Am I living in the Anti-Matter Economics World now?

I read this today and jaw dropped wide open. Robert B. Reich, former Clintonista Dept. of Labor Secretary....wrote this? It seems a little bit different than I would have anticipated.

The United States depends on China to finance a big portion of our federal budget deficit as well as our insatiable desire to buy everything under the sun on credit.

So it's a strange time to start a trade war with China. But some Senate Democrats seem to want to. They're pushing a proposal to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by over 27 percent unless China stops linking its currency to the dollar.

Robert B. Reich taking a shot at the Democrats? I seemed to remember him being a little bit more defensive on labor policy in the 1990's. And how about this? On the other hand, he has always been a good talking head for the Democrats and he has participated in the Dem. juvenile fanning of the flames of fear.

Robert Reich calls the forces of darkness who have taken over America "Radcons." That's because the Bush breed of "conservatives" aren't conservatives in the traditional sense at all. They are radical ideologues who are committed to a Darwinian notion of the "reign of the rich" and unbridled corporate greed. Add a slathering of Victorian moral posturing, religious zealotry, and a view of rule by powerful elites.

But what he is saying resonates with me not about the stereotyping of religious idealogues or zealotry but on that China and the USA have common economic interests.

So let's be sensible. We need China's savings. We have an endless appetite for China's manufactured goods. And we want China to be a peaceful ally. Why put China in the impossible position of either letting its currency float and face all sorts of instabilities, or running smack into an American tariff blockade higher than its own Great Wall? Why start a trade war?

On US-China economic relations, Robert B. Reich is starting to sound downright Kudlowesque!

Tsang is Not the Problem, Guys, its This Absurd Process....

This just is not going to be any fun at all. Can we all go to sleep now while the overpaid here in Hong Kong decide who the next local mandarin is going to be?

The small circle election, which will be decided July 10 by the same 800-strong committee that voted former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa into office for a second term in 2002, is an absurdity, he said.

Its actually kind of embarrassing how totally mindless and mind-numbing this process is. Maybe that is Beijing's ultimate sinister plan.... make all of this so ridiculous that the people here completely lose interest.

I Saw Bill Maher on Jay Leno the Other Day...What a Fu***ng Dope.

Only a certain kind of person would find him even mildly amusing and you could be that person if you like smirking leftist pundits. But, what is really funny from these tired icons of the left is that they think that the Republicans are the ones full of anger.....as this not really that funny piece by Maher argues.

Republicans need anger management. I talk to young people all the time, and over and over again they have the same complaint: that I'm out of schnapps. But their second big gripe is that there's no difference between the two parties. Not true: The Republicans are much more ticked off.

I agree that the debate between the two parties has gotten much more sour than it has in the past. So, he has a point. Republicans are definitely acting more frustrated from a certain perspective. But it is more akin to a parent dealing with a child going through their terrible 2's then some kind of psychological disorder as he tries to make it out to be. The parent tries to do something constructive and the child can only say "no." The child at this stage does not offer some kind of mental challenge or other alternative but only wears the parent down. Ultimately, if the child's answer to everything is "no," it become increasingly difficult to do anything with the child and sometimes it is better to just put the child in the crib and walk away, but that can also end with problems. Of course, temper tantrums become a problem as Al Gore has shown. Maybe the Republican's can hire a babysitter for the Democrats. Maybe an Iranian Ayatollah or former Iraqi Baathist could look after these children.

But then again, there is actual, unlawful violence against Republicans as we saw in the prior to the November election.

The Republicans maybe grouchy but the leftists are becoming violently confrontational. I suppose that they are angry that their utopian socialist world is starting to fall apart.

And the Story Behind the Money Grabbing is Getting Just Sicker By the Minute....

Steal as much as you can before getting caught and then flee.

Central to the saga is 657.04 million yuan in loans, including interest, made by Shanghai Rural Credit Cooperatives Union to two Shanghai Land subsidiaries.

The loan, which was intended to give Shanghai Land enough operating cash to maintain its listed company status, was secured with a piece of land and a hotel in Shanghai.

The cash, which receivers say was never authorized by Shanghai Land's board of directors, is missing.

A senior executive who is presumed to know where the money is has long declined to help efforts to recover it.

