Here comes the Anniversary Year

With 2008 now drifting off into history, most Americans are looking forward to the new Administration (including many of its would-be critics; defending George W. Bush can be exhausting work), and the usual challenges that come with any new year. Most of the rest of the planet will likely do the same - albeit with somewhat less interest in the new President.

In the halls of Zhongnanhai, however, 2009 promises to be a tumultuous year of crisis and crackdowns - and that would have been true even without the economic slowdown that has sent foreign investors running for the exits (Wall Street Journal), for this year can best be described as the "Anniversary Year" - the year several milestones in tyrannical history of the Chinese Communist Party are due for remembrance.

In just over two months, things begin with the fiftieth anniversary of the anti-Communist Tibet uprising of 1959. True, some of the pressure building for this year was let loose by last year's brouhaha (which is in no small part why I believe the cadres were determined to instigate something last March), but there is plenty of resentment left in reserve. Add to it the Dalia Lama's determination to link his cause to the greater movement for democracy in China, and the first anniversary could set a very troubling tone for the CCP.

Just over a month later, as April nears its exit and spring really kicks into gear, we'll have a new decade marker - the tenth anniversary of the Falun Gong protest of 1999. That quite but determined demand for religious freedom - followed three months later by the CCP's decision to ban the entire practice - will shine a bright light on Communist persecution for at least three months, and bring even greater attention to the practitioners' plight.

However, before we get to the July ban and the official ten-year demarcation for the Falun Gong War, we'll hit the mother of all anniversaries (pun partially intended) - the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre.

Actually, if the Communists are lucky, Tiananmen will only come up in June. More likely, May 2009 will have a long crescendo of memorials to the Tiananmen spring, and the million-plus who made their way to the square to show their disapproval of the corrupt tyranny (if the cadres are really unlucky, the May 1989 protests outside Beijing - which according to some accounts brought out more than 100 million people - will finally be given their due). It will build to the observance of the bloody crackdown itself.

This is the one day the cadres have dreaded, which is why I am still certain they will do anything to shift attention away from it, including giving the silent green light to an Iranian nuclear test just before June begins (lest anyone think I'm being alarmist, let's not forget that Iran's Hamas proxies are now killing Israelis with CCP-made missiles - Epoch Times).

July, as mentioned earlier, will have the Falun Gong War anniversary, but the surprising calendar landmine will come the following month - or, to be precise, on August 8, 2009. This will be the one-year anniversary of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, a time to remember what the Communists hoped to get out of the Games (more international prestige, more support at home, etc.), and what actually came after them (the economic slowdown, domestic anger at the over-the-top spending on Olympic renovations and land seizures, international questions about corruption in Communist sport programs, etc.). More ominously for the cadres, it will also be the first time for the Chinese people to look back and count the cost of the whole farce.

Before August is out, we will also see the sixtieth anniversary of the occupation of East Turkestan, which in the present global environment is sure to get some attention. While most of it will follow the CCP line in some way, shape, or form, odds are at least a few more journalists (and many more readers) will have their eyes opened to the real situation there.

Compared to that kind of spring and summer, the early fall will be a welcome relief. September 19 will mark five years for Hu Jintao as Chairman of the Central Military Commission (and thus, ruler of the country - more on that later). October 1 will be the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the "People's Republic of China," which may actually go quite will for the cadres until someone reminds the world just how may Chinese died to satiate the mad whims of the founder.

The final two anniversaries (both in November) will - in different ways - go straight to the heart of the issue: the nature of the CCP regime. The 9th will be the twentieth anniversary of the Berlin Wall's demise. While most of the discussion will center around how Europe is today, I'm sure there will also be plenty of ink spilled and bandwith used about the one Communist behemoth that hasn't fallen yet.

The other November anniversary will be felt much more inside the CCP's realm: the fifth anniversary of the Hanyuan County massacre. It will be a sharp reminder to all who remember it of Hu Jintao's willingness to rely on bullets and blood to maintain "stability."

