Chuck,
OT - China stuff.
Since you pushed one of my hot buttons, I am compelled to respond.
Last year, I read a book (in Chinese) titled "China can say NO". It is a follow up along the same theme as a bood titled "Japan can say NO". Guess who they are saying NO to, yep, the good old USA.
The book is essentially a collection of articles penned by different authors expressing their opinion. One of the articles was by the head of the human rights commission of China and he pointed out a few very interesting facts. One of them is that there is a US Human rights commission and an UN Human Rights Commission. While the US version points their finger at everyone else, the UN version cited US as one of the major violators with hundreds of complaints.
unhchr.ch
This is the lead into the UN version of human rights. I remember checking into this author's allegations and found them to be correct. Needless to say, we never hear about them. Only we all know that we have a rapist for a president and we still have extreme racism evidenced by recent news from Texas.
I have discussed China human rights before. For the entire history of the longest surviving civilization in the world, China has no such thing as human rights, under monarch rule. In fact, there is no such word in the Chinese language until recent years.
The improvement in China, during a short 40 some very challenging years under communist rule, should be judged as nothing short of a miracle. In comparison, we live in a country that incarcerates the largest percent of our population. We condemn other countries for prison labor but what about our chain gangs, still in existence today. I also have to wonder where my license plates come from? What is China guilty of anyway? Incarcerating a few political enemies? China should learn from the US how the Democrats or the Republicans deal with their political enemies. Without which, we will have no evening news.
Who decided what is human rights anyway? What is the definition?
unhchr.ch
The first time I read that document, I almost died laughing. Name one country in the entire history of the human race that is remotely close to observing these articles.
How the US decided to be the self appointed champion of this mythical set of rights had always puzzled me? Even more interesting is how the US decided to somehow tie some unmeasurable performance of these mythical rules to trade?
The State Department has to understand the era of colonialistic white supremist rule is over. Have they not learn the lessons? First it was Korea. Aside from causing misery to millions of now isolated North Koreans, what was accomplished. Then we need to show those Vietnamese a lesson, only to be defeated by a skinny old uncle Ho. There is that Sadam guy who is still parading around, long after Bush is out of office and long after slick Willy leaves.
What do you think will happen, if US goes to war against China on trade issues based on human rights. The US will lose - big time. Just look at whats being traded between China and the US. There is no chance that the US would put a Cuba or Iraq like sanction on Chinese products. The reverse is not true. China can easily stop buying Boeing, MOT, LOR, IBM ..... and start buying Airbus, ERICY, Siemens etc. Anti US sentiments will close all MacDonalds KFCs. Europe and Japan will be big time benefactors.
So it may be tough on the Chinese people but it is nothing that they have not lived through before. Us Americans, on the hand, will be screaming bloody murder if a trade war sends us to a recession.
The silliest part is we have already tried this stupid tactic many times in the past. China will simply award several major contracts to non US companies and influential individuals such as Bernie Swartz will get those Washington idiots in line. As I am typing, some senator from Minnesota is condemning China on CNN. I don't think he can find China if I give him a blank map of the world.
It is with sadness that I see Albright on TV these days. She looked so stressed that you can almost fit bowling balls into those baggy sockets. It is scary to think that major decisions are made by someone like her who is obviously suffering from sleep deprivation. How sound could those decisions be?
(Maurice, you must be loving this)
In the end, innocent bystanders are harmed by the stupidity of our foreign policies. QCOM and CDMA, unfortunately, may be caught in this round of sabre rattling.
Hows that for a long boring posts?
Ramsey
by the way - I am still chicken little |
