jackson (Calgary Sun) calls for the United Nations to admit Taiwan. Canadian police may be pointing local hate-crime laws at an anti-Falun Gong newspaper (Epoch Times).

More on the island democracy of Taiwan: Don Feder (Washington Times) and Virginia Wesleyan College Professor David Lorenzo (Taiwan Journal) join the call for Taiwan's admission into the UN. Meanwhile, an anti-Chen Shui-bian protest is nearly rained out after one day (BBC).

From the China Support Network: The parent org weighs in on the death of Zhang Hongbao.

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Between Heaven and Earth remembers Mao Zedong, comments on the Communist ban against any negative media stories (see also BBC, Boxun, and the Times of London), and praises the European Parliament for standing up for the Chinese people (see also Epoch Times). Korea Liberator co-author Corey Richardson has an excellent piece on the Korea situation in the Asia Times. TKL also has quite a bit on South Korea's dovish government going off the deep end (see also Daily NK), Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il's immense personal wealth and probable future nuclear test (see also BBC and Daily NK), U.S. efforts to end KJI's financial gravy train, more silliness from Ted Galen Carpenter, the latest from South Korea's newspapers, and the latest Stalinist North Korea news.

Communist China appoints a new viceroy for its Korean colony, ahem, a new ambassador to Stalinist North Korea (Washington Post). Meanwhile, Pino Cazzaniga (Asia News) falls for the good cop-bad cop routine, and Daily NK reports that KJI will soon see the colonial master.

U.S. wants SNK and Communist China to stop punishing defectors: U.S. Ambassador John Miller puts it thusly: "North Korea and China need to realize that the issue of trafficking defectors is serious and that these victims are the ones in need of protection" (Daily NK) - not that I'll hold my breath.

More SNK News: More anti-KJI posters pop up in SNK as local anger at the regime grows (Daily NK). Meanwhile, Japan launches a new surveillance satellite "increasing its ability to monitor North Korea" (BBC).

More on the European Union and Communist China: Sadly, Europe and Communist China "agreed to launch talks on a new treaty to cover their growing political and economic ties" (BBC). However, that will not extend to the EU arms embargo on Communist China, which will remain in place (EU Observer). Meanwhile, Amnesty International took advantage of the weekend meeting to highlight Communist human rights abuses.

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: The leading favorite to become Japan's next Prime Minister (Time Asia) is talking about a possible summit with Hu Jintao (Asahi.com).

Overseas China Democracy Party comes to Gao Zhisheng's aid: The China Democratic Party World Union organized a rally in New York City in support of the human rights attorney-turned-prisoner. The CDPWU also donated money (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, Zhou Yuchi (Epoch Times) examines the reasons behind several high-profile Communist arrests.

More on human rights abuses in Communist China: Magda Hornemann (Forum 18 News Service - Norway) asks if "a national religion law would help end China's arbitrary treatment of religious believers and restrictions on their rights by allowing them to appeal to an objective law," and concludes it won't, so long as the Communists remain in charge. The cadres themselves proved Hornemann's point with their treatment of the Su Anzhou family (Epoch Times).

On corruption in Communist China: The regime is auditing hundreds of military officers (Trend via Epoch Times), but Pan Xiaotao (Asian Times via Epoch Times) finds a deeper problem - a massive glut of regime officials.