Where does the government end and the criminal element begin?

It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the cops and the crooks these days (Epoch Times):

On the evening of October 23, at 10:00 p.m., villagers of Hongsu Village of Jiangxi Province were raided by crime syndicate members allegedly hired by the Green Sea Wood Co., Ltd (The Green Sea Company) of Tonggu County. One villager was killed, dozens were hospitalized and several were in critical condition. Villagers said that they called for the police but no police were sent to help them on that night. On October 24, 2008, hundreds of armed police gathered in front of the Green Sea Company to suppress a large crowd calling for justice in regard to the attack of the previous day.

So now the cadres have turned their police force into the private security force for the triads who help line their pockets.

Not that this should surprise anyone. The regime itself has been forced to admit that corruption is shot through the mining industry (Epoch Times), giving a whole new meaning to the term "dirty industry" (BBC).

Meanwhile, the satellite states are following suit. Even as the Korean viceroy does his best impersonation of the J. Alfred Prufrock's night sky (BBC and the Times of London), his minions are threatening to atomize South Korea - or, to be more precise, to turn it into "debris" (BBC and One Free Korea). Halfway around the world, Sudan - dependent upon Communist China's appetite for its oil - can't protect the laborers its benefactor sends over, so it blames rebel groups indiscriminately (BBC). I can't imagine where they came up with that idea.

The Communists' bureau of numerical propaganda claims that their imprisoned nation is "no longer a low income country" (BBC). Perhaps that is so, but so long as the gains from prosperity remain so tightly concentrated among the cadres and those in their Potemkin cities, the vast majority of the Chinese people will remain as poor and desperate as they have been for years, until they rise up and take their country back.

For Beijing, the only defense is a good offense

The Chinese Communist Party has used an aggressive foreign policy and radical nationalism to justify its regime and distract its people for nearly twenty years now. However, its efforts at empire-building may now have an added purpose, intimidating the free world into silence about its previous bad behavior.

As I noted yesterday, the cadres' Korean colony continues to make trouble for the United States and her allies - now to the point of testing more missiles to see which one is best for a nuclear warhead (BBC and One Free Korea). That isn't the only arena in which the CCP is on the march. They are looking to expand their reach and influence from Africa (Weekly Standard) to Wall Street (Washington Times), while the Long Arm of Lawlessness continues to be felt in both America and Canada (Epoch Times).

None of this is actually news, but it may carry a new sense of urgency for the cadres, and therefore those of us in their way (i.e., the rest of the world). The domestic pressures that are leading the CCP to make these moves (Epoch Times) are being compounded by international pressures, particularly over melamine-tainted exports (another batch hit Canada - Ottawa Sun). The cadres are slowly (at best) losing the gains earned through a quarter-century long charm offensive (Boycott 2008), with no clear end in sight (Epoch Times). Add to it the possibility of a dissident winning the Nobel Peace Prize tomorrow (Epoch Times) and the regime has some serious problems.

For now, their attempt at intimidating the Nobel Committee is sure to backfire (Epoch Times), but the more geopolitical power the CCP gains, the more likely it is that fear will replace outrage after future outbursts from Beijing - and once the free world can be intimidated into silence, the cadres have far less to fear from their own people.

The fall of the CCP is inevitable, but like other tyrannies, the inevitable is made to look impossible by its would-be victims. The melamine scandal in particular makes it clear to the democratic world that the inevitable is also desirable. The cadres are racing against time to prevent America and her allies from grasping that realization and putting it to good use.

Another fake terrorist attack?

The Chinese Communist Party is desperate to have the free world - especially the American people - believe that it, too, is battling radical Islamic terrorists. So when a report of a machete attack in Kashgar, East Turkestan (called "Xinjiang" by the cadres) made the news just before the Olympics, the Communists played it up for all it was worth.

Only now, after the Olympics have long since ended, are contradictory details coming out. According to witnesses as reported by the International Herald Tribune, the actual incident involved a car crash and paramilitary officers playing the "terrorist" role - a situation eerily similar to a staged anti-terror raid in Urumqi earlier this year.

For the cadres, this couldn't have come at a worse time. Candy in Great Britain (BBC), pork products in Japan (Washington Post), coffee in the United States (Epoch Times), cereal in Hong Kong (Channel News Asia), all are the latest of imports and nations ensnared by Communist China's melamine scandal (Boycott 2008, China Digital Times and Epoch Times. The cadres responded with nearly two dozen arrests (RTT News, h/t Greg Pollowitz of NRO - Media Blog), but reports of arrests and actual catching of guilty parties rarely go hand in hand where the Chinese Communist Party is concerned (see above).

Of course, the Korean colony is doing its best to distract everyone (BBC, Forbes, and the Washington Post), and there is the space walk to celebrate - now that it's really happened (BBC, London Telegraph), but it's hardly making a dent with the avalanche of melamine outrages out there.

Even worse for the CCP, the traditional concerns of the democratic world about its internal practices (such as the treatment of dissidents - Epoch Times) have now spread to its external actions, such as the aforementioned exports issue (Epoch Times), the tightening grip on Africa (Daily Mail, UK), the Long Arm of Lawlessness (Boycott 2008 and Guardian, UK), and its overall military objectives (Telegraph).

Even with all of this, the cadres would normally feel confident in their ability to ride out the storm; after all, the world believes their battling al-Qaedists in East Turkestan. That's why the IHT story is so damaging.

