Schooling China in the American Way

[Rose Siding]

Three United States senators came to one of China's most prestigious universities on Wednesday, ostensibly to talk about trade. What they delivered was an expansive, almost evangelical campaign for American values -- one that received pushback from their audience of students and faculty.
...
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) told the Tsinghua University audience that his model of leadership is "a man by the name of Jesus." He later quoted Martin Luther King Jr. as he urged China to do "the right thing" on trade policy.

Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) told the students that, post-9/11, Americans are committed to taking on whatever battles seem imperative -- China's cheap currency, along with al-Qaeda.
...
A 21-year-old architecture student who gave his name as Albert rejected the idea that the civil liberties the senators suggested have universal appeal.

"Have you ever thought that it is probably the freedom of speech that you guys promote that finally resulted in this terrorist attack," he said, calling 9/11 an act of "revenge" for American offenses against Islam. "In China, we have promoted the harmony that would have prevented this kind of attack."

Schumer leapt from his chair. "I don't think you understand the concept of freedom of speech," he said. "It is our American understanding that freedom leads to stability."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032201653.html

[Rex]

1. Total freedom leads to anarchy.

Freedom to raid the Treasury, freedom to invade and rob foreign countries, freedom to liberate souls from bodies, freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

[LynnTheDem]

2. How to wage illegal wars of aggression? How to Gitmo-Gulag?

How to ignore the Geneva Conventions? How to torture?

The (New) American Way!

[Rainscents]

3. I'm surprise, China didn't put them in jail for preaching "Freedom!"

I wish they had.

[brentspeak]

4. That architectural student's comment is frightening

This is the country that the U.S. has bestowed 'most favored nation' status? The Chinese may be shedding Communism, but they haven't shed Maoist indoctrination, nor does it seem like they want to anytime soon.

[Rose Siding]

5. It's spooky that the US' image could be contributing to the very

concept of freedom being disparaged.

[rpannier]

6. A few points here...

1) equating China's cheap currency with al-qaeda is pretty lame.

2) Coburn is hardly emulating Jesus' leadership style. Unless he;'s talking about a Jesus other than, Jesus Christ.

3) What goes on in China I would hardly call promoting harmony. The rich get richer and the poor are left to vanquish. They executed four Islamic dissidents in western China two years ago. Before their execution, they fed them alcohol soaked food so they'd be drunk and act stupid at their public execution.

[Voltaire99]

7. These hectoring twerps represent the Ugly American way

Given that Schumer, Coburn and Graham are emissaries from a land whose economy is kept alive by Asian money, whose Wal-Marts are stuffed with goods made by Chinese peasants and slaves, whose armies are rampaging across the globe, whose electoral system is easily fixed, whose commander-in-chief disobeys any laws he finds inconvenient, and whose opposition party believes the best way to oppose is on its knees, the Chinese must be laughing themselves silly over these loud tourists.

"I don't think you understand the concept of freedom of speech," he said. "It is our American understanding that freedom leads to stability."

The great irony in this visit is how desperately the US needs China to thwart economic chaos. Big Daddy Freedom needs Big Daddy Commie in the worst way. What was that about "stability" again, Chuck?