Well I am surprised and quite happy that this thing has not been deleted after months of inactivity.  I am currently using someone else's unsecured router, but Time warner should be installing my internet on monday. So I am going to try and get this little enterprise back up and running.  Even though I have said that god knows how many times before.   Anyway I hope to have plenty to write about given the current political enviroment and geopolitical situation.  Add to that my unit finally has heavy equipment to train on so we can begin to do our real jobs, well most of us at least.  I wish I was down in the FDC or S-3, but am stuck as  training room clerk/Battery CDR.s driver/RTO at the moment.  Hopefully that will change fairly soon.  Also I should have some good pics since at the end of the month the battalion goes to the field for table VII and VIII certifacation.  Enough yakkiing about that and on to hopefuly more interesting posts.

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     The DPJ has finally managed to offer up an alternative to the LDP's anti-terrorism bill.  But as all previous indications were it is totally unrealistic in the conditions it sets for Japanese involvement in operations in coalition operations.  On a hopeful note the LDP has apparently come to the same conclusion as the LDP that a permanent SDF dispatch law is needed and that the basic SDF rules of engagement need to be overhauled to reflect the new reality of today.

From the Daily Yomiuri:  DPJ must stop delaying govt's antiterrorism bill.

     While the DPJ has presented its bill as a proposal for action by Japan in the war against terrorism, its plan will never win support and understanding from the international community.

     The DPJ initially intended to put off submitting its alternative bill during the current extraordinary Diet session, but changed its policy at the direction of party leader Ichiro Ozawa in an effort to fend off criticism that the party has an irresponsible attitude. The DPJ is likely to consider having the upper house debate its bill in parallel with that of the government and postpone the voting on the government's new antiterrorism bill at the upper house.

     If the government's bill is not voted on by the upper house, the ruling bloc intends to pass it into law via a two-thirds majority vote by the ruling coalition in the House of Representatives in mid-January. If that happens, the DPJ is considering claiming that the ruling parties forced the bill through the Diet without sufficient deliberations, according to sources.

     In the end, the DPJ's bill effectively offers nothing as an alternative to the MSDF's refueling mission that was suspended following the expiration of the Antiterrorism Law on Nov. 1.

     However, there are noteworthy points in the DPJ's bill. It outlines the basic direction for development of a permanent law to dispatch Self-Defense Forces personnel overseas, while it allows SDF personnel to use arms when doing so is essential for fulfilling their duties.

     There also are mounting calls within the government and ruling parties to change the criteria for allowing SDF personnel to use arms and for establishment of a permanent law on overseas SDF deployments. After the government's new antiterrorism bill is passed into law, both ruling and opposition parties should seriously discuss these issues and seek common ground.

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     There are some things in life that are as regular as the rising and setting of the sun, and among them is North Korea's  ability to stall, delay and whedle out of her obligations under the six party agreement, while at the same time demanding rewards for what at best can be called half measures best. 

Both from the Chosun Ilbo:

N.Korea Hints at Halt in Nuclear Disablement.

     North Korea has warned it could halt the process of disabling its nuclear facilities until it gets energy aid it feels entitled to as a reward, casting a pall over the future prospects of six-nation denuclearization talks. Hyon Hak-bong, deputy director of the U.S. affairs bureau at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, on Wednesday said the other nations in the six-party talks “are dragging their feet on their fulfillment of economic compensation duties. We have no choice but to control the pace of the disablement of nuclear facilities." It was the first mention of such “pace control” for political rather than technical reasons.

     While the progress made thus far is encouraging it is merely the first step in what is a long road toward North Korea's total and lasting nuclear disarmament.  Until the Stalinist regieme of North Korea can hold up its end of the bargin they should not, and will not recieve rewards simply because they demand them.

A New Crisis Over N.Korea's Nuclear Program?

     The Chosun Shinbo newspaper, which is published in Japan and acts as a North Korean mouthpiece, said Thursday that Pyongyang was willing to talk about “no longer producing any nuclear weapons and not selling them to other countries.” In other words, it is not willing to declare the nuclear weapons it has already produced. North Korea has acknowledged it has purchased uranium enrichment equipment. The president of Pakistan testified that its uranium enrichment technology had been handed over to North Korea. Yet North Korea reportedly has no intention of properly declaring its uranium enrichment program. The U.S. believes North Korea’s suspected nuclear connection with Syria should also be included in the declaration.

