“CHINA, HOW YOU GONNA KEEP THEM DOWN ON THE FARM”

By Individualist (TheIndividualist@comcast.net)“The Purpose of government is to limit the needs of its citizens from the involvement of the government.”

Over 150 Dead in riots in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in clashes between the government supported Han Chinese and the Turkish speaking Muslim minority the Uyghurs. Recently the Obama administration has released several Uyghurs to Bermuda. The question is what is going on in Western China and why has the American government not been more forthright in detailing what is going on. In reviewing the various facets of the story which I could sneak past the Great Firewall of China (Thanks Google – Don’t Be Evil), I realized that to truly understand this story we must go back to the simple basics found down on the Farm”.


The Animal Farm that is………………………………………………………………


The area known as the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of Communist China is located in North Western China. It is populated by Turkish speaking Muslims. Independence in this area is not some dream that is supported by wishful thinking anti-communist conservatives in the west. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty they have had different degrees of independence and self governance. In October of 1933 they declared independence and formed the Islamic Republic of East Turkestan which lasted one year. Again in 1944 they declared Independence as the Second East Turkestan Republic under the guidance of the Soviet Union but were retaken by China in 1949. China reclassified the area as an autonomous region in 1955.

Oddly enough the region is rich in oil and the economic opportunities have driven interest by the Chinese government. The government has encouraged migration to the area by Han Chinese. The population of Han Chinese has increased from 5% in 1940 to 40% as of 2008. The facts that I have garnered above come from my research at the websites of NPR and the Council of Foreign Relations. In analyzing the racial aspect of the situation we note several Easter eggs the Chinese government has hidden.



There is a great deal of racial tension among the groups and ethnic discrimination in China is a major problem that the Chinese government tries very had to hide from the west. Ethnic tension among the Uyghurs dates back to the 1750’s. In America we would call this attitude racism but since China is a utopia for leftists the terminology is altered somewhat to soften the impact. It can be inferred by an analysis that the actions of the Chinese government are meant to inflame racial tensions among the ethnic Muslims. In 2002, the Chinese government gave information that the separatist group the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) was receiving aid from Al Qaeda. Since the communist government is known for falsifying information the exact nature of the claims is suspect. There is some conjecture that the ETIM does not have significant ties to the Bin Laden network but have had some contact. This explains our reluctance to return the Uyghurs captured in Afghanistan back to China and instead we have removed them to neutral countries. In 2006 we transferred Uyghurs captured to Albania and again in 2009 to Bermuda.

These then are the relevant facts of the case. What exactly is it that one should derive from them. For me I can’t help seeing many parallels between the governments, the people involved and the media outlets and the book by George Orwell, “Animal Farm”. I think that I will do my best to describe the metaphor by trying to point out who is who in the cast of characters.

Snowball



Rebiya Kadeer is an activist for the Uyghur people. Her story is one that in one sense is even more compelling than that of Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Bill Gates or Herman Cain, each n their own right a great American “Industrialist”. She started out in the Uyghur Autonomous region of China as a laundress and managed within communist China as an ethnic minority to become a millionaire. She was such an outstanding success that the Chinese government appointed her to the National Congress.

When she spoke out against the abuses of her people however they stripped her of her power and put her in jail for five years. Due to her humanitarian efforts she won several awards which forced the Chinese government to release her in 2005. She now works from a small office in Washington DC. The Chinese government has used its influence to threaten the Norwegian Nobel Committee to keep her from obtaining a Nobel Peace Prize. She is followed by the Chinese version of the CIA, An Chuan Ting and there has been one assassination attempt on her life in Virginia.