All in all, the cadres can expect an interesting year. Given the tragic inability of the free world's leaders to understand the stakes of Cold War II, it will likely be a year the regime survives, but it will also add more fuel to the fires of resentment felt by the CCP's greatest victims: the Chinese people. Thus 2009 will bring freedom that much closer to China.

How much closer would that be? As always, only time can tell.

What the next President will confront

I have already detailed my concern over the lack of discussion of Communist China as an issue in the Presidential campaign (admittedly tempered by Senator John McCain's strong opposition to the Administration's surrender to North Korea). My concern is growing as it becomes clear just what the next President will face across the Pacific over the next four years - a Chinese Communist Party desperate to preserve its rationale for the continued oppression of the Chinese people, no matter what the consequences.

I'll start with the weaknesses, because they will drive the regime's actions. We are now aware that the economy is no longer the white-hot dynamo that the CCP has always claimed it is, meaning the "bread" in the bread-and-circus routine will be more scarce. While a 9% growth rate certainly sounds terrific, one must keep in mind that population growth in the area under Communist rule is roughly 6-7%. This means that most of the economic growth is due to increased labor, rather than increased capital or higher productivity. Moreover, GDP per capita (the measure by which economic growth translates into higher prosperity for the people) is actually close to 2-3%, which might be entirely explained not by any real economic gains but rather from Communist chicanery with the statistics (or, if one prefers, dubiety).

While economic growth ceased to be the lead justification for the Communist tyranny after the Tiananmen massacre, it certainly helped the regime preserve itself. Now, the Chinese people will see their own incomes stagnate (or worse - Boycott 2008), as corrupt cadres flee for the very democratic world the regime criticizes without end (BBC) and the Party leaders who stay scramble to contain the damage from things such as the melamine fiasco (Epoch Times). These tidings do not bode well for "stability," i.e., the regime's continued status as tyrant-in-thief.

Given these problems, we can expect the regime to act as it has always done - silence its critics at home (Between Heaven and Earth) and rattle its saber abroad. What the next President must understand is that these are the actions of a weakening regime, not a strengthening one. Thus, rather than appeased, the Chinese Communist Party must be confronted when it chooses to misbehave.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the incoming White House occupant to make this plain. The CCP is already trying to silence critics outside China via the Long Arm of Lawlessness. Thankfully the European Union refused to be gagged (BBC, Epoch Times, and Washington Post). However, the more troubling aspects to this are happening right here in the United States, particularly in New York City, where the regime's minions have waged a campaign of intimidation and terror against those who point out its persecutions back home (The Epoch Times).

Will the next President step up and make it clear to Beijing that such criminal actions against the rights of Americans on American soil will no longer be tolerated? This will be an immediate test of his abilities and a signal as to his priorities. The Communists themselves will certainly notice action - or inaction - on this front.

That won't be the only test either. The RAND Corporation has echoed a warning yours truly has sounded for years - that the Chinese Communist Party will occupy North Korea before ever letting its colonial regime fall (Chosun Ilbo, ROK). Considering how much of a headache Kim Jong-il has been to Washington - and how little blame his colonial masters have received for it - it is quite likely that such an intervention would be welcomed by the usual elites in the capitals of the democratic world. The next American President must have the resolve to resist this combination of appeasement and exhaustion to send an unmistakable message that the partial conquest of Korea will never be tolerated or recognized. Any other reaction would embolden the regime for future military operations - like one against a rather large island southwest of Japan that the cadres claim as their own (hint: it starts with a "T").

Of course, the next American President must also face the War against Wahhabism, Ba'athism, and Khomeinism (better known as the War on Terror). Will he be aware that the CCP is the common ally of anti-American terrorists? Will he have the resolve to face this reality and rally the American people to victory in what is really the Second Cold War? This will be the most important question the new President will face.

We have forgotten this as 9/11 seared our memory, but the outgoing Administration's first foreign-policy challenge wasn't al-Qaeda's attack, but the Hainan outrage. President Bush's weakness then sent exactly the wrong signal to the rest of the world, al Qaeda included. His successor cannot make the same mistake. America will never be secure until China is free.

