Cuba and China.

[Wickd89]

Originally Posted by alf

China is a one party dictatorship
Cuba is a one dictator dictatorship
We are a 2 party dictatorship

Our system is way better. There is always hope that we can right the ship.

Imagine if Bush had the option to pick his brother when Jed when he gets sick (fidel to raul). Or a system that can put a price on life for limited birth or even if someone gets killed in an accident (old China).

2 Party; yes. But dictatorship absolutely not...

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

No argument here. China has an authoritarian government. Communist they most certainly are not.

Rick,

You are correct, China is not a true communist nation. But where China differs from "true" communism is where it is probably worse for most of the people.

The fact of the matter is that the Communist Party of China is the main power in the Peoples Republic of China. Except for maybe Hong Kong doesn't he CPC function basically as a single party state in most of China?

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Wickd89

2 Party; yes. But dictatorship absolutely not...

Dicktatorship ?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by WI wide body

Rick,

You are correct, China is not a true communist nation. But where China differs from "true" communism is where it is probably worse for most of the people.

The fact of the matter is that the Communist Party of China is the main power in the Peoples Republic of China. Except for maybe Hong Kong doesn't he CPC function basically as a single party state in most of China?

Hong Kong's mayor or administrator, Donald Tsang, is hand-picked by those in Beijing. The Communist Party runs the show in all of China. Hu Jintao was sort of groomed into his position over time, but Jiang Zemin still held some power as head of the People's Liberation Army. But he finally stepped down from that and now Hu is firmly in control. I don't know if this is true, but someone there told me Hu, as a very young man was actually hand-picked by Mao to be steered into that job once he got older and had some other titles under his belt. Believe me, China was far, far worse off when they really were a communist country.

BTW, seconds ago I just heard CNN call it "Communist China". What's the world coming too.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I don't know if this is true, but someone there told me Hu, as a very young man was actually hand-picked by Mao to be steered into that job once he got older

No, Mao's influence had waned before Hu started his rise. Deng Xiaoping was his mentor. imho (and Wiki of course) My daughter-in-law's mother was in the the Communist Youth League Central Committee (CY Central) when Hu was its leader in Beijing. It doesn't hurt them . . .

Ian

[WI wide body]

[QUOTE=DARISC;3660456]

Originally Posted by WI wide body

Everything you have said is true. Washington is full of clods who have convinced themselves (probably because they said it so often to convince us!) that terrorism is our biggest threat.

EXACTLY what enrages me. To say "headaches are our greatest threat" exhibits abject stupidity! The CAUSE of our headaches is our greatest threat!!! Yeah, terrorism is a lethal SYMPTOM of our greatest threat; the CAUSE of terrorism!

"The War on Terrorism!" hue and cry has driven me crazy since the first I heard it uttered because it has always been completely uncoupled from the source of the problem. Gee, kinda like "The War on Drugs!" about which I have drawn similar conclusions.

Bush and the spineless Dems in Congress seem to have no problem playing tough guy with Iran (for something they don't even have) or with Afghanistan or Iraq while ignoring what Turkey, Pakistan, Israel, China, and Russia are doing. If you pay attention it looks like a classic case of the schoolyard bully: we seem ready to jump and fight the weak guys but play it cool with the true tough guys. Maybe that's why the axxholes of Team Bush who beat the drums for war are called chickenhawks. No wait a minute, that's because they never served in the military but love war.

Which further infuriates me because I'm a veteran of our filthy little war in Viet Nam, in which I served HONORABLY, then protested VEHEMENTLY when I was back in college.....because I love my country and am PATRIOTIC, not a closed minded chicken hawk right winger who thinks he loves war but has NO FUKKING IDEA WHAT IT IS ABOUT IF HE HASN'T BEEN UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE BLOOD AND GUTS, BE IT THE ENEMY'S OR HIS BUD'S!

I am particularly disgusted by those who accuse those who criticise our foreign policy as aiding and abetting the enemy, putting our troops at risk and being an unpatriotic commie socialist. That behaviour shows the ultimate disrespect for our brave men and women on the ground who are valiantly and courageously performing as they have sworn to do and should NOT be used as TOOLS to further ANYone's political arguement - that is ABHORRENT because, guaranteed, there are many of our military on the ground who feel as opposed to our policies, and it is cruel to use them in such a manner because they are fighting for their lives every minute of every day and don't have the luxury to ponder and pontificate - they just want to do their job and return home alive to their loved one's.

Welcome to the melee here - hope to read more of your posts.[/QUOTE]
..

Dari,

Since you mentioned our "War on Drugs" I have an story that may be of interest to you.

After I retired one of my first short assignments for my former employer was at a factory outside Bogota. I went down there 4 or 5 times on trips that usually lasted from 10 days to 3 weeks. During that time I got to know the locals very well and they became familiar enough with me to speak honestly.

One morning during the ride to the plant (it was actually in Zipaquira about 35 km from bogota) I noticed some graffitti on a wall. The only part I could understand was the name "clinton" with a big red line thru it like you see on stuff they don't want us to do. smoking, littering, etc.

So when we get to the plant I ask my local buddy who ran the Machine Repair Dept. in the hot end of the plant about it and why they had a hard-on for our Prez. This was about 1996. He smiles and explains to me that it was protest about President Clinton's drug policy. I asked him what's the big deal, drugs are a bad thing and do a lot of harm so why not get rid of them.

He smiled again and thought for a while and said "Why doesn't your president stop bombing the peasant's fields in Colombia and instead bomb people like Daryl Strawberry and Robert Downey since they are the true drug problem for the USA?"

You know what...I had no reply! First I was amazed that he would be so aware of the jerk druggies in the USA. (especially since at that time I only knew about 3 cities in Columbia!) But from that point on it became clearer and clearer to me that when our government has a "war" on just about anything it's mostly phony bull*****.

And for that realization I must give credit to my friend David Osaba!