Friday, December 14, 2007

Enlightened Comment of the Week

Congrerssman Tom Tancredo calls for the United States to end the "one China" fallacy "in favor of a more honest and defensible 'two-state solution' that extends full diplomatic recognition to both Taiwan and China (Taipei Times, courtesy Brian McAdam, member since 2005). It is a fantastic piece, and just what the doctor ordered after the abysmal performance of Ray Burghardt.

Tancredo's piece is terrific throughout, but here are some of the highlights:

. . . the US relationship with China has long been one of "give and take" -- the US gives, and China takes. Each time the US makes an accommodation, Beijing sees only weakness and becomes more aggressive -- which in turn prompts the US State Department to offer yet more concessions.

. . .

And for all of this pandering, what has the Bush administration gained? Half-hearted Chinese cooperation in the "Six Party Talks," Chinese obstruction in the human tragedy unfolding in Sudan, renewed Chinese threats of military action against Taiwan, and now the brazen and public humiliation of the US in barring the USS Kitty Hawk from Hong Kong's harbor.

And China, certainly no help in encouraging transparency in Tehran's nuclear ambitions, is now using the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran as a rationale for pressuring the US, the Europeans and the International Atomic Energy Agency to ease off on demands for access to what is still a very troubling ongoing uranium enrichment program.

. . .

The US relationship with Taiwan isn't the only thing that has suffered as a result of our hopeless policy of appeasement vis-a-vis China. It highlights a glaring hypocrisy in US foreign policy, undermines our international image, emboldens our enemies and enhances the credibility of our detractors like China.

The Bush administration's practice of trying to limit Taiwan's democratic development and diplomatic space in return for China's illusory "cooperation" on North Korea, Myanmar, Iran or Sudan sends the message that the US is ceding Asia to China's hegemony.


Tom Tancredo' s campaign for president has not been what it could have been; in fact, the presence of both he and Duncan Hunter in this race more likely hurt the anti-Communist movement than helped it. That said, Tancredo is still one of us, and it is great to see he can still speak truth to power.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

My message to the Taiwanese people: I am not like Ray Burghardt; I support the "pan-greens"

The more I think about Ray Burghardt's intervention in Taiwan's upcoming elections, the angrier I get. I wish I could say Burghardt was "freelancing," but sadly, I know better than that.

The fact is, the Bush Administration has been uneasy about President Chen Shui-bian and his Democratic Progressive Party for quite some time, to the point of publicly calling Chen out on previous referendum plans. Then and now, the Administration was sending a message to Taiwanese voters: reject the robust anti-Communism of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party in favor of the cadre-friendly Nationalists.

The President was wrong then, and Burghardt is wrong now; the Taiwanese people didn't listen then, and I sincerely hope they don't listen now.

To the Taiwanese people, I say this: not all Americans are as shortsighted as President Bush or Ray Burghardt. You have far more friends here than you realize. Millions of us are in awe at your courage, strength, and dedication to freedom and liberty. We know how hard it is to stand up to Beijing and Washington, and we admire you every day you do it.

I, for one, hope you do it again.

For what it's worth, as I did four years ago, I hereby endorse, enthusiastically and without reservation, the Democratic Progressive Party nominee for President - Frank Hsieh - and all DPP and fellow "pan-green" candidates for the Taiwanese legislature. I will even go so far as to say the Presidential election (in March) is of equal importance to our own in November.

Mr. President, please fire Raymond Burghardt

The chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, our de facto embassy there, has engaged in an outrageous interference in the upcoming elections on the island democracy.

In a recent statement, Raymond Burghardt took issue with a proposed referendum that would call for Taiwan to seek a United Nations seat as Taiwan (not the Republic of China). Now, Taiwan has been looking to gain admission into the UN for years, only to be turned down every time. The only difference now would be the label on future (and, sadly, sure to be unsuccessful) efforts.

That was still too much for America's voice in Taiwan (Asia-Pacific News via Monsters and Critics):
The referendum will - just the process of having the referendum - will make it harder for a new president of Taiwan to develop better relations across the Taiwan Strait.

This is breathtaking arrogance on Burghardt's part for two reasons. First, to criticize the island democracy for "just the process of having the referendum" is a slap in the face to every single Taiwanese voter. The U.S. may hint as to its preference for a particular vote (and does in other democracies), but only Taiwan gets the humiliation of being told the vote itself is a mistake.

Secondly, Burghardt makes pretty clear who he wants to win with this missive. The referendum's greatest support comes from the "pan-green" coalition led by outgoing President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party, while its opponents largely come from the "pan-blue" faction (or as I've taken to call it, "pan-red"), led by the Kuomintang (Nationalist) Party.

Taiwan is facing both legislative and presidential elections early next year. Burghardt is, in effect, telling voters the U.S. prefers the Communist-friendly "blues" over the anti-Communist "greens." This is outrageous and wrong-headed.

Three years ago, when Therese Shaheen similarly dropped hints of support for the DPP, President Bush fired her. The President must follow that precedent if he is truly impartial. Ray Burghardt must be fired - ASAP.

Friday, December 07, 2007

"Almost all enemies of the United States are China's friends"

For years, I have tried to explain why Communist China has armed, funded, or otherwise supported nearly every anti-American terrorist regime on Earth (Iran, al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, Stalinist North Korea, etc.). Sadly, too many are still willing to ignore reality, or explain it away as some business deal that has nothing to do with geopolitics.

They might want to look at Yuan Peng, of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said to the Communist-run media (Worldwide Standard):

"'Almost all enemies' of U.S. 'are China's friends'" says the report from East-Asia-Intel.com:

An official of the Chinese government last week confirmed that Beijing is supporting U.S. enemies around the world.

Yuan Peng, director of the Institute of American Studies, part of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that "in the world, almost all enemies of the United States are China's friends."

The rare admission confirms the view of some critics who say China's arms sales to
rogue states like Iran, Syria and North Korea are based on a deliberate strategy of indirectly confronting the United States.

Peng's institute, the CICIR, is an entity of the Ministry of State Security, China's main intelligence service. His remarks were included in a state-run media report.

Peng said long-term strategic stability between the U.S. and China "still remain[s] doubtful."


Let this be a reminder to all - America will never be secure until China is free.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Congratulations to Anson Chan

The former head of Hong Kong's civil service, who had been the last link to the British colonial government until she resigned from the Communist-backed regime in disgust, scored a landslide win in her bid for the city's Legislative Council (The Australian).

It was yet another reminder that the people of Hong Kong still long for freedom and democracy.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

A revisionist approach to history

Hillary Clinton airbrushes the resume (courtesy Jim Geraghty, National Review Online):
I went to Beijing in 1995 and stood up to the Chinese government on human rights and women’s rights.
Words fail me.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Canada's Beijing diplomats do their best State Department impersonation

Those of us who live and vote south of the 49th parallel are quite familiar with our diplomats deliberately undermining the policies of the president elected by the American people. It appears such betrayal is alive and well north of the border, too (Globe and Mail):

China is making "incremental progress" in human rights and is likely to continue making "steady forward movement" in the future, according to a confidential report by Canadian diplomats in Beijing.

The report, obtained by The Globe and Mail, suggests that Canada's diplomats have a much rosier view of China than those expressed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his cabinet ministers, who have been highly critical of China's human-rights record.


The G&M then comes up with the understatement of the year: "There have been growing signs of a rift between the Harper cabinet and the diplomatic service." The only trouble is, the "diplomatic service" appears to be in a parallel universe when it comes to Communist China (emphasis added):

The confidential report by the Canadian embassy in Beijing, obtained under access-to-information law, is filled with praise for many aspects of China's human-rights record, although it also has negative assessments of many issues. It suggests a far more nuanced and cautious view of China than the sharply critical views often expressed by Conservative politicians in recent
years.