     The participants in the six-country talks agreed to provide heavy oil to North Korea as compensation for the shutdown and dismantlement of the rusty Yongbyon nuclear facility. But now the time has come for North Korea to declare its nuclear materials, which would show its true willingness to scrap its nuclear ambitions, the Stalinist country is suddenly having second thoughts. Looking at North Korea’s attitude now, it is questionable whether it will be honest in declaring the total amount of plutonium it has processed.

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     South Korea has a new president and he is all about business, literally.  The conerstone of his campaign was all about maintaining and increasing South Korea's economic growth.  But on the front of foreign relations he offers a breath of fresh air, as he and his party are going take a harder line with the north and their not so dear leader.

From the Chosun Ilbo: Lee Myung-bak Elected President by a Landslide.

     Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak soared to victory in the 17th presidential election on Wednesday, missing an absolute majority by a hair’s breadth.

     Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak garnered 11,492,398 votes or 48.7 percent of the votes, beating United New Democratic Party rival Chung Dong-young by 5,317,708 votes. Chung notched up 6,174,681 votes or 26.1 percent. Independent Lee Hoi-chang came in third by winning 3,559,963 votes or 15.1 percent. The gap between president-elect Lee and second placer Chung was the largest since the direct presidential election system was re-introduced in 1987. In the 13th president election in 1987, the gap was 1.94 million votes. Lee achieved an unprecedented landslide victory with 5.32 million votes ahead of the second placer in a presidential race where 10 aspirants jostled for votes.

In other Korean News: The Looming Threat of N.Korea's KN-02 Missiles.

     On April 25 at a military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its army, North Korea unveiled several new ballistic missiles -- which were keenly noted by intelligence communities in Seoul, Washington and Tokyo. There were 52 missiles of four kinds, carried on launching vehicles in groups of 13 past a reviewing stand.

     The KN-02 has a range of 100 to 120 km. If launched from near the DMZ, they could hit the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek. They may seem insignificant compared with North Korea's other missiles which can travel 300 to 500 km to hit Daejeon or anywhere else in South Korea, or the Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km that can hit Japan.

     Nonetheless, senior U.S. government and military officials including Gen. Burwell Bell, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, regard the KN-02 as a serious threat. Experts say that despite its shorter range, the KN-02 has a few characteristics that make it very worrisome. First of all, it can be launched quickly because it uses solid fuel.

     Another strong point of the KN-02 is its accuracy. Although not confirmed yet, experts believe that it has an error radius of just 100 m. With that kind of accuracy the KN-02 could easily hit the central nerve network of the South Korean and U.S. militaries, including the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan, Seoul.

On a related note: What Japan’s Test Means for Korea's Missile Defense.

     Generally I remain very warry of North Korea, as does President Elect  Lee Myung-Bak.  Their recent shenanigans with the revelation that their is strong evidence that they did in fact engage in an enriched uranium program along side their plutonium efforts and the delays in meeting goals set forth in the six party talks makes me believe that Kim Jong-Il is not going to voluntarily give up his nuclear arsenal or know how.  The situation remains one bears watching as South Korea changes governments in the next couple of months, and what more is learned about what the North has and hasn't done vis-a-vis its nuclear program.

From Fox News: North Korean Tubes Found to Be Contaminated With Uranium Traces.

     WASHINGTON —  North Korea recently turned over to the United States equipment found to be contaminated with traces of highly enriched uranium — HEU — apparently contradicting the country's stance that it never had such a program, FOX News has confirmed.

     The equipment was described as a set of "smelted aluminum tubes" suitable for an HEU centrifuge program, a step necessary to make a nuclear weapon.

     "They got some 'splainin' to do," one U.S. arms control official said when first told of the discovery about a month ago, he recalled to FOX.

     However, North Korea claims the tubes were intended for use in the development of a conventional "artillery" weapon, sources told FOX News.

     As part of a six-nation disarmament deal, North Korea is disabling its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and related nuclear facilities, and is obligated to provide a "complete and correct" declaration of all their nuclear programs, weapons, and materiel by Dec. 31.

     American officials anxiously have been waiting to see whether, and to what extent, the North Koreans will acknowledge the existence of their HEU program, about which the United States first confronted Pyongyang in October 2002.