As I've mentioned ad infinitum, Communist China's ties to Islamic terrorism run long and deep. Whether it's al Qaeda, Iran, Syria, Saddam Hussein, or the Taliban, if it's a terrorist group or regime looking to strike America, it has a friend in the Chinese Communist Party.

This truth, if it were ever to become widely known, would start the countdown to the end of the Communist regime. Washington would want nothing to do with a Communist tyranny that considers Osama bin Laden a tool to be used against America. Even European capitals which have a history of accommodation and appeasement would think twice about the Beijing regime. So, the regime, tries to distract the rest of the world with its phony war in East Turkestan in the hope that no one pays close attention to either brutal occupation or the fact that the native Uighur population is just about the most pro-American group of Muslims on Earth. All of that gets blurred by local acts of "terrorism."

That is, until the acts are exposed as forgeries, like the Kashgar "attack" now appears to be exposed.

The free world can not afford to ignore this reality: the Chinese Communist Party is not an enemy of radical Islamic terror; it is a benefactor of radical Islamic terror. The War on Terror will not end in Tehran, Baghdad, or Kabul, but in Beijing. America and her allies will never be secure until China is free.

Reverting to from

Communist China appears to have decided they've gotten all they can out of the Olympics from an international perspective. Not that the international perspective was the primary goal, the regime's real interest was making its people believe it had won international acclaim. However, recent events are making clear the cadres are more focused on hoodwinking their own people - the rest of the world be damned.

The best evidence for this is the latest Sudanese attack on Darfur (Times of London). This would have been unthinkable just a week ago for public relations reasons, but with the opening ceremony behind them (and with its value being steadily eroded by the exposure of fakery - Boycott 2008), the regime has obviously decided that it can ride out the international storm.

This will also mean that the already invasive security at the Games will continue (BBC and Boycott 2008), as will the human rights abuses (Between Heaven and Earth, Boycott 2008, and the Washington Times), antics by satellite state like Sudan and North Korea (One Free Korea), and the overseas intimidation (Epoch Times), although they may need to dial it down in Australia - or at least decouple it from the drug trade (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, any athletes hoping the cadres will move beyond their regime-controlled religious establishment (Washington Post) had best not hold their breath.

The other clear signal that the Olympics are all about bamboozling the Chinese people is the news that the cadres are now pointing the finger at Falun Gong for the Todd Bachman murder (Epoch Times). Frankly, this is a stunner - not necessarily because the Communists are trying to tar Falun Gong, but because it was the standard propaganda line from the get-go.

This tells us that the regime is no longer paying attention to the rest of the world. The cadres knew that Falun Gong has enough defenders out there (including yours truly) to make any accusation controversial. The regime would have to know that changing its story to blame the movement will be even worse - outside Communist China.

Inside Communist China, however, it could be another story. To get an idea as to how different the "news" is over there, take a look at how Michael Phelps has been covered (International Herald Tribune). It's abundantly clear that the Communists are determined to get as much internal propaganda value as possible, and that no longer means worrying about the rest of the world.

Still, the new Falun Gong smear smacks of desperation to me. The Games are almost halfway through, and the high from the opening ceremony has worn off with surprising speed (even those who don't focus on the fakery, like Meghan Cox Gurdon of the Washington Examiner, are no longer impressed). The closing ceremony - and more importantly, the post-Olympic hangover - are coming on fast. The Communists are playing defense now.

More fakery from Communist China

The reports of Communist China faking parts of the Olympic ceremony continue (BBC):

A pretty girl who won national fame after singing at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was only miming. Wearing a red dress and pigtails, Lin Miaoke charmed a worldwide audience with a rendition of "Ode to the Motherland". But the singer was Yang Peiyi, who was not allowed to appear because she is not as "flawless" as nine-year-old Lin.

What better symbol of the CCP's smoke-and-mirrors show is there (if you prefer humor, check out this joke courtesy of the Epoch Times)? Communist China's modus operandi for nearly six decades has been to hide what isn't "flawless" - be it imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners (Epoch Times), organ harvesting (Canadian Free Press), the Tiananmen Square massacre (Washington Post), the Communists' brutal history (Washington Post), and their brutal present actions at home and abroad (Boycott 2008 and Epoch Times).

Of course, the cadres makes sure anyone who tries to get to the truth is closely watched (Alert Net and Epoch Times - one can only imagine what that extra security could have meant this past weekend). Meanwhile, it's pretty clear that the fakery is working (Washington Times). Yet the truth still seeps out (BBC on Tibet and Washington Post on North Korea). Perhaps the cadres need more lip-synching.

Open Letter to Maurice Strong

Dear Mr. Strong,

I have read you column in Macleans yesterday evening, and I must confess that I found it remarkable - in its deep denial of the truth, servility to the Communist regime that hosts and protects you, and utter lack of recognition of how the free world thinks and acts. With any luck, you may read this and come to see your egregious errors. Even in the more likely possibilities that you remain unmoved by this (or unaware of it), others who have read your column may see this as well so that they may not fall prey to your long-winded illusions.

The first of which is your notion that the restrictions placed upon the Chinese people are "minimal." People of faith through the land you call home suffer far more than "minimal" restrictions on their right to practice their religion (Boycott 2008 and Epoch Times). Nor would attorney Gao Zhisheng, who has been imprisoned and tortured simply because he asked for such "minimal" restrictions to cease (Epoch Times). I would also refer you to the relatives of the Tiananmen massacre victims (See also Pajamas Media).

