Did you see it happen live?
The images of Wen Yi Wang, the pro-Falun Gong protestor who interrupted Chinese President Hu Jintao's remarks at the White House, were played over and over again on the evening news in the U.S. I happened to be abroad at the time, and as luck would have it was in my hotel room watching live coverage on CNN International. Here's what the world saw:
President Bush welcomed Hu with
banal platitudes about free trade, opportunity, prosperity, and so on, but by the end of his prepared remarks, called out the Chinese leader on human rights:
As the relationship between our two nations grows and matures, we can be candid about our disagreements. I'll continue to discuss with President Hu the importance of respecting human rights and freedoms of the Chinese people. China has become successful because the Chinese people are experience the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce -- and China can grow even more successful by allowing the Chinese people the freedom to assemble, to speak freely, and to worship.
It sounded tough, and no doubt was intended to: See, the Leader of the Free World is tellin' them Red Chinese!
No sooner had Bush finished, and Hu begun his remarks, however, than the protestor started in. Hu looked stunned, Bush looked angry, and then the whole world got to see how the United States "respects human rights" like the right to speak freely in public:
It was a stunning contrast. As shown afterward, sanitized and edited, it lost much of its impact, but as it happened live, seeing a hand go over the protestor's face and seeing her pulled down from the platform where she stood -- it left me gasping. Now, we learn that the Bush administration is charging the protestor with a federal crime.
Again we see the hypocrisy of the GOP: praise freedom of speech while at the same time prosecuting those who try to practice it. While it's nothing new to any of us, it is making a sharp and negative impression on the right. Here are some quotes from Freeperville:
This makes me sick. He's a commie and she's going to be prosecuted. This is nuts.
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I cannot fathom that we would do China's bidding on this. If Bill Clinton were President I'd be furious! Frankly, I am anyway. How low is this nation going to sink?
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This goes over the line. Freedom isn't what it seems. We just proved we are on the same path as the ChiComs.
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She should get a medal, and a seat at the next state of the Union address next to the President. The worst thing was OUR President apologized. He should have shrugged his shoulders and said, "we have free speech in this country, which means freedom to speak the truth. Speaking of truth, when will you allow political and religious freedom, quit murdering girl children, and let your currency float?"
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More evidence that Bush is out of touch with reality.
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Say, doesn't this leave Bush with egg on his face...I mean he had just finished admonishing Hu to let the Chinese speak freely...???
The Bushies have shown the world, and their own core supporters, just what they think about freedom of speech: Wen Yi Wang in no way posed a physical threat to Bush or to Hu, and yet the administration isn't content merely to have silenced her -- they now want to send her to prison. This is an opportunity for us to show what we think of Bush's decision:
Dear Editor:
It is with great dismay that I learned the Bush Administration plans to prosecute Wen Yi Wang, the brave woman who dared to challenge Chinese tyranny this week when Communist leader Hu Jintao came to the White House. I remember a day when real American patriots would have applauded her words of protest. But now, George Bush wants to send this woman to jail.
How much lower will this Administration go?