Definition of freedom

[w0aew]

A Canadian living in China offers a definition of freedom. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_expatfiles/moeller_20050203.html)

My questions to QRZ forum readers: Is the Mr. Zhang mentioned in the article a modern liberal, conservative, libertarian, or anti-authoritarian (from either the Chinese or the American perspective)? Is he rebelling against communism, authortarian capitalism, some other -ism, or simply against repression? Does it matter if a repressive government is labelled fascist or communist to the repressed?

Papers are due Monday. Late papers automatically lose a grade level. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[wa4brl]

Who can tell any more between liberal and conservative (at least amongst the Republicans and Democrats?) Everything has gone topsy-turvy on us.

The Republicans promote change and increased benifits from social entitlement programs like Social Security AND they are spending money like there's no tomorrow. This is CONSERVATIVE???

The Democrats are reacting with a wait and see "show me" attitude, resisting change in favor of the ststus quo. AND they are trying in vain to reduce spending. This is LIBERAL???

It's all too weird for me.

[w0aew]

Quote[/b] (wa4brl @ Feb. 04 2005,10:59)]It's all too weird for me.
To be a teenager again. I knew a lot more back then. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KD7WHQ]

So, OES, what is your take on it?

[ka5s]

Quote[/b] (WA5OES @ Feb. 03 2005,10:50)]Is the Mr. Zhang mentioned in the article a modern liberal, conservative, libertarian, or anti-authoritarian (from either the Chinese or the American perspective)?
You are free if the fences on your life are ones you can take down. It seems Zhang cannot. However, it is probably an oversimplification to pigeonhole his beliefs as the categories you provide require we do. People are more complex than that.

It is also possible that Zhang is an "agent provocateur" whose job it is to put visiting foreigners in politically dangerous situations from which they may be saved only by cooperating with Chinese Intelligence.

Cortland
KA5S

[KB1GYQ]

The way the U.S. is going, like the old song says, Quote[/b] ]Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose"

[w0aew]

Quote[/b] (KD7WHQ @ Feb. 04 2005,22:50)]So, OES, what is your take on it?
That there are many definitions of freedom.

[W5HTW]

The picture of China as a democracy is a flawed one. It isn't a "large North Korea," but it is not a Germany, or Canada, or United States, either. It is still Communist, though not the kind of Communism of the 1950s and 1960s. There are many personal freedoms in China, but there are many that other countries have that China does not yet, and may never, have. Of course, we judge personal freedoms by our own standards, and often we go beyond the reasonable, sometimes far beyond.

Remember, the Cold War never ended; it was simply renamed. While new types of enemies formed (such as Iraq) the old ones remained, such as North Korea, and China, which continues to point nuclear ICBMs at the Unites States. And they can reach us.

Just this past week data was released ( and noted on CNN and NBC) that Russia now has more spies in the United States than at any time in the past. Russia is moving away from its attempt at democracy. Part of the reason is probably that our borders are less secure than ever before (Homeland Security only attempting, in vain, to bring us back to so-called Cold War days) so it is easier for foreign spies to enter, and easier for them to move around. Of course, China maintains a sizable network of spies in the US. While our spy capabilities in Russia are at best 'fair,' our capabilities in China are poor.

The Cold War fat lady has not yet sung.

Ed