This is a truth that is recognized throughout the world, and neither your attempts to minimize it nor your subsequent descent into moral relativism can explain it away. Even among the center-left in the free world, where your criticisms of democratic nations are most well-received, the step you take towards dismissing the abuses of the Chinese Communist Party is simply not taken (Boycott 2008 and Epoch Times). Even the most virulent opponents of American foreign policy, such as The Progressive, make clear that, in their words: "This is not to say that Bush’s human rights abuses are equal to China’s." Thus the notion you imply and hope to sell to the free world is in fact rejected across the political spectrum here (to see the political right's response, if you wish, I refer to the Washington Examiner).

Having failed to understand our politics, you move on to miss economics. To claim that Communist China is "utilizing the methods of capitalism" without a functioning rule of law or genuine property rights is to completely misunderstand the term. "Capitalism" - or, to be more precise, a free market economy - does not exist without genuine property rights, and as any rural village citizen could tell you (if they felt safe enough to do so), genuine property rights do not exist in Communist China. Neither does the rule of law, although if you perhaps attempted to earn a profit in Beijing rather than hold down a United Nations sinecure you would probably be more aware of that.

Your discussion of "climate change" is also flawed. The idea that "those who have contributed most to the problem of climate change must take the lead" sounds wonderful, but does nothing to address the fact that exempting Communist China from any post-Kyoto agreement (or limiting its impact on it) will do nothing to impact carbon emission now that Communist China is the largest carbon emitter on Earth. To further use the issue to rant against "the wasteful and indulgent appetites of the rich and their pre-emption of a disproportion of the world's resources" is particularly brazen given that your friends in the CCP elite exercise these indulgences and pre-emptions with far more gall and self-absorption than anyone in the free world (outside of its criminal element) would even dare.

Moving on to your historical errors, I am curious as to how the people of East Turkestan and Tibet would react to your assertion that "China's territorial disputes with its neighbours have been confined to differences over their boundaries rather than attempts to occupy or annex them." Not that any Tibetans or East Turkestanis are allowed to speak freely on this matter, thus you can resort to the typical Communist propaganda on Tibet that is justified by nothing but Nazi lies. Then again, that isn't the only time the Communists have looked to the Nazis for inspiration (Small Dead Animals).

Not that your account of recent history is much better. Your assertion of Communist China's acceptance of the "differences that exist" between Hong Kong and the mainland can only come from someone unwilling to pay attention to the events of the last decade there.

I could not help but note several other issues you do not mention: the Communist aid and comfort to the brutal Sudanese regime (Epoch Times and Washington Post), and Beijing's Korean colony (One Free Korea). I was particularly intrigued by your decision to ignore the latter, as you have been the United Nations' special envoy on the subject for many years. Your silence is deafening.

The rest of your column is standard propaganda from expatriates, but I am compelled to point out this particular nonsense for what it is:

Uninformed and ideologically biased critics of China should ask themselves why it is that the majority of Chinese today are better off and better satisfied than ever, why more overseas Chinese are returning to China, and why more foreigners are enjoying conditions of life here that make them want to stay, even if it involves changing their employment to do so.

I can do more than ask myself these questions, I can actually answer them. The Chinese people may claim to be "better off and better satisfied than ever," but one wouldn't have to go far beyond Beijing to see that this is little more than Communist propaganda (in fact, just spending some time with the legions of appellants/petitioners risking arrests and torture should do the trick, but if you prefer, try Hanyuan, Taishi, or Shanwei).

As for "more overseas Chinese are returning to China," there are likely several reasons, but one of them has to be the extension of the Communist Long Arm of Lawlessness into the free world to intimidate exiles into silence. A brave few refuse to succumb to the mobs (Epoch Times), but such bravery is not common in the human condition. I'm sure many Chinese who would prefer freedom abroad to repression at home are deciding that repression abroad is no better.

Your assertion about foreigners is best answered by Ethan Gutmann's Losing the New China, in which he describes the painful manner in which expatriates are compromised ethically and financially by the regime.

I will acknowledge that your particular reasons for remaining in Beijing, which may have more to do with avoiding a certain inquiry into Iraq's Oil-for-Food program than anything else, have probably blinded you to this reality.

In short, your column managed to get international politics, economics, and history wrong in several areas. As such, I can certainly understand why you could not fathom the anger in the free world over Communist China's behavior (Asian-Pacific Post, Between Heaven and Earth, Boycott 2008, Epoch Times, From On High, National Review Online, Washington Post). Not even those willing to enjoy the Olympic Games can suspend disbelief as you have on the Communist regime (Washington Post).

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I do hope that you see this and that it may open your mind. If so, you might want to consider the radio broadcasts from Reporters Without Borders (Boycott 2008 and the Epoch Times). Otherwise, I can at least hope that those who read your error-prone column will also read this and avoid the errors you have made.

Yours truly,
D.J. McGuire
China e-Lobby

Olympic run-up? More like a run-down.

The Communist regime spent years looking forward to these weeks before the Olympics, what with the reports highlights the China it wants the world to see in the build-up to the propaganda bonanza - at least, that was their fervent hope. As it turns out, though, August 8 can't come fast enough.