Chau Ching-ngai, also known as Zhou Zhengyi is a fellow that was 11th on Forbes richest PRC Chinese. The equivalent of US$ 80 million is missing and they can't find it? Come on, the CCP officials know where it is, some of them have some of it! And who is this senior executive that refuses to cooperate? Why is he getting away with being able to skate out on responsibility? If they wanted to solve this they could.

Finally, the Pro-Beijing Legislators are Realizing Something....

Acting Chief Executive Donald Tsang faced a barrage of criticism Thursday from those whom he logically would have expected it least - government-friendly, pro-Beijing politicians acting out their frustration at being given short shrift by China's leaders, who ignored them in picking Tsang as Hong Kong's prospective leader.

This says it all. They accuse the Donald of being arrogant and attack him since they, as lapdogs to Beijing, are not consulted on his appointment.

See, even the sycophants are treated with disrespect by the mandarins in Beijing. When are Hong Kong people going to realize that their wants, hopes and aspirations are second to the whims of the mandarin rulers?

And this too...

Choy launched the first salvo recently when she said Tsang is regarded by some of her pro-Beijing compatriots as ``arrogant and disrespectful of patriotic values,'' and ``his elevation alienated quite a few patriots.''

These people that use the word patriotic are just assholes. Just insert the word sycophant or yes-man.

Choy launched the first salvo recently when she said Tsang is regarded by some of her pro-Beijing compatriots as ``arrogant and disrespectful of sycophantic values,'' and ``his elevation alienated quite a few yes-men.''

Are they going to start that pogrom reminiscent of McCarthyism here in Hong Kong again? Why don't you start a new Red Guard?

I Guess That This Seems to Make sense....

The next Chief Executive will finish Tung's term.

Beijing Wednesday cleared the way for the chief executive election on July 10 by officially deciding that Hong Kong's next leader will serve for just two years, until July 2007, instead of for a full five-year term.

The decision by the standing committee is binding and cannot be reinterpreted by the courts. I just don't understand why it is a standing committee. Is there also a sitting one? Or how about a sitting committee drinking tea and chatting about sports?

The argument by democrats here in Hong Kong have a point that the issue could have been dealt with by the Hong Kong courts. The courts here need some practice in interpreting the basic law since there will also be many other times when it will need to be interpreted.

It really is quite silly to have to go scampering to Beijing ever time there is a decision to be made. Particularly, since this issue is a kindof minor one.

If You Are Christian........

This is an example of the kind of things one gets to read.

A plague is sweeping the nation
by: iamheasheisme01 (42/F) 04/28/05 10:02 am
Msg: 673249 of 673261

Scientist are calling the bug christianity.
The virus takes over the mind and turns people into brain dead drones.

There are several strains, the worst is the evangical strain, it eats the brain and destroys the mind.

To stop the spread of this desease all fifty states will have four hunting seasons, two weekends of the season will be for hunting and killing christians, the tags are only a nickel and there is no limit to the amount of kills. males and females may be taken.

The bucks must be killed as they spread the desease faster. the females may be captured as they are curable and can be taken in as pets.

Through these hunts we may be able to save our nation and lifes around the world. It will take all nations working together to purge this plague from our planet

The first kill a christian day will begin on
5\01\05. good luck and happy hunting.

I found this beaut while reading the stock message board in yahoo.

Dusk-till-Dawn...

Don't go there....
They don't give your change back and overcharge your creditcard if you leave it open.

I have been to this bar many times. Tonight, as happened in the past, they did not not give me back my change from a HK$ 500 right away. In fact, it was about 30 minutes. And I only got it after I demanded it back in very strong language.

Ahdy Khalil, the manager, and and one of the bouncers beat me up since I got aggressive and used some swear words when I wanted my money back. They figured that they were justified since I used swear words and I pulled my trousers down to protest their idiocy. Next time, these clowns won't get away with it, and will be bleeding idiots.

But the honest truth is that these people do not deliver the change back to you if you give them a HK$ 500. Its as simple as that and its happened to me twice in the past 2 months. Its a game by these people in Wanchai play. They claim that it is busy but how busy is it to give your money back in a timely manner? It didn't take 30 minutes to deliver the drink, why should it ake 30 minutes to give back the change? I figure that Ahdy and the girls are involved in a scam that steals money from tourists, specifically white tourists in Hong Kong.

