November 19, 2019

"Hong Kong faced a fresh threat to its tenuous freedoms and autonomy on Tuesday, as the Chinese government admonished the city’s judiciary..."

"... after a court overturned a ban on demonstrators wearing face masks. The central government’s Hong Kong affairs office said that Monday’s judgment 'blatantly challenged the authority' of China’s legislature and of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and created 'severe negative social and political impact.' The pointed remarks were perhaps the most stark and public instance of the Beijing government weighing in on a judicial decision in Hong Kong, which is guaranteed independent courts under the Basic Law, its mini-constitution. The intervention underlined one of the central grievances of Hong Kong’s protest movement — encroachment by the mainland government on the semiautonomous territory’s affairs — and came after days of violent clashes on university campuses."

From "China slams Hong Kong judges after mask ruling, raising pressure on city’s freedoms" (WaPo).

91 comments:

The Crack Emcee said...

I've been to Hong Kong and I don't get this "protest" at all.

It's like saying to China that San Fancisco needs to be saved from America.

The Crack Emcee said...

BTW - it's France that's GOT to get it together.

tim maguire said...

In case anybody was wondering about China’s future plans for Hong Kong.

David Begley said...

I talked to a Chinese filmmaker at AFM in Santa Monica. He said the Chinese people don’t care about free speech or the protestors in HK. The Chinese people just want to make money and enjoy their lives. Bread and circuses.

iowan2 said...

A lot of world is suffering from oppressive govt. The Yellow Vest riots that have been going on in France, are not getting coverage. Conservatives always default to Cuba, and Venuzuela as failed socialist govts. Ignoring France. France should be a model of what Bernie and the rest of the Dem clown show, are advocating. The Yellow Vest would disagree.

But wide swaths of the planet are experiencing public uprising. Surprisingly the media is focused on attempts to remove a President responsible for historic prosperity, and peace.

Danno said...

Crack, if you haven't been paying attention here are the facts. Hong Kong was basically "leased" to the British for a 150 year period ending in 1997. During this time it was under a system of law virtually identical to Britain. When it reverted, it was supposed to have a special status that protected its citizens from the harsh rule of mainland China, which became Communist during this 150 year period. These protections are being worn away by the mainland Chinese rulers.

Got it?

David Begley said...

Crack:

The Chinese filmmaker said that the HK people think they are better than the Chinese people. Therefore the Chinese don’t care about HK.

Bay Area Guy said...

Free Hong Kong!

The Vault Dweller said...

So the Chinese Communist Party has been in control of China for 70 years now. And the country is replete with lots of references and iconography dedicated to Chinese Communism. But isn't China really a fascist State now? Fascism and Communism are both authoritarian forms of government, but China does allow many markets to function, and there is a huge amount of wealth and income inequality in China, both of which would be big no-nos for Communism. But still there is a huge amount of government control on the economy and society there. No company can get even medium size there unless the government gives approval. China routinely glorifies the State and military, and will actually punish people for having negative thoughts or statements regarding the State. Sounds pretty fascistic to me.

The only reason I bring it up is that if it comes to be seen as a Fascist State, which I think is the better description of it, then maybe we can get more public condemnation of their policies from the left here and abroad who are apparently unable to say anything bad about anyone 'on the left'.

The Vault Dweller said...

Blogger The Crack Emcee said...
I've been to Hong Kong and I don't get this "protest" at all.

It's like saying to China that San Fancisco needs to be saved from America.


As Danno said, essentially Hong Kong was under British control for 150 plus years which ended in 1997 when Britain returned control of Hong Kong to China. As part of this turnover the two countries signed an agreement which guaranteed that Hong Kong could maintain much of it autonomy and be able to preserve its more British way of doing things, while still being under control of China. It was known as a "One Country, Two Systems" model.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems

The protests started out because mainland china was going to implement a rule that would allow them to extradite anyone from Hong Kong and prosecute them in mainland China and not through the Hong Kong court systems, which in comparison are much more open and independent from the executive.

MD Greene said...

My sympathy is with the Hongkongers, but this is a war they cannot win. We always hear about the long, long timeline of Chinese history, but Xi's government couldn't wait for 50 years of "one country, two systems" that started in 1997 to crack down.