Her story is told in the book the Dragon Fighter.
Dragon Fighter
One Woman’s Epic Struggle for Peace with China
Rebiya Kadeer
with Alexandra Cavelius
Introduction by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Kales Press, a W. W. Norton affiliate
ISBN-13: 978-0-99798456-1-1

Rebiya is a perfect example of the metaphor George Orwell was attempting to explain in the character of Snowball. Although he was a revolutionary in his own way Snowball was unknowingly for capitalism. He was the inspiration for the idea of the windmill on the farm. He was the one that wanted to use the capital of the animal’s labors to better their plight. This is something the industrialist, the small business owner, the inventor and the marketer of ideas does through free market capitalism. To me Capitalism is not a philosophy like Marxism, Fascism or Libertarianism. Capitalism exists no matter what form of government you employ. There will always be capital and any society will have to make use of that capital in order to continue. Whether it is handled by individuals or collectivist organizations, the laws that will dictate the results are best explained by Capitalism. Capitalism therefore to me is a science, a model in much the same way that gravity or quantum physics is a model for the associated aspects of the Universe. What we refer to as the philosophy of capitalism I think is better stated as Free Market Individualism. Something I wholly support. Thus like Snowball the ruling pigs in China had to force Rebiya off the farm because her ideas were troubling their endeavors to create a collectivist state to rule.

The Young Pigs and the Hens

In the book the Animal Farm any animal that was perceived as trying to stand up for themselves or questioning the ideas of Napoleon ended up being put to death. These included among others the Hens who started the Egg rebellion and the four young pigs who spoke against Napolean in the meetings before they were disbanded.

As in the book this story has its victims. Among these are the 165 dead in the riots and sadly Mrs. Kadeers youngest son, Alim Abdureyim who on July 1, 2006 confessed to political crimes authorities in China after being tortured. The torture began on June 25, 2006.



We are not sure as to his injuries, I have no knowledge that he is even alive and how do I find out. Ask the Chinese consolate? Why believe them? All I can do is pray that the angels watch over him. The NPR article states the the Chinese government has a 99% conviction rate because evidence of torture is not reason to throw out a confession under Chinese law.

Napoleon and the Rulings Pigs


In Animal Farm the pigs take the leadership role supervising the work and eventually moving into the manor house to take over as the de facto leaders of the farm, rewriting the rules to suit themselves and others. I understand that China is ruled by the Communist Party, that they are controlled by a Central Committee but what does that mean, exactly. To gain further insight I decided to go to the Constitution of China itself. In particular the 2,618 words (translated to English) and five pages dedicated to membership in the Communist party.

Evidently it is not as simple as going down to the DMV, filling out the registration form and placing a check by the D as a communist in America would do. No you have to be 18, you have to show knowledge of Marxist Leninism with Mao Zedong thought, you must have the recommendation of two full members of the Communist party who are responsible for your work ethic and ensuring you think like a communist, you have to fill out an application which must be reviewed at a general meeting where it needs approval, and then you are a probationary member. After a year’s probation where you show you are worthy you will be accepted as a full member and even then you must “work on party programs” and pay dues. Geez even the Unions in this country don’t expect you to actually work.

Within the membership section it explains that all members must join a branch or a cell which shall be subordinate to higher party organizations which in turn take their marching orders from the Central Committees and the National Congress. While it does say that the election of delegates shall be held by a secret ballot (Hey at least that is better than card check), it does state that who gets to be on the list is subject to “full deliberation and discussion”. The thing I find hilarious is that the Article 11 of Chapter I Membership of the constitution gives specific instructions on how to handle those elections where there are more people on the ballot than are delegate slots available as if that is a rare occurrence. Of course if there is any issue with a lower party branch’s elections, the next ruling body has the authority to invalidate that election and take appropriate measure. Makes you rethink the purpose of the hammer and sickle.

The words in the Chinese constitution that provide the best metaphor for the Pigs in Animal Farm are from Article 2 of Chapter I Membership which is listed below:

Members of the Communist Party of China are at all times ordinary members of the working people. Communist Party members must not seek personal gain or privileges, although the relevant laws and policies provide them with personal benefits and job-related functions and powers.