The word of the day: dubiety (courtesy David Frum)

This blog post by David Frum caught my attention in more ways than one:

As Predicted Here

China's growth rate slumps. To 9% in the third quarter , according to official figures - but given the dubiety of Chinese statistics, it is the trend not the number that matters. And the fourth quarter will be worse.

The information wasn't exactly news but I was struck by the word "dubiety." Not only was it was I hadn't seen before (I had resorted to the more pedestrian "dubiousness"), but I found it to be the running theme of the days events.

The latest "terrorist" alert by the Communist regime (BBC) was quite the example of dubiety in foreign affairs. Their recent claim to "reform" land use privileges was cloaked in dubiety that was exposed less than 24 hours later (Epoch Times). Any claim the Communists make to respect religion is literally dripping in dubiety (and some other substances - Epoch Times). Then there's the continuing dubiety surrounding food safety (BBC and Epoch Times).

The Korean colony took things a step further, as the dubiety that permeated the texts of their "major announcements" has now expanded to include the existence of "major announcements" (One Free Korea).

Thanks, David, for providing the word (and theme) of the day.

For the Chinese Communist Party, foreigners come first

The Chinese Communist Party has spent many a year insisting that it was the only entity that could be entrusted with the safety, prosperity, honor, and dignity of the Chinese people. Today's news and events have combined to expose that claim as utterly laughable.

How many ordinary Chinese even know that foreign journalists had more freedom to operate than Chinese reporters over the last few months (BBC and Boycott 2008)? Given the restrictions already in place on cyberspace in Communist China (Boycott 2008), we can be all-but-certain the number is very, very low.

I'm sure the Chinese people would also be thrilled to hear that the regime has been far more sensitive to reports of tainted exports (Epoch Times) than the fate of domestic children who have fallen ill.

Workers who are seeing their jobs disappear (BBC) will likely not react well to the news that the very regime which refuses to pay their wages is sending rivers of cash to Pakistan (Washington Times).

At some point, the Chinese people will want to know why Pakistani rulers, foreign reporters, businessmen in New Zealand (Between Heaven and Earth), and Korean sycophants (Washington Times) get more attention from Beijing than they do. When that happens, imprisoning Tibetan monks and flailing against Falun Gong (Boycott 2008) won't stop the CCP from sinking beneath the waves of history.

Missing the forest for the towers

As more pundits disagree with my notion that the Communists botched the Olympics (especially Jay Nordlinger over at NRO - The Corner), I took some time to reassess my view. However, while Nordlinger, Anne Applebaum (Washington Post), Human Rights in China, and Zenit make some valid points, I think they've missed the larger issue.

While the Beijing Games certainly had wonderful stories about athletes (which were mentioned), I don't see as much of a glow for the host. In fact, for every blind MSM assertion that Nordlinger references, there was the off-key (for the cadres) response of John Burns (New York Times via Weekly Standard Blog): "In truth, some of the worst instincts of the old China have poked through the dazzle, most egregiously in the substitution of the pretty little girl in a red dress, and a voice-over, for the 7-year-old whose voice, but not her uneven teeth, met the Politburo’s standards."

I fear that many of my anti-Communist friends were expecting some sort of political disruption to hit the Olympics - or, to be more accurate, set the bar so high that only such a disruption would qualify as a failure for the Games. However, just because the Olympics did not achieve what we wanted (even if none of us expected it) does not mean the cadres got what they wanted either.

What did the cadres get? Conspiracy theories zipping around the local blogosphere about an injured athlete (Epoch Times) before the internet police could catch up to them and shut them down, the Wang Peiyi debacle, a blooming gymnastics scandal, and most ominously, a stunning lack of interest from outside Beijing. The last one is the real problem for the Communists (and one nearly anyone who focused to heavily on Beijing itself would have missed), since all the propaganda in the world means zilch if no one is listening.

