Killing time, now...

It is surprising how perceptive “corporate America” is in limiting my access to web sites such as the Bund. An unfettered ability to browse and post to sites such as this would undoubtedly constitute a rather large amount of payroll and man-hours more productively used somewhere else in the casino.

Lucky for all of you, it is slow here tonight, and I chose to work my team like slaves yesterday and cleared up several hours worth of free time to screw off tonight… hehe.

So, as long as I still have 30 minutes of “quota” time available until the clock strikes midnight, I thought I’d continue to “feed the machine”…

Let’s talk about Taiwan.

Since 1971 and the secret visit by Henry Kissinger to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the United States has ceased to recognize the Republic of China (ROC, or Taiwan) as an independent, sovereign nation. In fact, Nixon himself said, during his 1972 visit to China, that there was only “one China, and Taiwan was part of China.” With those words, the majority of countries that had previously supported the ROC’s seat on the Security Council of the UN changed their minds and voted to replace the ROC membership with the membership of the PRC.

Since 1972, the ROC has held multi-party democratic elections every 2 years. The “Chiang” dynasty of Chiang Kei-shek and his son is ancient history, and Taiwan is now fishing for representation of its 22 million people as the Republic of Taiwan in the UN General Assembly.

The US still refuses to recognize this attempt as legitimate because a change in the NAME of the country is one of the “triggers” that China instituted to ensure no cession would occur in Taiwan. In fact, James and I recall days when the toys we played with as children said “Made in Taiwan”… but since the mid-70s, that was replaced with “Made in China” to appease the PRC and avoid any hint of “official” US recognition of the ROC as an independent state.

Why has the US and it’s most “conservative” and “anti-Communist” leaders over the last 35 years (that includes the nearly “divine” Ronald W. Reagan, by the way) STILL pandering to a repressive, Communist regime and refusing to recognize a nation that for 22 years and a WORLD WAR was one of our strongest and staunchest allies? Forget the fact that the PRC and its policy of “One China” is simply the mirror-image of the policy instituted by Chiang in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War (stating that the ROC was the legitimate and legal representative government of the entire nation of China)… and forget that they have now DROPPED that claim and only assert their authority as a representative government of the people living on the island and within a 225 mile zone around the island… forget the fact that since the free elections and democratic reforms instituted by Chiang’s son have eliminated the possibility of incidents like Tiananmen Square from ever happening in Taipei the way they did in Beijing…

We are still pandering to a Communist state, in no way different than every Presidential administration did to the USSR prior to Reagan!!! In fact, they now enjoy the benefit of “Most Favored Nation” status in regards to trade with the US! President Bush hasn’t even been able to give Russia, the Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, or Belarus the status of MFN, for Pete’s sake… who is more likely to see eye-to-eye with the US, Latvia or PRC? Who is likely to BENEFIT more from a US MFN status, Russia or China? Who will WE benefit more from?

Now, I’ve heard all the talk about how big a market China is for US goods… how much that trade status means to US business in the Pacific… and that is all well and good, I’m sure. Let’s just check some facts (to quote Dennis Miller… ):

Who is China’s BIGGEST supplier of crude oil? Iran

Where is China’s BIGGEST market for ballistic missile technology? North Korea

Who is the loudest voice of dissention in the UN Security Council when it comes to sanctions against rogue states that support terror (Iran and North Korea)? China

What nation still maintains a “functional” stockpile of tactical and strategic chemical and biological weapons and material, and the facilities and technology to produce more on demand? China

Which member of the “nuclear club” that DID NOT sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty now has the largest surplus of fissile material unaccounted for? China

Which “Cold War” enemy of the US now poses the biggest threat to US interests and/or to US allies in the region? China

Which combatant nation of the Korean conflict has NEVER allowed US investigators to visit suspected POW prisons where Americans have been reported to be held since 1956? China

I want to hear again WHO it was that defeated Communism in the 20th Century… and I want to hear it from a conservative Republican…