Fuck you....Dusk-till-dawn.

Anti-religion Democrats.....

From the Captains Quarters.

Janice Rogers Brown refuses to conduct herself under a cloister while milquetoast Republicans and hostile Democrats hold her career hostage for over two years and counting. The Los Angeles Times reports that Brown told an audience on Sunday that a cultural battle has formed in which people of faith face punishment from secularists for their beliefs:

AS the LA Times reports her speech:

"There seems to have been no time since the Civil War that this country was so bitterly divided. It's not a shooting war, but it is a war," she said, according to a report published Monday in the Stamford Advocate.

"These are perilous times for people of faith," she said, "not in the sense that we are going to lose our lives, but in the sense that it will cost you something if you are a person of faith who stands up for what you believe in and say those things out loud."

I have been reading more and more about the 'New American Taliban' and other slander against people of faith that have different views than typical liberal Democrat; abortion on demand, pornography-freedom of speech, free healthcare-don't ever worry or bother to save a cent in your whole life, leftists.

Brown's comments and outspoken beliefs are what is bothering the Democrats.

Democrats blocked Brown's confirmation by the full Senate, charging that she held extremist views that interfere with her ability to render objective judgments. She has a history of delivering provocative speeches.

Democrats have questioned speeches in which she called the New Deal the "triumph of our socialist revolution." She has described herself as a "true conservative" who believes that "where the government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates…. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible."

As the government [This means both Federal AND State] encroaches on the traditional role of the family, community and churches, bureaucrats living hundreds if not thousands of miles away will be making important decisions in our lives. Why even have a community if everything is going to be taken care of dictated to us by some central authority?

But this is what our forefathers had to bear too. This is what they had to fight against, tyranny from outside. So in order to take back our lives, we have to remain steadfast in working towards a more perfect union and at the same time keep our identity.

The China-Japan Apology Stalemate Continues...

Of course, I knew that another apology by Japan for the wartime atrocities, recently recited by Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi would not be enough for China. Because the people that run China are a bunch of babies.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attempted to head off a crisis with China over interpretations of history Friday by offering an unexpected but carefully couched "heartfelt apology" for the "tremendous damage and suffering" inflicted by Japan during World War II.

Speaking at the opening of an international forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, with Chinese President Hu Jintao listening, Koizumi made a dramatic appeal to soothe Chinese fury, which had manifested itself in violent demonstrations this month outside Japan's Embassy and Consulates in China.

"In the past, Japan--through its colonial rule and aggression--caused tremendous damage and suffering for people of many countries, particularly those of Asian nations," Koizumi said. "Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility."

But Chinese leaders say thank you for the apology but its not enough.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said China welcomed Koizumi's apology — but said more need to be done.

"That President Koizumi expressed this attitude in this arena is welcome. We welcome it," Kong told reporters at a summit of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta. "But to express it is one aspect. What's of much more importance is the action. You have to make it a reality."

China's ambassador to South Korea, Li Bin, said: "Of course, words are important. But I believe actions are more important."

So, what do these idiots in Beijing want? They asked for an apology and they got it. So if actions are more important, then what type of actions? Japan's constitution is written so that their security forces are defensive in nature and offer little threat at this time to their neighbors. Most of the people are anti-war since they had seen first hand what the horrors of war can do to their neighbors and also themselves. Japan has rebuilt themselves in a resposnsible neighbor to both Asian countries and to those in need around the world. Japan has been a very generous and donated resources and established organizations to alleviate poverty, introduce medicine and promote development in the poorest countries in the world. So, its not these types of actions that the Chinese officials are talking about.

Oh, yes, then their is the issue of the Yasukuni Shrine visits.

The shrine was founded in 1869 as Tokyo Shokonsha, and was renamed Yasukuni Shrine in 1879. It was build in order to commemorate and worship those who have died in war for their country and sacrificed their lives to help build the fundament for a peaceful Japan (the meaning of Yasukuni is "peaceful country").

The deities of about 2.5 million people who died for Japan in the conflicts accompanying the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma Rebellion and similar domestic conflicts, the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, the First World War, the Manchurian Incident, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War are enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine in form of mortuary tablets with inscribed names. The Yushukan, a museum commemorating Japan's wars is located just next to the shrine's main buildings.