It's dictated who rules Hong Kong (Carrie Lam, who was in the bleachers at this summer's wonderful military parade in Beijing), and it's building a 43-mile "bridge" from the PROC to Hong Kong. Its soldiers (who speak Mandarin while most in Hong Kong speak Cantonese) have been cracking heads while pretending to be Hong Kong police officers.

The inevitable effect will be that what made Hong Kong different -- international banking with Western norms and transparency -- will be gone soon, and Hong Kong will be as rotten and corrupt at the core as China is itself. It will not be Hong Kong.

Howard said...

The parallels between Hong Kong vs PRC and Trump vs Congress are too close to be a coincidence. This is a world-wide coordinated coup by an international cabal of Deep State operatives. Be afraid... be very afraid.

AllenS said...

Very good, Howard. I hope that I didn't misinterpret you.

The Crack Emcee said...

Danno said...

"Crack, if you haven't been paying attention..."

"Haven't been paying attention..."? Did I not write that I'VE BEEN TO HONG KONG?

What about that statement means I need a lecture on it? My BFF just got back from there two months ago.

Jesus, some people here can be stupid-as-fuck.

The Crack Emcee said...

David Begley said...

"Crack:

The Chinese filmmaker said that the HK people think they are better than the Chinese people. Therefore the Chinese don’t care about HK."

That's 100% true.

Danno said...

Visiting Hong Kong as an oblivious tourist does not make one knowledgeable on the history that is causing the current turmoil.

Lyle said...

Very sad situation. Mainland Chinese are not supporting Hong Kong at all. China is going to be something else to deal with.

The Crack Emcee said...

The Vault Dweller said...

"As Danno said, essentially Hong Kong was under British control for 150 plus years..."

I think you guys either like to hear yourselves talk, or you're like the "slow" kids in school, who make the teacher repeat everything the rest of the class already understands.

The Crack Emcee said...

Danno said...

"Visiting Hong Kong as an oblivious tourist does not make one knowledgeable on the history that is causing the current turmoil."

Did I say I went there as a tourist, you moron?

The Crack Emcee said...

Danno said...

"Visiting Hong Kong as an oblivious tourist does not make one knowledgeable on the history that is causing the current turmoil."

I'd say the person who makes blind assumpsions about others is the one who is - quite obviously - "oblivious".

AllenS said...

If my memory serves me correctly, Crack, you were in the Navy, so getting off the boat and walking around in Hong Kong makes you a tourist.

The Crack Emcee said...

AllenS said...

"If my memory serves me correctly, Crack, you were in the Navy, so getting off the boat and walking around in Hong Kong makes you a tourist."

If memory serves me correctly, AllenS, you weren't there.

The Crack Emcee said...

I even wrote that my BFF just got back and you idiots can't grasp that you're wrong?

Man, you guys are still racist-as-fuck.

Danno said...

Thank you Vault Dweller for linking to background information on Hong Kong's special status, as I was strictly reciting from recall. It appears Crack is dead-set in maintaining his view without relating how he reconciles his view to the facts.

I don't want to continue a flame war as I saw what Crack did to a post yesterday. Adios for now!!

The Crack Emcee said...

I almost forgot:

This is the Althouse blog's traditional EVERYBODY PILE ON CRACK TO SHUT HIM UP ritual.

Nothing I say will ever be good enough, you all know every detail of my life, which you will gladly explain to me.

Thanks for the reality check, AllenS.

Jeff said...

Hong Kong was under British control for 150 plus years which ended in 1997 when Britain returned control of Hong Kong to China. As part of this turnover the two countries signed an agreement which guaranteed that Hong Kong could maintain much of it autonomy and be able to preserve its more British way of doing things, while still being under control of China. It was known as a "One Country, Two Systems" model.

And the time for the international community to protest what's happening now was back in 1997, as it was obvious that there was no way the British or anyone else was going to enforce the agreement. The Brits sold them out. It was not the same as what Nixon did with Taiwan, because both before and after Nixon, we helped Taiwan build an armed defense that has dissuaded the mainland from invading. But Hong Kong has no military to speak of. By 1997 it was clear that China was growing rapidly and would soon be a major power. If the West was going to act to permanently wrest Hong Kong from China, there would never be a better time.

We could try to save some of Hong Kong's residents by giving them all refugee status and letting them emigrate here, but that would probably just prompt the military invasion that will come anyway if the protests continue. It is a bit surprising that they haven't crushed the rebellion already. Perhaps Trump is more effective than we know.

