Hong Kong Students: Don’t Depict Our Protests as a ‘Revolution’

Posted by on Oct 5, 2014 in Blog | 0 comments

Striking Hong Kong students are peeved that the foreign press keeps on ascribing the word ‘revolution’ to their cause by calling it a ‘Umbrella Revolution’ or a variant of ‘colour revolution’.   While a Washington Post piece tries to convey their frustrations, the students are themselves misleading the public by saying that they’re fighting for ‘democracy’.

What needs to be clarified is that 2017 will be universal suffrage for the Chief Executive so Hong Kong residents already have ‘democracy’.  The bone of contention is the threshold at which the nominating committee approves of candidates.  The protestors want a very low one so that virtually anyone can take a run but the authorities want a higher one.  That’s the crux of the issue, NOT whether Hong Kong practices ‘one man, one vote’ in 2017.

So, as the students shout, stop calling it a ‘revolution’!.

The Washington Post report can be seen at:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/10/04/hong-kongs-students-want-you-to-stop-calling-their-protest-a-revolution/

Britain Has Invaded 9 of 10 Countries Around the World

Posted by on Oct 4, 2014 in Blog | 0 comments

Right after Occupy Central paralyzed the famous Hong Kong shopping district, the British Foreign Office weighed in calling on the Hong Kong authorities to protect the rights of demonstrators.  (The Americans did the same.)  For those who think Britain has been a bright beacon for democracy and human rights across the world, a new book tells of the extent of Pax Britannica’s global incursions.

Stuart Laycock’s All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To, found that at various times during and after its imperium, Britain has invaded around 90% of the countries around the world.  His survey of histories of the almost 200 countries found only 22 that have not suffered invasion by the British.

On this map, all countries coloured in pink have been invaded/colonized by Britain at one time or another.  For China, it has been a few times resulting in the corrupt, weak, and inept Qing Dynasty’s epic defeats.  The unequal treaties that China was forced to sign earned for foreign powers enormous war indemnities and allowed Britain to carve out Hong Kong as a colony for 150 years.
Countries invaded by Britain

US Lifts Arms Ban Against Vietnam

Posted by on Oct 3, 2014 in Blog | 0 comments

The Americans insist that even with this major policy change (the most significant since the end of the Vietnam War 39 years ago), it does not take sides in the South China Sea territorial dispute, is not anti-China, and is not destabilizing the region.  And where does America’s purported concerns about Vietnam’s ‘human rights’ record go?  Straight out the window.  The Vietnamese are just so delighted.  The hypocrisy of the Americans amazes.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-lifts-40-arms-ban-boost-vietnam-sea-004928897.html