Yellow Dog [Part 8]

Donn,

I think you’re missing my point completely. I think you’re not understanding that, in my view, ALL reports are biased one way or another and to keep quoting from them doesn’t dissuade me. Historical records are unreliable, in fact, ANYTHING that has EVER been subject to someone, sitting down, and writing their views is subject to that person’s bias. For instance, you keep saying Tibet has always fought against China and, according to the Chinese, that’s simply not true. They were separated by some treaty after a war, I believe WW I or WWII, but I’m not 100% sure...it could even have been the Opium Wars. They say Tibet has always been a part of China, even if for many generations they were just loosely connected. Taiwan doesn’t have a legitimate claim, not unless you’re interested in establishing another Emperor. Those guys left China and fled to Taiwan. That's like saying Miami Cubans have a legitimate claim to Cuba. Of course they don’t, they gave that up when they left their country. I, personally, don’t think anyone that leaves their country has a claim to it anymore. My grandfather didn’t have a "legitimate claim" to Belarus. He was an American, through and through, regardless of where he was born and he would have scoffed at anyone who said he had a claim to Belarus.

As for China's "Moral Authority" given our new proclivity to torture, render and hold people without a trial or legal representation AND preemptively invade sovereign countries and kill more than 100,000 innocent civilians, I’m pretty sure we don’t have much room to talk about "Moral Authority." The point I’m trying to convey to you is, that as long as you’re relying on second, third or even further down the list accounts, you’re subject to someone else's biased interpretations. Right wing, left wing, communist, capitalist, democratic, republican, fascist, anarchist they are ALL working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, year after year, to color historical and present accounts of events to suit their needs and agendas. As for Michael Moore, I’m sorry he bothers you, but he uses verified facts to back up his conclusions. Why do "his facts" bother you more than say, ummm... Pat Buchanan's facts? It’s all in the way you say it, the meat isn’t as important as the appearance. That’s just basic marketing principles, which EVERYONE is employing these days. So, until you get on a plane and go see for yourself, you’re just repeating what someone or some text or newspaper account told you, and who knows what agenda THEY were trying to promote?

While in China, I went into an internet cafe and Googled “Tianamen Square,” and there was the Wikipedia entry, completely unedited. That’s what I keep trying to get across to you. I run across more rules and regulations here than I do in China. In China, you want to buy a bootleg DVD? No problem, the local department store carries them, right next to the legal ones for about a third the cost. You want to open a restaurant? Go ahead, no one will stop you. You want to open a stand and sell something like Smiley Face Chairman Mao Watches, where he waves like Mickey Mouse (absolutely hilarious) at a stand right next to Chairman Mao's Tomb? Not a problem. In fact, I saw the crowd patrol police wearing and buying them. Traffic laws? In China? Nope, just traffic suggestions and no one is even enforcing those. THIS year, for the first time, I had to tell them where I was living, but apparently, that was only because of the Olympics. The four summers BEFORE that, they never asked and never cared. I have traveled freely, with my wife, ANYWHERE, without any restrictions. I’ve been to the most rural of areas, where they’ve never seen a white man before. I’ve stopped traffic because I was there. I got stares and ALWAYS the most pleasant of greetings. I spent a couple days in a tiny little farming village. I went into their farming houses and saw them caring for their animals. The school I work for said they love me so much that I can go anywhere I like and, for NEXT summer, I’m choosing Urumqi, the most remote city in China, bordering Mongolia. The population there is almost 90% Muslim.

Some of the friendliest people I’ve met in China were the Chinese Muslims... friendly, happy and enjoying complete religious freedom. The largest religious population in China, believe it or not, is Chinese Christians, something like 6 or 7 percent of the population followed by Buddhists and then Muslims. The majority of Chinese are atheists. I heard that the Chinese arrested a woman for trying to smuggle in bibles last summer and I was shocked. Not because she was trying but because, in her ignorance, I guess she didn’t realize you could buy bibles at any bookstore in China. They don’t care what religion you are but they REALLY do not like people proselytizing. For them, religion is a personal, private matter. I saw many Buddhist Monks in Guangzhou and I asked them about it. Basically, I was told, ANYONE can ask and they can tell anyone anything BUT, THEY cannot approach random people in the streets and try to push their religion on anyone. To me, THAT seems to be extremely reasonable. The BEST thing I like about China is that ALL churches MUST pay their fair share of taxes. They get NO tax breaks. I LOVE that.


Marx