Many Chinese are incensed that Japanese leaders still visit the shrine that memorialises Japan's 2.5 million war dead. Included among the 2.5 million that lost their lives are 14 war criminals. Let's see that is 0.00056%.

So, yes, maybe we should get all excited when a Japanese Prime Minister visits a shrine where 2.5 million of his fellow countrymen died in various wars, some of them of aggression. But these visits may also symbolize that leaders have to remember the futility of war and the incredible destruction that follows for both sides of these conflicts. In fact, the Japanese have actually considered building another shrine to their war dead that excludes the war criminal element.

For some people, especially in the Asian countries which suffered most under past Japanese imperialism, the shrine has become a symbol for Japanese militarism and ultra-nationalism, and many are taking the prime ministers' visits as a sign hat Japan's political leaders are not looking critically enough at their country's history.

Attempts to remove the war criminals from the Yasukuni Shrine have failed due to the shrine's refusal. Other discussions to solve the problem center around plans to create a currently non-existent alternative to the Yasukuni Shrine for commemorating and worshipping Japan's war dead.

In many countries, leaders visit tombs and resting places of fellow citizens that died. Some even visit the cemeteries of soldiers of opposing armies. President Ronald Reagan made one such visit to a cemetery of war dead on a visit to Helmut Kohl in 1985. He faced severe scrutiny since the cemetery also included 49 members of the Waffen SS.

The Waffen SS had been the combat branch of the Third Reich's elite guard, the Schutzstaffel. Created in 1923 to serve as Hitler's bodyguards, and expanded by Heinrich Himmler in the 1930s -- nearly one million men had served in the SS by the end of the war -- the Schutzstaffel included the Totenkopf, or "Death's Head" division, the men who had served as guards at the concentration camps.

Reagan decided to go ahead with the visit even though...

Many questioned Reagan's claim that most of the SS soldiers at Kolmeshohe had been teenagers drafted against their will into serving the Third Reich. But further research revealed that, indeed, most of the 49 SS dead were between the ages of 17 and 20. Kohl confirmed that in the last days of the war he was able to avoid service in the SS because he was only 15, "but they hanged a boy from a tree who was perhaps only two years older with a sign saying TRAITOR" because he had tried to run away rather than serve

The German public supported the visit despite the controversy generated due to the SS graves. At one point, as victors, we have to forgive the vanquished. It is incumbent upon us to face and then put the past behind us. Maybe China, and maybe rightly so, feels as if they were not the victors. With years of civil war, and then the brutal rule of the still in power Chinese Communist Party, the people still don't feel as if they have won.
The biggest problem that I see with the Chinese leadership is that they make all kinds of noise, incite their people to riot in the streets of the country, and then will never be satisfied with any of the outcomes. Reagan took political heat in an attempt to mend fences with Germany. What are the Chinese willing to do...what actions are THEY going to take to try to mend fences with Japan? In my opinion, they are incapable of operating in the global area in a cogent well thought out manner. I wish everyone here good luck when they inevitably really screw up!

Senator Frist is.....OH MY GOD....Serving His Constituents!

So, the left think that its ok to pander to trial lawyers, minorities and other special interest groups but its not ok to serve the interests of religious groups. I am really starting to get awfully sick of this attitude. This drivel was written by the AP.

"He seems to be going out of his way to pander to the radical religious right leaders," said Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, a liberal group that has worked to block several of President Bush's appointments to the courts. "Many people have commented that it seems to be commensurate with his aspirations to be president of the United States."

Lets vilify the religious people in this world....oh, sorry, except if they are religious islamist extremists, that murder and maim, then are a Michael Moore minutemen and freedom fighters. Get a grip!

Finally a Study on Penis Size.....

Well, we were waiting for this study to come out for ages.....

A group of scientists in Hong Kong spent five months from October last year measuring 148 ethnic Chinese volunteers aged between 23 and 93.

The average length of their flaccid penises was 8.46cm, which compared favourably with similar studies on other men overseas.

Germans have average lengths of about 8.6cm, Israelis 8.3cm, Turks 7.8cm and Filippinos 7.35cm. Italians were the longest at 9cm and Americans averaged 8.8cm.

The study did not measure the penises when they were erect.

There you have it, the definitive word Measuring flaccid is like test driving a car without starting the engine. Erect is really what counts right...but I am no expert in this field! And it was cold last winter here in Hong Kong!

