Chen Guangcheng and Heroes of Tiananmen Square---Let's Never Forget

I worked in an office one time with Bob who was an extreme political leftist.    One time he and I were in a debate about Fidel Castro.  Bob was going on and on how the dictator was misunderstood and he actually improved the lives of the Cubans.


Power for many people has a corrupting influence.   And as I reminded Bob that Castro murdered and imprisoned his opponents---how could even Bob justify such his actions. 


In history, many well-intentioned revolutionaries have over thrown tyrannical governments to make lives better for their countrymen.  However many of these revolutionaries became corrupted with the power they originally disdained.  Like Castro, they were not averse to sending former friends as in the French Revolution to the guillotine or as with post czar Russia Lenin had no problem murdering his opponents.




Well, the conversation stopped and Bob, for the first time was speechless.




Like Bob who forgot the bloody murdering ways of Castro, Americans have forgotten that one of our largest trading partners---China---is the largest police state in the world.   Often times Americans, myself included, often times are lulled into a sense that China is not the big evil empire of Mao. 


Today we were reminded again of the inherent evil nature of Chinese Communist police state when blind human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng escaped his 18-month house arrest in eastern China. Guangcheng apparently made it with great difficulty to the United States embassy in Beijing.  Source:  Escaped Chinese activist in U.S. Embassy.


Now heads will roll---literally and figuratively----for supporters who assisted Guangcheng in his escape.


Those of us who are blessed to live in a society that open discourse is allowed should never take our liberties for granted. Government officials and many of the powerful even in democracies would just like open critics to just shut up and be quiet.


Those of us, who can freely blog, twitter, vote, or engage in conversation, should honor and not forget the courage of the many of the world's Chen Guangchengs.  


Twenty-three years ago, the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre occurred.   Take time to view or go directly to the You Tube video and remember that in China millions of its people are being suppressed daily. And is you will learn after watching the video, the Chinese government has quietly erased the memory of the massacre as they did when they disposed of the dissidents' bodies afterwards. 



Source: You Tube Tiananmen Square Massacre.