Posting Date: April 17, 2008
Chinese government are goons and their products are junk
In the battle between CNN's Jack Cafferty and the Chinese Government's anger over comments Cafferty made, I think I'll stand with Cafferty.
This week, Cafferty made some comments that, frankly, are accurate.
The Chinese government officials are "goons," he said, and the products they make are "junk."
What's to apologize for?
But the Chinese Government, which doesn't allow free speech in their country, is demanding that CNN and Cafferty apologize for the comments, where in America, Free Speech is encouraged and defended.
CNN said Cafferty's views were "strongly held opinion" about the Chinese Government - they are "goons" - and that the products China ships to the United States are "junk."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement,
"Those in the field of journalism should abide by their morals. They don't have the privilege to rail against or slander other people or other governments."
Instead of demanding that Cafferty or CNN apologize for the comments, China's government should apologize to the people of the world. In fact, the Chinese as a people should also be ashamed of their government's conduct and they should do something about it.
The Chinese government is engaged in the persecution of the people of Tibet and Taiwan. In Tibet, the Chinese are acting worse than goons, like street thugs, beating up on people because of their religious views.
Everyday, more and more stories are being sneaked past China's oppressive society and through their excessive censorship about the vicious oppression of the people of Tibet.
Apologize to the people of Tibet, Chinese Government!
And when it comes to "junk" being produced by China, all I have to do is turn to my six year old son who almost every day picks up one of his toys, holds it out to me and says, "Ah, Dad. This toy is made in China, too."
The phrase "Made in China" has transformed from an already ugly representation of what it once was.
It used to be the phrase raised eyebrows. The Chinese would exploit their people to produce products at slave labor prices, that greedy American corporations, including Disney, purchase and then resell to Americans at outrageous price increases.
The exploitation of cheap labor is outrageous enough.
Now, we find that many products from China are tainted with poisons. Lead paint. Lead-based substances. There have been so many reports of toys made in China that are poisoned with lead that my son has taken notice.
We have boxes of toys that have been destroyed. And the discoveries of new toys made in China and tainted with lead in my son's possessions never seems to cease.
Well it should.
So, until China starts to clean up their work industry and end the practice of slave labor. Until China starts to allow their people to practice free speech. Until China stops oppressing the people of Tibet and Taiwan and other regions. Until China starts to account for its own outrageous policies and practices, I will stand with Jack Cafferty and cheer him on.
And I also stand with those who are protesting the fact that the Olympics are being held in China. The very idea that something so civilized should be conducted in a nation that remains so unDemocratic and uncivilized is an affront to human dignity.
The only people who need to apologize are the officials in the Chinese government. And while the Chinese people themselves may not be responsible for the actions of their dictatorship government, they should also be ashamed.
(Ray Hanania can be reached at rayhanania@comcast.net. Listen to Ray's radio talk show on WCEV AM 1450 on Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. His weekly TV Show “30 Minutes” is broadcast every Friday at 7 p.m. on Channel 19 in Oak Lawn, Burbank and Bridgeview.)
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