     The Koreans initially admitted to having an HEU program, said Mike Green, a former National Security Council staff aide who was present for the October 2002.

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     The Dear Troll Doll of North Korea is once more trying to deny, lie and hide the full extent of his nuclear weapons program.  While some people might claim that their is little proof of an NK enriched uranium program the evidence is their, straight from the mouth of A.Q. Khan, who gave them the know how and equipment to undertake such a program.  Modern nuclear weapons often have both Pu-239 and U-235 for fissile material, not one or the other, therefore it is only logical that any nation with nuclear ambitions would pursue both plutonium generating reactors and uranium enrichment methods such as gas centerfuges or gasseous difussion.

More for the China Post: Six-party talks at a critical stage.

     The six-party talks hosted by China on North Korea's nuclear weapons program have reached a critical stage, and signs are that while the disabling of the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon is going well, the overall denuclearization of the Korean peninsula may be in jeopardy.

     As a result, North Korea may not meet the Dec. 31 deadline of making a full and complete declaration of its nuclear programs.

     The problem is that the United States insists that Pyongyang address allegations that it had a covert program to produce nuclear weapons by using highly enriched uranium (HEU).

     This issue caused the collapse of the 1994 U.S.-North Korea accord, under which Pyongyang agreed to freeze its Yongbyon reactor. In return, Washington promised to provide heavy fuel oil and two light-water reactors. But soon after it came into office in 2001, the new Bush administration accused North Korea of having violated the agreement by establishing a covert HEU program.

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     The KMT has finally given way and alloowe dfor Taiwan's much delayed arms purchase from the US to happen.  Why it took so long I have no idea, I mean the PRC isn't being real bashful about their intentions with the way their pouring money into their military, especially their navy.  What finally brought the KMT around was most likely the fact that the Ruling praty was hammering them as weak on defense with a preisdental election loomin in Taiwan they felt that they had to prove that they are strong on defencse.  Of course giving this deal the go ahead two years ago would have removed all doubt.  They may have claimed that Taiwan can't afford an arms race with the PRC, but then the PRC could ill afford a real arms race given their current economic situation.

From the Bangkok Post: Taiwan opposition agrees to purchase of US-made anti-missile system.

     Taiwan's main opposition party will vote to approve funding of a U.S.-made anti-missile system for the island's defense after delaying the measure for more than two years, a party leader said Wednesday.

     Caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan said the Nationalist party had agreed to funding for four units of the Patriot III.

     Opposition lawmakers previously had argued that the arms deal would spark an arms race with rival China that could bankrupt Taiwan's economy.

     "The budget for another two units will be approved after the first four units are installed," he said, adding that the budget for the first four units will be passed in a legislative session next Thursday.

     The Patriot system is part of a US$16 billion (?12 billion) U.S. arms package that President Chen Shui-bian's administration wants to acquire to counter an ambitious arms build-up from China.

     Other elements in the arms package are P3 Orion submarine-hunting aircraft and diesel submarines.

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     I haven't mentioned this yet, even though it has been a done deal for a week now, I have enlisted in the Army and will be shipping off to basic training on January 8^th.  This has been in the works for some time now and I must say that I hadn't mentioned it for fear of jinxing myself, as silly as that is.  Any way I won't let this humble corner of the web gather dust while I am away, I will arrange for some one else to look after things till I get through with basic and have regular access to computer again.  For those that are interested my MOS will be 13D, Automated Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems Specialist.  Basically I will be working a computer that directs the thunder from the big guns on to the poor SOB's on the recieving end.

     Here is a Pic of the afore mentioned AFTADS system, it is the terminal the Sergeant in the foreground is sitting in front of inside what appears to be a M-577A3 Armored command post.

     As for the rest of the details I will enter as a Private First Class (E-3) due to the my college credits and I maxed out my bonus at $40,000.  That is only due to the law capping bonuses at forty thousand for all personel other than doctors, the combined bonuses on offer for the job and quick ship would have come to $55,000 because they are desperate for 13D's since as of December 3^rd it had a $35,000 bonus available.  My training, both Basic and AIT will be at not so scenic Fort Sill Oaklahoma.  I know it isn't sceinic becuase my dad was stationed at Sheppard AFB just south of Sill for five years, it is an area that is actually flatter than this part of Kansas.  Which unsurprisingly is the home of the US Army Field Artillery School.  Total training time comes out to 17 weeks 6 days, breaking down as follows:  Reception six days, Basic Combat Training 9 weeks, Advanced Individual Training 8 weeks. There isn't much more to say really, so that is it on this for now.