The report argues, for example, that China's dissidents are getting better treatment these days, because their prison sentences are often less than five years, which is "a marked contrast" to the jail terms of 15 or 20 years in the past.

The report also maintains that Chinese scholars "continue to enjoy increasing intellectual freedom." It praises the "steady increase in personal freedoms of the average person." And it argues that the Chinese authorities "may be losing the battle to control the Internet."


For sensible people, the notion that "scholars" in Communist China "enjoy increasing freedom" is utterly risible. As for the "battle to control the Internet," perhaps the Canadian Embassy staff didn't notice the cadres signing up Google and Yahoo as heavies in the crackdown.

As for Prime Minister Harper, he can take solace in the rule of thumb we have down here: when the diplomats are this upset with you, you must be doing something right.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Communist Chinese spying: "the single greatest threat to U.S. technology"

Don't take my word for it; read the statement from the latest U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission report (emphasis added, link courtesy Brian McAdam - Member since 2004):
The pace and success of China’s military modernization continue to exceed U.S. government estimates. Indeed, on occasion the U.S. defense and intelligence communities have been taken by surprise, as in the case of the launching of the Jin class submarine by the navy of the People’s Liberation Army. China’s defense industry is producing new generations of weapon platforms with impressive speed and quality, and these advancements are due in part to the highly effective manner in which Chinese defense companies are integrating commercial technologies into military systems. Additionally, industrial espionage provides Chinese companies an added source of new technology without the necessity of investing time or money to perform research. Chinese espionage in the United States, which now comprises the single greatest threat to U.S. technology, is straining the U.S. counterintelligence establishment. This illicit activity significantly contributes to China’s military modernization and acquisition of new capabilities.
Who's "engagement" is this?

Friday, November 16, 2007

More news from Canada: Strong politicians and weak media

It was a pretty strong contrast coming down from the Great White North. While the elected government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued to show strength in the face of Communist China, the nations' "public" broadcaster (CBC) embarrassed itself beyond all measure.

We'll start with the bad news, courtesy of Friendly Blog Stephen Taylor:
The CBC has recently come under fire for rescheduling and retooling a Falun Gong documentary at the 11th hour. The state-funded broadcaster admitted to reacting to requests by the Chinese government to pull the doc and provide 'balance' . . .
Said "balance" went further than that - even to the point of the CBC conveniently forgetting the Communists' history of poison exports.

In an earlier era, the CBC's antics would have embarrassed all Canadians. However, things are different now, and the Canadian people can look past the CBC debacle, and see their elected leaders act with honor (Embassy):
Canada is therefore starting to engage in more frank and more public diplomacy with China on our human rights concerns. The prime minister's recent meeting with the Dalai Lama was mostly about sending a message to the regime in Beijing, which is that we respect the Tibetan cultural identity and oppose Chinese government measures designed to suppress it.
Once again, Canada can be proud of its leaders, and of the choice it made to elect Stephen Harper nearly two years ago.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Kudos to Stephen Harper and George Bush

It's been an extraordinarily busy week for me, or else I would have commented on this sooner.

This past Monday, Stephen Harper became the first Prime Minister in Canadian history to host the Dalai Lama in his office (CTV). As one would expect, Communist China went nuts, calling the meeting a "blatant interference in China's internal affairs."

President Bush hosted Tibet's exiled leader the week before, and similar hysterics came from Zhongnanhai (Toronto Star).

Now, yours truly has been quite critical of this Administration's weakness on Communist China, but I must give credit where it's due - President Bush did the right thing.

As for Mr. Harper, his government has earned far more praise in this area, but we shouldn't take that for granted, especially given the fact that he has a minority government and the opposition party has a terrible history.

Both men deserve high praise for standing with the Dalai Lama.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Credit where credit is due

A work that represents the original vision and persistent long-term efforts of myself and a talented artist is being used in prominent China democracy-related campaign promotions without any acknowledgement, as far as I've noticed, of myself and the artist.

This is a concept that I devised and pursued for a very long time with determination until it finally became a reality. Others are now using it to benefit their promotions, and it is obviously helping them achieve recognition. I think it's not asking too much to request that credit be given where it is due, to the authors of this work. I hope the relevant people will do the right thing and do just that, rather than riding on the vision and talent of others without acknowledging it.

Curry Kenworthy

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Mike Huckabee is unacceptable

Amidst the whirl and the rush of the Republican presidential campaign, one candidate has largely escaped my view - former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Huckabee has acquired some momentum as late, and has thus forced me to examine him on the issue that matter most in this space.

On that issue - Communist China - Huckabee, frankly, stinks.

Yes, he has been recently making comments about the Communist regime's trade practices, but this is what he told Time about the Communists just six months ago (emphasis added):
The good news is that China is becoming much more a part of the mainstream. In its economic development and even in giving greater liberties to its people.

I'm sorry, but that's the talk of a man who was swallowed the "engagement" Kool-aid, and he's been drinking it for quite some time. Take a look at a letter he co-signed regarding PNTR:
China's accession to the WTO is a vital step in its incorporation into the rules-based multilateral trading system. This move will strengthen the rule of law and accelerate domestic reforms in China. The long-term political and social impacts of China's accession may even exceed the commercial benefits.

Naivete like this has no place in the White House. Huckabee is no better than Giuliani or McCain.

Again, Duncan Hunter remains the best, followed in order by Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson. No one else makes the cut.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Enlightened Comment of the Day: John Derbyshire

The in-house curmudgeon for National Review Online has a list of "demonstration sports" that the Chinese Communist Party has ready to go for next year's Beijing Olympiad.

I have made several attempts to describe or summarize it, but words fail me: read the whole thing.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal and the Shotgun

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ignorant Comment of the Day: What was Stanley Kurtz thinking?

Stanley Kurtz's latest column on Stalinist North Korea (National Review Online) is quite unique; in the column, he managed to be dazzlingly brilliant and shockingly ignorant at the same time and with the same words. That's hard to do.

First, I'll dispatch with the brilliant part: Kurtz is one of the very few pundits who has never really signed on to the six-party nuclear talks, and now that Stalinist North Korea's nuclear dalliance with Syria is an open secret, he aims squarely - and correctly - at the Bush Administration for its weakness:

President Bush did in fact adopt the Democrats’ North Korea policy. And now, within a year, that Democratic policy has failed. Almost immediately after North Korea’s nuclear test on October 9, 2006, President Bush warned that “the transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States and we would hold North Korea fully accountable.” Having deployed the stick, at the behest of conservative hawks, the president then offered the carrot of economic aid and promises of security in return for disarmament . . . The problem is that a combination of carrots and sticks has not stopped Kim Jong Il from handing Syria extensive nuclear technology, and perhaps even fissile material.


Indeed, it hasn't, just like many of us said it wouldn't.

Kurtz then goes on to detail just how damaging to American deterrence this is, how both the Administration and its critics are trying to downplay the SNK-Syria connection in the hope it goes away, and then ends with an ominous (but not necessarily inaccurate) prediction: "Based on current trends, in the decade ahead, a nuclear attack on the United States seems at least as likely as not." The piece is brilliantly and cogently written for its limited scope. However, it is exactly the limitation in scope that also makes the piece completely useless.

Why do I say that? Simple, in all of Kurtz's 2,200+ words on Stalinist North Korea, the number of times he mentioned Communist China was - exactly - zero. Not one reference to the regime that has propped up North Korea for almost sixty years; no mention of the Communist-run Bank of China's possible role in helping the Stalinists launder money for its nuclear program or Communist regime's sale of plutonium making, uranium enriching tributyl phosphate; and no discussion of Communist China's history of running interference for its Stalinist ally during the six-party talks.

