The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

30 years ago the Tienanmen Square protests began, and were promptly and brutally quashed by the Chinese government. I remember watching the coverage and chatting with an 85-year old woman who despaired for the people of China. In my youthful hubris I reassured her that the Chinese may not win the battle, but they will win the war for freedom.

And what a fool I was. China is a perfect counter-example of American Exceptionalism. We wanted freedom, and we weren't bought off by TVs and cell phones and high-rise apartments. The Chinese desire for some autonomy and liberty has been subsumed by a rapid and calculated growth in the middle class, and it is clear what is valued more by Chinese society.

It remains to be seen what will happen in China; they have huge problems, including demographic ones that are stark. Can the Chinese people learn to love freedom when the entire apparatus of their government is fixated on controlling every bit of their lives? I hope so, but I don't think so!

The 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution doesn't seem so anachronistic in the context of Tienanmen Square. I hope that were something like that to happen in America, the result would be different.

&topic=world_news"> posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

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