The pre-Olympic problems are getting so bad they're even staining people and institutions outside the CCP. The cadres' determination to block the "wrong" internet sites - even from foreign journalists - has thoroughly discredited the weak-kneed International Olympic Committee (Boycott 2008, CTV, NRO - The Corner, and the Washington Post). Meanwhile, President Bush is trying to make the Communists and the anti-Communists happy (Epoch Times and the Washington Post). Then there are the usual problems: pollution (CNN and the Washington Post) and human rights (BBC, Boycott 2008, and CNN).

On the plus side for the Communists (and the minus side for the rest of us), the Olympic brouhaha has shoved the turn-off of NTDTV (Epoch Times), Beijing's increasing role in Africa (BBC), and the starving of northern Korea (London Telegraph and the Washington Post) off the front page, just like it was supposed to do.

When the Games actually start, they will likely move all of the bad news off the front page; but the post-Olympic hangover is something else again.

We have our Olympic symbol: the mask

We all knew the Communists would try to mask the reality of China - such as state-sponsored murder (Between Heaven and Earth) and labor camps full of picture takers (BBC) - to hide it from outsiders. We knew the mask the cadres use to deceive the Chinese people would be so invasive (Epoch Times) that those very outsiders would be affected (AFP via Breitbart, BBC, BBC again, and Boycott 2008). They've even reached beyond their borders to silence exiles who could disturb the masks (The Epoch Times).

Now, however, the mask is sure to become the unintended Olympic icon - the athletes are bringing them:

"Concerned about the pollution, the U.S. Olympic Committee is distributing a high-tech mask, developed in secrecy, to its more than 600 Olympians." - Wall Street Journal

"Japan's Olympic delegation will carry 500 dust masks for industrial use to guard against the notorious air pollution in Beijing, a corporate official said Monday." - Boycott 2008, see alsop The Morning Call

Australian track-and-field athletes will "hold its pre-Olympic training camp in Hong Kong, and athletes will then fly to Beijing a few days before their events, the minimum exposure possible."

Naturally, the Communists will move heaven and earth to ensure none of these masks get inside Beijing's Olympic palaces. These are the same people who have taken it upon themselves to ban blacks from night clubs (Washington Post). Still, the symbolism is unavoidable.

Meanwhile, the cadres are dealing with accusations of cyberspying (CQ Politics, Newsmax, and Washington Times), run-of-the-mill spying (CQ Politics), cheating (Toronto Star), and luring dissidents into the open - and later prison (Epoch Times). Then there are the usual flare-ups over human rights (Boycott 2008 and Washington Post) and Darfur (World Net Daily).

None of that won't stop the propaganda machine already in full swing (Weekly Standard), neither will Beijing's increasing grip on Costa Rica (Epoch Times) or its colony's return to famine (BBC and Washington Post). Odds are the Communists' masks will have more staying power than anyone else's. What happens when the masks fall is another matter entirely.

The cadres are getting touchy

With just over two weeks until the opening ceremonies of the Communist Propaganda Extravaganza (a.k.a. the Olympic Games), the regime is cracking down on . . . boycott opponents!

That's right; Kendra Zanotto - 2004 bronze medalist and would-be 2008 Olympic News synchronized swimming reporter - had her visa application denied because of her membership in Team Darfur (San Jose Mercury-News). This comes despite the fact that Team Darfur, while certainly trying to bring attention to the Communist-aided Darfurian outrage, opposes an Olympic boycott.

So, despite getting a de facto endorsement from the Obama campaign (a $5 million ad buy, according to NRO Media Blog), the cadres are determined to rid the games of all "unstable elements," be they local dissidents (Boycott 2008 and Epoch Times), or foreign reporters who join an organization even mildly criticizing them.

To understand why, one has to look beyond the Games, which are rapidly becoming the regime's harbor ina sea of troubles. A new agreement with Russia engendered angry reaction over the surrender of Heixiazi Island (Epoch Times). A real estate crisis that at best resembles our own (and more likely makes ours look like a Sunday School picnic) is rocking average mainlanders (Epoch Times). The Communist espionage-intimidation effort in New York City has been exposed to the world (Epoch Times). Even the Communist-backed Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe has created serious PR blowback - to say nothing of Darfur itself (Weekly Standard). All in all, the Communists can't afford to have anything go wrong during the Olympics - especially given the long memories and easy MSM access of the Darfur activists.

One question remains unanswered, however: what happens when the Olympics end? What will the cadres do when the propaganda exercise is replaced by more mundane stories of espionage (Washington Times), bad behavior by satellite states (CNN), and the massive corruption that made the Games possible?

What the Communists want out of the Olympics

Human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng best explained the Olympic objectives for the Chinese Communist Party (Epoch Times):

The Chinese population recognizes only too well that the regime wants to achieve two goals with a successful Olympic event—first, to prove to the Chinese people that the world still considers the Party a legitimate regime, in spite of the tyranny and all their horrid crimes against humanity, that cost more than 80 million people their lives during the last few decades. Second, to show the
world that the Party is still all-powerful over China and enjoys the full support of her people.

The latter of these goals may be a bit difficult now (Epoch Times and the Times of London), but what's more important to the cadres is the former. The more outsiders come to Beijing and look at the CCP as "a legitimate regime," the happier the regime is.

