Egg On Mao

Denise Chong’s new book Egg On Mao, tells the story of a Chinese dissident, Lu Decheng, who defaced a portrait of Mao in Tiananmen Square.  If this article is any indication, it will be an enthralling read:

Ottawa author Denise Chong tried to look inconspicuous as she stood at the pre-arranged rendezvous point on a busy street in the Chinese city of Liuyang.

Before arriving, Chong had used a map to memorize the layout of the city and the locations of her clandestine destinations. She did not want to arouse suspicion or provoke queries from helpful strangers by looking lost or in search of something forbidden to foreigners.

The stories of dissidents and people who greatly imperil themselves to fight oppression should be widely read and forever trumpeted.  I have not picked up Ms. Chong’s book, but I will, and I would suggest that everyone else does as well.  As a bonus, there will be a book launch at Library and Archives Canada on Tuesday October 27 at 7:30 pm.  It will take place at Library and Archives Canada on Wellington St. in Ottawa.  I hope to be there.

Today, decades later, I still have vivd memories of the Tiananmen Square protests.  It was an awakening, uplifting and horrifying experience.  In the years right before I entered high school I witnessed the protests, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the destruction of the Soviet Union, the Velvet Revolution and the end of the Cold War.  It was a significant time to become politically aware, and the lessons that were learned, though they may have been forgotten by some, should cherished.  Ms. Chong has done a tremendous service to keep some of them alive for us.

Obama: Petty Political Payoffs Good, Trade… Not So

Well, it appears that Barack Obama cares more about playing politics than helping the American people. In the middle of a recession, he has decided to reward unions at the expense of those who cannot afford expensive U.S.-made tires. Come September 26, a 35% duty will be imposed on Chinese-made tires. The duty will last for a year.

I guess we can be happy that he didn’t totally cave to union pressure; they had recommended a duty of 55%. Thank goodness for small miracles, huh?

As I mentioned a couple of months ago when the union recommendation came out, this was a test of Obama. I doubt anyone was under any sort of illusion when it came to Obama and trade. He didn’t have a particularly solid record, but there was a glimmer or two of hope that he might see the light. Granted, maybe this decision is nothing more than a sop to the unions who make up such a significant part of the Democratic base. Maybe he still believes in free trade… as long as it doesn’t ever threaten a union job. If so, this isn’t just a message to international trading partners, it’s a message to Americans: the president cares more about union workers than he does other citizens.

Make no mistake about it, this carries no benefit to the American public at large. What Mr. Obama has done is preclude people from purchasing inexpensive tires. American tire makers do not make tires at the same price point as the affected tires. Consequently, this will result in people not being able to afford tires. Individuals and families that cannot afford these higher priced tires will have to forgo replacing the old tires on their cars. Not only has Mr. Obama enacted duties that will harm the United States economically, it will actually risk people’s lives.

Bravo, Mr. President.

Vince Li is not guilty – God made me do it

So, Vince Li is found “not criminally responsible” for the attack and mutilation of Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus.

From the Globe & Mail story here:

Justice John Scurfield said Vince Li’s attack on Tim McLean last summer was “grotesque” and “barbaric,” but “strongly suggestive of a mental disorder.”

“He did not appreciate the actions he committed were morally wrong. He believed he was acting in self defense,” Scurfield said Thursday.

Both Crown and defence psychiatrists had testified at Li’s trial that he was suffering from schizophrenia and believed God wanted him to kill McLean because the young man was a force of evil.

Following that logic, no terrorist or terrorist organization should be found “criminally responsible” for their actions. Evidently, ‘God made me do it’ is sufficient grounds upon which to excuse domestic acts of terrorism and otherwise horrifying behaviors.

I wonder if Omar’s lawyers will pick up on this or otherwise try to exploit it. Depends on public reaction I suppose.

As much as I hate using the term “slippery slope” I’m fighting my own gag reflex when I say, we are now heading down a slippery slope when we allow avowed theistic direction to excuse the crimes we commit.

Vince Li will now be held and cared for in a mental patient facility and will receive annual evaluations to see if he is fit to return to a normal life without a criminal record for his actions.

I’m reminded very strongly of the case of another Chinese immigrant who shortly after arriving in this country, committed murder and was facing deportation as a result. She (Lucy Liu) was the first in probably a century who claimed Sanctuary in a Kingston Pentecostal Church to avoid deportation, and was ultimately excused since she had made many friends in the community and had established a life for herself here in Canada, but also, if she returned to China, she would have faced a death penalty for killing her husband, also a Chinese citizen.

These excuses are starting to weigh on our society, and is creating an unflattering image to the world outside our borders. I use the word ‘unflattering’ since the language I want to use over these matters, I personally find repulsive.