Comments on: Video Blogger Deported From China

By: tw3k

tw3k — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:41:36 +0000

Ending the precedents set by the Bush administration is a positive direction and letting these abuses roll into the administration will be destructive.

What is your objective?

By: FreedomNow

FreedomNow — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:23:21 +0000

I just think we have to either fight for the positive things we want to accomplish or spend our time flailing–perhaps with little success–against those with whom we disagree. I don’t think you can succeed in accomplish our objectives and at the same time devote a lot of resources to establish an accountability that will always be questioned by the other side. (see Mensheviks; Napolean; Bismarck, et. al)…

By: mui1

mui1 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:25:06 +0000

@28 I think he tried to get a VISA at the HK airport, since he was denied at the consulate.

By: mui1

mui1 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:19:52 +0000

I don’t know if you can say it’s growing worse or better. Sometimes I think a little bit of both. I heard a story about a very respected and respectable classical Chinese scholar who wrote some critical things about China. He tried to get into the Mainland via HK. He had to be dragged away by HK airport authorities because he was literally screaming and shouting in protest at Mainland personnel. That was years ago. Worse things have happened to other people, but there’s something heartbreaking about a sinologist who has dedicated his life to study for love of Chinese literature language and history, to be so summarily treated by Mainland authorities.

By: nonplussed

nonplussed — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:43:32 +0000

Have you no memory of the Iran Contra? We have tried the so called “Clean Slate” approach and the next Democratic administration was relentlessly persecuted anyway!

This Administration has been so criminal it must be prosecuted, failure to do so blatantly demonstrates the two tiered Justice System in this Country. We have one out of a Hundred Citizens jailed, often for relatively minor offenses, but you suggest we forgive some of the most heinous crimes imaginable! Bear in mind, that these are crimes in the eyes of the World, as well. The entire International Community shall be watching us to see what action we will take addressing these abuses of the law, both foreign and domestic, committed by this Administration. To do otherwise is to dismiss the deaths of over a Million Iraqis and thousands of Own. America’s future credibility lies upon our doing so. Otherwise, our system of justice is exposed as a fraud, nothing more than an instrument for the oppression of the populace. It must be demonstrated to all that there are no “untouchables” in our society, not even these members of the elite.

There must be no amnesty for war criminals and enemies of the Constitution! The can be absolutely zero tolerance for crimes against the interests of the people! Jus Cogens!

By: FreedomNow

FreedomNow — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:19:30 +0000

I don’t think it’s suspending the rule of law so much as getting what you want done. If you spend time on retribution in the name of accountability then you don’t get the goals you want to accomplish like the real security Obama keeps talking about done. It is sad but true that with the limited attention Congress can spend you can only accomplish a few things during a President’s term…if you spend all your time on accountability you wind up with a Ford and a Carter administration, which for all the admiration they got, didn’t get a lot done and may have made things worse…

By: Ann in AZ

Ann in AZ — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:06:58 +0000

My problem is that when Bill Clinton was President, the Rethugs persecuted him for…nothing, and they continued for years. Dems said nothing. They didn’t demand any real accountability for Iran/Contra offenses, nothing. Guess they felt they couldn’t prosecute every Rethug admin. (Think how that would look.) Looking back, I think it was a smoke screen, so that when they took the Presidency back, if the Rethug administration carried further than the either Reagan or Bush I administrations in regard to overreaching their authority, abuse of power, if the Dems said a word about it, they would accuse them of trying to retaliate for Clinton. If you ask me, that’s a piss poor reason to suspend the rule of law and allow the kind of abuses of power that we’ve seen for lo these many years.

By: cinnamonape

cinnamonape — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:58:24 +0000

BTW Thanks cbl2 for the Gorilla information. I’m sceptical about the reported numbers but will keep an eye out for more information on this population of apes. Any new population of any size is welcome information, though.

By: FreedomNow

FreedomNow — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:56:04 +0000

I am just worried that doing this would leave it open for further retributions to a Dem administration…and then the country would be destroyed by back and forth prosecutions leading to what end?

By: cinnamonape

cinnamonape — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:55:46 +0000

Nowhere have I heard anything about the Tiananmen protests of 15 years ago from any of the commentary from the Olympics…especially from Costas who has been in the Square? It’s pathetic.