Still, even on that front, it could be a mixed bag. More political turmoil in Taiwan will help (Washington Post), and the Battle of Flushing seems to be winding down (Epoch Times), but the Sudan issue certainly isn't (Washington Post). As hard as this is to believe, the "success" of the Games (from the Communists' perspective) is growing more uncertain.

Could the Communist Olympiad actually fail?

I must confess that I never thought I would actually ask that question. For years, it seemed silly to even consider it. Not even the revulsion over the Tibet crackdown in the spring led me to believe the Beijing Olympics would be anything but the propaganda bonanza the Communists wish it to be (the aftermath is another matter). Now, suddenly, with the news that Communist China is directly helping the Sudanese regime's mass killing spree in Darfur (BBC), I'm not so sure.

Lest anyone forget, it was the Darfur issue that first made an Olympic boycott an acceptable conversation in the mainstream. It has been the Darfur activists who (prior to the Tibet crackdown) caught the attention on MSM and first put meaningful Olympic pressure on the Communists. It was on the Darfur issue that the Communists began making symbolic gestures to appease critics in the hope of silencing them for the Games.

Well, those of us who have watched the Chinese Communist Party knew this was bunk, much as their claims of moderation on Tibet was bunk (Times of London), and their claims of lightening up on the hideous "one child" policy were bunk (World Net Daily), and their supposed willingness to help the rest of the world deal with Robert Mugabe was bunk (Washington Post), and their claims of a harmonious China awaiting the Olympics with joy was bunk (BBC, Between Heaven and Earth, Boycott 2008, Epoch Times, and the Washington Post). For the Darfur folks, however, this is a new and fresh outrage. They won't take this lying down.

When Tibet was bleeding in March, there was still enough time for people to forget and for the "engagement" crowd to rationalize. Four weeks out is not enough time for that. This all but guarantees that Darfur activists will be demanding attention during the Games themselves, and as past history has shown, when they demand attention, they get it. In other words, every moment of Olympic triumph will be countered by the Darfur tragedy. The regime that wanted the world to see them as wonderful Olympic hosts will instead see them as war-mongering merchants of death in Africa - and that's if the Communists are lucky.

If the cadres are unlucky, Darfur will become a political nexus for things like spying on politicians in the free world (Canberra Times via BH&E), intimidating exiles overseas (The Epoch Times), traditional espionage (BBC), muscling in on NTDTV broadcasters (Rapid TV News via Boycott 2008), propping up the bloodthirsty and dishonest Korean tyrant Kim Jong-il (BBC, CNN, CNN again, Washington Post, and the Washington Times), and of course, how the CCP treats the Chinese people (Epoch Times).

The odds of all of these cans of worms opening up on the Communist Olympiad is fairly small. Then again, the odds of the Darfur issue crashing the Games seemed small, too, until this past weekend. For the moment, anything is possible.

The three phases of appeasement

Many of us view the Bush Administration's appalling denoument regarding North Korea as John Bolton does (Wall Street Journal, h/t David Frum and Andy McCarthy of NRO):

The only good news is that there is little opportunity for the Bush administration to make any further concessions in its waning days in office. But for many erstwhile administration supporters, this is a moment of genuine political poignancy. Nothing can erase the ineffable sadness of an American presidency, like this one, in total intellectual collapse.

Bolton isn't alone either (One Free Korea and the Washington Times). In fact, one could easily believe that the Administration has hit rock bottom. Sadly, others are doing far worse. To understand why, we have to remember that North Korea is not an independent actor; it is a Communist Chinese colony (to the point of shooting its own citizens on Beijing's orders - OFK), and when it comes to Communist China, making nice with its satellites on worthless agreements is just the first phase of appeasement.

Regimes like Communist China see the United States as a threat by example more than a threat through policy. Our refusal to silence dissent - and the national strength we gain from that - is a terrible embarrassment to the cadres, who must rely on the iron fist to maintain power (Boycott 2008, CNN, Epoch Times, Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, and the Weekly Standard). While the Communist regime certainly sees the free world as an obstacle to its geopolitical goals (themselves driven by the regime's reliance on radical nationalism), they see as much risk in the internal mechanisms of democratic nations. Thus, appeasement of the Communist regime and its satellites requires far more than honoring useless treaties and taking diplomatic lies at face value.

The second phase of appeasement can best be described as "self-censorhsip abroad," i.e., putting an end to things like reaching out to dissidents in Communist China (Washington Post), hearing out the internal critics of the Communists (Voice of America via Epoch Times), and criticizing the appalling practices of said satellites (such as Sudan - Washington Times - or Zimbabwe - Epoch Times). So far, the free world already has a checkered history, one that will likely get worse when the Stalinist North makes clear just what htey mean by "security guarantees."

The third phase of appeasement is "self-censorhsip at home," at which point, people cease being independent actors and become enablers of the regime. Sadly, this is also getting traction, in Nepal (Washington Times), in Europe (Epoch Times), and even in New York's City Council (Epoch Times).

This could be our future with North Korea as well (in fact, until South Korea's new President changed tack, it was that nation's present). The events in Flushing in particularly should remind us that totalitarian regimes accept no neutrality or non-interventionist policy. One must confront, or one must submit. The next President must decide which.

