Thursday, April 24, 2008

Relearning, Rethinking

Not long ago, I proposed on this site the idea of boycotting the upcoming summer Olympics, comparing the Chinese crackdown of Tibetan protesters to the historical "Rape of Nanking" atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperialist invaders during WWII (and before). I was corrected by Pastorius for the comparison as being faulty. Pastorius is right. I am wrong to have made that comparison.

It has been said that the only thing we never know enough of is history. Quite true. When you learn something so startling that it makes you rethink everything you believed in, well, that is a rare admission! For example: Until 9/11 2001, I believed that Israel was evil and wrong and an oppressor of Palestinians, bulldozing their homes to steal the land beneath them. I believed all that I saw on the BBC. I believed Israel murdered Mohammed Al Durah. I was wrong. I saw how wrong I was on 9/11/01 when I watched Palestinians celebrating in the streets. I was shocked to see just how wrong I was about the Beeb from watching unabashed America Hate being spewed out by hosts of its talk shows and its America hating audiences in the aftermath. I was not prepared for such hate. It buckled my knees to have to suddenly question everything I thought was true. But I have been doing it, and am keen to do it on a regular basis: Take the following post from China Confidential concerning the "peaceful" Dalai Lama, and then go, read it all for yourselves. And be thankful that not all history has gone down the memory hole. Whether or not you may agree with the analysis of Andrew Pachter, his history is solid:

"The Dalai Lama's Revenge: Tibet's former absolute ruler, the exiled Dalai Lama, is out to split China. His "Greater Tibet" autonomy movement actually aims to cut off about a quarter of the country's current territory. He seeks a restoration of theocratic government over the so-called roof of the world--a strategically important, resource-rich region that was a model of backwardness and misery before Chinese liberation. Contrary to the appealing myth, Old Tibet was no Shangri-La. On the contrary, the land ruled by the teenage Dalai Lama with the help of his depraved monks and nobles, was a hellish place. More than 95% of the population were serfs or slaves with no human rights. Torture and brutality were commonplace. Big monasteries owned nearly everything. Sadistic monks raped women and children, drank the blood of the people--literally--from bowls made out of human skulls, and decorated their living quarters with wall hangings made of human skin. The skin of children was particularly prized for this purpose.

All of which is not to suggest that the Dalai Lama (who has urged the US to negotiate with Osama Binladen) wants to return to those horrific days, although he has never apologized for the Hitlerian atrocities, (my emphasis) oppression and exploitation that distinguished Old Tibet--birthplace of the swastika in the eyes of his prewar admiring Nazi visitors and lifelong Nazi and fascist friends--never admitted that the liberation and education of the serfs was the main reason the monks rose up (with the well documented help of the CIA during the Cold War) against China following the much needed intervention of the central government in Tibetan affairs. The Dalai Lama insists that he merely seeks autonomy for his homeland; but independence is his goal.

It is a prescription for violence. China is a multicultural, multinational country; and Tibet has always been and will always be a part of China. It will never allow a split. Independence for Greater Tibet could lead restive Muslim areas to try to split from China, too. And there is no telling what could happen if the center does not hold. A series of internal conflicts could consume millions of lives.

Should pro-independence forces in Taiwan try to use the opportunity of chaos to declare formal independence from the mainland, a conflict in the Taiwan Strait could conceivably endanger the security of the world by pitting two nuclear powers--China and the US--against each other. Washington is still seemingly obligated to help Taiwan--which China regards as a renegade province--to defend itself. "

The next time, hereafter, I begin to swallow, hook, line and sinker any claim for "Independence" from some far-flung dung heap, I will immediately question the motives of those who want independence. The gold standard is and will always be America, with a constitution enshrining individual rights to assemble, to a free press, to owning a gun and freedom to worship. Anything less is a sham.

7 comments:

Ray Boyd said...

yes, like you I have done some about turns in my thinking. I also championed the rights of the Palestinians against Israel but then came to realise that israel deserved our support because their enemy is our enemy.

I am also cagey about Tibet, thanks for enlightening me further. The Chinese are effectively dealing with their Muslim jihadists and when it comes down to it theirs is the the only sort of regime that can effectively combat militant islamism in the only way the Islamists understand.

Pastorius said...

You've learned a lot more about Tibet than I know.

All I know, and pointed out, was that the Chinese had good reason to dislike the Japanese. The Japanese regime and the work they did in China, was as vicious as the Nazis.

What you point out here about the Dalai Lama is stunning. I didn't know.

How is it that Richard Gere supports such a man? Or, is that a previous Dalai Lama you're speaking of?

Damien said...

Scherzophrenic,

I used to believe the lie that Tibet was better off when it wasn't part of China as well. Part of the reason I bought into it was that China was an oppressive dictatorship. So it made sense to think they would conquer and oppress a formerly free people.
We have to remember that Islamism and Communism are not the only totalitarian evils in the world today. Right now they are just the most common. The Dalai Lama, wants a totalitarian theocracy, much like the Islam-o-Fascists. Its sad that most people don't realize that. That said, China's treatment of Tibet, may not be that humane either. Tibet's best hope, is for us to encourage free market economics, liberty and democracy in China.

Mother Effingby said...

I only discovered this truth this morning. I hope you read the rest of the article, because it concerned the lies that we believe, in this case, the Nobel Prize winners' contributions to the ultimate destruction of our country and economy. I am not sure about the current Dalai Lama. I don't even think Gere, Harrison Ford, and all those who believe in a peaceful Buddhism know the truth about the utter depravity of that religion once it is in complete control of a country. Scary to think that Buddhism as it has been westernized, may not be a peaceful religion afterall, but just as blood thirsty as it was practiced in its birthplace.

Pastorius said...

I was surprised to learn the truth about Gandhi:

http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2006/06/great-moments-in-history-of-pacifism.html

Anonymous said...

The Japs did a lot of bad shit in China. The Rape of Nanking is only one of them. They also conducted germ warfare and germ experiments on human subjects in China. Look up the history of Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army. It was a horrific crime that went largely unpunished. All these are deliberately whitewashed or not mentioned in Japanese school textbooks. The hard-core Japanese nationalist remnant go as far as denying these events, in parallel to the Holocaust deniers in the West.

Anonymous said...

hi all
check out this online book:

THE SHADOW OF THE DALAI LAMA
Sexuality, Magic and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism
http://www.iivs.de/~iivs01311/EN/front.html

(just started reading yesterday but have known some of this stuff for quite some time- recent events and occasional talks with a crazy buddhist coworker of mine finally pushed me to look for it)