Video: The American Tank Man

Allegory: a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.

Perhaps there is no allegory that better illustrates the lopsidedness that exists in the fight between government tyranny and a repressed populace, than the photo of one man - known as Tank Man - standing in front of four tanks in Tiananmen Square. That man, unidentified, defeated those tanks by taking a stand.

As the gun control debate heats up here in the United States, the Tea Party may be witnessing a re-birth. Even Bill Clinton seems to think so.

Enter one of the Tank Men from Tiananmen Square. The video below is of an activist who fought Chinese government tyranny there in 1989. Today, he is an American citizen and gun owner who explains perfectly the reason for the Second Amendment.

That reason is not hunting and it's not home protection. The reason for the Second Amendment is to shorten the odds between government tyrants and its repressed victims. The reason why Democrats in the U.S. want more gun control is very simple. They prefer those odds to be as long as possible.

In the video below, the American Tank Man gives a rousing speech, though the first paragraph was not captured by the cameraman so the opening transcript is below:

The past Monday I decided to visit the Minuteman Park in Lexington and pay tribute to Captain John Parker and his fellow minutemen. A thought came to my mind, that the founding fathers of the United States and Chairman Mao had one thing in common: they all realized that guns are important political instruments. Their similarities, however, ended there:

Chairman Mao wrote: ‘Political power grows out of barrel of a gun’, and he dictated: ‘The party shall command the gun’. James Madison and his compatriots, however, believing that the power of the state is derived from the consent of the governed, ratified that ‘the right to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’.

Here is the video of the American Tank Man, via Blog O'Stuff (h/t Sipsey Street):

Is China $1 Trillion in debt... to America?

This is certainly an interesting twist, reported by McClatchy of all places. Did you know that the American people are holding roughly $1 Trillion in Chinese bond debt? How is this possible, you ask?

Via McClatchy:

The story begins nearly 100 years ago, in 1913, when the government of China began issuing bonds to foreign investors and governments for infrastructure work to modernize the country. As the country fell into civil war in 1927, paying these debts became increasingly difficult and the government fell into default. Even so, in April 1938, the Nationalist government of China began to issue U.S.-dollar denominated bonds to finance the war against Japan's brutal invasion.

Locked in a pitched battle for survival, the government issued these bonds into 1940. As part of its wartime financial aid, the U.S. government further provided a $500 million credit to China in March 1942, shipping gold there and helping to stabilize the currency. In return, it appears that the U.S. government redeemed some of these dollar-denominated bonds. But China doesn't appear to have repaid this debt either, according to State Department records, and the declaration of the People's Republic of China in 1949 ended decades of political, military and financial cooperation.

While successor governments are usually bound by the debts of predecessor governments, the new Communist government refused to pay any of these claims. The issue lay dormant for decades, just as the bilateral relationship did. Then, in 1979, as part of normalizing relations, Washington released government financial claims regarding the expropriation of American property and appears to have dropped the matter of the war debt entirely. However, it is one thing for government decision-makers to let go of government debt, however questionable that is.

And it is entirely another thing for individual citizens to press their claims. Some U.S. investors tried to sue the Chinese government in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act makes it very hard for any U.S. citizen to sue a foreign government in U.S. courts because the law generally says that U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction.

The law usually only allows the jurisdiction of U.S. courts if a foreign government waives its immunity, commits a tort or seizes property. Recent additional exceptions have been added for terrorism. China lost an initial summary judgment for failing to appear in court but, with the urging of the U.S. State Department, later appeared in court and successfully argued that U.S. courts did not have jurisdiction.

Today, the Chinese bonds held by U.S. investors may be worth as much as $750 billion, according to Jonna Bianco, president of the American Bondholders Foundation, who estimates the value of bonds held by investors worldwide may be $10 trillion, including interest and penalties for default.

Bianco, who is doing media interviews on this topic, is not happy about China reneging on this debt while purchasing American banks and AMC movie theaters.