From the Anus of the Devil....

Then they shoot him at point blank range and he collapses.

They continue to shoot the body, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great).

Nothing more has to be said. People that say Allahu Akbar.... have to straighten out their twisted brethren...its your responsibility since its your community. Otherwise none of us will survive or want to survive.

China's Stock Market Hits its Lowest Levels in Six Years....

All the growth in China, 9.5% as of the last count,

The National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday that China's economy expanded 9.5 percent through the first quarter, exceeding a median forecast of 9.1 percent in a recent Reuters survey of 10 economists.

and the stock market there just can't go up. GDP over the past six years has probably doubled but the stock market is down!?!?!?! Either the stock market six years ago was wildly overvalued, or people just can't trust the stock market to give them returns commensurate with the risk. I think that it is probably the latter. Read the latest here.
With all the officials robbing the country blind and businesses running their operations to benefit the managers and the not the stockholders, why would anyone in their right mind invest in China's stock markets?

China's Banks....

Minsheng Bank, the latest bank in China to get rocked by scandal, finds more problems.

Minsheng said in a statement that a former vice governor at a Guangzhou branch had issued false bills allowing a local real estate firm to take out an unauthorized 300 million yuan loan.

If you are a foreigner and want to invest in China, good luck. Stay home you will be better off.

Still, China's first privately-owned bank has been hit by two similar fake-loan scandals in recent months, at branches in Shanghai and Beijing, and investors can't help factor in the latest troubles when assessing the risk of buying its shares. ``It does have a negative angle, as Minsheng has a solid reputation and is regarded as having one of the better risk-management structures among mainland banks,'' said one Hong Kong-based banking analyst.

``If they are experiencing fraud, then what the hell is happening at the larger banks?'' he added.

Read the latest fraud here.
Of course there is always the possibility of a taxpayer funded bailout like the US$ 15 billion that IBCB recently was awarded.

The move comes after Beijing injected US$45 billion into Bank of China and China Construction Bank in late 2003. The central authorities were slow to offer assistance to ICBC, one of China's most troubled banks, until they were sure the first bailout was successful, observers said. By, in effect, forcing ICBC to come up with part of its own rescue package, Beijing signaled its reluctance to be seen as a lenient lender of last resort that will routinely bail out failing state-owned institutions.

Bad loans and fraud? So much fraud in China, if the economy does ever slow down, then these problems will overwhelm the fragile leadership there. But let me ask this question....Why should anyone be honest if the leadership in China are among the largest crooks there? Until China cleans up its own governments house, there will continue to be fraud, waste and corruption in the business community too. And it appears as if the Chinese Communist Party doesn't have the fortitude to do what it needs to do. Their solution is to get the populace to throw rocks at Japanese restaurants. Ha ha!

Another Japanese apology....

Actually, if I was Japan, I would apologize once a week for what happened so very long ago. The Japanese, in my humble opinion don't have to apologize at all, but it doesn't really cost anything and their are benefits since the stock market may improve. The Japanese have been a peaceful and generous people to the world since their atrocities and I think it is time to forgive and move on.
Bloomberg story, here.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average added 1.2 percent to 11,121.05. Shares of companies that do business in China, such as Shiseido Co., rose after the Japanese government announced that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will apologize for the suffering inflicted on neighboring Asian nations in World War II.

Ok, so Japan says that they are going to apologize for World War II. They have apologized in the past

"During a certain period in the not-too-distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology. Allow me also to express my feelings of profound mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, of that history."

Not theoretically good enough? In fact, this was the stated public apology for Japan's war crimes delivered by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. And this was in 1995.

but that has done nothing to ally China's desire to use this as a wedge issue here in Asia. China, particularly the Chinese Communist Party [CCP} needs and wants conflict with its outside neighbors to stoke internal nationalist fervor. Otherwise, the Chinese populace may turn on the sick and corrupt CCP regime itself. And then they may actually have to stop stealing money and govern as if in the modern world not in their feudal dreamland.

The Dems and Their Uncle Tom's....

Harry Reid, Senate minority leader, apparently doesn't like the way that Justice Clarence Thomas writes his opinions and that he is an embarrassment to the judiciary. See it all here.[scroll down]

MR. RUSSERT: Why couldn't you accept Clarence Thomas?