I think this also reveals a larger problem within the anti-Communist community. Because it was largely urban intellectuals who led the fight against European Communism, most of us assume a similar uprising will bring down the CCP. This notion became further entrenched by the presence of the students in the 1989 Tiananmen Spring. However, the CCP has moved heaven and earth to co-opt the urban intellectual element - and sadly, they have had much success. The Party's weakness is outside Beijing, in the rural counties and industrial small cities where anger at the regime runs highest. This means the regime is far weaker than it appears to the outside world, in no small part because the folks searching for weaknesses (us) are looking in the wrong place. The Olympiad, along with reaction to it, is merely the latest (and best) example of this.

The other thing to remember is how the Olympics will be remembered a year from now. We will remember the athletic achievements, and the Chinese people will remember the corruption, land seizures, and payoffs that made it all possible. I doubt their memories will be fertile ground for Communist propaganda.

So, while the regime continues to arrest priests (Zenith), spread their economic influence (BBC and London Telegraph), prop up the Korean colony (BBC, CNN, and Washington Post), and intimidate democratic governments (Epoch Times), let us not forget that the major cities are the last place to look for the views, hopes, dreams, and grievances of the Chinese people. Otherwise, we will literally miss the forest for the gleaming towers.

Terror lawsuit gives a glimpse into life after the Olympics

The Communist Olympiad continues to list badly on its way to sinking in two days. The cadres, who were hoping to bask in the glow of being a beloved and respected host, are instead besieged by a fresh investigation into their gymnasts (BBC, CNN, Spectator Coffee House, and the Times of London), controversy over the shutdown of I-Tunes (Times of London and the Weekly Standard Blog), outrage harsh measures to prevent any protests (Boycott 2008 and Epoch Times, and Washington Post), harassment of foreign media (National Review Online - Media Blog) and those who talk to them (Epoch Times). The cadres have been so tarnished that even when they get the empty praise they so badly wanted, the reaction to it is derision rather than agreement (NRO - Media Blog).

Meanwhile, the issues that the Olympics were supposed to submerge - ironically enough, these Games did that and more, but not for the reasons the cadres wanted - are returning to the horizon for all to see: religious persecution (Between Heaven and Earth and Boycott 2008), the plight of occupied Tibet (Epoch Times), the damaging effects of the hideous "one child" policy (Weekly Standard Blog), an economy in trouble (Epoch Times), the antics of the Korean colony (One Free Korea), and - here's the big one - a lawsuit by Israeli victims of a terrorist attack against a regime-owned bank that aided said terrorists (Epoch Times).

The details of the lawsuit reveal a multi-level scheme designed for the Communists to help the terrorists without appearing to do so:

According to the charges, the Bank of China transferred regularly, over a period of time, amounts of about US$100,000 to the private bank account of a senior Hamas official located China. The latter used the money to buy merchandise which he shipped to Gaza. In Gaza, this merchandise was resold by senior Hamas officials and the profit was used to fund terrorist activities.

According to the plaintiffs and their attorney Nitzana, the Israeli government notified the Bank of China of the use Hamas was making of the money and demanded the bank of China to stop the transfers. Darshan-Leitner claims to have evidence proving this.

In other words, Communist China is hosting a leading member of Hamas and handing him money for use in a fundraising scheme (keep in mind, Bank of China is one of the "Big Four" regime-owned banks). This suddenly brings to the fore an issue near and dear to yours truly for over half-a-dozen years.

While I would like to say it couldn't have come at a worse time, yesterday was a better day for the cadres for this to be filed then, say, next week. Still, the mere fact that this suit was filed could be a devastating blow, especially if it becomes well known that a Communist-owned bank was underwriting Middle Eastern terrorists so closely.

Had the Olympics been even remotely successful - from the Communist point of view - the regime may have had some reservoir of good will to deflect this for a while. With the Games what they are, the cadres have no margin for error. If this lawsuit gets traction, they could be facing a steady erosion of "engagement" support.

America and her allies will never be secure until China is free. These Games will not distract anyone from this fact; the aforementioned lawsuit could make it plain to every American.

The eighth month of the eighth year of this millennium could indeed be a very lucky one for the Chinese people - because it's been a disaster so far for the Communists.

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.