Michael K said...

The Hong Kong situation is a bit more like London and England. Hong Kong is a huge financial window on the world for China. If China smashes Hong Kong, and it looks like they might do it, The financial center of China might shift to Taiwan, or more likely to Singapore. China will lose a lot. China is rife with corruption.

The Crack Emcee said...

Danno said...

"I don't want to continue a flame war as I saw what Crack did to a post yesterday. Adios for now!!"

He makes a wrong assumption - blames me - and then ducks out, blaming me for the issue.

What makes you losers better than liberals again?

Bob Boyd said...

He said the Chinese people don’t care about free speech or the protestors in HK.

Very few of the "Chinese people" know anything about Hong Kong, how HK'ers live or what, if anything, is going on there. Those who do know are the select few who have it good in China and would never want to mess that up by speaking against the Chinese government.

The Crack Emcee said...

AllenS said...

"If my memory serves me correctly, Crack, you were in the Navy, so getting off the boat and walking around in Hong Kong makes you a tourist."

Going to China - serving on the Captain's Gig so I got to discuss shit directly with Chinese dignitaries - didn't teach me anything.

Studying the history of China on my own didn't teach me anything.

Still having friends there didn't teach me anything.

You assholes - only YOU - will ever get the lesson through to me.

The Vault Dweller said...

Blogger The Crack Emcee said...

I think you guys either like to hear yourselves talk, or you're like the "slow" kids in school, who make the teacher repeat everything the rest of the class already understands.


Please no bully. I have self-esteem issues.

Also I like, "France Has Got to Get it Together." Is that you telling the story in the beginning about the French guy asking for directions in French? If so is the story true or just a joke, and if true where did it occur?

Jeff said...

I want to add that I agree with Crack. Hong Kong is now part of China, and their internal disputes over who gets to make governmental decisions is not our concern. I suppose the Brits could raise some objections if there are violations of their agreement with China, but as I said earlier, the Brits entered that agreement knowing full well that there was no way to enforce it. In international diplomacy, that really means the Chinese didn't agree to anything.

mockturtle said...

IIRC, the terms of the agreement guaranteed 50 years of economic and political freedom for Hong Kong. While I don't like the tactics of the protesters, the toothpaste is out of the tube now.

The Crack Emcee said...

The Vault Dweller said...

"Please no bully. I have self-esteem issues."

Most people who blindly lecture others, based on their own ignorant assumptions, usually do - you're desperately trying to overcome something, but I don't know what.

"Also I like, "France Has Got to Get it Together.""

Thank you.

"Is that you telling the story in the beginning about the French guy asking for directions in French? If so is the story true or just a joke, and if true where did it occur?"

No, it's Louis CK, but I've had the same experience. The French can't grasp they're not the only people on the planet.

Bob Boyd said...

Western Companies who manufacture and otherwise do business in China could put pressure on the Chinese and possibly prevent some kind of Tienanmen Square. I have a feeling they won't until after something terrible happens...if even then.

The Crack Emcee said...

And, before you challenge that last line, I've lived in France, too.

Fernandinande said...

tenuous freedoms

"Freedom from Wanting a Turkey or a Painting of a Turkey" is the most tenuous freedom of all.

Birkel said...

Remember, always, that this is the future the Leftist Collectivists want for America.
Hyperbole?
No.
Read NYT Democratic opinion columnist Thomas Friedman.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

We need a new poll on moderation. I want to change my vote from dislike moderation to like moderation.

mockturtle said...

Bill, if we don't feed the trolls it will help.

Bob Boyd said...

I did read there's group called Death Watch urging it's members to boycott Chinese coffin cams, but that's kind of niche market with limited leverage big picture.

The Crack Emcee said...

There's nothing that can be done about Hong Kong.

It's not just a a lost cause but totally misguided.

Birkel said...

A significant number of Hong Kong's residents are under the impression it is better for them to publicly resist Chinese intimidation and brutality than to yield. Who is in the better position to know? If they believe it is a cause for which they are willing to die - and it doesn't involve me directly- why should I not support their position?

Especially when the forces that hope to suppress them are wielded by a totalitarian state?

China's economy is going to continue contracting. The official numbers are lies. China is contracting.

Couldn't happen soon enough.

Howard said...