Via Special Guests:

Jonna Bianco, president and founder of the American Bondholders Foundation (ABF) says that if China is the economic superpower the world believes it is, they should now begin paying back this debt to its American bondholders and the American people. Instead, China is ignoring these obligations and buying things like banks and movie theaters on American soil.

“Is it not enough that the bulk of our manufacturing base has shifted over to China placing millions and millions of Americans out of work? Is it not enough that China continues to provide ammunitions and weaponry to our enemies that are killing American troops overseas? Is it not enough that China continues to steal our intellectual property/trade secrets/patents making knock off products that they dump around the world costing American Businesses billions and billions of dollars in losses? Is it not enough that China has continued their cyber warfare attacks against American people, businesses and the American Government? Is it not enough that China continues to manipulate its currency? Is it not enough that China continues massive unfair trade practices? Is it not enough that China continues to support the North Korean and Iranian Nuclear Programs which continue to threaten the safety and future of America? At what point will Americans say....ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! No More! We must stop the double standards that China has and make them pay their bills!

It appears that both the Bush and Obama administrations have refused to press this issue. That said, the American people were bilked by their own government in 2009 to the tune of $787 Billion in stimulus and now, if reports are true that the Obama administration could forgive China's debt to Americans, we could be bilked again for about the same amount.

In fact, in an email response I received from Bianco about how much we owe China vs. how much they owe us, she replied:

"China owes the U.S. including its bondholders more than we owe them by far!"

More on this subject at American Bondholders Foundation.

Video: Newt's Declaration of Energy Independence

As high gas prices are becoming a central issue these days, the content of this ad is timed very well. From Winning Our Future, here's a montage of Newt's finer moments when it comes to talking about energy policy. It also contains a smack down of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA). It's an ad that clearly highlights Newt's stronger points. As you watch, imagine what a debate between Newt and Obama on energy policy might look like.



h/t Free Republic

Now John McCain wants to Arm Syrian Rebels

Seriously, Senator John McCain is proving to be very dangerous to his country. He continues to say and do things that feed right into the Muslim Brotherhood's hands. It is truly amazing to watch. Despite video of the Syrian rebels with al-Qaeda flags behind them, McCain - along with RINO Lindsey Graham - want to provide them support in the form of weapons.

Via The Hill:

Two prominent Republican U.S. senators urged that the United States arm opposition forces in Syria Sunday as the government of Bashar al-Assad continued a bloody crackdown on the protests that have engulfed the nation.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who both serve on the Senate Armed Services committee, argued that arming rebel fighters in the country could help beat back a Syrian government with close ties to Iran.

“Breaking Syria apart from Iran could be as important to containing a nuclear Iran as sanctions,” Graham said at a press conference in Kabul, according to the New York Times. “If the Syrian regime is replaced with another form of government that doesn’t tie its future to the Iranians, the world is a better place.”

What these two buffoons don't seem to understand is that if Syria falls into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood, the situation there would be much worse. Arming the rebels is the worst possible thing we could do. Not only does it help a Muslim Brotherhood that is growing increasingly powerful but it also angers Iran. I'm all for being tough with Iran but getting in the middle of a dog fight and siding with the bigger of the two dogs is the quintessential lose / lose scenario.

“I believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct United States involvement,” McCain said. “The Iranians and the Russians are providing Bashar Assad with weapons. People that are being massacred deserve to have the ability to defend themselves.”

“So I am not only not opposed, but I am in favor of weapons being obtained by the opposition,” McCain added.

Not sure why McCain in particular is so thick-headed but for some reason, America's leaders are simply out to lunch when it comes to the Muslim Brotherhood. Remember James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, saying this last year?

This was either perjury or a level of incompetence so severe, he should have been fired.

Video: Hollywood Actor sees what China is Really Like

Hollywood actor Christian Bale was in Beijing recently to promote his latest film about the Japanese invasion in the 20th century. Instead of getting on the plane to head home, however, he decided to take a 8 hour car ride outside the city to visit a blind, anti-abortion activist named Chen Guangcheng, who has been sentenced to home confinement after serving his four-year prison sentence. It's pretty safe to say that Chinese secret police, who were stationed near Chen's home, did not welcome Bale with the open arms he received in Beijing.