And a pic of an M-109A6 Paladin lobbing a shell down range.

Oh yeah, if you want nifty pictures of things military like the ones above try the Defense Visual Information Center website.

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     All of the broken images that were invisable have been repaired, and some are now clickable fro the fullsize version.  With that taken care of everything should (knock on wood) be working properly.  I now have something to ask for when minx goes to 1.2 either a show all feature for post editing or that it not kick you back to page 1 of posts after editing a post on a later page.  Aside from that the fix was fairly simple if time consuming, so no real harm done.

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From Fox News: 150,000 Witness North Korea Execution of Factory Boss Whose Crime Was Making International Phone Calls.

     SEOUL, South Korea —  A North Korean factory chief accused of making international phone calls was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before 150,000 spectators, a South Korean aid group reported.

     Public executions had declined since 2000 amid international criticism but have been increasing, targeting officials accused of drug trafficking, embezzlement and other crimes, the Good Friends aid agency said in a report on the North's human rights.

     In October, the North executed the head of a factory in South Pyongan province for making international calls on 13 phones he installed in a factory basement, the aid group said. He was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before a crowd of 150,000.

     And like all good reporters this one too feels the need to state something that is readily apparent due to the story itself.

     Most North Koreans are banned from communicating with the outside world, part of the regime's authoritarian policies seeking to prevent any challenge to the iron-fisted rule of Kim Jong Il.

Nah, you don't say.  Just one more reminder of what the Regieme in Pyongyang is all about, repression and agression.  I don't trust these ass holes even less than the ones im Beijing.

But somehow I find it hard to fear someone whose idea of style is bad boufant and a members only polyester jumpsuit.

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     As any regular readers know I hold no love for the People's Republic of China, as Mark Stein once said if your country's name includes the words People's Republic it is niether a republic nor answerable to the people.  The recent refusal of the PRC to allow US warships to call at Hong Kong is a fine reminder of that fact.  What is an even better reminder is that this is the second time in recent weeks this has occured, the first was a pair of minesweepers and a fleet oiler seeking refuge from a storm.  China is an enemy of the US, and the sooner we publicy admit that then the more effectively we can work to contain and if necessary defeat the PRC should it ever come to that.

From fox News: Navy Chief Surprised at China's Refusal of Port Visit for U.S. Ships.

     Two of the Navy's top admirals said Tuesday that China's refusal to permit a U.S. aircraft carrier to make a Thanksgiving port call at Hong Kong was surprising and troubling.

     "This is perplexing. It's not helpful," Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters in a videoteleconference from his headquarters at Camp Smith, Hawaii.

     "It's not, in our view, conduct that is indicative of a country that understands its obligations as a responsible nation," he said, adding that he hopes it does not indicate a lasting blockage of port visits.

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The latest update to Minx caused all pictures posted as [thumbnail=.... to dissapear, so sorry for any confusion this may have caused.  I am chasing it down and should have all the posts sorted in a day or so.  Until then pleases bear with me.

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     The US policy toward Taiwan is still totally unacceptable to me, and we should be doing our utmost to back them in their endevours to be part of the international community of nations.  I respect Sceretary Gates, hell I have met the man, but I can not agree with the message, and by extension the position of the President ( Whom I voted for twice, and would do so again.) he delivered to Beijing.  The US should remind the PRC that they have a much weaker claim to any sort of political legitimacy than Taiwan and that they would be wise to copy their neighbors example and become a truly democratic society.

From the China Post: Gates reassures Hu on Taiwan.

     BEIJING -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday assured China's President Hu Jintao that the U.S. government is "categorically" opposed to any moves by Taiwan toward independence.

     Gates met with Hu in Beijing's Great Hall of the People after two days of talks -- characterized by both parties as "candid but friendly" -- that raised U.S. concerns about China's rapid military build-up and Iran's nuclear program.

     "I restated our position that we're categorically opposed to any efforts by anyone to unilaterally change the status quo," Gates told reporters after his talks with Hu.