What the "peaceful rise" really means

For the last few years, Communist China has tried to deflect criticism and questions about its increasing global power (World Tribune via Boycott 2008) was to insist that this was nothing but a "peaceful rise." Never mind the regime's increasing grip on Africa (Epoch Times) and South America (Weekly Standard), or its continued support for Kim Jong-il's outlaw dictatorship (One Free Korea), or anything else that would imply that the cadres are interested in removing any opposition to its continued rule over China, no matter how far from its borders and how much violence is necessary. Most in the free world, sadly, are falling for the Party line. Even in the island democracy of Taiwan, where they should know better, the propaganda is working (Washington Times). I'm guessing they would think differently, however, if they saw the regime's true face.

It should be no surprise that two of the nations with the most resistance to the "peaceful rise" nonsense are the United States and South Korea. In addition to being leading democracies, these two allies have seen the cadres' goons up close - in Seoul (Epoch Times) and New York City (Epoch Times and more Epoch Times). This is more important than many realize. What these two cities have witnessed is the future for the entire democratic world when the "peaceful rise" is finished - hired Communist goons silencing exiled dissidents and their supporters to the point where the political freedom that is a fundamental and necessary characteristic of democracy is a hollow joke.

Thus aware of the future, Americans are far more worried about Communist China's increasing power, whatever the reason (Washington Post). Canada, which has suffered its own versions of overseas intimidation, is also more aware of the dangers than others (Steve Janke).

In the past, it was Russian refugees that made America and her allies aware of the Soviet danger. This time, the efforts by the Communists to silence Chinese exiles have themselves become the warning to the free world that it will never be secure until the Communist regime is ended.

Is the CCP prepared for the NBA?

I have always insisted that I will not watch one second of the upcoming Communist Olympiad - and I still won't see any of it. I have always considered awarding the Games to the Communists to be a mistake - and I still do. That said, I have already seen at least one possible upside to the Games (after they are over), and another one may be popping up in the most unexpected of areas: basketball.

For much of the world (and nearly all American watchers), basketball will be the marquis event of the Games. Several nations (host included) have NBA players on their squads. Odds are the cadres were more than happy with this, since the NBA has been one of the major "engagement" proponents, but that was before anyone heard of Ira Newble.

Newble, a former Cleveland Cavalier reserve who is now a reserve for the Western Conference Champion L.A. Lakers, has been using his position to bring attention to Communist China's complicity in the Darfur outrage (Boston Globe via Boycott 2008). He may even be willing to take his case to the host site itself, although as he noted, "Security might be an issue because China really doesn't look at this too kindly. They are already fabricating stories over there about me."

Normally, this would just be another story of an anti-Communist shoved to the margins or silenced. The cadres have been hard at work doing that for sometime - in China proper (Between Heaven and Earth), occupied East Turkestan (BBC, BBC again, and the Washington Times), and as far away as New York City (The Epoch Times). This time, however, Newble has managed to get Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher to sign on. Bryant is one of the faces of the NBA, while Fisher, although less known to the population at large, is a vital role player who is well known and respected throughout the league. More importantly, Bryant is a stone-cold, lead-pipe lock to make the Olympic team.

Now, the regime has been leaning very hard on their "guests" to keep quiet about its abuses against its own people and its role in propping up other brutal tyrants (such as the Sudan or, say, North Korea - BBC), but track-and-field athletes getting their one moment in the sun are much easier to intimidate than an NBA star.

What would the cadres do if Kobe decides to speak out? They'll surely have the usual engagement crowd (the Toronto Star has a perfect example of what these idiots are likely to say about Kobe), and Kobe has his critics here at home (although Newble also has a Celtic supporter on this, so relying on rivalries within the league probably won't help the cadres much). However, going after Kobe will be an eye-opener not only to him, but to his millions of fans in Los Angeles and across the country. One of the most apolitical areas in America - professional sports - could become an accidental anti-Communist recruiting ground overnight.

If, by contrast, the Communists keep silent, then Kobe's criticism still becomes front-page news, and the Chinese people will wonder why he was allowed to speak in such a manner. The resulting logic train from that will all but ensure the regime will come down hard on Kobe. I don't expect the Laker star to be detained or imprisoned, but the Communist media will likely rip him in ways that would make a Sacramento Kings fan blush. Once again, though, the Pandora's box I described above would still be opened.

The question is, will Kobe criticize the regime during the Games? I don't know. I do know that this is one variable the cadres (and, truth be told, I) didn't consider. Are there other variables out there that could combine with the likely post-Olympic corruption scandals? Only time will tell.

News of the Day (June 10)

How power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely: The Washington Post chronicles the rise and fall of a local party boss.

Quake aftermath news: The cadres put on a good face for the people (Washington Post) but the cold reality in Juyuan Town cannot be ignore (Epoch Times).

More Congressmen condemn the Battle of Flushing: Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) and Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida) pledge to take action to protect New Yorkers from pro-Communist mobs (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, Chen Yonglin talks about how the Communist use "local Chinese mafias" (Epoch Times) abroad to impoes their will on overseas ethnic Chinese.

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: The Communists' colonization of Africa catches the attention of the Council on Foreign Relations (Washington Post); Andre Chang (UPI via Space War) examines the latest generation of Communist missiles aimed at Taiwan.

News on “another Chinese province” (all links from One Free Korea): Northern Koreans are dying from starvation and disease, and they're getting angrier about it. Meanwhile, the regime is so short of food that it's ordering soldiers to send their families home (which is sure to only add fuel to the fire). Luckily for Kim Jong-il, whatever conflagration may come could be stalled by another American foolishly feting him.

