Wednesday, April 18, 2001
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Wednesday, April 18, 2001 |
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After China crisis, I'm sorry for . . . By AMY RILEY Some editorials appearing in U.S. newspapers in recent days have criticized the President for apologizing to the Chinese government for the mid-air collision that resulted in the death of Chinese fighter pilot Wang Wei, and an 11-day standoff for the captured crew and pilot of a U.S. surveillance mission. Some people will complain about anything. I'm not sorry that our President took the necessary steps to ensure the safe return of our military personnel. I'm honored that such a distinguished and capable group of men and women are at the helm guarding my freedom, and if any one of them were my son or daughter, I would hope and pray that the President would again be willing to take the necessary steps to guarantee their safe return. I'm not sorry at all that we traded a few "very sorrys" for their lives, even though the blame for the accident rests with the Chinese pilot. I am sorry about some other things, though. I'm sorry that such an enormous trade deficit exists between the U.S. and China. Despite all of their efforts to impose tariffs that make it cost-prohibitive for us to trade there, we still insist on rolling out the red carpet for the import of their goods to this country. There are some on Capitol Hill who will still likely defend "most favored nation" status for the Chinese in the World Trade Organization, even after the mid-air debacle, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that as a nation of consumers, we've sacrificed conscience for cost. We've fortified China's military by purchasing products that are made in China, some of which are produced with slave labor, child labor, and under working conditions that are so deplorable they constitute human rights violations by any nation's standards. I'm sorry that the American mantra of "more for less" has blinded us to the troubling economic reality of closed U.S. businesses. Americans would rather subsidize the economy of a nation which seems intent on buying or stealing our own military intelligence for the sole purpose of using it against us than to pay a little more for a product that benefits the economy and people of this nation. I'm sorry that we can't see that all the free trade in the world won't make friends of our enemies. We can maintain diplomatic ties, and continue to work for human rights for those who are suffering persecution, but we're fooling ourselves if we think we can "change" people. People change themselves, and only when they want to be changed. China isn't even looking to change, so who's fooling whom? I'm sorry that when we operate under a code of honor militarily, and abide by an international rule book, that we are not afforded the same honor in return. I'm sorrier still that we continue to believe that we will be, despite all the evidence to the contrary. I'm sorry for all of the orphaned children, mostly girls, in China that could know a better life if only they weren't used as political leverage in a diplomatic game of "we don't want them, but show us how much you do." There are ample resources here and plenty of couples who would willingly adopt these children if the process were not so harrowing and costly. I'm sorry that in our altruism, we are often ignorant. We turn away from the development and protection of our own resources in the name of environmental responsibility and for the sake of perpetuating a globally interdependent economy, and then scoff when it costs us so much to heat our homes and fuel our vehicles. I am sorry that nematodes are a protected species, but human embryos are not. I am also sorry that we just can't seem to get it that communism is alive and well all over this globe, and that despite the fact that the Wall came down, the only people who seem to believe that the communist system of governance came down with it are Americans. It may be morphing into another form, and renamed the "Third Way," but the underlying principles are the same. I'm sorry that we can't see the truth, that global government will not be free and democratic. It will be oppressive and freedom-stripping, and the people who will fall the hardest, and lose the most, will be us. I'm sorry that there are those who would quibble over semantics in negotiations to secure the release of our own service men and women, when there is so much else to quibble about.
EDUCATION FIRST WATCH: There is a request for rezoning before the Fayette County Zoning Department for property located at Ga. Highway 85 North and Roberts Road. The rezoning, if approved, could produce an additional seven extra students for the Fayette County High School feeder pattern, at an average cost of $6,053.22 per pupil annually. Preliminary and final plat applications are also pending for property already zoned residential that will produce an expected 22 extra students. [Your comments are welcome at: ARileyFreePress@aol.com.]
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