SEN. REID: I think that he has been an embarrassment to the Supreme Court. I think that his opinions are poorly written. I don't--I just don't think that he's done a good job as a Supreme Court justice.

Is it that Justice Thomas can't write? His opinions are not based on judicial facts? I think that Senator Reid should explain this in a little more detail. If it was a Republican that made this claim, they would have received a follow up question as to why. So I think that Senator Reid owes us a more detailed explanation.

What I think is that Senator Reid and the Democrats expect blacks to blindly follow their ideology. Like this. If they don't, then you will be criticised and denied any further advancement by the Democrats. So, Justice Thomas your opinions are poorly written as per Senator Reid. So, Justice Thomas, if you want to be accepted by the democrats, do this....

The Tom caricature portrays Black men as faithful, happily submissive servants. The Tom caricature, as with the Mammy Caricature, was born in ante-bellum America in the defense of slavery. How could slavery be wrong, argued its proponents, if Black servants, males (Toms) and females (Mammies) were contented, loyal servants? The Tom is presented as a smiling, wide-eyed, dark skinned server: fieldworker, cook, butler, porter, or waiter. Unlike the Coon, the Tom is portrayed as a dependable worker, eager to serve. Unlike the Brute, the Tom is docile and non-threatening to Whites. The Tom is often old, physically weak, psychologically dependent on Whites for approval.

So, here is a list Justice Thomas decisions. Have a look and then ask Senator Reid which of these decisions he thinks are poorly written and an embarrassment to the Judiciary?

I think that our black brothers deserve better than what Senator Reid offers.

Finally!

The mystery of unpopped popcorn is now solved.

It's long been known that popcorn kernels must have a precise moisture level in their starchy center — about 15 percent — to explode. But Purdue University researchers found the key to a kernel's explosive success lies in the composition of its hull.


It turns out there is an optimal hull structure that allows kernels to explode, and leaky hulls prevent the moisture pressure buildup needed for kernels to pop.


"They're sort of like little pressure vessels that explode when the pressure reaches a certain point," said Bruce Hamaker, a Purdue professor of food chemistry. "But if too much moisture escapes, it loses its ability to pop and just sits there."

Read the whole facinating story here.

Chrenkoff Hits the Nail on the Head with the China/Japanese Hatefest....

I loved his thoughts back during the Gulf War II. He again comes through with well written logic....here.

The current stand-off between China and Japan presents an interesting moral conundrum: China is in the right as far as the official reason for the dispute is concerned - Japan still has not, sixty years on, come to terms with its role in the Second World War. Unlike Germany, which has tried very hard to exorcise the Nazi demons and make amends with the victims of its past aggression, Japan still can't get it why the rest of the East Asia resents having been invaded by the Japanese Imperial Army, it doesn't seem to accept that its actions led to deaths of millions, often in gruesome atrocities like the Rape of Nanking, and it continues to glorify and whitewash its militaristic past in public observance and history books.

Yet, Japan today is a Western democracy and a strong US ally, while China is ruled by the legatees of people responsible for deaths of several times as any of their own countrymen as were killed by the Japanese. Japan still falsifies its history of relations with China; China still falsifies its history of relations with itself. Furthermore, Japan is a stable, non-expansionist state, reasonably - albeit not completely - happy with its current role in international affairs. China, on the other hand, has clear designs against one small democracy (Taiwan), hegemonic ambitions over the whole region, and even greater dreams of superpowerdom to rival the United States.

As distasteful as Japan's continuing historical insensitivity is, it's clear where our loyalties should lie. [My emphasis]

Read the rest of the piece. But the issue is that these things tend to get out of control and have consequences beyond their intended victims. Other foreigners and visitors are at risk of violence for real or perceived historical "crimes."

And a Seemingly Informed Japanese Opinion Surrounding hthe Textbook debate....

From 2001.

the conservative and progressive camps in Japan have long been conducting a battle over how to view this country, and the current main battleground is over how its history should be taught--whether it should be presented as history education for the "nation," or "people" (kokumin, with overtones of national solidarity) or rather as history education for "citizens" (shimin, with overtones of democracy and individual rights). That much is undeniable, as is the fact that the history textbook issue has once again become a major bone of contention in Japan's relations with South Korea and China.