News of the Day (May 23)

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Usually an official from the Clinton Administration has a leg up on anyone else for this dubious honor (most former employees of the current Administration are just as bad, but not all), and true to form, Jamie Metzl (Business Standard) wins with a piece so bad it even gets the facts about the Zimbabwe arms shipment wrong.

ICOD Runner-up: Nicholas Kristof takes second place with this ridiculous ode to "grass-roots politics" in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake (Int'l Herald Tribune via Uyghur Human Rights Project). The Washington Times has a more reasonable assessment of the post-quake aftermath.

Taiwan announces restart of talks with Communist China: The cadres themselves have not confirmed this, but they have dropped broad hints about it (BBC).

Witnesses in New York say Communist consulate officials incited anti-Falun Gong riot: The particulars of the "Battle of Flushing" - and the Communists' role in same - are becoming more clear (Epoch Times).

Huseyin Celil letter makes it out of Canada: The Uyghur exile who became a Canadian citizen has been jailed for over two years laments his fate (Globe and Mail, Cdn.).

News from "another Chinese province": The latest man-made famine continues. One Free Korea has the heartbreaking dispatches.

News of the Weekend (May 17-19)

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State forced to admit Communist Chinese arms in terrorists' hands: The opening statement of John Negroponte to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Uyghur Human Rights Project) is chock-full of the usual "engagement" nonsense, but after questioning from Senators not named by the Taipei Times, Negroponte had to acknowledge "concern about Chinese weapons or Chinese-designed weapons showing up in some of these battle areas, be it Iraq or Afghanistan" (emphasis added). He also said he raised the issue with the cadres last week. Is the Administration prepared to do more if this continues?

Another day, another ally thrown under the bus: If the Administration policy toward "another Chinese province" (a.k.a. North Korea) is any indication, the cadres are free and clear on arming terrorists. Just as South Korea is finally beginning to focus on the Stalinist regime's horrendous treatment of the people of northern Korea, the United States has resumed food aid (BBC, Washington Post, and the Washington Times), due in part to the Singapore Surrender. Of course, Japan is quite used to this sort of thing (Washington Post).

Zimbabwe got its Communist arms after all, thanks in part to the South African navy (which secretly refueled the Communist Chinese vessel - Sunday-Herald, Scotland), Angola, and the Congo Republic (a.k.a. Congo-Brazzaville).

How the rest of the world views the Communist Olympiad: Canadian human rights groups, joined by two-time Olympic figure skating silver medalist Elvis Stojko, call for the Communists to stop abusing their own people - and for the rest of us to avoid the Games if they don't (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, Patrick Sherwen (Citywire via UHRP) discusses the effect of the bad publicity on foreign investment in Communist China (sadly, its' not much).

News from the occupied nations (Tibet and East Turkestan): The Tibetan government-in-exile responds to the latest Communist propaganda (TibetNet via Uyghur American Association); Mansoor Ijaz laments the plight of East Turkestan, although his assertion that Tibet has done "comparatively well under Communism" is not shared here (UHRP).

One-country, one-and-a-half systems rolls on: Hong Kong now has a "blacklist" of individuals who will not be allowed into the city at the Communist regime's behest (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Gordon Chang takes the prize for his explanation of the Communists' openness on the massive earthquake ("the country's leaders had little to lose" - New York Sun via UHRP) and how it will likely disappear as it becomes clear that "(p)eople died and others were injured because they were in, on, or near substandard structures that were bound to fall down." Making Chang's point for him were CNN and Britain's Guardian (h/t Boycott 2008). If any of this extended to the numerous nuclear plants in the vicinity of the quake (Times of London), this could be a tremendous backlash against the Communists.

Runner-up on ECOD: The fellow who wrote this detailed analysis of Communist China's "holistic censorship regime" (for obvious reasons, (s)he chose not to reveal his/her name - UHRP).

News of the Day (April 30)

Radical nationalism turns overseas Chinese into fingers in the Long Arm of Lawlessness: On American campuses, thuggish behavior continues (National Review Online - Media Blog). Elsewhere, death threats come to overseas dissidents (Epoch Times), amid earlier violence (see also the Uyghur American Association).

More arrests in Tibet: Several Tibetans are being whisked off to jail without any of their relatives being told (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, 30 more "rioters" were sentenced to prison term (Washington Post), and the cadres claim that a protest leader shot a police officer (BBC).

Whoops! Factory in Communist China making Free Tibet Flags: Cadres in Guangdong might as well set aside the cost of their execution bullets now (BBC, h/t NRO - Media Blog).

More Tibet and East Turkestan news: Zhang Tianliang (Epoch Times) warns us not to expect too much from the regime's offer to talk with some of the Dalai Lama's aides. Meanwhile, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and the East Turkestan Foundation hold a joint anti-Communist protest in the Hague (UNPO via UAA).

As torch arrives in Hong Kong, cadres try to recast Olympiad: The manufactured celebrations are under way in Beijing (BBC), but in Hong Kong, protesters are ready (CNN). Meanwhile, commentary like Jin Jung-kwon (Chosun Ilbo, South Korea, via Boycott 2008) won't make things any easier for the regime.