Kurtz's glaring omission become all the more shocking when one finds his comments about the similarities between SNK today and Cuba of 1962:
The answer, says Allison, is a direct and unambiguous warning to Kim Jong Il modeled on President Kennedy’s statements during the Cuban Missile Crisis. As Kennedy warned Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev that any nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union, President Bush needs to unambiguously promise retaliation for any nuclear explosion of North Korean origin on American soil. According to Allison, America will only be safe if Kim feels “in his gut” that North Korea will be held directly responsible for nuclear terror — even if the blast results from material passed through a chain of rogue states and only eventually into terrorist hands. On the other hand, if Kim feels as though he can escape detection as the ultimate source of a terrorist nuclear weapon, or if Kim believes that he will not be held directly responsible for his place in a long and complex chain of nuclear proliferation, the path is open to likely nuclear terror on American soil within the next decade.

The ignorance is jaw-dropping.

Contrary to Kurtz's assertion (I know he quotes Harvard professor Graham Allison here, but it's pretty clear he agrees with him), Kim Jong-il has never been in the Krushchev role during this crisis; he's in the Castro role. Kim is not acting on his own, he is acting in concert with his de facto colonial masters. Any threat against him is utterly useless for this reason.

It is not Kim Jong-il who must face the threat of annihilation by counter-strike, it's the Communist Chinese regime that props him up. They are in the Krushchev role, not Kim; they are the source of America's proliferation worries. In fact, it is Communist China, not its Stalinist puppet, that killed off non-proliferation. So long as learned men like Stanley Kurtz continue to ignore this fundamental fact, they will miss the forest for the trees, and not only will nuclear proliferation not be stopped, it will likely be accelerated, due to the simple fact that the true culprit continues to act unnoticed, let alone unchecked.

Stanley Kurtz is a brilliant writer and thinker, one of the very few outside of the anti-Communist community that I respect. Therefore, I can only ask (in the hope he responds): what was he thinking?

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

GOP Presidential debate: highs and lows

Yesterday's Republican presidential debate covered a lot of topics, including Communist China (transcript via Detroit Free-Press).

As usual, Duncan Hunter was terrific on the damage Communist China is doing to the American economy:
. . . let me tell you, Chris, what is missing from this economy: 1.8 million jobs that have moved to communist China from the United States . . . what I would do is pass the Hunter-Ryan bill which would put countervailing duties on the Chinese when they cheat. They are cheating on trade right now . . . when Communist China devalues their currency by 40 percent, they undercut American products around the world . . .
That said - and remember, I say this as a Hunter guy - I would have preferred he focus a little more on the national security threat of the Communist regime. As it was, that issue was taken up by two other candidates, Tom Tancredo . . .
But if they wanted to buy something else that would have, in this case, certainly, more of an impact on our national security interests, I'd say, no, we'd have to think about that in a totally different way. It is exactly the same with regard to China. There are things that we should have thought of in the first place, when we passed the PNTR, which I voted against, along with Duncan Hunter. And I absolutely agree that trade is a great idea in many respects. But when you trade with people who are your potential enemy, and they have shown a willingness to use that economic opportunity to actually increase their threats to the United States, I'm not for trading with them at all.
. . . and Fred Thompson:
I was one of the strictest advocates of imposing restrictions on the Chinese for their behavior in terms of exporting dangerous materials to other countries and tying some of trade policies to what they did in that regard. They have still not done enough. They have devalued their currency which puts them in a favored position as far as our manufacturers are concerned.
FYI and for the record, Fred Thompson did indeed push hard for those curbs, but he still voted for PNTR with Communist China after the curbs were voted down. As for Tancredo, again, but for the presence of Hunter in the race, he'd be my favorite.

However, the last candidate who had previously won my conditional approval, Rudy Giuliani, lost it with a slew of terrible answers:
We're a country that should think about all these people that are coming out of poverty in China and India and elsewhere -- we should think of them as new
customers . . . What are China and India trying to do? China and India are trying to develop themselves to be like us, which is why we got a heck of a lot we can sell to them . . .
This is utterly wrong on so many levels that I can't get into all of them, but I can remind everyone that "China and India" is just about the most ignorant geopolitical pairing imaginable. No one who falls into that trap can be expected to steer the ship of state thoughtfully enough, in my humble opinion.

As for the rest, John McCain was terrible ("It sounds like a lot of fun to bash Chinese and others, but . . .) - trust me, Senator, if it were that much fun, we would have a lot more company over here - while Messrs. Romney and Brownback made some minor comments.

The main thing, however, is this: Giuliani is off the "list," while Thompson stays on. As the year comes to a close, those of us in the anti-Communist community (at least those of us who are Republicans) need to remember the need to prevent the anti-Communist vote from splitting, and ask ourselves if a Thompson in the hand is worth Tancredo and Hunter in the bush.

For now, though, I'm still holding out hope for Hunter.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

More on Burma and Capitalism CCP-Style

BURMA:

"...the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks urged people around the world to boycott the Olympic and goods from China, in a statement released on Monday. The statement also warned China that Buddhist monks in countries around the world would lead the boycott against the Olympics which are scheduled to be held in Beijing in August 2008.
Meanwhile, Burmese people across the globe have been demonstrating against the Chinese government, calling for a halt to its investment in Burma and its support for the Burmese regime. China is currently the largest importer to Burma and the third largest market for Burmese exports. Analysts estimate that Chinese investment helps maintain the junta’s grip on power and finances its military arsenal."

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8956

"Almost a deja vu if one recalled Tiannmen of 1989. The generals of Myanmar, like the Communist Party of China, is not going to be bother with world public opinion or even threats of sanctions."

http://researchsea.com/html/article.php/aid/2315/cid/6/research/


Great resource for other articles on the crisis:

http://www.irrawaddy.org/

Power Corp - "Firm under fire for ties to Burma:

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2007/10/07/4556813-sun.html

All about the Democratic movement in Burma:

http://english.dvb.no/

In the meantime--China continues her aggression through "business":

Merger opens U.S. defense to China:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/NATION/110030088/1001


Experts worry that China could use Li´s firm as an intelligence-
gathering conduit in the U.S!
http://northstatesman.com:2005/Statesman/2007/10/china_eyes_us_ports_mndotnasco.html


Asians Say Trade Complaints Bring Out the Bully in China:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/04/AR2007090402284.html?nav=rss_busines

Monday, October 08, 2007

A great one is lost

Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis passed away over the weekend. Although she had been battling breast cancer for a few years, she took a sudden turn for the worse last week.

Jo Ann Davis was one of the best anti-Communists in Congress; I was honored to call her my member of Congress. This is a painful blow.

We will all miss her.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal and On the Spot

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Huawei and Burma--the Smiling, False Face and the Brutal Face of China

Background on Huawei Technologies' attempt to partially buy out 3Com:

(1) Selling National Security:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/179jszao.asp

(2) The Huawei Way:

The telecom giant is either a security menace or a real comer—or it could be a house of cards. Or all of the above.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10756804/site/newsweek/

HUAWEI

(3) Nortel-Huawei Deal Marks a New Model of Canada-China

Toronto-based Nortel Networks and Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd,...The Potash Corp-Sinofert and Nortel-Huawei partnerships are likely the ... www.asiapacificbusiness.ca/apbn/pdfs/bulletin245.pdf

Similar pages:

(4) Nortel, Huawei to Form New Company--Executives said the company will be headquartered in Ottawa,

http://www.xchangemag.com/articles/631feature01.html

(5) Huawei, Nortel call off joint venture

http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?id_article=425

__________________________________________________

BURMA:

A HORRIFYING WEBSITE

"China is paralyzing UN Security Council action on Burma. They are the main economic, military, and political supporters of the military junta. For fifteen years China has refused to press its closest ally to allow its people human rights, and used its veto power to block the UN Security Council from acting. As a result, the UN is making the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda. We are calling on people of conscience throughout the world to boycott the 2008 Chinese Olympics, join our efforts."

http://www.uscampaignforburma.org

and more at: http://www.freeburma.org


Burma's foul regime depends on Beijing. - By Christopher Hitchins

http://www.slate.com/id/2175047/

The heroism of the Burmese, the shame of China

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rosemary_righter/article2563025.ece

Chalk one up for the kids

OpenDoorsUSA reports that Chinese police raided an underground church Sunday school class, hauling 30 kids off to the station.

