| Notes | Book |
I don't think we should spy on China any more than they spy on us. Does China fly spy planes near US coasts? If they do, they have managed to keep us from finding out about it.
But what about Taiwan, Japan, South Korea et al? It is rational for the United States to take what actions it can to keep the Chinese from using force to expand their empire. This can be done more effectively by spending our money on humanitarian causes than by supplying arms or armies to the nations of Asia. History shows us too many instances when the arms and violence we have exported have eventually been turned against us.
But if we really want to minimize violence and injustice, there are obviously places a lot closer to home than China where we could start. How about Cincinnati Ohio?
In the US, we have one of the largest per-capita prison populations in the world. Our "concern" for human rights in China requires an astonishing level of hypocrisy. We would have much more credibility on this issue if we freed our own oppressed minority of alternative drug users from political persecution.
I am also disappointed to see California under the rule of Washington, DC, but I am also not prepared to advocate violence to achieve independence. Violence is a cure as bad as the disease.
It's time we stopped trying to push the world around. Perhaps we could get started by not pushing each other around.