Check out this video from CNN via Verum Serum of Bale's attempt to visit Chen Guangcheng. In it, Bale admits it's not in his nature to insert himself into such situations but that in this case, he simply could not look the other way. I must admit, I was surprised to hear in this report, that Hillary Clinton has raised this issue of Chen's plight as well.



That is what we call an eye-opening experience and Bale deserves heaps of credit for putting himself in the position of having it. The actor is known for having a temper and once went off on the photography director who interrupted him during a movie scene. It would really be nice to see Bale channel that energy into fighting for a cause like the one he was exposed to 8 hours outside of Beijing.

In fact, it'd be nice to see someone like Chen get the treatment Nelson Mandela got from the left but the former is an anti-abortion activist, which is a big strike against him.

VS has another video, shot from inside the home of Chen. He is constantly monitored by non-uniformed security guards outside his home. As you watch, keep in mind how many people on the left in America revere China.

Video: MLK's Daughter Channels Archie Bunker's recollection of who Signed Declaration of Independence

While on-hand at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the commemoration of a Chinese-made statue dedicated to her father, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Bernice King appeared to know as much about American history as the Mao-loving sculptor responsible for the statue. While appearing to compare the MLK statue with that of Lincoln's, Bernice said that Lincoln was remembered for signing the Declaration of Independence. Uh, not unless he discovered a time machine first.

It reminded me of an Archie Bunker quote from an episode in which he was conversing with George Jefferson:

Hold it, hold it, Jefferson. I don't go around signing political documentaries just like that, ya know. Even Abe Lincoln, smart as he was, he read the Declaration of Independence before putting his John Hancock on it.

Oh, the irony.

Nearly a year ago, I wrote about why I have a problem with this statue. Aside from the fact that it was made in China by a sculptor of Mao statues, it portrays MLK as angry, with a furrowed brow and crossed arms. While we're on the subject of MLK and American presidents, I also wrote about the King family lawsuit that found James Earl Ray innocent of their father's death. Who'd they find guilty? Uh, well, operatives in a Democrat administration.

Anyway, here is Bernice King misremembering what Lincoln is remembered for:



h/t Breitbart

Video: Trump's Message is Resonating Big Time

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump's words are resonating in a big way with the Tea Party. He got more traction than anyone prior to him when he demanded Obama present his Birth Certificate. He's also saying what many Americans have been demanding from a leader for years. China is a threat to the United States but no one has put forth a plan of how to deal with it. To his credit, Trump has done so. Iraq? The cost of the war since 2003 has been over $1 Trillion. Trump's solution? Stay there and pay down the debt with the oil we rightfully secured.

The alternative would be to leave with a $1 Trillion debt and watch Iran take control of the oil. Trump has been getting a lot of time on O'Reilly's show this week but this excerpt may be the best so far. I've got some issues with Trump but couldn't agree more with his arguments in this exchange.

Via Fox Nation:

IDF Discovers Iranian Missiles Disguised as Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

It should be more than obvious why there were those who vehemently opposed turning the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians in 2005. Anyone with an ounce of rational thought knew that Gaza would descend into a terrorist bastion and that the concession wouldn't satiate the Palestinians; it would provide them another platform from which to attack Israel. That is precisely what's been happening ever since. We can now add the confiscation of C-704 Missiles to the list.

On March 15th, IDF forces discovered six missiles believed to have come from Iran, which had earlier announced it had begun producing models similar to those originating in China. The C-704's were part of a shipment that included 50 tons of 'sophisticated weapons' on a ship that was supposed to contain humanitarian aid. The fact that Egypt is falling to the Muslim Brotherhood only compounds a serious problem.

