[JoeSchem]

I think that China is a new experiment whereby the communist ruling authorities are trying to establish a state with a limited amount of economic freedom, but without the polital, religious and ideological freedom that we in the US see as primary.

I think the experiment could fail due to a SARS epidemic. Freedom of speech would undoubtedly help the medical community fight an epidemic; absence of such political freedom (resulting in a propaganda cover-up) may ultimately cost thousands of Chinese lives. The lesson is about to be driven home that political freedom isn't a 'threat to political stability,' it's a vital feedback mechanism to prevent a society's government from doing something really, really stupid.

[Dec31,1999]

The lesson is about to be driven home that political freedom isn't a 'threat to political stability,' it's a vital feedback mechanism to prevent a society's government from doing something really, really stupid.

And what a quite valuable lesson it is, would be, and will be (hopefully) for all, including "our own".

It's high time for our nation to promote the virtues of freedom, honesty and good will to the people of the world.

It is clear that our past policy of keeping freedom to ourselves has been a disasterous failure.