Saturday, April 22, 2006

SHOUTING DOWN A TYRANT/Free Speach?

This incident has brought up some interesting aspects of free speach I hope to explore in this post. But for now let us get some background...
From title link:
WASHINGTON — President Bush expressed personal regret to Chinese President Hu Jintao for a protest during an elaborate welcoming ceremony on the White House lawn Thursday.

The protester interrupted the ceremony by shouting to Bush to stop the Chinese president from "persecuting the Falun Gong."

Bush later addressed the matter when he met with Hu in the Oval Office. "He just said this was unfortunate and I'm sorry it happened," said Dennis Wilder, acting senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff.

Let me try to summarize this incident more succinctly:
Wenyi Wang, 47 got press credentials from Falun Gong-affiliated newspaper to get into the event and stood on a platform with the camera crews. Hu was about 1 minute into his speach when she started shouting:
"President Bush: Stop him from killing" and "President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong." And "President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong!" She also shouted in Chinese, "President Hu, your days are numbered."

Links to video at Michelle Malkin. Before she was taken away the camera man next to her put his hand on her neck and shoulder. Which was odd since I thought they must know each other since it was more intimate than what a stranger would do in public? And at least once he put his hand to her mouth but not in a forceful manner.

It looks like she was at times blocking his camera angle, thus he tries to get her out of the line of site and at least once to quiet her for the audio feed.
Then at sometime another lady presumably a security guard puts her hand over Wang's mouth.

From Free-speech outrage: Wenyi Wang may be charged with federal crime for daring to criticize the president...of China

The second picture shows clearly that Wang in on a platform and is the same person but wathcing the video I did not see that presumably black lady anywhere, including when the male security guard escorted Wang off the stage.

Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin said she had been charged with disorderly conduct and that a charge of intimidating or disrupting foreign officials also was being considered.Link


For some background on the Falun Gong and Chinese atrocities I have blogged quit a bit on Thom's Board at China/Democratic Communism. The purpose for setting up the thread was to explore what a truly authoritarian regime does to its citizens. The title was making fun of the Chinese stating that they have a Democracy of the People, which Democratic Peace site has pointed out also.

To get some points of views in here: Huffington post thinks that President Bush Stands Up for Free Speech by Standing Up. The points they want to make is that is ironic what the US President said before Hu's speech and the interruption:
"China has become successful because the Chinese people are experience the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce -- and China can grow even more successful by allowing the Chinese people the freedom to assemble, to speak freely, to worship."

and CNN live coverage:
CNN's coverage: "An embarrassing moment, potentially, for the president." Then Miles O'Brien reacted, "I should say amid the pomp and circumstance -- a blemish." A Chinese woman expressing her views to the Chinese president in the only forum possible -- she certainly couldn't do that in China -- is a blemish? Yes, it was a pimple on the ass of such a wonderful event; an event which will usher in an era of more American jobs going overseas to communist controlled sweatshops. Dag. How dare she interrupt such pomp with all that annoying pus-filled free speech!


And Theodore's World thinks that the Genocide President Hu Jintao Meets With President Bush deserves only third place.

The article has some more nice information about atrocities in China.

And now the inspiration for this thread is from Antifascist(Anti) at China Envy...
As I was saying in the first post, American has more incommon with China than not. IN the second picture a US Agent puts her hand over Wang's mouth. The Secret Service may charge Wang with a obsure federal offense! Welcome to Amerika!
...
Bush's business partner, Hu.

What? Yes you would expect two things that are the same by definition (a nation) to have more things in common that not. But since this thread is running a little long I want to continue these and other discussions on other threads.

Links:
Woman arrested for speaking freely right after Bush call for "freedom...to speak freely" -- and CNN calls it "a blemish" on Hu visit
Free-speech outrage: Wenyi Wang may be charged with federal crime for daring to criticize the president...of China

Caution Graphic Links:
Stop the Genocide and Coverup at Chinese Concentration Camps
The Same Song and the Nazi Symbol

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home