Read it yourself here.

So Japan has been dealing with what their place is in the world. Seems kind of like an adult approach. All the while, we get a juvenile approach from China....All Japanese are bad... What if there were marches on the streets of New York saying all Chinese are bad?

Good going Chinese Communist Party for the mess you are process of orchestrating. Let's broadcast to the world that China is a country of biggots, which I am afraid is farily close to the truth.

China is Playing a Dangerous Game Stoking Xenophobia....

I saw this in the Ivory coast, when I lived there. A weak government, relies on xenophobia to divert attention away from more pressing issues. It ultimately led to a deadly civil war and a collapsing economy. Even my sensible friends told me not to worry but they proved to be incredibly wrong as the situation deteriorated into uncontrollable bedlam.

China is taking the same path...

In a country where one is not permitted to express dissent, the only way to maintain one's integrity is to pretend that one's patriotism is freely chosen, and based on truth. And so, our patriot-rebels do not want to hear about the various apologies made by Japan over the years, because they have invested so much in the belief that their anger is rational and based on Japan's refusal to apologize.

The nationalist approach is allowing an outlet that would normally focus on a corrupt an inept central government.

The story is here.

The issues claimed by the protesters are that the Japanese government has not apologized for atrocities committed in China during the occupation and invasion prior and during WWII and the subsequent silence in Japanese educational institutions on the subject.

Japanese apologies comprehensive list here. But the comfort women want an apology too. Anti-Japanese sentiment spelled out in a Chinese blogger like this one. and his link to this, a good Chinese headline site.

But of course, we all know that the textbooks in China are completely accurate as covered here. The textbook issue in Japan is covered here in this CNN article April 6th.

Japan's Ministry of Education first approved the book, written by nationalist scholars for junior high schools, in 2001 in the face of strong protests in the region.

But hardly any local school boards adopted the book, which critics lambasted for playing down the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in China, ignoring the sexual slavery of women for Japanese soldiers, and depicting Japanese actions as aimed at liberating other Asian countries.

So maybe the Tokyo Ministry of Education was short-sighted in its approval of this textbook. But it also leads me to wonder how much influence other nations should have on things such as the education inside of another country. It also does not appear as if this particular textbook was adopted by the schools.

Additionally, I seem to remember numerous occassions where the Chinese government used the phrase that various countries should not "interfere in the internal affairs of China." What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

There is no denying that atrocities dealt by Japanese soldiers happened all over Asia during their brutal conquering and occupation from 1937-1945. But the rape of Nanjing remains one of the flash points in this conflict as outlined in this blog here and here.

Maybe the problem here is that during the Chinese communist era, the nation was so inward looking and Xenophobic, that the nation had no chance for grief surrounding WWII. They just went from one horrific death toll to antoher horrific death toll at the hands of the brutal communists.

World War 2 fatalities by nation both military and civilian here. and let us not forget the 92,000 American lives that were lost in the Battle for the Pacific 1941-1945.

China is Losing the Plot....

Protests in China are way out of bounds and if this happened in the USA, it would be met with dissenting protests. Or at least with a news media that has something to say about them. How is the media doing in China these days guys? These protests are violent, vitriolic and at the end, silly protests and have no place in modern discourse.

The bottom line is that the Chinese Communist Party has been unable to deal with a minor issue with the Japanese ostensibly surrounding textbooks. But in reality, they are losing their grip on local power in the region and are dangerously stoking local protests to register in the media globally.

The bottom-bottom line is that the leaders in China have been unable to put together a cogent argument against Japanese participation in the UN Security Council and have reverted to a dumbing down of sanctioned local protests to make a silly point.

It was the payoff of decades of anti-Japanese propaganda in the school systems here. Pretty much anyone you ask will say he hates Japan and the Japanese, and takes personal offense at the way Japanese schools teach World War II.

So, lets see, the Chinese are angry how the Japanese teach their school children but apparently the Chinese are no better with their schooling about the Japanese. Read it all here.

Haven't they changed the way that they behave on a global scale. Are they better citizens or worse than the Chinese are? The Japanese haven't threatened [as in Taiwan] nor have they actually invaded neighbors [like Vietnam, India or Tibet, if you include then].

Who is the real risk here in Asia? Japan or China??? China, grow up already.