     "I basically reiterated that the U.S. government has been quite clear in its messages to Taiwan not to change the status quo," he said, citing Chinese fears of "de jure independence" for Taiwan.[color]

    Heh, the last line in the quote is telling, Beijing is admitting that it has no control over Taiwan and is de facto an independant nation.  What difference then would it make if it is made official.  This kind of like objecting to having a wedding ceremony for two people that are allready married by common law, but not in the "offical" sense.  It has already happened and does in fact habe a basis in the law so one might as well make it "offical."

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Maybe its Just me but I'm confused.

     I have been following this story for a number of days and I can't seem to tell wether Ozawa is coming or going, but then agian niether does the DPJ for that matter.  To summarize at a meeting between PM Fukuda and Ozawa last week someone put forward the idea of a grand coalition government.  Ozawa accepted but was turned down by his party and as a result decided to step down.  Then over the weekend he vacilated until today when he decided to stay on.  The DPJ was seriously hurt by all this, and made to look, well rather incompetent.  Either this was the savviest political manuver in recent memory by Fukuda to marginalize his main opposiotn or just a gift dropped into his lap is unknown, but he benefits either way.

Analysis from the Japan Times: DPJ misses chance to come to the fore.

    
Last Friday when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, entertained a possible grand coalition, this sent shock waves through the political world only to be superseded by the chaos in the wake of Ozawa's abrupt offer Sunday to quit his party's helm.

     Up to last week, the DPJ had been on a roll, gaining political strength and repeatedly pushing Fukuda to dissolve the Lower House and call a general election as soon as possible. But now, political analysts think the DPJ's weakened state has foreclosed on this scenario.[color]

     The analysts agree Ozawa's mere consideration of joining hands with the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc and his offer to quit as DPJ chief after his colleagues scotched the coalition overture have severely damaged the DPJ's image as the largest opposition force.

     The later the election, "the more convenient it is for the LDP because it could spend those days regaining popularity and (erasing its) scandals," said Hidekazu Kawai, a professor of political science at Chubu University. "Meanwhile, the DPJ would be struggling to resolve its internal troubles."

And more from the Yomuiri Shimbun: Ozawa withdraws offer to quit / Decision to be confirmed at DPJ meeting.

     Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa said he would withdraw his resignation as party leader and instead remain in the post, DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama said Tuesday night.

     "I feel I've made an exhibition of myself, but I'd like to give it another go," Ozawa was quoted by Hatoyama as saying during a meeting in which Hatoyama and other party executives tried to persuade the him to stay on.

     Hatoyama told reporters that he had returned the letter of resignation Ozawa submitted to him.

     What will the DPJ do now?  Who knows, but it willbe very difficult for them to overcome this as they move forward with several key debates in the Diet in the coming weeks.  The extension of Japan's participation in Indian ocean operations and the DPJ's own counter proposal, the SDF dispatch law and various domestic issues remain to be tackled.  The coming days should be interesting indeed.

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From the Yomuiri Shimbun: Stable law on SDF dispatch overseas eyed.

     Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said Thursday that the government is set to consider establishing a permanent law on the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces overseas.

     Speaking at the House of Representatives special committee on antiterrorism affairs, the government spokesman said the process should start as soon as possible after the Diet completes deliberations on a bill for a new antiterrorism law.

     Machimura also said it would be necessary for ruling and opposition camps to hold regular negotiations on the issue.

     The government has been making preparations for a permanent law on the dispatch of the SDF overseas, and Machimura's remarks made clear that the Fukuda administration intends to start the legislation process.

     This law is so over due that I am almost at a loss for words.  How the Japanese managed this long with thrown together laws authorizing each and every deployment of the SDF I will never know.  The simple reduction in wasted time to respond to a crisis or attack will make the defense of Japan and her interests much easier and effective.  This then is one more small, but important step for Japan to once again becoming a "normal" nation.  This should pass without much dificulty since just about everyone can see and agrees that such a law is needed and needed sooner rather than later.  

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     Czar Putin must be really worried about the US missile defense program given how often he and his underlings have been lambasting the expansion of the program to include US allies in Europe and Asia.  I can't but help to wonder if their nuclear forces are less capable than we currently believe if they are this worked up over a system that is currently aimed at small scale threats ike Iran and North Korea.  More likely they see it as a counter to any potential nuclear blackmail they may need to try in the future given the rather pathetic state of Russia's conventional forces.  If you can defend against a limited attack you can only threaten a general attack that will result in your destruction as well, so they want to impede any missile defense efforts that will limit their options.  Nations act in self interest first and foremost, and Russia is no exception, but she should recogonize that she has very limited weight on the international scene in this day and age.