The youngsters started singing a hymn in the van, and you can imagine the surprise to the officials at headquarters when the children marched in singing.

The interrogator told them they would be released if they wrote "I do not believe in Jesus" 100 times.

Instead, the children wrote, "I believe in Jesus today. I will believe in Jesus tomorrow. I will believe in Jesus forever!"

The report states that the children were all eventually released.

Hats off to those boys and girls from the Sunday school. That's the kind of spunk we need when dealing with tyrants.

If only we could get Western politicians to emulate them on any number of issues, when the Communists would like a certain policy or statement to be written....

--

Curry Kenworthy is Vice President of China e-Lobby, your source for important news and original opinion on China and the Communist threat. Visit our site at china-e-lobby.blogspot.com or sign up for e-mail alerts here.

Fred Hiatt: Burma and Olympics

Fred Hiatt suggests in Washington Post:

"And here's something else I would do: Tell China that, as far as the United States is concerned, it can have its Olympic Games or it can have its regime in Burma. It can't have both."

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Call to action: Huawei and 3Com

Just below this post is my open letter to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) on Huawei Technologies' attempt to partially buy out 3Com. To say this is a danger is a tremendous understatement. Irwin Stelzer (Weekly Standard) has all the details; for anyone wondering how troubling this is, keep in mind that Stelzer is an economist, and an avid free-trader to boot. Yet not only does he recognie the national security issues, he wisely has it trump everything else:
One can only hope that Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson reads up on his Adam Smith, no protectionist he. Smith warned that when national security is at stake, free trade takes a distant second place as a national priority. The great Scot is, as usual, as relevant to our day as he was when he wrote The Wealth of Nations 230 years ago.
Sadly, the great Scot is no longer with us, but we had a similar issue come up in 2003, when Li Ka-shing tried to buy out Global Crossing. We made our voices heard to the CFIUS, and within days, Li backed off. Whether or not the two were related is not known, but I figured it was worth a shot.

So, for those of you who are reading this from America, please join me in letting the CFIUS know how we feel. Feel free to copy the letter I sent, or tweak as you like, and send it to CFIUS Chief of Staff Gay Hartwell Sills. Just remember to be civil (or it won't be read), and stick to the facts, which are harrowing enough.

For those of you reading this from outside the United States, if you could, please ask your government to advise the U.S. against approving this deal. They don't need to make their concerns public (in fact, there's reason to believe tha would be counterproductive), but it is well known that the President listens to world leaders he considers his friends, which for now include, among others, Stephen Harper (Canada), Angela Merkel (Germany), and Nic Sarkozy (France).

To be honest, I didn't really expect to throw myself into an activist move like this, but this is too important for me - for us - to stay on the sidelines. This deal must be stopped.

Open letter to the CFIUS on Huawei Technologies' attempt to partially buy out 3Com

I sent the following letter to Ms. Gay Hartwell Sills, Staff Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, asking the Committee to reject the Huawei Technologies-Bain Capital deal to buy out 3Com.
D.J. McGuire
China e-Lobby
Ms. Gay Hartwell Sills
Staff Chair
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS")
Office of International Investment
Department of Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 4201 NY
Washington, DC 20220
Dear Ms. Sills,
As I'm sure you are aware, Huawei Technologies has just entered into an agreement with Bain Capital to acquire 3Com, a leading information technology firm that, among other things, helps the Department of Defense ward off cyber-attacks from hostile forces and nations. While Huawei will only acquire a minority stake, to have partial ownership of 3Com by a Communist-controlled corporation is dangerous, and Huawei, in particular, especially dangerous. I humbly ask that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reject any acquisition of 3Com that involves Huawei.
Huawei Technologies is a danger to the United States not only because it is a company from Communist China - and thus under the control of the Party even if its ownership is ostensibly "private" - but also because it has been one of the leading enablers of terrorism on the planet. In 2001, Huawei was exposed as one of the Communist Chinese firms building an Iraqi fiber-optic network that would have enabled Saddam Hussein to integrate his air-defense system. The firm was also involved in building a telephone network for the Taliban in Afghanistan, while the terrorist group was sheltering and aiding Osama bin Laden.
Communist China itself has an ever more detailed history of aiding our enemies in the Global War on Terror - including Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, and al Qaeda - so Huawei's recent actions suggest not a deviation from Communist Party policy, but its fulfillment.
I'm sure Huawei will offer to accept constraints on what it can and cannot access from 3Com. However, the Communist regime and its corporations have a history of violating agreements and pledges, so any deal to which Huawei agrees is questionable, at best.
The reality is, Huawei's history disqualifies it from any role with a firm as sensitive as 3Com. For this reason, I do not believe any deal involving Huawei should be approved. Please reject any deal that involves Huawei.
Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.
Yours Truly,
D.J. McGuire
Co-founder and President: China e-Lobby

Thursday, September 27, 2007

America's worst enemies

Several times during the last weeks I've wanted to write about some of the 'bad news' that keeps showing up, but I just couldn't find the right words. It's hard to find a starting place when there so many issues. In fact, there is hardly room in a column to enumerate all the threats and challenges that we face as citizens of free nations who are supporting the cause of expanding liberty and human rights throughout the globe. And this time, I want to zoom in on America, which has long held a very important place in that cause.

A particularly ominous sign is the U.S. Dollar's downward slide. It's been the talk of the world for some time, even if it has become a topic in America only recently. Back when the trend was starting, I was shocked when I read that the administration actually welcomed a weaker dollar. America's overall strength for many years has benefited from the strength of its currency. If you haven't been keeping up with news of the dollar's plunge, it's time to have a look.

Militarily, there are new challenges all the time. (Although these may well be ignored by those who trust in the Post-Cold-War philosophy that all future warfare will be transformed to smaller-scale operations against rogue states and terrorists.) Losing satellites, facing mass cyber attacks, and dealing with EMP 'e-bombs' are just a few of the scenarios that are increasingly likely in a major war. America's Air Force, the initial enabler of almost all military missions, has had to make desperate adjustments to deal with lack of funding. We have about half of the new F-22 fighters that the Air Force believes it needs. Planes are being flown past their original lifespans. China is beefing up its Air Force, attempting to model it after the strong points of our own. For many months, like a broken record, we heard the J-10 compared to the F-16. Then, suddenly we found out that it was more like a Eurofighter. That looks like either the end of a successful disinformation campaign or a successful self-delusion campaign, and it probably helped the F-22's critics in their efforts to limit the program.

Socially and morally, America is challenged too. From the politically correct to the socialist to the greedy and the downright profane, we've been subjected to annoying, unhealthy, unproductive, and unwise experiments in media, institutions, business, and society. (Not that you'd get the busybodies and moneymakers in charge of those efforts to admit anything of the kind.) Politically, America is dangerously divided (remember the old wisdom of Divided We Fall?) and preparing to overreact to problems with a predictable pendulum swing that will bring about more problems. Also politically, we face the continuation of terrible policies with appeasement of major enemies to freedom and human rights. (Along with appeasement, politicians and officials are often deceived and sometimes bribed or blackmailed.) Culturally, America faces the problem of a widespread anti-Americanism throughout the world at precisely the time when it needs a global groundswell of friendship, understanding, support, and influence. And this is not such a profound mystery. To win hearts and minds, we don't need packaged PR campaigns. We need the real thing, in living color.