Mr Emcee: You Crack me up cracking these crackers over the head with their own supercilious stupidity.

mockturtle said...

The best thing I can do to help is to boycott Chinese products but that ain't easy!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Carting your own citizens off to re-educations camps sounds like a Pinchy Sulzberger and Company dream come true.

The Crack Emcee said...

Birkel said...

"A significant number of Hong Kong's residents are under the impression it is better for them to publicly resist Chinese intimidation and brutality than to yield. Who is in the better position to know?"

Anyone with a politically strategic mind. The Hong Kongers are liberals - they're doing the same thing, there, liberals are doing everywhere else: destroying.

I'm no fan of China, but I don't disagree with their outlook entirely, and think - just like here - liberals have to be smarter in dealing with their adversaries. But they won't.

They like doing things the hard way (shrugs).

Birkel said...

Get off my continent, bitch.

The Crack Emcee said...

Howard said...

"Mr Emcee: You Crack me up cracking these crackers over the head with their own supercilious stupidity."

Thanks, but don't get it wrong: I love these guys, somehow. One day, they might even love me back.

Then we'll have a problem.

Bob Boyd said...

America has long pursued a policy that trade with China will gradually make them more like us.
Turns out that's a double edge sword.

Birkel said...

Bob Boyd,
Turns out Leftist Collectivists are actively hoping to wield the power that China's Leftist Collectivists wield.

Bob Boyd said...

Up to now it's been easy for Americans to close their eyes to the fundamental brutality of the Chinese system. Most of their worst excesses have been hidden away in remote areas where westerners and western media aren't allowed to go. Tienanmen was a prominent exception.
The west will have a much harder time ignoring what is coming in HK.
I predict our Prog business, media and government leaders, many of whom envy and admire the Chinese system, will do their best to whitewash the crackdown because, philosophically, they don't have a problem with the Chinese model and are already working to implement their own version here.

Birkel said...

Not to mention all those "Free Tibet" bumper stickers.
Those are retro-hash-tags as approved by Michelle Obama.

That's why Boko Haram was defeated.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I've never visited Hong Kong. but I know people who have. They all have different experiences. The most interesting is a friend who moved there for a few years. His stories about the place were rather enlightening. (btw- He's on the left, politically)
While living in Hong Kong, downtown --He said that unless certain winds were blowing, the pollution was really horrendous most days. He'd come home from a short walk and feel as if he needed a shower. He worked and lived in high-rise office buildings downtown and told me
whenever a re-model took place when office spaces were vacated by one company and made ready for another company to move in - the government required a complete gut of the space and they would dump all the drywall and building materials into a spot in Victoria harbor.

That's crazy.

Bob Boyd said...

You often hear apologists say the Chinese communists have lifted millions people out of poverty. They skip the part where even more were murdered in the process.

The Vault Dweller said...

Blogger The Crack Emcee said...
There's nothing that can be done about Hong Kong.

It's not just a a lost cause but totally misguided.


Yeah it kind of makes me wonder what the Hong Kong protesters see as their endgame scenario. Because if they imagine some international tut-tuting is going to stop the Chinese government from doing what it wants to in Hong Kong, they are far off. And if they somehow expect international trade sanctions against China they are even more delusional.

Maybe they are hoping that if China does have to ultimately brutally crack down, there is so much media out there, that it would be impossible to contain the acts domestically like they did with Tienanmen Square, and people in mainland China would find out about it, and it would have such a negative impact that it would be a Pyrrhic victory for China to subdue Hong Kong? It seems like a big gamble though because I think lots of mainlanders think that Hong Kongers think they are better than mainland Chinese, so there might not be much sympathy and many may in fact feel like they are getting their comeuppance.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

This is the biggest story in the world right now, not impeachment, and closely followed by the multi-country protests against Iran and their proxies. China is determined to put down this democracy movement, and here the Hong Kong courts backed the people not the party. Amazing. And all over the world the regular folks (yellow vests?) that make up the usually silent majorities in their countries are rebelling against the elites. Trump is only part of this worldwide moment. He is emblematic of it, but he isn't the most important story out there right now, not with all the turmoil on the globe.

And hey, how 'bout that Nancy Pelosi declaring Trump must "prove himself innocent" in the impeachment inquiry, as she slurred in her drunken stumble across the Sunday shows? Ya think that ties in with the worldwide news somehow? Can our collective media pull their heads out now and start reporting?

