Saw an article about some elderly people (in their late 70’s) who may go to labour camp for a year, because their permission for a protest in a designated protest zone was denied. Are they perhaps going to the labour camp because they went ahead and protested anyway? Nope. Their infraction seems to be requesting permission.

And what was their protest? Problems with communism? Nope. Unhappy about Taiwan and Tibet? Nope. They’re upset because China has not given them the compensation they were promised years ago when they were forced out of their homes for real estate development (maybe for the Olympic grounds). The nerve of those elderly people! 

The scary thing is that with China not hiding the fact that it beats and intimidates people who think against the grain, you have to seriously wonder what sort of outcome was issued for the people whose grievances were addressed and resolved by the government. “Oh, you don’t like the fact that we won’t tell you what happened to your journalist son who went missing after being escorted away by police officers three years ago? Well we don’t like the fact that you keep asking us about it. Maybe if we break your ribs again you’ll learn to stop asking.”

Now I think I have a more clear understanding why Cheney likes having a strong relationship with China.