Via Washington Examiner:

Obama's Envy for China Revealed

We didn't really need more evidence that Obama reveres communist China after the Oba-Mao t-shirts, the Mao Christmas tree ornaments, the words of Anita Dunn, Ron Bloom, Van Jones, and countless others. Nonetheless, we have yet another reason for Obama's envy of China; it has to do with how Hu Jintao is able to deal with dissent.

Via the Weekly Standard, the New York Times reported the following:

“Mr. Obama has told people that it would be so much easier to be the president of China. As one official put it, ‘No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintao’s words in Tahrir Square.’”

Obama has put a whole new spin on that old 'Grass is greener on the other side allegory.'

Unfortunately, it involves shutting people up with force that you don't agree with.

h/t Gateway Pundit

Honolulu Passes Resolution Urging Limbaugh to Apologize

Just when you thought this was old news, the Honolulu City Council brings it back into the proverbial fold. Rush Limbaugh mocked Chinese president Hu Jintao during the Chinese president's visit to the United States last month. The story had legs for about ten days then died - or so we thought. Thanks to these hypersensitive, politically correct, and anti-American whack jobs, Limbaugh's hilarious interpretation of Hu Jintao is making news again.

Via the AP:

HONOLULU (AP) -- The Honolulu City Council has approved a resolution urging radio show host Rush Limbaugh to apologize for comments on China's president.

The Star Advertiser reports that the City Council voted 8-1 Wednesday asking the talk show host to apologize for what it termed "offensive and derogatory remarks" made about Chinese President Hu Jintao on his Jan. 19 radio program.

Limbaugh claimed there was no translation of the Chinese president's speech during a visit to the White House, then launched into an imitation of the Chinese leader's dialect.

Conspicuously absent from the Honolulu City Council is a resolution demanding an apology from either Obama or Hu Jintao for allowing an anti-American song to be played in the White House during the state dinner for the Chinese leader.

Here's Limbaugh's translation set to music..



h/t Weasel Zippers

Democrat: Limbaugh Bad, Anti-American Song Good

A state Senator in California is outraged that Rush Limbaugh would mock the speech of Chinese president Hu Jintao during his recent trip for a state dinner at the White House. Conspicuously absent from Sen. Leland Yee has been any denouncement of a the pro-Chinese / anti-American song played at that state dinner by a Chinese pianist named Lang Lang. This selective outrage should immediately call into question, Yee's loyalty to the Constitution he took an oath to uphold.

Via the AP:

Rush Limbaugh's imitation of the Chinese language during a recent speech made by Chinese President Hu Jintao has stirred a backlash among Asian-American lawmakers in California and nationally.

California state Sen. Leland Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, is leading a fight in demanding an apology from the radio talk show host for what he and others view as racist and derogatory remarks against the Chinese people.

In recent days, the state lawmaker has rallied civil rights groups in a boycott of companies like Pro Flowers, Sleep Train and Domino's Pizza that advertise on Limbaugh's national talk radio show.

Yet, where is Yee's outrage about Lang Lang performing a song at the White House less than ten days earlier in which American troops were referred to as "jackals?"

While the White House wasn't silent on Lang Lang's performance, it DID defend it by saying it was not insulting. No word yet on what the official Obama administration response to Limbaugh will be.

With that as a backdrop, sit back and enjoy a little Rush...

Epoch Times: Anti-American, Pro-Chinese Song Performed at White House State Dinner

If this is true, it is beyond disgraceful, and even further confirms Obama's contempt for the country he was elected to lead. At the recent White House state dinner for Hu Jintao, a Chinese pianist named Lang Lang performed a song from a Chinese propaganda film about a victory against 'American jackals.' This tune has apparently been a longtime favorite of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and was intended to humiliate the United States.

Via Epoch Times:

Lang Lang the pianist says he chose it. Chairman Hu Jintao recognized it as soon as he heard it. Patriotic Chinese Internet users were delighted as soon as they saw the videos online. Early morning TV viewers in China knew it would be played an hour or two beforehand. At the White House State dinner on Jan. 19, about six minutes into his set, Lang Lang began tapping out a famous anti-American propaganda melody from the Korean War: the theme song to the movie “Battle on Shangganling Mountain.”