Bob Boyd said...

Yeah it kind of makes me wonder what the Hong Kong protesters see as their endgame scenario.

I listened to some protester interviews. They are young people. They didn't seem to think they were going to prevail, but they said they couldn't just give up their freedoms without a fight. Several said, if they live to have children, they want to be able to tell the children they had tried.
I hope Americans will be so courageous in the coming years.

The Crack Emcee said...

BleachBit-and-Hammers said...

"A friend worked and lived in high-rise office buildings downtown and told me
whenever a re-model took place when office spaces were vacated by one company and made ready for another company to move in - the government required a complete gut of the space and they would dump all the drywall and building materials into a spot in Victoria harbor."

Two things:

1) You should see those Hong Kong high rises sway in the wind - it's terrifying and AMAZING.

2) I met families that have been living in Hong Kong's harbors for generations, without ever leaving their vessels. I'm talking generations never stepping on land. Again, amazing.

Birkel said...

The Vault Dweller,
I have wondered that too.
Just like in 1968 I wondered at the end game in Czechoslovakia.
Or those Jews in Warsaw.

Right?

Seeing Red said...

Capitalism raised that billion out of poverty.

Michael K said...

I predict our Prog business, media and government leaders, many of whom envy and admire the Chinese system, will do their best to whitewash the crackdown because, philosophically, they don't have a problem with the Chinese model and are already working to implement their own version here.

The Democrat Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of China since Billy Bob sold them the missile guidance systems. Ukraine is just the cream. China and Global Warming are two huge money streams into US corporations and Trump is threatening those slush funds.

That's why poisoning stories have a bit of credence. Corporations and CEOs used to be bastions of the GOP. Why has that changed ?

The Crack Emcee said...

Bob Boyd said...

"I listened to some protester interviews. They are young people. They didn't seem to think they were going to prevail, but they said they couldn't just give up their freedoms without a fight. Several said, if they live to have children, they want to be able to tell the children they had tried.
I hope Americans will be so courageous in the coming years."

I'm never impressed by blind rushes into the abyss. Martin always tried to have a plan for advancement. Malcolm always did.

The Hong Kong kids could've bought themselves some time, or even prevailed (somewhat) with another (maybe more humourous?) approach, but they've blown it now.

Shoulda been more like Trump and struck out by being original. That's what the times say.

Birkel said...

Seeing Red,
Could you please stop using Marxist language.
Free market economics is the proper term.

China participated in the free market even as the people did not.

tim maguire said...

The Vault Dweller said...if they imagine some international tut-tuting is going to stop the Chinese government from doing what it wants to in Hong Kong, they are far off. And if they somehow expect international trade sanctions against China they are even more delusional.

They're not delusional. They know what they are up against and they know how this will end. But every successful revolution is preceded by a series of unsuccessful revolutions. They owe it to whoever comes next to give it their best shot.

Bob Boyd said...

I'm not saying it wasn't wise for America to deal with China the way we have over the last 70 years. Who knows what would have happened if we'd conducted a Soviet style cold war instead?
But how about now? What do we do going forward? We have made them rich and powerful and invited them to join the world. We have the power to punish them economically. We can insist, at a minimum, they follow the agreement they made with HK in 1997. Why not, like the protesters, at least try?

Birkel said...

Bob Boyd,
China has an economy of between 10-12 trillion per year and it is currently in recession.
The official statistics are lies but the truth is discoverable, of course.
So between half and two-thirds of US GDP with more than four times the population.

China is only rich at the top but not a rich country.

Wince said...

More importantly, what are the implications for "Han's Island", located partially within the territorial waters of Hong Kong?

Notice how much Han sounds like Jeffrey Epstein, according to Mr. Braithwaite.

"We believe he selects attractive girls... then sells them to an elite clientele around the world."

Michael K said...

? More evidence that China is a parasite feeding off US science.

China has paid more than 7,000 U.S. scientists and other experts over the past decade through its Thousand Talents Plan (TTP) to hand over their research, according to a Senate subcommittee report made public on Nov. 18.

The TTP is only one of about 200 such Chinese “talent recruitment” programs. While being paid by China, these scientists have also received U.S. government funding. U.S. taxpayers have thus spent hundreds of billions to fund research and development that has ended up in China, according to the report.