News of the Weekend (June 7-9)

The Battle of Flushing gets worldwide attention: The collusion of the Communist Chinese diplomatic corps and pro-Communist mobs in New York City continued over the weekend (Epoch Times), and was noticed as far away as New Zealand (Epoch Times). Things seemed to simmer down (Epoch Times), but the memories of the mob have been scarred into the psyche of New Yorkers (Epoch Times, Epoch Times again). The Communists, of course, are using the incident for more lies and propaganda (Epoch Times).

More on the Long Arm of Lawlessness: The Battle of Flushing is reenacted in Poland (Epoch Times); an Epoch Times reporter resurfaces after being detained in Russia.

Enlightened Comment of the Day: The editors of the Washington Post take the crown for warning against American firms which "sell tools of repression to authoritarian regimes abroad," especially in Communist China.

International Olympic Committee grows more worried about Beijing 2008, although given the IOC's recent behavior, they'll likely blame "athletes who choose to speak out against the Chinese regime" (Guardian, UK, via Boycott 2008).

Tibetan monks leave temple to avoid "patriotic education campaign", which in the rest of the world is known as brainwashing (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times).

Remembering Tiananmen: Members of Congress and Polish anti-Communists commemorate the victims of the massacre (Epoch Times).

Quake aftermath - another shoddy building exposed and more arrests made: As a middle school that collapsed in Sichuan was found to be substandard (Radio Free China via Epoch Times, protesters calling on the regime to hold itself accountable are hauled off to jail (Epoch Times).

Other news from inside Communist China: Toymakers are still below safety standards (BBC); the regime is moving back to the planned economy (Central News Agency, Taiwan, via Epoch Times).

News on “another Chinese province”: The reauthorization of the North Korea Human Rights Act passes the House of Representatives on a voice vote (One Free Korea); the latest famine is so widespread that "more and more people will not believe in the Party’s directions or policies because of their continued deception" (OFK).

News of the Day (May 9)

Communist persecution of Falun Gong continues: Xin Fei (Epoch Times) discusses how Communist China perverts its legal system to send Falun Gong practitioners to jail. The United Nations' top human rights official has more question for the cadres about organ harvesting (Between Heaven and Earth).

Enterovirus-71 death toll hits 32, number infected passes 24,000: How many could have been spared this had the cadres been honest about the outbreak from the beginning may never be known (CNN).

On "nationalism" in Communist China: Vaclav Havel once explained the mass participation of Czechs in Communist marches and propaganda events as their way of doing whatever they had to do to keep the Commissar off their backs. It should come as no surprise that the people trapped inside Communist China must resort to the same tactics (Epoch Times).

News from the occupied nations (East Turkestan and Tibet): Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti is to be tried for his faith (China Aid via Uyghur American Association). Meanwhile, CSRwire (via UAA) notes one very important Tibetan resource Communist China is intent on stealing - water.

The Long Arm of Lawlessness gets the color orange banned in Greece: Its most well-known success prior to this was making yellow illegal in France (Adrift in a Sea of Phlegm).

India dealing with cyber-attacks from Communist China: Among the victimized websites over the last year and a half was the Ministry of External Affairs (Epoch Times).

More opposition to the Singapore Surrender: The editors of the Washington Times speak out again, and Congressional Republicans are getting louder (One Free Korea - which also has other news from "another Chinese province").

News of the Day (May 8)

Tibetan sides reveals details of talks as Olympic torch reaches Mount Everest: Lodi Gyari, lead spokesman for Tibetan's government-in-exile, called his talk with Communist Chinese officials "Open and frank" (BBC). During those talks, Gyari asked for an end to the imprisoning and "patriotic education" of Tibetan monks (Washington Post). Meanwhile, a high-altitude version of the Olympic torch reached Mt. Everest overnight (BBC).

More on Communist Chinese persecution: This time, the victim is in China proper - Falun Gong practitioner Xu Na (Secret China via the Epoch Times).