From the Japan Times: Russia opposes Japan missile defense.

     MOSCOW (Kyodo) Russia is concerned about the Japan-U.S. project to develop a missile defense system, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a recent interview.

     The project is "a subject of concern from our side," Lavrov said Friday in a written response to questions prior to his visit to Japan later this month.

     "We are opposed to the construction of a missile defense system aimed at securing military superiority," he said in Russian, arguing the system could be directed at Russian and Chinese strategic arms.

     It is believed to be the first time Lavrov has publicly expressed strong concern over the U.S.-Japan defense system.

     Of course left unsaid in all this is that moscow has maintained a missile defense system since the 1960's and updates it regularly to deal with new threats.  It is ok for them to defend themselves but not for anyone else.  That is typical Russian chauvanism, one that clouds their view of the world and creates a lot of problems for them internationally on issues like this.  Putin needs to realize that Russia will never be a superpower and that no matter how much wealth he is able to bring into the country by selling off its natural resources he will never be able to match the west in terms of economic, military and political might.  Then maybe we could be free of all the hypocritical blather eminating from Moscow these days.

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From the Voice of America via the Chosin Ilbo: Taipei Rejects Chinese President's Offer of Peace Talks.

     The Taiwan government has rejected China's offer of peace talks. Beijing's offer came Monday during the opening of the Communist Party's 17th Congress. Chinese President Hu Jintao called for negotiations with Taiwan to reach a peace agreement. But authorities in Taipei objected to Beijing's precondition that Taiwan accept the "one-China" principle.

     But in Taipei, government spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey rejected the offer of negotiations.  Shieh says Taiwan will not discuss peace, unification or anything else with a country that, in his words, oppresses Tibet, kills its own citizens, and supports the military government of Burma.

     Nor should they accept a one China position, because nothing could be farther from the truth, Taiwan is an independant and democratic nation.  It is right of them to reject a settlement that would infringe upon their sovergienty.  Mr. Jhy-wey was absolutely on point with his governments asessment of the Chicoms and their refusal to negotiate with them.  And to his list of crimes the PRC has committed may I add that they support North Korea, kill unborn babies against their parents will, imprison religous followers and opress anyone who speaks out against them, and I may add that is the short, short list.

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     The recent huffing and puffing from China over the President's meeting with the Dali Lama makes me aask once again why we bother to give the murdering bastards in Beijing the legitimacy of full diplomatic recognition and not do the same to Taipei?  If we adopt a two China policy the PRC would have to accept it or accept the risk  of all the business they do with the US dissapears and their economy hits the wall and the social upheavals that would bring with it.  We need to stop dicking around and face up to the facts with the PRC, thery are our enemies, and we should do everything we can to support our friends rather than offering deference to our enemies.

A quick comparison between the two.

From the Yomuiri Shimbun: China still curbing freedom of speech.

     "The Chinese government still strictly controls free speech, but don't you think freedom [in society] has been gradually spreading thanks to social changes in the past 20 to 30 years?"

     I asked Chinese author Zhou Qing this question after he delivered a speech in Tokyo earlier this month.

     He replied: "[Government] control of free speech remains unchanged. [What appears to be freedom] is merely superficial. What made you think such a thing?"

     The Beijing-based author was promoting his book on the danger of Chinese food, titled "What Kind of God: A Survey of the Current Safety of China's Food."

     Though I intended to ask for his opinion on freedom of speech in China, Zhou apparently thought I lacked a proper understanding of the situation in the country.

     "I find your [question] absurd. [So-called liberalization] is not the result of changes made by the Chinese government. It's a result of pressure from the international community," he said. "Dictators will never change."

     Zhou, who took part in the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, was later arrested and imprisoned for nearly three years.

     After his release, he was labeled a traitor by the government, which restricted his activities as a writer. But he refused to give up his career, despite such pressures.

     By far the most pongiant remark is at the end of the interview, and sums up the innate desire of the people of China to be free of the shackles of their repressive regieme.

     "I hid in mountains in the Ningxia autonomous region [of north central China], where I was given refuge by local residents. They fed me eggs every day, a valuable item for them. I was very impressed and believed China would become democratized one day," he said.