The film depicts a group of “People’s Volunteer Army” soldiers who are first hemmed in at Shanganling (or Triangle Hill) and then, when reinforcements arrive, take up their rifles and counterattack the U.S. military “jackals.”

The movie and the tune are widely known among Chinese, and the song has been a leading piece of anti-American propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for decades. CCP propaganda has always referred to the Korean War as the “movement to resist America and help [North] Korea.” The message of the propaganda is that the United States is an enemy—in fighting in the Korean War the United States’ real goal was said to be to invade and conquer China. The victory at Triangle Hill was promoted as a victory over imperialists.

Speaking of Americans as 'imperialists,' see how many friends, associates, and people from Obama's past who loathe this country based on the notion that it is 'imperialist.'

If you can stomach it, here is a clip from the movie called "Battle of Triangle Hill." Then ask yourself how many people are more concerned about the Super Bowl than about this.



h/t Hapblog

Video: U.S. Rep Says Hu Jintao Should be at the Hague

As we all know, Chinese president Hu Jintao was treated to a lavish state dinner by the Obama administration during his visit to the United States. With China's human rights record, it's nothing short of rewarding evil. In light of the Great Recession, it's just another notch in Obama's irresponsible spending belt.

Obama has already demonstrated an affinity for Mao in the form of his relationships with Van Jones, Bill Ayers, Mike Klonsky, Ron Bloom, Anita Dunn, et al.

Via Hapblog:

VIDEO: O'REILLY SMACKS DOWN STATE DEPT SPOKESMAN

There are times when O'Reilly has my head spinning as I watch the no-spin zone - the culture warriors and the body language lady come to mind. Then there are times like this with State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley when he knocks it out of the park and redeems himself. It truly is moments like these when O'Reilly is at his best and he needs to continue bringing them to his viewers.

When Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner visited China last week, he - on his own - brought up the Arizona immigration law while discussing human rights violations; he apologized for one of the states in his own country to the leaders of another country. In this case, China.

Conspicuously silent on this matter has been Posner's boss, Hillary Clinton who has said nothing, which makes these comments by State Department spokesman Crowley those of Hillary herself.

While interviewing Crowley, O'Reilly focuses not so much on Posner's comments in China but why he was hired in the first place. Watch as he asks Crowley why Posner was even hired and follows it up with, "Was Raul Castro not available?"

Video via Gateway Pundit

NEW LOW FOR STATE DEPARTMENT: APOLOGIZE FOR ARIZONA

Not only is the U.S. State Department - headed by Hillary Clinton - apologizing for one of the United States - Arizona - but it is doing so to China. Even at that, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner apparently decided to bring up the matter of Arizona's new immigration law all by himself.

Via Powerline, here's what the AP had to say:

Posner said in addition to talks on freedom of religion and expression, labor rights and rule of law, officials also discussed Chinese complaints about problems with U.S. human rights, which have included crime, poverty, homelessness and racial discrimination.

He said U.S. officials did not whitewash the American record and in fact raised on its [sic] own a new immigration law in Arizona that requires police to ask about a person's immigration status if there is suspicion the person is in the country illegally.

Raised on its own?! First of all, the way that is worded is completely disingenuous. SB 1070 does NOT permit police to ask someone's immigration status if they suspect the individual to be illegal. If, in the course of stopping an individual for criminal behavior or other infraction, an officer determines said individual to be in the country illegally, that officer is to enforce the law.

But what's most disturbing about this is that an arm of the Obama administration is actually alienating one of its own states in international negotiations with a country who isn't exactly in love with America right now.

Paging Roberto Micheletti....

This move by Posner is almost reminiscent of how the Obama administration handled the situation in Honduras. That started when a communist stooge of Hugo Chavez - Manuel Zelaya - was constitutionally ousted on June 28th. Honduras was alienated by the U.N., the OAS, and the Obama administration, which all sided with Zelaya.