Congressional aides who briefed reporters on the report gave examples of what TTP-linked scientists have done. In one instance, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy downloaded more than 30,000 files without authorization and took them to China.

Bob Boyd said...

@Crack.

They don't have a Malcolm or a Martin or a Trump. There is no leader, just a mass of individuals communicating by phones and internet. It's quite amazing really, how it has happened. They didn't start out thinking it was hopeless, but as things escalated, they couldn't bring themselves to stay home, give up and wait for a knock on the door that would send them to a camp in western China.
Malcolm and Martin may have been better planners, but they still knew the score and displayed tremendous courage to continue in the face of that knowledge.

Howard said...

The Crack Emcee said...
Thanks, but don't get it wrong: I love these guys, somehow. One day, they might even love me back.

Then we'll have a problem.


One day pigs will fly. IMO your best quality is you haven't become a cynic. A skeptic for sure.

The Vault Dweller said...

They're not delusional. They know what they are up against and they know how this will end. But every successful revolution is preceded by a series of unsuccessful revolutions. They owe it to whoever comes next to give it their best shot.

I shouldn't have called them delusional. But I think it is still right to say that they are misguided. It is a flaw to seek out a way to bravely die, (literally or metaphorically) for one's noble cause. Wars aren't won by people dying for their country they are won by making the other guy die for their's. This isn't to say martyrs never have a role. They can be very inspiring to those who come later, but as a whole the people should keep their eyes on the prize. The mindset should always be if we can't win today how do we do it tomorrow. Maybe the Hong Kongers could start proselytizing to mainlanders in China. Convince them of the benefits of living in a freer more open society. Then they would be on the offense, because China would not have to deal with people getting upset in Hong Kong, but also all over China. Maybe they have to change their message to something more unifying, not "Because we're Hong Kongers we deserve our freedoms." to maybe, "Because we're Chinese we deserve our freedoms." Try to link the idea of freedom and high living with the historical greatness of China. The Chinese tend to be very nationalistic this could work. And if all else fails, and you have exhausted all options then maybe the best bet is to make your last stand on the hill. But for every Christian martyr there was someone who was willing to throw them to the lions.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The spoiled brat coke-head children of democratic deep staters- above-the-law-ers - make mega millions off of the backs of the world's poor.

Worship.

The Crack Emcee said...

Birkel said...

"China is only rich at the top but not a rich country."

True. I never think of them as a real threat, in the way the media plays it.

The Crack Emcee said...

Bob Boyd said...

"They don't have a Malcolm or a Martin or a Trump. There is no leader, just a mass of individuals communicating by phones and internet. It's quite amazing really..."

I wish you guys would STOP LECTURING ME like I'm some ignorant boob - I know the situation. I was doing a fucking video conference call, with a friend working in Hong Kong, just two months ago.

Bob Boyd said...

@Birkel

Perhaps it would be more accurate for me to have said we have made China richer or that we have made them rich compared to what they otherwise might have been, but I think my larger point still stands.

China is the 2nd largest economy in the world.

narayanan said...

why, when, where it all began (I am finding out only today) === Didj'all know already

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-14/hong-kong-s-extradition-law-from-grisly-murder-to-mass-protests

It’s been a long, strange road to the suspension of Hong Kong’s controversial legislation allowing extraditions with China. What started with a gruesome murder during a local couple’s Valentine’s Day holiday in Taiwan has become the latest flash point in the values clash between Beijing and the West. After mass protests, leader Carrie Lam indefinitely paused the bill on Saturday.

The legislation would give the Asian financial center power to enter one-time agreements with places like Taiwan to transfer criminal suspects, such as the Hong Kong man who escaped prosecution in the Valentine’s Day murder case by returning home. But the inclusion of China, whose justice system remains separate from Hong Kong’s per a 1984 handover agreement with the U.K., prompted hundreds of thousands of opponents to protest and attempt to stop the bill’s passage.

The Crack Emcee said...

Howard said...

"One day pigs will fly."

Back when I did The Macho Response blog, the people here would ride my ass for thinking a Trump-style masculinity was what was called for in the West. Now, they're ALL on-board - even Ann and Meade - though no one will admit I was on top of it, I figure, though I was pretty adamant about it and still am.

As I said to Michael K yesterday, rather than lecturing me, it's the folks here who have to learn a thing or two, because I've got this reality thing locked-up.