     For comparison this took place recently in Taipei, I wonder how the goverment of the PRC would have reacted if this had taken place in Beijing.

From the China Post: Thousands march in Taipei for gay rights.

     TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Thousands of homosexuals staged a Gay Pride march in Taipei yesterday to demand equal rights and the legalization of gay marriage.

     The parade took a carnival-like mood with marchers waving rainbow flags, colorful balloons and signs. Some were dressed in flamboyant period costumes, with brides and grooms, nurses and sailors while others only wore swim trunks despite the cool weather.

      I want some one, anyone in theis administartion or the next one to finally stand up to the Chicoms and tell them that they can either learn to live with the fact that there are two Chinas, or that their is only one, and it is not theirs.  But sadly I know that business will override principles once again in our dealings with the thugs of Beijing.

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From the New york Times of all places: China opens 17^th Party Congress.

      President Hu Jintao promised to address social fissures, a degraded environment and rampant corruption during his second term as China’s top leader, but he all but ruled out more than cosmetic political reform in his opening address on Monday at the 17th National Congress of the governing Communist Party.
 
     Mr. Hu spoke extensively about his “scientific view of development,” a set of lofty, vague principles supporting harmonious economic, social and political development.

      The congress will enshrine the phrase “scientific view of development” into the party’s constitution alongside the political slogans of Mao, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, elevating Mr. Hu into the pantheon of leaders as he begins his second and final term as party general secretary, head of state and military chief.

     The Chinese won't cahnge because the people at the top benefit from keeping the sytem as it currently is.  And to do so would be to admit that all of China's problems are in fact of the state's and therefore, Party's making.  Here is a fine example of that, form the Tai Pei Times: Millions more relocated for PRC's Three Gorges Dam.

     Four million more people are to be relocated away from China's Three Gorges Dam area, state media reported yesterday, weeks after officials warned of a potential "environmental catastrophe" there.

     Already 1.4 million people have been forced to leave their homes to make way for the world's largest hydropower project, which started operations last year, but the new announcement has radically expanded the resettlement project.

     The 4 million residents who will be "encouraged" to leave their homes live near the dam's reservoir, which extends for 600km, the China Daily reported, citing local officials.

     So many people saw this coming, and gave repeated and vocal warnings makes this all the more tragic for the simple peasants who are being forced from their homes.  Hubris drove this project, and now it is rearing its ugly head and turning on its creators.  The Chinese are having to spend more and more of their time holding their fragile and restive nation together as these two pieces from the City Journal demonstrate.

Breaking the Chinese Code

     Welcome to the People’s Republic, land of “harmony” and “community.”

     First: “harmony.” For the Chinese government, it means “suppression of individualism.” Errant thoughts threaten central control of the masses. Dissent is bad and punishable. John Stuart Mill correctly wondered whether, under an autocratic regime, “there would be any asylum left for individuality of character; whether public opinion would not be a tyrannical yoke; whether the absolute dependence of each on all, and the surveillance of each by all, would not grind all down into a tame uniformity of thoughts, feelings, and actions.” In China, the reigning belief is that nonconforming ideas will fracture the enforced consensus and produce factionalism. There seems to be no James Madison in power who can raise his head and point out that having numerous factions enables governance of a large country.

     Chinese leaders fear the huge and growing gaps between urban and rural, rich and poor, coastal and interior residents, and those with and without “guanxi” (connections). Inharmoniousness is rife. Preaching harmony is a desperate measure, and it is not enough. The hopeful view: this is stop-gap rhetoric while national policy shifts from economic development to the more intractable issue of societal development in an authoritarian state. But the hopeful view may not reflect reality.

     The desperation of the Chinese is beginning to become apparent, despite their best efforts the lid is nearly constantly threating to come off.  For now the pot simmers, but the risk of a massive boil over is always right there.

     But the “community” is not quite what it seems. All residents in the harmonious community are equal, but some are (much) more equal than others—in Orwell’s trenchant phrase. Three distinct populations exist in a community—residents, visitors, and migrants—and they have very different rights. China has some 200 million migrants, well more than 10 percent of the workforce, and they constitute up to 28 percent of a city’s population. Migrant workers are akin to illegal aliens in the United States. Their labor helps staff the factories, but their families, who would strain the capacities of community services, are unwelcome. Therefore migrants aren’t officially members of the “communities” where they live. This may help explain why officials assert that the community, not the family, is the “basic unit of society.” If the families of migrants are excluded, how could the family possibly be that basic unit?