Don’t seek material gain and of course you are then bestowed with material benefits. It must be a Zen thing I guess. To Hu Jintao I only have this to add. Would not the following have been easier than five pages of complicated rules and still have said the same thing:

“All Animals are Equal
Some Animals are more Equal than others” - George Orwell, Animal Farm

Squealer


In Animal Farm, Squealer represents the propaganda arm of the government. He is the Pig that has the gift of the blarney and will go out to tell the carefully crafted lies to the workers and people in order to cover up, spin and explain away the actions of the government. He is the huckster working the three card Monte deck who seems to be able to use his verbal sleight of hand in such a way that you only see the red queen when he wants you to see it. In our metaphor Squealer is represented by the Chinese government’s diplomatic mouth pieces.

It really is not important which marketing agent the Chinese use to spread their message so much as it is the message itself. In regard to this I have two examples

South African Article

The following article can be found on IOL a premiere news service in South Africa entitled “Racism still rife in US, says China”. It describes allegations made by the Chinese government concerning denouncing “widespread discrimination in the United States”. The Chinese seem to be lapping up each and every canard of the race mongers in our country that exacerbate white guilt at the least of provocation. The purpose of the article is to ridicule reports by the US decrying human rights violations in China. They make the following statement:

Blacks are given heavier criminal penalties, arrested more frequently and are more likely to be targeted for hate crimes, the report said.

What is actually surreal about this statement is that black people are considered “Black Demons” by the Han Chinese. Despite what Al Sharpton would have us believe Racism and Discrimination is a wholly human condition and there is not one group of people in the world that at one time have not been guilty of it or haven fallen victim to the embrace of its way of thinking.

China calls for the probing of Human Rights abuses in the United States. I would ask this question of the Chinese government: If you are so concerned with Racial Harmony, why are you promoting unrest in Xinjiang and Tibet engaged at reducing the numbers of the cultural residents that currently reside there?

We also have an individual that responded in comments to NPR as Datang Immortal (Datang Immortal 4th) who seems to take the other tack:

The racial issues in the US had made remarkable progress in the last 50 years, but it come at a cost. and China want to learn from America's success in racial integration. But there are certain people in the name of preserving minority culture were actually fueling the racial divide, and brain wash the Uighur that they are not Chinese. What if someone educate American kid, you are not American, you are African, you are Hispanic, you are Japanese? we all know this is wrong, but if you think this is wrong to America, how this could be right to China?

Shame on NPR, worse than communist propaganda, you are fueling racial divide here ! Rebiya Kadeer Terrorist, supporting East Turkestan Islamic Movement a terrorist organization listed by US, China and Russia, that's why she's arrested. before that China promoted her to great success.

Authors note: In statements Ms. Kadeer has called for Non-violent solutions to the problem which is one reason human rights groups give her humanitarian awards and she is a candidate for a Nobel Peace prize, her alleged support of terrorism by this Datang individual notwithstanding.

Now I am not certain whether this individual truly believes what he is saying or if the comments are manufactured by him. I will state that the comments are, making amends for the fact that English does not appear to be his first language, very lucid and probably very close to what someone who was repeating them for the sake of propaganda would say. Since it is the message I am concerned with here for my metaphor I will give Datang the benefit of the doubt but I will not treat his message with the same generosity.

So in Africa America is terrible and harming its African American citizens but in America “We have made great strides” and China just wants to learn from us. The message is formed to get the best response which seems to be “Hey, Leave us to torture our ne’er-do-wells in peace and tranquility”. Marxists are well known for their use of the oxymoron.

The Sheep


In the end of Animal Farm the pigs finally take down the commandments of Animalism and begin walking on two feet, the veil is finally lifted. The Animals begin to get angry but before they can react they are drowned out by a chorus from the Sheep, “Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better … Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better”. This mantra drones on for 15 minutes until the animals become lulled into complacency. Perhaps more than any other part of the story this is the saddest part. We end up enslaved by the senseless.

The Chinese government seems to have been successful in getting some individuals to believe that any criticism by Americans of their government’s actions must be founded in racism.

Demonizing China
If the Chinese are putting lead into our toothpaste and children’s toys, speaking out against it is “racist” since many other countries and companies’ make mistakes. Never mind that a totalitarian government has no incentive to enact standards or pay the prisoners doing the manual labor a decent wage which might be factors, racism is to be the only consideration deemed politically correct.