Communist China's efforts to keep the world away from Taiwan continues both in Costa Rica, where they have already succeeded (Epoch Times), and at the Vatican (BBC).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: The Long Arm of Lawlessness continues to stretch into Canada (Between Heaven and Earth). Yang Jianli begins a walk for human rights from Boston to Washington (Epoch Times).

News on "another Chinese province": The perfect example of the difference between actual news and the flimsy MSM version was on display, with One Free Korea providing the former and CNN, the latter

News of the Day (May 7)

Is the Communist regime "a mature fascist state"? That's the question Michael Ledeen ponders in the Far Eastern Economic Review. Ledeen (one of yours truly's favorite writers) makes a compelling case (although I would quibble with his clean division of Communism and fascism), both in his analysis and his recommendations for American reaction (h/t Uyghur American Association). Columnist Kin-ming Liu sees similar parallels, and concludes: "I can only pray that the West will find another Churchill and Roosevelt" (Post Global via Boycott 2008).

Speaking of the Long Arm of Lawlessness, Wang Dan becomes a victim in New York (Epoch Times) as Makina (Between Heaven and Earth) laments its effects in Canada.

Ignorant Comment of the Day: I hate to do this to Joshua Kurlantzick, who usually is well-versed on the subject of Communist China. However, his discussion on the "young nationalists" (Los Angeles Times via UAA) makes no mention of the Long Arm of Lawlessness that represses overseas Chinese very day, and even falls for the foolish Enlightened Dictator nonsense that has polluted our policies on East and West Asia for decades.

Communists justify crackdown against Tibetans: The Communist regime insisted the brutal repression that began last spring was "completely correct" (Epoch Times), even as talks with the Dalai Lama's aides were being held. The regime threw in a few more lies about the Tibetan leader's "separatist activities" (Agence France Presse via UAA).

More Christians arrested in occupied East Turkestan: Nearly four dozen worshippers were arrested for refusing to put the Chinese Communist Party between themselves and God (One News Now via UAA).

Enterovirus-71 has now sickened over 15,000, of whom 28 have died (CNN). The virus deaths are now being reported in places far from the initial outbreak in Fuyang, Anhui. The cadres suppressed news of the virus for weeks.

Google Earth running afoul of the Communists: The cadres are apparently unhappy with the Google feature due to what they "could reveal . . . about aspects of Chinese life, from labour camps to military installations" (London Telegraph). While Google self-censors its China-specific site, "much of its operations are hosted on Google servers elsewhere, over which the Chinese authorities have no authority, though they can order them to be blocked by the so-called 'Great Firewall' of China."

South Koreans expressing more anger at Communist China's treatment of northern Koreans: In film and on the streets (One Free Korea), more and more Koreans from the democratic South are venting their fury at the Beijing regime that props up Kim Jong-il - in part by sending back any escapee it finds.

More news on "another Chinese province": The Singapore Surrender earns one more critic (Washington Post), while One Free Korea hears that military food supplies are being rerouted "to other members of the elite."

Hu Jintao warmly greeted by Japanese PM: The Koizumi era is definitely over (BBC and Washington Times).

News of the Day (April 18)

Communist Chinese weapons shipment to Zimbabwe blocked by South African dockworkers: In an unexpected twist, the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union is refusing to unload a Communist Chinese vessel loaded with weapons for Zimbabwe (BBC). The weapons were ordered three days after the March election in Zimbabwe (Guardian, UK). South Africa's government had no objection to the Communists arming Mugabe, but the SATAWU did, and for now, the weapons, including "three million rounds of ammunition for small arms, 3,500 mortar bombs and mortar tubes, as well as 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades" (Independent, UK) aren't going anywhere.

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Is Kevin Rudd about to become the most ironic and unexpected anti-Communist of 2008? Sonya Bryskine (Epoch Times) gauges Australian opinion on the question. Meanwhile, more Europeans are seeing Communist China as "the greatest perceived threat to global stability " (Speigel, Ger., via Weekly Standard Blog), a trend likely to continue as the EU takes another look at exported Communist toys (BBC).