The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, withstood enormous international pressure and he was ultimately victorious when Zelaya was defeated in elections. What happened with Posner and the Chinese is potentially worse because it could serve to alienate Arizona internationally in a way not all that dissimilar from how Honduras was alienated.

Obama lost in Honduras. He needs to lose in Arizona too. That will require a very strong resolve on the part of Gov. Jan Brewer; she has done extraordinarly well in this regard so far. It would also be nice to see Texas Gov. Rick Perry be to Arizona what Israel and Taiwan were to Honduras - allies at a time when the latter desperately needed them.

So far, Perry's been a bit of a girlie man.

h/t to Hot Air for the Powerline link.

ANGRY OBAMA BOMBS IN COPENHAGEN

There is something funny about watching Barack Obama get angry about inaction. That notwithstanding, Obama flew into Copenhagen just in time to give a terrible speech and watch China and India walk out. Even ABC news is having to concede the failure.

POLITICO reported:

COPENHAGEN — A visibly angry Barack Obama threw down the gauntlet at China and other developing nations Friday, declaring that the time has come "not to talk but to act" on climate change.

Emerging from a multinational meeting boycotted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Obama warned delegates that U.S. offers of funding for poor nations would remain on the table “if and only if” developing nations, including China, agreed to international monitoring of their greenhouse gas emissions.

China and India apparently liked the speech so much, they WALKED OUT:

India and China have taken a united stand and walked out of the climate summit as Copenhagen talks fail.

Tensions prevailed at the climate talks at Copenhagen today, as Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and China premier Wen Jiabao walked out of the summit along with their respective delegations, as talks failed.

We all know what happens when Obama gets angry. He takes it out on conservatives.

h/t to HA

VIDEO: SNL SLAMS OBAMA OVER CHINA

Gotta admit. This one is darn funny and dead-on accurate (with the exception of an American looking Chinese president). The truth is China is getting justifiably angry with the United States over this administration's reckless spending. In light of the fact that our economic survival depends on China buying our debt and China's economy is dependent upon our ability to pay them back, they may be just as angry at Obama as clear thinking Americans who actually understand where money comes from are.

Enjoy. Nicely done by SNL.



h/t to HA

FREE MARKET PRINCIPLES: CHINA HOLDS THE CARDS

This one comes courtesy of Barrackaid #13. Very interesting 'inside baseball' read into what's quite possibly going on between the United States and China. The United States needs China to continue buying our debt and China needs to continue doing so. At issue is whose needs are greater. Based on Joseph Trevisani's take at FX Solutions, all you have to do to determine that is look at who is giving up more?

The answer would be the U.S.

The American President would like China’s cooperation on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, a more flexible currency policy for the yuan, open trade and continued Chinese purchase of American debt. He is likely to obtain only the last, the price for which will be all the others.

A little further into the article, it becomes a little clearer why:

President Obama will reassure President Hu that Washington takes its debt obligations seriously, that it is about to become serious about controlling Federal spending and that it holds to a strong dollar policy. President Hu will promise not to withdraw Chinese support from the Treasury market. The Chinese will pretend to believe the Americans and the Americans will not press them on any other topic.

The price for China’s continued support of the US debt market and by extension of the administration’s domestic agenda is American acquiescence in all international topics of importance to China. For the Chinese it is an excellent trade, a chance to neuter its greatest international adversary for the price of an investment it would probably have to make anyway. The basic fact of the trade is that China feels it has choices and the United States fears it does not. As long as a Chinese withdrawal from the US debt markets is more frightening to Washington than to Beijing China will have the upper hand in this relationship.

One would think that Obama is getting a very real lesson in how the free market works courtesy of the Chinese, yet when you couple Trevisani's last sentence with the soaring and record budget deficits Obama has managed to amass in less than one year, it really makes you wonder.

President Obama’s visit to Beijing is an acknowledgement of the new status quo in the world economy. China will set the terms of her trade for the world until the United States regains control of its own budget.

Be sure to read the WHOLE THING.

I wonder what Anita Dunn thinks about all this.

h/t to Barrackaid #13