Chinese Espionage
If a Chinese national working for the American government is accused of espionage then of course it must only be racism.

The Media on China
Here is a fellow that even thinks among other things that the outcry against the Olympics over the treatment of those dying in Tibet was just another example of the blue eyed devil’s hatred of those who don’t look like him.

Black and White Cat
Here is an interesting post from a blog called the Black and White Cat which does proffer the mythology of the Berkeley left that all interaction with missionaries is somehow tied to oppression. In expressing the sins of the recent past of the colonizing era of the European powers, the connection is somehow used to divine the true intent of our current leaders whose decisions must be enslaved to their upbringing. Specifically:

“Non-white countries, on the other hand, might sometimes be feared - eg. China, Iran, Bolivia, Venezuela - but they also have to be saved. I’m not really sure why we’re supposed to be afraid of Bolivia and Venezuela, but it seems that we are.”

Now to be fair I think this individual is intelligent and thoughtful but the message is couched in dialectic that does not I believe allow one to see past its spinning logic to understand what is going on. I think this is the point. (As an aside I have been to Recife, Brazil which is some 90 miles from the Venezuelan border. The majority of the people that live there are “white” and came from the same European continent I did. The notion we have in this country that to be Latin is to be another race is laughable. Yet it persists as a myth in our culture.)

The individual states they do not know “Why” Venezuela is to be feared. Hugo Chavez has defrauded the Venezuelan voters twice to maintain his Presidency. The first time when protestors (students) marched against him he had thugs open fire on them from roof tops. He controls the press in that country and has been aiding FARC guerillas in destabilizing the Colombian government. He set up military bases in Bolivia which have angered Peru and inflamed tensions with Chile over access to the sea from land lost in a War in 1884. He recently threatened to invade Honduras and has publicly threatened Brazil and Mexico over trade agreements. He once told the Venezuelan people on his Radio Sunday show “Alo Presidente” that his political opposition refused to run a candidate against him in the election in a desperate attempt to make him “look” like a dictator. I for one don’t question why one would fear Venezuela at all. It is run by an egocentric paranoid tyrant.

These are communist dictators. They delve in the totalitarian socialism of Fascism and Leninist Marxism. They prey on the individual and use their collectivist philosophies to enslave. To get the message out one has to speak above the bleating of the sheep. We are inundated with the chants and slogans designed to deflect and obfuscate. Is China killing Tibetans? Should we support them? “America Racist! Minorities Good!”. Is Chavez a dictator threatening his neighbors? “America Racist! Minorities Good!”. Should we stop drug dealers who from crossing over from Mexico? “America Racist! Minorities Good!”. Should we allow North Korea to send missiles over Japan? “America Racist! Minorities Good!”. Should we buy Chinese products that have lead in them? “America Racist! Minorities Good!”.

The individuals that I have illustrated here have really done nothing wrong and I am not disputing their right to make those points. What I am trying to do is to illustrate the unconscious message whose underpinnings are supported. That is what is being manipulated. We have allowed ourselves to become so obsessed with Race that we see bogeymen hiding in children’s cartoons. We have come to the point that we question whether a black person is a racist against other black people because he lives “white”. Living “white” evidently is having more money than what Jesse Jackson thinks is allowed. These individuals are just repeating those parts of the cultural world view that is indoctrinated into us all when we watch the news and listen to entertainment. The guilt of being discriminatory will cause us to edit ourselves even with the actions of a communist dictatorship that kills its own people. It is this flaw the Squealers of the world are willing to exploit. In the end the Sheep are not just these people but all of us. This is how propaganda works. It is the art of editing the truth.

But there is Hope!
Furniture Tax Protest

From the BBC “Protesters in the south-eastern Chinese city of Nanking have overturned police cars and blocked roads over plans to more strictly enforce payment of taxes”. This event was about taxes on furniture in the Nanking a port city in central eastern China. We Americans can’t talk, we started a Revolution over the price of Tea from China.


I misremember the words but today I am thinking the song starts off with:

“China, how you gonna keep them down on the farm, after the freedom bell rings………”