Communist China blocks UN action on Zimbabwe: The cadres are still managing to protect Robert Mugabe from the will of the people of Zimbabwe and the rest of the world (CNN).

Communist China may rent foreign farmlands to fight food price hikes: This is a novel approach (BBC), but perhaps this wouldn't be so much of a problem if the cadres weren't throwing farmers off the land to clear the way for corrupt and unnecessary development projects.

Japan finds more contaminated food from Communist China, ensuring that the issue of export safety will be a topic in upcoming talks between Hu Jinato and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (Epoch Times).

South Korea's doves get a de facto press release in the Washington Post: Aside from a decent quote by a human rights activist in Seoul, the piece reads like campaign ad for what's-that-lefty-party's-name-this-week. I eagerly await the takedown by One Free Korea.

More news on "another Chinese province": The evidence of SNK-Syrian nuclear cooperation was released to push the Stalinists toward "complete disclosure," according to President Bush (Washington Post). Senator Obama tries to argue for direct talks with Pyongyang, and OFK crushes him. Retired Professor Yearn Hong Choi comments on the new U.S-South Korea relationship in the Washington Times.

News of the Day (April 24)

Note: there will not be a post on Friday; I'll be visiting my sister, who's getting married this weekend. The next post will likely be the News of the Weekend post on Monday.

Bush Administration to reveal evidence on Syria-North Korea nuclear ties: Today is the day that Congress finally gets to see the evidence of Kim Jong-il's aid to Syria's nuclear weapons program (BBC). Among other things, the Administration will present a video which "shows that the Syrian reactor core's design is the same as that of the North Korean reactor at Yongbyon, including a virtually identical configuration and number of holes for fuel rods" (Washington Post). Whether or not the Stalinists gave the Syrians nuclear fuel was unclear (CNN), but the plant was "nearly complete when Israel bombed it in September" (Washington Times), and it "would have been capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons" (Newsmax).

Why did we surrender to the Stalinists in Singapore again? That's the question being asked by the Wall Street Journal (h/t Tom Gross at NRO Media Blog), the Washington Times, and most importantly of all, 14 Republican Senators (One Free Korea, which gave this debacle another well-deserved beat-down here).

Duke students call for investigation of Chinese group: The Duke Chinese Student and Scholars Association is under the microscope for its role in the harassment of Wang Qianyuan. Several student groups (including both college political parties) are calling for an investigation into the DCSSA's behavior (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, the long arm of lawlessness is reaching into Canada, too (Between Heaven and Earth).

Communist Ambassador to Canada "reassigned": The cadre will be going home, though it is not known to what post (Embassy).

Olympic torch proceeds through Australia: Protesters (AAP via Epoch Times) and enthusiasts (BBC and the Epoch Times) met the torch, while Dr. Torsten Trey reminds us of the hideous organ harvesting practices of the regime, and why it should keep us miles away from these Olympics (Epoch Times).

Communist arms shipment - meant for Zimbabwe - is heading home instead: The resistance of Zimbabwe's neighbors and the United States paid off (CNN).

From the Tibetan refugee camp in Dharamsala: Sheng Xue (Epoch Times) travels to the camp and returns with heart-rending stories of courage and pain.

Macau orders gambling freeze: The move comes amid "reports that Beijing is putting pressure on the territory to diversify its economy away from gambling" (BBC). Macau is the only place in Communist China in which casinos are legal. Left unmentioned in the story are the numerous incidents of corrupt cadres blowing public funds on the roulette wheels.

Communist coal reserve down to 12 days, a 20% reduction from just last month (News, Australia).

News of the Day (April 23)

Communist police kill land-seizure protester in Saxi (Yunnan): Local in the town who protested their land being seized without compensation for a land mine were greeted with a hail of bullets (BBC). It is merely the latest in a long line of Communist land seizures, protests, and subsequent murders.

As April 25 approaches, the Taipei Times remembers the peaceful protest that made Falun Gong a household phrase - and short-hand for the Communists' brutal persecution against people of faith (h/t, Between Heaven and Earth).

Communist China's radical nationalism hits victim to torch "attack": Put aside the still open question of whether or not the cadres staged the attack on Jin Jing. It turns out Jin herself is now being vilified, because she "she expressed a word of caution about a boycott of Carrefour, a French-branded grocery store chain in China" (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, One Free Korea sees a precedent for the Communist reaction, and it's not a good one.

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Rob Breakenridge (Calgary Herald) for his defense of anti-Communist MP Rob Anders' call for an Olympic Boycott.

Other Olympic News: The torch comes to Australia (BBC), as do the protests (Epoch Times). The World Uyghur Congress calls for an Olympic boycott (Earth Times via Uyghur American Association). A pro-Tibet protester is kicked off Mount Everest by Nepalese authorities (CNN).

U.S. praises Zimbabwe neighbors for blocking Communist Chinese arms shipments: The Bush Administration went public with its opposition to the arms sale; at present, the arms still have not made landfall (Washington Post and Washington Times).

Top South Korean spymaster granted asylum in the United States: Surprisingly, an American judge has allowed Kim Ki-Sam to stay here despite the change of government in South Korea, leading One Free Korea to conclude that Kim "must know where a lot of the bodies from the 2000 North Korea summit scandal are buried." Indeed, Kim "is promising to reveal plenty of juicy detail" about the bribe to Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il that greased the skids for that summit with then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.