News of the Weekend (January 13-15)

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Front Page Magazine columnist Don Feder is the runaway winner with this speech to The Awakening Conference. The "money quote" is as follows - "China has decided that America is its enemy, despite the fact that the U.S. is also its major trading partner and is largely responsible for China’s modernization" (emphasis added).

Hunter forms exploratory committee, wins straw poll: He who must be president will make the official announcement later this month (his committee's web site is still a shell for now); meanwhile, Republicans in Maricopa County, Arizona conducted a straw poll, which Hunter won (Sonoran Alliance).

Communist Chinese military not on good terms with American counterparts: The cadres seem uninterested in Washington's concern over their submarine popping up "not more than 5 miles from the USS Kitty Hawk" (Worldwide Standard). Meanwhile, an invitation from the commander of U.S. nuclear forces to his opposite number in Beijing has been met with a shrug and a delay (Bill Gertz, Washington Times).

Communist China vetoes UN resolution on Burma: The Communists were joined by the arms supplier (Russia) is blocking an American resolution "demanding that Burma's military junta release political prisoners and follow other accepted human rights norms" (Washington Times).

Here come the cars - and the planes: Daren Fonda (Time) speaks to the head of a Communist auto firm looking to export cars here. Michael Goldfarb (Worldwide Standard) examines a much more deadly item on the Communists' new list of exports - the J-10 fighter plane. Chani Blue (Epoch Times) reminds us of the source of a large part of "Made in China" products - forced labor camps.

More calls for the Canadian government to stop Communist television channels: Daphne Bramham (Vancouver Sun) and the editors of the Asian-Pacific Post join the chorus.

More on Communist China and Canada: Former MP David Kilgour discusses the Communists' role in making the world a more violent place, and what Canada can do to counter it (Between Heaven and Earth).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post) for his lengthy ode to naivete on Communist China and its mullahcratic allies. The Lebanese Daily Star (via Washington Times) takes the runner-up position - same theme, fewer words, while Michael Elliott (Time) comes in a distant third for his rather rose-colored view of Communist China in general.

Speaking of Middle Eastern Proxy Number One, British Lord David Waddington calls for aiding the anti-Iranian Mujaheddin-e-Khlaq (a.k.a People's Mujaheddin - yours truly has heard both good and terrible about this bunch among Iranian democrats) in the Washington Times. As the mullahcracy pushes ahed with its nuclear program (Fox News), the United States is still not ready to move on liberation (see the end of this Newsweek piece). The U.S. is making clear Iran's interference in Iraq (Washington Times) will be fought (BBC) and won support on that from Australia (Strategic Intel). The mullahs themselves made clear their priorities - with anti-American plans (Strategic Intel) and anti-American rhetoric (Washington Times).

LiNK still trying to get Korean refugees out of Shenyang: One Free Korea has the latest.

More On Communist China's Korean colony: As the people of northern Korea continue to suffer (Daily NK), the Stalinists continue to ignore them in favor of the regime's military (Daily NK and One Free Korea). Meanwhile, One Free Korea also has respective links on South Korea's doves and the producers of Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story (see also lead, third, lead, second, fourth, second and second items).

Prior Olympic athlete talks about her ordeal in Communist custody: Brendan Kelly (Epoch Times)talked to Jan Becker about finding Falun Gong - and the Communists imprisoning her for it.

Speaking of the Olympics, Between Heaven and Earth and Boycott 2008 make note of Communist China's continuing crackdown against the Chinese people and its economic problems as the Games approach.

More on human rights in Communist China: Farmers in Sichuan protest the cancellation of hearing on police beatings that took place last summer during a land seizure (Epoch Times). Guo Feixiong, the lawyer who tried to help the people of Taishi before he was arrested, has been transferred to Beijing (Central News Agency via Epoch Times). Between Heaven and Earth praises China's Psychiatric Inquisition. The cadres place spies around Jia Jia (Epoch Times). Liang Zhen (Epoch Times) talks to Albert Ho, the leader of Hong Kong's Democratic Party.

On other internal matters: Communist China's rural-urban disparity shows up in another category - mortality rates (United Press Int'l via Washington Times). One Free Korea reports on a new danger in Communist China - STDs. Luo Bing (Zhengming Monthly via Epoch Times) examines the "Three Unprecedented Crises" the Chinese Communist Party faces today.