China and Hillary's $5 Mil
Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:37:26 PM PDT
Those of you who are familiar with me know that I'm not an instinctive China basher. There is much to be said for working with Chinese citizens, promoting change, and even doing business with Beijing when it's done responsibly and transparently.
Unfortunately, responsiblity and transparency have never been two hallmarks of the way the Clintons have dealt with China. Now that Hillary is dipping into the personal family reserves to pay for her campaign, I think it's only fair that we look at where that $5 million came from.
Today, I'm breaking diary silence to talk about one speech Bill Clinton gave in 2002. It's an open secret that he gave a Feb 22. 2002 speech to the Australian Association for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China, netting $300,000 in the process. Why this matters, below the fold.
First, I want to note that I'm not going to regurgitate any of the right-wing drivel about how this proves Hillary Clinton is a Marxist or anything bizarre like that. Anyone who thinks that China is a communist country doesn't understand China OR communism. So don't accuse me of recycling right-wing smears, because that's not the direction this is going in.
Associations for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China (APPRC) pop up all over the place. APPRCs are in the US, SE Asia, Africa, Europe, everywhere. They're funded by Beijing and run by PRC (People's Republic of China) friendlies. You'll note that all the links were from PRC embassy and other PRC-supported sites.
What is the purpose of APPRCs? To eliminate support for democracy in China and Taiwan. Taiwan government reports noted that, when China took back control of Macao, the APPRC popped up faster than a mushroom on, well, you know:
Recently, the Mainland established the Association for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China in Macao. Not only did Chief Executive Ho voice his support for the association, Macao’s mainstream elites also held major positions in the association. Compared with the past when people in Macao’s mainstream society considered involvement in politics involving Taiwan as a taboo, this development shows that Macao is overtly cooperating with Beijing’s offensive in the "anti-independence and pro-unification campaign," and was broadening its role in promoting such propaganda to Taiwan.
Secret documents unveiled by a former Chinese diplomat proved that Beijing was utilizing APPRCs around the world to mobilize overseas Chinese communities for purposes like the suppression of the Falun Gong movement (a movement which, while I don't support its religious principles, I certainly believe they have a right to have them).
Chen Yonglin said, "Control of the Chinese community is the CCP's consistent foreign policy. It has been a 'painstaking effort' over the past decades, and has a certain scale. It is a pyramid-like structure and system. They manipulate Chinese people in the name of 'unite overseas Chinese.' "
Chen Yonglin said that there are such groups in Australia, Europe and other countries. One is called the Association of Chinese Groups, another is called China Association for Promoting Peaceful Reunification, and Association of Chinese Professionals. All these associations were set up under the control of the CCP behind the scenes.
While Chen's revelation that China money was not only funding but manipulating APPRCs around the world came after Bill Clinton's speech, it was common fact that Beijing was behind these groups at the time.
Clinton could claim that he spoke about the importance of democracy, of human rights, and of the right of a people to self-determination. But I think we know how those talks to Beijing turned out in the 1990s.
Bill went to Australia, said some platitudes, patted some backs, and took $300,000 for continuing to refuse to hold Beijing accountable.
Hillary claims that she's been vetted, that all the ammo has been unloaded against her. But this is simply not the case. For every Clinton skeleton that has been dug up, there are two more poor choices waiting to take its place. Witness the Kazakh Uranium scandal that has miles to go before it sleeps.
Bill Clinton has the right to speak wherever he wants, and to whomever he wants. But we have a right to know where the money that is now buying political advertisements, pamphlets, and paying for hit research, came from. Much of it was through honest sweat and tears. But some of it is undeniably tainted.
And that is why I just gave Obama $25, and why I'll be voting for him next week.
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