Well in fact, the US also double-speaks. The land of the free has been spying on its own people ever since the ‘war on terrorism’ began (if not before, but we don’t know that). So all this fuss about China spying on its own people is insincere. We agree that the state has no right to imprison its own citizens for political reasons. So we condemn China flatly for doing this. But then, the communists in the US were not treated kindly either.
We join in the condemnation of Yahoo, collaborating with China arresting and imprisoning political dissidents. It’s the old greed again. Money is more important than people. Yahoo can make more money if they comply with the Chinese government. So there you have it. Capitalism is a system based on greed. Socialism is based on envy. They will always be at logger-heads.
Yahoo claims innocence
Yahoo claims its Chinese subsidiary has no choice but to comply with local laws. It’s the old escapist argument. The law prescribes segregation, so therefore I have to comply with the law. The WW-II German law prescribed the eradication of the Jews, so I have to comply with the law and tell them where the Jews are hiding. Do you need more examples?
We commend the World Organization for Human Rights suing Yahoo. An international war pro human rights has been launched by President Bush. Quite unwittingly, we may add. But the battle is on. Now, of course, the human rights movement can only use argument and peaceful means. It’s going to be a long and hard battle. But the human rights campaigners cannot lose. The Universe tends to liberty. The outcome can be no other than a victory for liberty and democracy and a restoration of human rights, including social and economic human rights. And a full restoration in the US also.
Ethical responsibilities
Yahoo said that while it did not condone the suppression of people’s liberties, the firm had been compelled by local laws to hand over the information that was requested. “Defendants cannot be expected, let alone ordered to violate another nation’s laws”, the company said in its defense. What Yahoo doesn’t understand is the difference between the law and ethics. If you do not condone, then you should not cooperate. Not because the law compels you (on the contrary, the Chinese law orders you to be a snitch), but because your ethics compel you.
But, if you have no ethics, then you may hide behind the law. It is Pilate’s argument. The Romans salute you, Yahoo! You have exposed yourself. This is (we give just one example) what your conduct has led to (we quote the BBC): “Wang Xiaoning was also given a 10 year sentence for “incitement to subvert state power” after publishing pro-democracy material online”.
The time is not far off that we all individually, one way or the other, have to choose for freedom and human rights or for totalitarianism. In this we are with President Bush, although in a totally different way. We, too, are for freedom and democracy. And that is precisely why we do not appreciate the way he himself is undermining democratic rights and freedoms.
Our daily video explains in more detail what is going on with Yahoo (and others).