I could go on, but no matter what external threats may arise, you must understand that America's worst enemies aren't the Communists or the jihadists. No, the most terrible enemies are actually some of our fellow Americans—they are Americans in a great variety of types of influential positions who have done much to weaken our country in a multitude of ways: politically, economically, socially, culturally, morally, militarily.

A strong America can resist any enemy. It will be prepared and focused. A weak and misguided America may be able to bring about its own undoing without much help from its enemies—of which there are many. But they are all too willing to help. If the current trend continues, I believe there is a distinct possibility that America will face a war with one or more major adversaries (including China under the Communist Party) in the next decade or so, against the backdrop of the ongoing challenge of terrorism. The chances of major conflict will increase if America's problems and weaknesses increase. And considering the current interests of America's self-proclaimed and would-be adversaries, there may be nasty and difficult surprises in store if there is such a conflict.

If America commits suicide, or loses a great deal of strength and influence through senseless actions against itself, the Communists and the jihadists will be closer to winning by default. With their main obstacle, the former leader of the free world, out of the game they would have a chance at exercising power on an even greater scale. Considering what they've done so far, it's not a pretty scenario to contemplate.

America is an amazing nation, and if you are American, I ask you to wake up and try to help turn things around. Let's stand up to some of America's most dangerous enemies—the ones right here at home—and stop the damage they have been doing to our homes, communities, institutions, industries, cities, states, government, military, and nation. Let's stop the unwise choices, the destructive policies. Let's make this nation a strong and shining haven of freedom and good values, healthy and extremely well-defended. Let's look seriously at what we need to do to ensure the well-being and safety of our nation and foster the light of liberty throughout the world. Finally, don't allow wrong-headed people to chart the future for yourself and your children. (And believe me, there are some wrong-headed people who want to do the charting.) Get involved, and help chart it yourself.

I believe it's still not too late to turn things around; otherwise, it would hardly make sense to write this column. America still has great strength and great values within it, just like a great person who's starting to come down with a serious illness or becoming engaged in a harmful addiction. But I do not speak lightly. It would take huge effort, not without difficulty and some sacrifice, to put things right in this country to the point where I would not feel compelled to issue warnings about potential crises lurking around the corner. There may come a day when it's too late, but for now, it's a time of enormous and urgent opportunity for change. (And no, I don't mean the kind of predictable pendulum change that some have in mind. I mean healing and repairing the nation from the inside out and addressing myriad problems, many of which have been covered here in China e-Lobby news and commentary.) The picture is not completely dark by any means; there are always good accomplishments too, and the future could be more certainly bright with a big of work. With a comprehensively healthy and well-respected nation, the threat of major war would be reduced, and the lives of the citizens enriched.

I'm sure many Americans would scorn a message like the one I'm wrapping up in this paragraph. It's easy to laugh off any idea of serious doom and gloom and any call to reform, repent, revive, and restore. Nevertheless, this is my responsibility as a commentator on the forces in the world in our time. If I'm wrong about the level of danger, my call to action will have done no harm, and will have helped strengthen the nation in other ways. If I'm right, there may be big trouble ahead if there is no action now. People laughed at the idea of jihadists on 9/10, but no one here (in some other countries that was not the case) was laughing on 9/11. Unfortunately, America is a society that lives always in 9/10 mode: always ready for the last big thing, never expecting the next big thing. God bless America—and stir its people up to revive their nation.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

China's Toxic Products: Recent News and a Brief Summer Roundup

The Big Lie is sometimes good for amusement:

China's farm products safe

BEIJING, Sept 24, 2007

The quality of Chinese farm products has being improving over the years, with more than 93 percent vegetables safe and 98 percent meat products up to standards, Gao Hongbin, vice minister of agriculture, said on Monday. "More than 93 percent of the vegetables are safe in terms of pesticide residue and more than 98 percent of meat products are up to scratch concerning the remains of clenobuterol hydrochloride," Gao said at a press conference.
Clenobuterol hydrochloride is a drug some farmers used to feed pigs to develop more muscles before selling them. It has been abolished due to side effects to human heart.

Back to reality:

The Chinese Communist Party Way of Dealing with Illegal Manufacturing Practices

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-9-22/60022.html

China - Nation in grip of unrestrained greed

http://news.therecord.com/Opinions/article/246233

Fake diabetic kit alert

http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/pageView.html?id=ff80808114994add01149976dd9b000f

1 million cribs sold in U.S. recalled

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20907633/

NZ tests find formaldehyde in Chinese-made clothes

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/20/2009811.htm?section=business


Hamleys pulls toys over lead fear

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6953490.stm

China Pays Steep Price As Textile Exports Boom

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118580938555882301.html

Throw-away toys, throw-away lives

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/citizensweekly/story.html?id=8c2541b7-aad7-4201-9269-45dce5b956f2

Soylent Red - Tainted food from China

http://www.westernstandard.ca/website/index.cfm?page=article&article_id=2657&pagenumber=1

Some Baby Bibs Said to Contain Levels of Lead

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/business/15lead.html?ei=5065&en=f309598d7e544a06&ex=1187841600&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

The Next Big China Import: class action product liability law suits

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2007/08/02/the-next-big-import-lawsuits/

Official Report Says Sub-standard Food Items Produced In China

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20070704\ACQRTT200707041228RTTRADERUSEQUITY_0341.htm&

Warning over Chinese food imports

http://www.thelocal.se/7687/20070624/

Shell Chemical plant struggling with substandard Chinese parts

http://stevejanke.com/archives/231918.php

Wider Sale Is Seen for Toothpaste Tainted in China - New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/us/28tooth.html?ei=5090&en=a00a39144f0b11b4&ex=1340683200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

Accident Raises Safety Concerns On Chinese Tires

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118278927863547228.html?mod=djemITP

In latest scare, China finds fake veterinary drugs

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070621-0346-china-health-animals.html


China shuts down 180 food factories

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/wirestory?id=3320191



Monday, September 24, 2007

Correction of Link to Gao Zhisheng's Letter to the U.S. Congress

Correction of access link to letter:

http://www.primetimecrime.com/Articles/Media%20Articles/20070923gaozhisheng.htm

BREAKING NEWS: Gao Zhisheng Seized by Chinese Police After Sending Letter to U.S. Congress

High-profile Human Rights Attorney Seized by Chinese Police After Sending Letter to U.S. Congress

Sept. 23, 2007—

Renowned Chinese rights lawyer Mr. Gao Zhisheng was taken from his home by police on Saturday, Sept. 22; his present whereabouts are unknown. It is believed that Mr. Gao's arrest is related to the 16-page letter he sent to the United States Congress last week expressing his deep concerns over the worsening deterioration of human rights in China ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In his letter, Gao explains that China's promises to the IOC in 2001 were hollow and deceitful: "Under the name of securing the success of the Olympic Games, all kinds of evils have been committed openly, including forced evictions, illegal arrests and persecution of people who petition to the authorities, and the suppression of religious people.

It is plain as day to all Chinese people that, by successfully hosting the Olympic Games, the communist regime is trying to [appear as a] legal government despite all the tyranny and all the horrible crimes against humanity the Party has committed during the past decades, at the cost of at least 80 million Chinese lives."U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice- President of the European Parliament and ranking member of the EU Foreign Affairs Committee; and David Kilgour, former Secretary of State of Canada, Asia-Pacific, held a press conference in Washington, D.C., after receiving Gao's letter.

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen praised Gao as a voice for the "dislocated, the abandoned, and the oppressed." The 10-term Representative said the Chinese regime had passed up the opportunity to make the Olympics a time for greater openness. Instead, the regime sees the Olympics as "a mandate for further control and repression of the Chinese people."

