Thursday, April 20, 2006

President Bushs' Public Welcome of a Tyrant!

As a life long republican,who strayed away once to vote for President Kennedy, I am disturbed by the public pronouncements of our president during his press conference welcoming the Chinese Communist "president" at the White House.
All the platitudes and "diplomatic correct" verbiage used for public consumption will not obscure the fact that Communist China could become the 21st century equivalent of "the axis of evil". No matter what the Administration PR people tell us will be discussed in private meetings regarding Chinas' persecution of religion, lack of human rights and disgracefully low wages for the Chinese worker. It is the public images and words spoken at the White House that will be carried all over the world by television and radio. Even in China.
There are too many problems in China to bring to an article like this, but I will attempt to elaborate on three that are particularly troublesome to me.
First, is the ever present but seldom spoken military threat posed to the United States and its allies in Asia. In 1953 the North Koreans invaded South Korea. In the ensuing five years over fifty thousand American service men and women died with the aid of Communist troops from China and their weapons fighting the North Korean aggression. We still face the threat of further North Korean warfare to "re-unify " Korea. But the greatest threat comes from the Nuclear build up in China, and their stated treat that any attempt to help defend our ally Taiwan if China decides to invade Taiwan would result in a nuclear attack on United States. Classified Chinese documents, specifically "Document 65" indicate that China has presently nuclear ICBMs targeting U.S. West coast cities. This according to the book "The Chinese Threat" by Mr. Gertz. This The result of the largesse of the Clinton Administration when it allowed the technology for missile guidance to be sold to Communist China.
The Second, is the failure of china to allow religious freedom despite President Bush's appeal to the Communist leaders during his "state visit" in 2005. The Communist regime has an established State controlled religion, but any other denomination (Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, or Jewish) that worships in secret for fear of reprisals is considered a "cult", and an "evil influence". The punishment for participation can be one or many of the following: fines, imprisonment, torture, welfare payment deductions and withholding medical care. It is also common practice to confiscate Church valuables and property. Recently Cai-Zhoohua pastor of a Chinese Protestant church was sent to prison for three years and fined the U, S. equivalent of $20,000 for printing and distributing Bibles!
Lastly, the worse than "third world" wages paid to Chinese workers making goods for sale in the United States. Unfortunately, "Free Trade" with China results in one thing only. Access by American Companies to "cheap labor".
I don't usually take the position of anti-free traders and Unions, but on this one I have to agree. When Chinese workers are paid 23 cents an hour to make Ralph Lauren shirts, and Nike shoes are made by workers who work 16 hours a day six days a week to make Nike shoes for a paltry $3.00 a day, there is something wrong with this picture. The Wall Street Journal published a recent article praising Communist China stating, "More efficient Chinese production has slashed the price of consumer goods". Why not substitute the words "slave labor" for "efficient production". In the last five years the average Chinese workers wages have been slashed by as much as 80+ percent. American companies continue to send billions of dollars to China for production of cheap goods that can be sold here for huge profits. Nothing wrong with the profit motive, but when it contributes to a regime that is totalitarian and oppress it people as do the Chinese Communists. There has to be a better way.