Canada is Finally Getting Tougher With China PRC Criminal Flocking to Their Shores.....

Canada, as well as the US, have been a haven for criminals fleeing China. Since Canada and the US won't extradite back to China in cases where the criminals would be executed, thousands have fled and set up shop in North America. Principally, the fugitives are former officials that have stolen what may amount to billions of dollars through raiding local government treasuries or procuring bribes from business people.

However, there is case in front of the Canadian judiciary that may change the calculus of what is going on and tighten the access that these criminals have from fleeing. The story can be read here.

A Canadian federal court has denied sanctuary for China's most-wanted man, Lai Changxing, but its ruling appeared to leave open the possibility for further appeals.

Chinese authorities claim Lai is the mastermind behind a network based in Xiamen, responsible for smuggling as much as $10 billion (€7.8 billion) worth of goods into the country with protection from corrupt officials.

It is also troublesome that these people with a dubious moral compass are allowed free access to our countries. Do we want as our neighbors people that extorted, threatened and stole billions of dollars from the hardworking and not too rich peoples of China?

Let's hope that these people get forced to return and make it more difficult for these felons to escape unimpeded. China is full of these criminals masquerading as China Communist Party officials. What an awful place it must be!!

Iraqi Based Terrorists Continue Their "Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" Killing Spree.....

These clowns are ridiculous!

Initially, one officer had said the blast was a roadside bomb but an AFP reporter saw a burnt car engine in the street, the remains of the white Opel that exploded.

Intestines, charred flesh and bits of a head littered the road, the AFP reporter said.

Police Captain Mohammed Firas, investigating the blast, said: "It was a suicide car bomb... The only person killed was the bomber."

Its amazing how stupid a group of people can be. Mujahadeen my ass!

Terrorists Kill Garbagemen in Iraq......

If it wasn't so sad, these terrorist clowns in Iraq could be a source of entertainment.....

Interior Ministry official, Capt. Ahmed Ismael, said the first two blasts killed 18 and wounded 36. One government worker said five garbage collectors he was supervising were killed.

These terrorists and their bloodthirsty crusade against innocents is just dumbfounding. Kill for killings sake. How can anyone respect these people. It is a stain on Muslims, Islam and humanity.

Read the latest in death here.

Nationalistic Fervor Sweeps China....

Anti-Japanese protests surrounding WWII issues are getting more global press. A recent article by the Christian Science Monitor, here, details these violent confrontations.

Last summer tensions rose as Japan defeated China at the Asia Cup soccer games in Beijing.


In the southern city of Shenzhen Sunday, about 10,000 protesters surrounded a Japanese-run Jasco supermarket and threw water bottles, the Associated Press reported. And in Guangzhou, about 3,000 people marched toward the Japanese Consulate General, though police prevented demonstrators from getting too close. Hong Kong Cable Television also showed a large crowd protesting outside a shopping center in the city.


In Beijing on Saturday, riot police and troops were deployed over much of the Chaoyang district where foreign embassies are located. Police cars crawled along the streets on a sunny afternoon with patrol lights flashing. A crowd of many thousands, including some people with children, walked from west Beijing's "Silicon Valley" street to the Japanese Embassy. Along a small stretch of road in front of the Japanese ambassador's residence, a Japanese car was overturned, and the crowd briefly went out of control.

China's leaders have increasing used nationalism surrounding such lunatic issues as the Diyou Islands, Japanese history textbooks and the midair collision of a US surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter jet to stir up their populace.

My experience with creating xenophobic internal feelings with the populace is that it is a ploy by very weak governments that offer very little in the way of progressive leadership. The Chinese Communist Party, an anachronism, who's time is well past the expiry date, is a fundamentally flawed institution and needs to direct animosity to foreigners. This policy was foisted upon us by the Jiang Zemin, the previous colorless leader of China, that played juvenile games such as not answering telephone calls from President Clinton when he was calling to apologize for the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrave.

It won't be long before every foreigner becomes a target of these crowds. What is to stop these people from exacting revenge on anyone they feel like for any real or perceived crime or slight?

The Chinese Communist Party is not to be trusted and will only lead to trouble. The CCP is responsible for more death and destruction to their own people than anyone should be able to accept. Good luck to the people of China. You are digging your own graves by playing this loser game.