Gao was arrested on Aug. 15, 2006, a few months after the U.S. Congress had unanimously passed a resolution supporting him. After his arrest, Gao was forbidden by the Chinese regime to communicate with the outside world. Gao decided to break the silence after seeing that the Chinese communist regime had not improved human rights in China, as promised to the International Olympics Committee, but instead, had intensified its persecution of the Chinese people, including rights advocates and religious believers.Gao was well aware of the danger such a letter might bring to him and his family, but he said, "Someone's got to do it."

For more information, contact: Dr. Sherry Zhang 1-415-845-5295 The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG)

Background:

Mr. Gao Zhisheng has been featured on the cover of The New York Times. He authored "A China More Just: My Fight as a Rights Lawyer in the World's Largest Communist State." He was named as one of China's top ten lawyers in 2001 and has worked for the gamut of China's vulnerable groups—coal miners, home-demolition victims, and house church members.While facing surveillance, house arrest, detention, interrogations, threats, and even attempts on his life, Gao managed to rally China's activists and legal community around the cause of human rights like no one before him. He has publicly renounced his Chinese Communist Party membership, along with 26 million other Chinese people.

Gao has dealt with many high-profile cases. He wrote open letters to the National People's Congress stating that the prison terms and fines imposed on Falun Gong practitioners are in complete violation of basic legal principles and contemporary legal norms. He revealed the suppression of Christian house churches, challenged corruption by local officials, and provided legal assistance to Chen Guangcheng, a blind rights advocate working on rural poverty, forced abortion, and forced sterilization.Gao is widely regarded as the "conscience of China" and "the symbol of China." He volunteered to be an investigator for CIPFG (the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong) despite the danger of carrying out such mission in China

Related Stories: Gao Zhisheng Urges Boycott of Olympics

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070921/NATION/109210069/1002

Click on "pdf" at end of the following link to read Gao Zhisheng's letter to Congress:

http://www.primetimecrime.com/Articles/Media%Articles/20070923gaozhisheng.htm

Sunday, September 23, 2007

As I was saying before I was interrupted

The last time I posted here (June 7), I briefly explained why I needed to step back from the blogosphere and reassess things. That reassessment is still ongoing, but large parts of it have been completed, and I can now contemplate a reduced presence in the blogosphere.

With the arrival of CWF, I feel I no longer need to resume the News of the Day posts. In fact, my posts here will be far less frequent than at my catch-all political blog: the right-wing liberal (note to Canadian readers: that is not a reference to any political Liberal party in Canada, federal or provincial - not even in BC, where I would prefer someone bring back the old Socred Party, nor Quebec, where I support Mario Dumont's ADQ).

Still, the threat from Communist China has not gone away, nor will it escape my vision. I'll just be more analytical, and my posts will take the "long view."

So while I cannot be what I once was, I haven't gone away either.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

China and Ports of the World

China mega-port catalyst for NAFTA Superhighway:
North America about to be hit by tsunami of Far East goods

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57590

Here is some of what they admit to on the website of the largest company. Look over the site to get a more complete idea:

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/eng/ports/international/the_americas.htm

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/eng/ports/international/europe.htm

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/eng/ports/international/africa.htm

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/eng/ports/international/middle_east.htm

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/eng/ports/international/asia_pacific.htm

China's Massive Port Grab--Communists Positioning China To Dominate Trade in Americas:

http://www.infowars.com/articles/ww3/china_massive_port_grab.htm

An example of false friendship: “This is not just a trade office, it’s an exchange of trade representatives.”

http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/160325.html

Their ports and our naive port officials:

"The shipment led to what has been touted as the world's largest seizure of drug money and the arrest of Chinese-Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon, who is accused in the United States and Mexico of supplying pseudoephedrine to Mexican cartels who then used the drug to make methamphetamines."

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/07/26/mexico.drugs.ap/index.html

North Korea and Syria

North Korea--neither friend to the West, nor to its own people--is chummy with Syria:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/world/asia/22cnd-korea.html

The Countries' Officials Meet:

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/104274.html

Israeli Raid on Syria:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/world/middleeast/22weapons.html?ref=asia

Assasinations of Anti-Syrians in Lebanon:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gc0p9gSk9Zr3YMO7UV1iAb3675dQ

A year-old analysis worth revisiting--China is in the background:

http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/009113.php

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

China's Cyber Attacks Exposed

Several western government have discovered that the CCP has hacked into their most sensitive computer systems. The question is: Why are these governments surprised?

China accused of hacking into heart of Merkel administration:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2332130.ece


Chinese military hacked into Pentagon:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9dba9ba2-5a3b-11dc-9bcd-0000779fd2ac.html

Germany, U.S., and now the UK.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/04/news.internet

French government falls prey to cyber-attacks "involving China":

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCWAIOG5XKbgYZs99-zcXLSDuKkw

China’s cyber army is preparing to march on America, says Pentagon:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCWAIOG5XKbgYZs99-zcXLSDuKkw

Exposed Cyber Attacks Could Be the Tip of the Iceberg

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2779880,00.html

Chinese government at the center of five cyber attack claims

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070914-chinese-government-at-the-center-of-five-cyber-attack-claims.html

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Summer Roundup: CCP and the Clintons

China-e-Lobby has returned following a busy summer.

This week we'll post a roundup of articles from June 15th - September 15th, which will focus on a different issue each day.

Today' issue is the dangerous influence of the CCP on Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the hunt for one of their significant campaign contributors.

Don't miss this movie:

http://www.chinagatethemovie.com/

To view the trailer click on:

http://www.chinagatethemovie.com/Chinagate_Preview.html

To view an extended preview a 17 minute version click

http://www.chinagatethemovie.com/Chinagate_Preview.html

Also see separate reports at:

http://www.chinagatethemovie.com/Chinagate_Report_Main.html

At China-e-Lobby we consider the fate of the U.S. and Canada as one with respect to the machinations of Communist China.

The joint RCMP/CSIS Sidewinder project had identified a number of the players in the Chinagate scandal that unraveled later including some of the companies like CITIC and Polytechnologies which were involved in the smuggling of the AK 47s. Hsu Parallels: The current Hsu and Hillary Clinton donation scandal has many similarities to the Chinagate scandal

The China-Clinton Connection: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/8/8/152130.shtml

HILL DONOR GIVES UP

http://www.wideawakes.net/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18322&page=1#Item_0

HILLARY'S CHINESE MONEY: WE ARE ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION

http://www.wideawakes.net/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18272

HILLARY AND THE LOBBYISTS: CHINESE TAKE-OUT

http://www.deletehillary.com/chinese_takeoutF.htm

WHY HILLARY IN THE OVAL OFFICE IS A NATIONAL-SECURITY NO-NO

Charles R. Smith, Edward Timperlake and William Triplett 03.01.06

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1587783/posts

"What we saw in 1996 was similar," Mr. Triplett said. "Whenever the Clintons have money trouble, they turn to the Chinese and the Chinese don't let them down. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that both 1996 and 2008 are Years of the Rat in the Chinese calendar."

http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070904/NATION/109040060/1001

During the last Clinton campaign of 1996, the People's Liberation Army launched a massive campaign to buy influence in the Democratic Party and steer military hardware and technology Beijing's way.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57450

THE BUNGA-LOWDOWN FUROR OVER CLAN'S 45G FOR HILLARY

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/nationalnews/the_bunga_lowdown.htm

Police search for fraudster dropped by Clinton camp

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2395603.ece

HILL DONOR HSU SKIPS BAIL AGAIN

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09062007/news/nationalnews/hill_donor_hsu_skips_bail_agai.htm


The Democratic fund-raiser is a fugitive again. The governor still has his contributions.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20070906_Rendell_backer_Hsu_goes_missing.html

Fugitive fundraiser captured in Colorado tonight

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/07/BA9OS10B5.DTL

Shadowy Money Trail of a Fugitive Fund-Raiser - New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09hsu.html?ei=5089&en=789a5bba88d74130&ex=1346990400&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