The only real change to China will come only when the people force the corrupt and illegitimate Communists from power and take back what is rightfully theirs.

The Empire of Lies.

     Before the totalitarian reign of Mao Zedong and his immediate successors, never in human history had an entire nation been under such intense surveillance. The Chinese not only had to speak alike; they had to think alike. The Communist Party regulated every aspect of private life. In the sixties, it even sought to anesthetize all feeling, commanding hundreds of millions of Chinese to repeat mindlessly the slogan of the day; one of Mao’s sayings would have to preface any “personal conversation.” A few second-rate books were the only permissible reading material, and eight revolutionary operas provided the sole entertainment. Placed everywhere—city squares, railway stations, factories, and offices—Party loudspeakers blared martial music from dawn to dusk, making it physically impossible for people to speak or think. The state imprisoned and killed untold numbers of its subjects.

     Things have obviously changed, much for the better. China is no longer totalitarian. Yet the 60-million-member Communist Party, if subtler, remains cruel and omnipresent. When I met Madam Ding Zilin at the Golden Carp Café, I had to lean in close to listen. In Beijing, true privacy is only possible in such a public place. Ding Zilin felt that the security agents who shadow her every movement wouldn’t be able to record her confidences above the noisy laughter and the clamor of the waitresses moving to and fro.

     Another sign of the desire for freedom, particularly worrisome to the authorities, is the explosion of peasant revolts in the Chinese countryside. The countryside is an immense universe, immutable and mysterious even for Chinese city dwellers, who go there only to honor the tombs of ancestors. Traveling to a village is like taking a journey in time; old China emerges, and modernity seemingly slips away. It also is to encounter China’s communication problem: peasants, unfamiliar with the national language, speak only in regional dialects—though television, the great linguistic and cultural leveler, is making the country more homogeneous by the day.

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     The Noble Peace Prize went to Al Gore and his buddies at the IGPCC.  This merely adds more weight to what we have known for a long time, outside of the awards for the sciences and other measurable fields the Noble Prize is all about treanzie politics than rewarding the good work of people who are actually trying to bring peace and democracy to their part of the world.

A suitably indignant piece from the Wall Street Journal: Not Nobel Winners.

     In Olso Friday, the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded to the Burmese monks whose defiance against, and brutalization at the hands of, the country's military junta in recent weeks captured the attention of the Free World.

     The prize was also not awarded to Morgan Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara and other Zimbabwe opposition leaders who were arrested and in some cases beaten by police earlier this year while protesting peacefully against dictator Robert Mugabe.

     Or to Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest in Vietnam arrested this year and sentenced to eight years in prison for helping the pro-democracy group Block 8406.

     Or to Wajeha al-Huwaider and Fawzia al-Uyyouni, co-founders of the League of Demanders of Women's Right to Drive Cars in Saudi Arabia, who are waging a modest struggle with grand ambitions to secure basic rights for women in that Muslim country.

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From the China Post: Taiwan demonstrates military prowess at National Day parade for the first time in 16 years.

(itallics mine)

     TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's president decried China's government as totalitarian Wednesday as residents gathered for the island's first National Day parade of military hardware since halting such displays in 1991 to ease tensions with Beijing.

     In an address to officials before the parade, President Chen Shui-bian renewed a pledge to continue seeking membership in the United Nations, saying the self-ruled island has the right to rejoin the world body despite objections of rival China.

     "Taiwan and China are two separate states that don't belong to each other, and this is a historical fact as well as the reality," Chen said in front of the ornate presidential office.

     "The problem in the Taiwan Strait today does not rest with Taiwan .... but with China's totalitarianism, authoritarianism and dictatorship," he said.

    I can now offically confirm that President Chen Shui-ban has a pair of giant brass ones between his legs.  Not only did he blatantly state that Taiwan is an independent nation, he also called out the mainland commies for the murdering totalitarian bastard they are.  Bravo sir, bravo indeed.  Those last words will sting for the same reasons Reagan's words about the USSR being the focus of evil in the modern world stung, because they are true, and the people on the receiving end know that to be the case.

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