Communist China orders the "spontaneous" citizen reaction to end: The cadres clearly believe the anti-Tibet/pro-Communist-Olympiad propaganda has served its purpose, or perhaps it became too embarrassing (BBC for the report, and WS Blog to get an idea of how things went off the rails).

Japanese Buddhist temple won't host the Olympic torch: The stunning rejection was due in part to security issues and "concern over recent unrest in Tibet" (BBC). One temple official was specific: "Indiscriminate killings were undertaken in Tibet. We were concerned about Buddhists in Tibet who rose up and a subsequent crackdown against them" (CNN).

More Olympic news: Canadian Rob Anders, en route to meet the Dalai Lama today (CBC), took aim at the "torch goons" (CanWest via Boycott 2008) who have already darkened the Olympic relay (Stratfor, also via Boycott 2008). Officials from the Flemish region of Belgium will skip the opening ceremonies (Epoch Times). Amnesty Int'l asks the Int'l Olympic Committee to clarify its ban on athletes' "propaganda" (Epoch Times).

Persecution news: Between Heaven and Earth reprints a Nigerian Times post on the casualties from the Falun Gong War.

Communist stock market hits 12-month low, dragged down mainly by PetroChina (BBC).

Washington Post editors aren't happy with the Singapore surrender either, and their editorial highlighting the problems with the disaster win them Enlightened Comment of the Day honors. Meanwhile, the deal actually got worse as the U.S. has agreed to keep the Stalinists' nuclear disclosures secret (Washington Times) - I can't wait to see how One Free Korea reacts to this.

More news on "another Chinese province": The Democratic Chairman and Republican ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee co-sponsor a new North Korea human rights bill (and OFK approves). Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak reveals his plans (Washington Post) for dealing with the Stalinist regime, while Sung-Yoon Lee reveals what should be our plans (OFK).

News of the Day (April 11)

Stalinist North Korea gets a free-pass on uranium and Syria disclosures: The Bush Administration has decided "to remove North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and to exempt it from the Trading With the Enemy Act" (Washington Post) without getting details from the Stalinists as to their uranium enrichment program (which started the entire issue back in 2002) or their involement with Syria's nuclear weapons program. This is a terrible debacle, and One Free Korea provides the details why in today's Enlightened Comment of the Day.

More news on "another Chinese province": Japan - which has always been the more realistic ally in the SNK-nuclear episode, renewed sanctions against the Stalinist regime (BBC). Meanwhile, the food shortage appears to be worsening (OFK).

John McCain on Olympics - "If Chinese policies . . . do not change, I would not attend": The Republican nominee for President made the comments yesterday (Washington Times) and also advised current incumbent George W. Bush to skip the ceremonies "unless they change some things pretty quickly" (Washington Post). Numerous other Republicans and conservatives - including some "engagement supporters - are urging President Bush to stay home (National Review and the Washington Times). President Bush has, so far, chosen not to heed the advice.

What happens if Americans are arrested during the Games? Three members of Congress would like to know, but the State Department has repsonded with deafening silence (One Free Korea).

More Olympic news: Int'l Olympic Committee head Jacques Rogge talked out of both sides of his mouth on the right of athletes to speak their minds during the Communist Olympiad (Boycott 2008, Times of London, and the Washington Post), but the cadres were still unhappy with him (Globe and Mail, Cdn). UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon says "scheduling issues" (CNN) may keep him away from the opening ceremonies. The torch realy will continue as planned (Washington Post).

The Canada file: Communist China is upping the propaganda in Canada - on television (Epoch Times) and in print (Montreal Gazette). They are also "ignoring or twisting" the words of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to fit their purposes (Globe and Mail).

Russian forests illegally harvested for Communist China: Lucy Ash (BBC) has the details.

Speaking of corruption, Chen Liangyu, former party boss in Shanghai and a leading buddy of Jiang Zemin, was given an 18-year prison sentence for "taking bribes and abusing his position" (BBC).

Persecution news: Communist China's crackdown on Christians is "getting worse" (World Net Daily); David Matas discusses the organ harvesting tragedy to the Cross Cultural Center (Epoch Times).

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....

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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.

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.