Donors in step with Hsu

Political contributions by three factory managers in a Pa. town closely track those of the two-time fugitive. In many cases, they have given like amounts at the same time to the same candidates across the nation, campaign records show.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20070908_Donors_in_step_with_Hsu.html

Hsu and the Shrimp Boy

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/08/hsu-and-the-shrimp-boy/

Peter Chow aka Shrimp Boy Enter the Dragon Head

http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-08-01/news/enter-the-dragon-head/

The Saga of Hillary and Mr. Hsu

http://news.aol.com/elections-blog/2007/09/09/the-saga-of-hillary-and-mr-hsu/

A Bundle of Trouble - You wouldn't want to be in Hsu's of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110010584


The Current Crisis
The Clintons' Chop Suey Connection
By R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.
Published 9/6/2007 12:08:05 AM

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=11977

A book recommendation for the history:

Year of the Rat: How Bill Clinton Compromised American Security
for Chinese Money

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0895263335/ref=dp_proddesc_0/105-3380275-9562041?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

CWF

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Spring cleaning with Communist characteristics

by Curry Kenworthy

China's Communists are working hard to tidy up the country before hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Of course, "cleansing" is nothing new for the heirs of Mao. Following other preparatory crackdowns, the latest project for the CCP clean-up crew has been getting rid of foreign missionaries.

Voice of the Martyrs reported on the expulsion of more than one hundred missionaries from April to June, marking the largest operation of its kind since 1954. The winds of this year's Operation "Typhoon No. 5" targeted religious workers from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and Israel. Earlier reports this year noted increasing actions against Chinese Christians and house-church leaders, also motivated by the approach of the Olympics.

When Chinese citizens go "bad" (from a Communist point of view) and desire unconscionable things like freedom or faith, foreign influence always gets some of the blame. If we send the house-church leaders off to prison camp and then kick out the foreign church workers, the Reds may reason, we may finally put a lid on this thing.

But in truth, these problems worrying China's tyrants are movements that are very Chinese, carried out by China's own. The house-church movement is adding more than one million members per year. These people join despite facing incredible risks and mind-blowing persecution, and they are not passive members--they make huge sacrifices to spread their movement to others.

Far from being puppets of the West, some Chinese Christians actually question the state of their brethren's faith in Western countries such as the U.S. Why? Interestingly enough, because of a lack of persecution--at least at the severity level they are accustomed to seeing. The Bible speaks of persecution for believers, and they consider this a universal symptom, to be fully expected. In other words, Chinese underground believers are not going to be put off their faith by one more crackdown or by sending away the foreigners--they enter their faith expecting persecution as the natural result of their commitment, and the Christians of China plan to launch their own missionary movements to other parts of the world.

Falun Gong is another Chinese movement whose growth scared China's government, leading to massive crackdowns which have spread, rather than silenced, the beliefs and messages targeted. China's own political movements, too, have continued to press for freedom.

China's political and religious janitors are going to have their hands full scrubbing away at all the unsightly stains that keep spreading on their own, thwarting the shiny propagandistic veneer that the Communists would like to display at upcoming Games.

Curry Kenworthy is vice president of the China e-Lobby. Visit china-e-lobby.blogspot.com for China news, opinion, and action opportunities for making a difference.

Monday, June 25, 2007

A shortage of a crucial military asset, the F-22

There's an urgent issue I've been following for some time, and since there is mainly silence on this problem, I've decided to take up the cause myself.

America may not have enough modern fighter planes to ensure its defense during the coming years unless smart people make their voices heard soon. The Air Force believes we need 381 F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to provide air dominance for defending America and enabling its military forces. So far, the Pentagon and Congress have only approved funding for 183 Raptors--less than half of the number requested.

If no additional acquisitions are approved before the F-22 assembly line shuts down, the U.S. will be gambling with its ability to control the skies, trading a more secure future for a big question mark. It's that simple. Meanwhile, China continues to make substantial gains in air and space capabilities, building up for a future showdown. Weakening the U.S. force makes that showdown all the more likely. USAF Chief of Staff Moseley characterizes China's growing air power as "very, very capable." China's new J-10 fighter is just one piece of the modern PLA air force.

I've started a blog and information site about saving the F-22. The action items include a petition for more Raptors as well as a contact form to request critical Air Force funding. I hope you'll join me in this endeavor and help keep the free world strong.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

China 'arms surge' supports terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan

by Curry Kenworthy

Insurgents fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan will be happy to know that more help is on the way--as part of its 'Cold War II' strategy against the U.S. and its allies, China's Communist government is apparently working with Iran to arm terrorists.

According to a June 15 report by Bill Gertz in the Washington Times, intelligence indicates that China is selling large quantities of small arms and weapons to Iran for use in the Iraq insurgency as well as for the Taliban in Afghanistan. Not only that, but China is even helping to deliver the weapons to ensure that they reach their destinations successfully.

Need a better gun? Parts for an IED? An anti-aircraft missile, perhaps? Not to worry, Uncle Hu's got it all covered. Best of all, that includes delivery.

The Gertz report mentioned small arms, ammunition, sniper rifles, RPGs, and components for roadside bombs, as well as previously-reported HN-5 missiles. Gertz also states that the U.S. administration has been trying to hush or downplay this intelligence to maintain the image of China's government as a partner.

Too bad America is listening to the engagement crowd. Communist China is 'engaging' U.S. forces right now through the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it has plans to 'engage' the U.S. much more directly in future conflict, as we will continue to show at the China e-Lobby.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

McGuire discusses China on Nyquist radio show

China e-Lobby president D. J. McGuire talked about China developments on the Jeff Nyquist radio show earlier this month. Nyquist is a geopolitical columnist, author, and host who has raised awareness on post-Cold War threats to the free world, including strategic deception on the part of enemies of the West.

On the program, McGuire and Nyquist discussed the Communist China military threat, support for terrorists and anti-Western regimes and movements, religious persecution in China, the geopolitical significance of India, and more. This interview provides an excellent opportunity to learn about threats to freedom and hear two very knowledgeable commentators presenting their views. You can listen to a podcast of the show here.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Curry, the ship is yours

Well, I'm not sure what to call what happened to me today - breakdown, breakthrough, whatever. I've simply come to the conclusion that I need to completely transform my life. I need to "unplug."

As such, I am handing over the C e-L to Curry for the time being. For reasons I can't get explain in detail right now, I need to clear my head and start all over again.

I can't say how much I appreciate the kind words and comraderie I have experienced here in the blogosphere; I will always remember it, and it will be the inspiration for me to come back, if I can do what I need to do for myself and my family (BTW, no one is ill, it's not like that).

Until then, au revoir.

Beware the cult of engagement

by Curry Kenworthy

I love Japan. Each free nation in Asia is infinitely precious, and Japan is one of several beacons of light in that region of our world.

As my bookcase testifies, I'm a big fan of Doraemon. (As well as a fan of his favorite snack, Dorayaki, which at times I've often eaten almost as enthusiastically as the cat-shaped cartoon robot himself.) I like Japanese noodle soup, and yakisoba too. (In fact, I've eaten noodle soup in Narita airport, where Wei Jingsheng recently had a surprising experience.)

Japanese influence on worldwide art, entertainment, and technology has been stunning, and its culture is fascinating. From creating trends in cell phones and electronic devices, to changing the face of characters in our cartoons and games, to igniting global crazes for inexplicable but cute fashions like Hello Kitty, to providing many of the cars we drive, and even to fielding walking, talking robotic servants, Japan has made its mark during the decades of reinventing and rebuilding after the Second World War. Its traditional philosophy and martial arts have also provided interest and influence in the world. The Japanese seem to lend a unique style to everything they do. I once saw a documentary on business in Japan showing a fast-food franchise where a customer might receive one of dozens of different styles of greeting based on the perceived type of customer.