Bob Boyd said...

Don't think you're ignorant. Far from it. Didn't intend to sound like I was giving you a lecture.

The Crack Emcee said...

Bob Boyd said...

"Don't think you're ignorant. Far from it. Didn't intend to sound like I was giving you a lecture."

Thank you.

Mark Jones said...

The people of Hong Kong are screwed. As someone else mentioned above, this is a battle they cannot win. Not in the long run. I feel sympathy for the people there. I assume many of them would have liked to leave Hong Kong before it was handed over to the Commies in 1997, but were unable and probably are still unable. But the smart (or possibly just lucky) folks did just that.

This was inevitable. The "one country, two systems" approach was a lie. Promises by Communists are always lies. You can't have a brutal, totalitarian government in most of the country while leaving Hong Kong alone to remain free. It's called "totalitarianism" for a reason. Plus, communists will inevitably gravitate toward any source of wealth (Hong Kong's economy) and suck it dry. They can't help themselves, and don't even want to try.

They said what they needed to say to convince the British to surrender Hong Kong. Now that they own it, they intend to turn it into just another indistinguishable part of the horror show that is Communist China.

Howard said...

I prefer the Gary Cooper version of masculinity. Strong, silent, humble, honest. Trump is not a real mans man, he's a ladies man, a braggart and swindler. Machismo is the ugly hangover from the Caliphate.

The Crack Emcee said...

Howard said...

"I prefer the Gary Cooper version of masculinity."

I "prefer" many things, but I was looking at what was needed - and I was right.

Howard said...

Can you expand on what you think was needed and what positive effect Trump's brand of machismo phony tough masculinity has had on the country

Birkel said...

The Vault Dweller,

Please share your thoughts about the 1944 Warsaw uprising, considering your views RE: Hong Kong protestors.

The Crack Emcee said...

Howard said...

"Can you expand on what you think was needed and what positive effect Trump's brand of machismo phony tough masculinity has had on the country"

I can't go on because it would take too long, but the shift in the national zeitgeist, since he took office, has been nothing short of remarkable. He's been the ultimate disruptor of all the networks that matter most to me - especially The NewAge Movement - starting with putting Hillary out to pasture. Cults I followed for a decade - which everyone here told me didn't exist - are now not only being exposed, but have even replaced zombies as our cultural horror totems - just as I predicted.

I really could go on and on and on, but only those, here, familiar with my "cult" outlook would be able to see it. My point is, since Trump's took office, I've slept a LOT easier.

mockturtle said...

My point is, since Trump's took office, I've slept a LOT easier.

You and I both!

Nichevo said...


The Crack Emcee said...
Howard said...

"Mr Emcee: You Crack me up cracking these crackers over the head with their own supercilious stupidity."

Thanks, but don't get it wrong: I love these guys, somehow. One day, they might even love me back.

Then we'll have a problem.

11/19/19, 8:51 AM

Hey Cracky,

You wanna watch out for this guy. Make your own judgments, I say no more. Oh and he says he was a Marine. So there's comedy value to be had.

As for love...how meaningless is it to say you love people you don't even know? I take your profession at face value, but how could you believe that "they love you back?" Unless that means giving you stuff, which may be important, but = love?

Sam L. said...

I'm sure the PLA is just waiting to be unleashed on HK. If only HK had a King Kong who would stand up for them...

The Vault Dweller said...

@Blogger The Crack Emcee

It is interesting you chose Midsommar a sign of the changing Zeitgeist. This guy, just made a similar point and also used Midsommar as a sign that the Zeitgeist was turning against New Age, Collectivist types.

Films Like The Lighthouse and Joker Signal Postmodern Totalitarianism is Losing the Culture War

@Blogger Birkel

I'm not sure what you are looking for me to contrast. 1944 Warsaw seems several levels of magnitude of a more exigent situation than 2019 Hong Kong. The more dire the possible consequences the more appropriate drastic action can be.

Birkel said...

The Vault Dweller:
And you believe you're in a better position to judge that than the people who live there and will feel the totalitarian boot on their respective necks? I don't think you believe that and I'm challenging you to acknowledge their positions is that you, judging them, are wrong.

Further, perhaps those Warsaw ghettoes would have fared better if they had fought before they were hopeless.

Think on it.