Thursday, August 21, 2008

Blame It All On Beijing

CommieBahstahds-78
Protestors-0-Ville



Clearly, it is a sad state of affairs.

And the following just may be the most egregious example:

In the annals of people who have struggled against Communist Party rule, Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying are unlikely to merit even a footnote.

The two women, both in their late 70s, have never spoken out against China's authoritarian government. Both walk with the help of a cane, and Wang is blind in one eye. Their grievance, receiving insufficient compensation when their homes were seized for redevelopment, is perhaps the most common complaint among Chinese displaced during the country's long streak of fast economic growth.

But the Beijing police still sentenced the two women to an extrajudicial term of "re-education through labor" this week for applying to hold a legal protest in a designated area in Beijing, where officials promised that Chinese could hold demonstrations during the Olympic Games.


I mean, what the heck is wrong with these people?

After all, haven't they heard of "Free Speech Zones"?

Or, better still, "Surveillance Democracy"?

Sheesh.

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