But freedom is by far the most important characteristic of modern Japan. That island nation is not only shining a light in Asia, it also is an important military and cultural ally of the free world.

That's why it was a bit depressing to receive alerts from the Wei Jingsheng Foundation about Wei's detention by the Japanese government, preventing him from attending a Tiananmen Square commemoration event in Tokyo, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech.

Wei Jingsheng finally was released, a few days later, and is now out of customs and in Japan. (Update: and he's now on the way back home, if all goes as expected.)

I'm not sure exactly what chain of decisions led to Wei's detention. We may hear more about that, or it may remain somewhat obscured. But since it was a problem for this man to step out of Narita airport before June 4th, but not a problem to step out into the streets of Japan after the event had safely passed, it's reasonable to assume that this was the issue.

Whether China asked Japan specifically to detain Wei, or whether Japanese officials imagined that it would be the polite and cautious thing to do, and whatever reasoning was invoked in the process, I think someone has been listening to the dangerous lies of the engagement/appeasement cult theology.

This is the idea that keeps popping up everywhere, that the enemies of freedom, human rights, and so on can be placated and turned into our bosom friends if we just dialogue, give a little, listen to their demands, and treat them like decent people. Even if they are ruthless dictators, mass murderers, or wild-eyed radicals looking to blow themselves up in your presence. So, if we detain Wei for just a few days, it won't hurt Wei much, and China's government may hate us a bit less, right?

I'd say wrong, on both counts. China's leaders will still despise Japan, and the latest word is that Wei's health hasn't been so good.

Engagement sounds nice, I know. We like a positive-sounding approach. It also reflects the attractive idea of high expectations leading to positive behavioral outcomes. But we need not only high expectations, but realistic expectations, which make sense based on what we know from previous observations. Expecting a hardened criminal to become your buddy and the pillar of your community if you pat him on the back and give him a little of what he demands is a flaky dream. We all know better. And while engagement may be positive-sounding in rhetoric, its results are negative in practice.

Engagement generally only changes the people who are trying to do the engaging. Like a cult, its ideas can appeal to good, well-meaning people. They dream of easy solutions and polite, politically-correct interactions to defuse problems. They start to blame themselves (and others) for aggressions on the other side--absent any real provocation, they imagine that not giving in to unreasonable expectations is itself provocation and aggression. It can all sound so persuasive at first. The next thing you know, you find yourself doing strange things. Like providing development aid to a neighbor who builds up a dangerously capable military force and keeps hyping up popular opinion campaigns against you. Or like detaining Wei Jingsheng for a few days when he comes to give a speech.

We shouldn't pick on Japan in particular, of course. Not by any means; this cult of engagement has been all around the political circles of the world. I'm sure these pernicious beliefs were at work (as well as the government-as-god tendency that develops as our nations become increasingly socialized) when Wang Wenyi was detained in the U.S. for interrupting an event to speak out against a terrible dictator. Which do we hold more sacred, the integrity of the rituals enacted at our political events, or the notions of liberty and justice upon which a nation was founded? U.S. policy is riddled with mistakes deriving from these cult-like beliefs, from the One China policy to the free trade fiasco. Many other countries have gotten taken in by the cult, too.

So, this is not about Japan-bashing. To the contrary, this is about telling our dear friends in Japan to keep shining a light in Asia, and that means not listening to the insidious teachings of the engagement/appeasement cult. It won't help you, and it's dangerous. It leads to policies that weaken and undermine free nations while empowering those who threaten them. And there's a pattern everyone should notice by now: placating the bullies never results in attaining their respect. It only places them in control and gives them, if possible, even more disdain for those they manipulate. When you're dealing with geopolitics, such ideas can have terrible consequences. Engagement is not only a strange belief system, it's potentially suicidal.

Curry Kenworthy is an advocate for China and world freedom. His writings on China issues can be found at http://china-e-lobby.blogspot.com.

News of the Day (June 7)

Chen Yonglin talks about Communist espionage and the Long Arm of Lawlessness in Canada: The former Communist consular official who defected to Australia in 2005 "brought with him a portfolio of Chinese documents" (Toronto Star, h/t Between Heaven and Earth) detailing Communist China's espionage network in Australia, and in particular its targeting of exiled dissidents and other anti-Communists (dubbed "The Long Arm of Lawlessness" by yours truly). Chen further " says that Canada likely has a comparable amount (of Communist spying) within its borders" (Globe and Mail, h/t BH&E).

Concerns about safety in Communist exports spread to toys, makeup, pottery, and ATVs: Numerous health officials are growing concerned about high levels of lead in "toys, makeup, glazed pottery and other products" (World Net Daily) exported from Communist China. In Iowa, lead poisoning is such a concern "that the Iowa Department of Public Health is working on writing a new law to require mandatory testing of those entering school for the first time." Meanwhile, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued several warnings against the Kazuma Meerkat 50 Youth All-Terrain Vehicle, which "has no front brakes, no parking brake and is missing a neutral indicator" (Washington Times). The vehicle also "can be started in gear and the owner's manual does not contain complete information on its operation and maintenance." These are merely the latest concerns about harmful exports from Communist China.

New York City Comptroller proposes to get Yahoo! out of dictatorships: This Tuesday, William Thompson - whose job as NYC Comptroller includes running municipal pension funds - will offer to Yahoo! stockholders Proposal #6, "which directs the Internet search giant to stop its snitching and censorship practices demanded by 'authoritarian foreign governments' - Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam" (National Review Online - The Corner). The Yahoo! leadership is not happy with the idea. Thompson made a similar attempt to change Google policy last month (sadly, it failed).

Taiwan loses Costa Rica: The Central American nation has long been a diplomatic ally of the island democracy - until yesterday (BBC). There is great worry that several other Latin American nations may follow suit after the Communists allegedly offered "an astronomical (financial) figure" to persuade Costa Rica.

Lee Teng-hui visits his late brother's resting place: Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but since Mr. Democracy's brother was conscripted into the Japanese Army during World War II (Taiwan was under Japanese occupation then), and since the resting place is Yasukuni, the Communists are trying to make political hay out of it (BBC).

Russia says the collapse of the Beijing surrender is our fault: Scroll down past to the "Some anju links" section to see One Free Korea's take on this continuing debacle.

More news from "another China province": Stalinist North Korea test-fires some more missiles (BBC, CNN, and One Free Korea). A mass anti-Stalinist march in Seoul draws the leading lights from the opposition Grand National Party (Daily NK); the GNP's policy on SNK is revealed, and except for the name, it's a mild improvement over the current dovish government (Daily NK). Speaking of the dovish South Korean government, One Free Korea notices its unwillingness to acknowledge the Stalinist North as a likely source of the methamphetamine wave hitting South Korea right now.

Tiananmen reference gets a into Communist newspaper; censor didn't know what it was: Those who do not learn history are condemned to - accidentally reveal it to everyone else? That was the new lesson delivered by a twenty-something censor in Chengdu, who received this classified advertisement for her approval: "Paying tribute to the strong mothers of June 4 victims" (MSNBC). Being too young to know what "June 4" meant (and with the Communists never teaching her anything about the date), the censor believed it referred to a mining accident and allowed the ad to be printed in the Chengdu Evening News.

Human rights activist sentenced in Beijing; family and lawyer still know nothing about it: The cadres were so determined to send Hua Huiqi to jail that they refused to let his family or his attorney into the courtroom for the sentence (Epoch Times). Hua was arrested for "accompanying his mother who tried to hand-deliver materials of complaint letters to representatives of the 'two conferences (i.e. the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference).'" His mother is serving a two-year jail term.

Inflation hitting basic food products in Communist China: Bacon and egg prices in particular are soaring (Newsweek).