News of the Weekend (November 6)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Between Heaven and Earth notes the Communists' "Monty Python-like" (cite quotes, not scare quotes) routine at the Internet Governance Forum (see also Agence France Press via Washington Times and BBC), and has the latest on the Great White North standing up to Communist China. Meanwhile, One Free Korea was busy as ever with posts on South Korea's doves moonlighting as spies and drug enablers for the Stalinist North (see also United Press International via Washington Times), fun and games surrounding the six-party talks (such as the Stalinists' demand that Japan be locked outside - see also BBC), a further discussion of Stalinist North Korea's human rights abuses (see also Daily NK), and a new feature on America's dealings with SNK: Wobble Watch.

More evidence of Communist China's business-as-usual approach to its Korean colony: Edward Cody (Washington Post) finds little has changed between Communist China and Stalinist North Korea.

Communist China continues to run interference for the Iranian mullahs: The cadres have managed to win almost everyone at the United Nations over to removing "the most powerful diplomatic weapon . . . the military option" (Washington Post).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Amir Taheri calls for the liberation of Iran from the Communist-backed mullahcracy in Commentary (hat tip Winston at Shotgun).

More on Middle Eastern Proxy Number One: Saturday was the 27th anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran, and the beginning of the year-plus hostage crisis (Shotgun and Worldwide Standard). The mullahcracy uses missile launches (Cybercast News) and crackdowns (Washington Times) to pacify and silence the Iranian people. Jim Hoagland (Washington Post) finds that the Bush Administration's "sophisticated diplomatic strategy of conditional engagement" with the mullahs has brought it absolutely nothing. The aforementioned Amir Tehari describes how the Syrian regime went from Iranian ally to Iranian satrapy.

Surprise, surprise, surprise! Hezbollah is upending the Lebanon government: As the terrorist group continues to take weapons from Syria (Der Spiegel), it is now demanding more power in the Lebanese government or it will "force the government's collapse on the streets" (UPI via Washington Times and Washington Times). Antics such as this are making Hezbollah more unpopular in its Shiite "base" (Weekly Standard).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Eric Margolis (Toronto Sun) takes the dubious prize for assuming Communist China is worried about SNK, and that all East Asian powers "must find some delicate way of easing the influence of the no longer all-powerful U.S. away from Asia's coasts and back into the Central Pacific."

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Falun Gong practitioners in San Diego reveal the nature of the Communist abuses against them (Epoch Times). Trade talks between New Zealand and Communist China (eighth item) continue (BBC). Hu Jintao tightens his grip on Africa (BBC), and his regime's foreign reserves hit $1 trillion (BBC).

India will honor nuclear deal with U.S. no matter what Senate does: India intends to stick to its nuclear agreement with the U.S. even if the U.S. Senate falls down on the job and doesn't approve the deal. There is some concern that "if the Democrats make major gains, supporters of the India pact fear the lame-duck session would be unlikely to take up major legislation such as the India nuclear deal" (Washington Times). It should be noted that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid claims to support the deal, which would mean the conventional wisdom cited above is - one hopes - a little off.

Taiwan President denies allegations of corruption: Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's elected president, angrily denied charges a corruption thrown at him by the island democracy's chief prosecutor. As anti-Chen protests (BBC) and political machinations start anew (BBC), Chen went so far as to offer to resign if the prosecutor could make the charges stick (BBC).

Gao Zhisheng's attorney still can't see him: Mo Shaoping, Gao's defense attorney is not allowed to see his client (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, his daughter has been so harassed by Communist police that she has been driven to tears (Epoch Times).

More on Communist China's human rights abuses: The cadres formally arrest the inspiration behind the "Kneeling Appeal" (Epoch Times). Over two dozen people in Chongqing are arrested for anti-Communist text messages (Central News Agency via Epoch Times). Chen Pokong (Epoch Times) examines what the Communists consider to be "crimes."

Jia Jia wins outside support: Exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng "called on the international community to rescue Jia Jia" (Epoch Times); he wasn't alone (Epoch Times). The cadre-turned-defector talk to the Epoch Times about the Communist brutality he witnessed as a child.