Saving the Humans

For John, BLUF:  For the Progressives in the United States there seems to be a sense that the Uyghurs are small potatos and their fate is not worth upsetting the climate apple card over.  How utilitarian of them.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Biden’s new Cold War with China will result in climate collapse, progressives warn

Here is the sub-headline:

A political fight is brewing among wings of the Democratic Party over Beijing’s help in curbing climate change versus curbing its human rights abuses.

From Politico, by Mr Alexander Ward, 7 July 2021, 05:05 PM EDT.

Here is the lede plus three:

As a new Cold War takes shape between the U.S. and China, progressives fear the result will be a dramatically warming planet.

Over 40 progressive groups sent a letter to President Joe Biden and lawmakers on Wednesday urging them to prioritize cooperation with China on climate change and curb its confrontational approach over issues like Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong and forced detention of Uyghur Muslims.

It's the latest salvo in the months-long drama between progressive Democrats who say cooperation on climate change should take precedence over competition with China, and moderates who think the administration can do both things at once.  As the Biden administration solidifies its China strategy, and as anti-China legislation moves through Congress, this intra-Democratic tussle could define the U.S.-China relationship for years to come.

The progressive organizations, including the Sunrise Movement and the Union of Concerned Scientists, “call on the Biden administration and all members of Congress to eschew the dominant antagonistic approach to U.S.-China relations and instead prioritize multilateralism, diplomacy, and cooperation with China to address the existential threat that is the climate crisis,” their letter reads.  “Nothing less than the future of our planet depends on ending the new Cold War between the United States and China.”

Frankly, there is not much we can o to save the Uygurs from their fate.  We can't effectively intervene to protect them.  If they leave China we can offer them refuge, but what are the odds that they can escape?  Unlike Cubans trying to escape to Florida, the Uygurs are landlocked, in the Western part of China.

On the other hand, should we just roll over on the issue of human rights?  Which leads to a deeper question.  Are human rights universal, as the Declaration of Independence states, or are they a construct given us by the state?  There are implications with the second option, including that our effort to provide equal rights to all is unique to us and some other nations who trace their governmental system back to 1215 AD an the meeting of the Barons with King John.♠ 

I think the Progressives petitioning the Biden Administration, and protesting at the White House, blocking entrances, have this stick by the wrong end.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The implication is that if you think your freedom is limited here, it could be much worse in other places, even places your ancestors left hundreds of years ago.

Save The Uyghurs

For John, BLUF:  While some are calling for saving the environment, others are trying to save ethnic minorities, caught up in larger social movements.  Some ethnic minorities are not making the progressive cut.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'Climate Change' vs. the Uyghurs

From The Pipeline, by Mr Tom Finnerty, 08 July 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Pretty shocking -- Politico reports on growing tensions within the Democratic coalition, with the environmental activist faction of the party objecting to even the mildest attempts by the Biden administration to confront China over its human rights violations and international aggression.

As a new Cold War takes shape between the U.S. and China, progressives fear the result will be a dramatically warming planet.  Over 40 progressive groups sent a letter to President Joe Biden and lawmakers on Wednesday urging them to prioritize cooperation with China on climate change and curb its confrontational approach over issues like Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong and forced detention of Uyghur Muslims.

The problem for the Biden administration is that American public opinion has shifted significantly against China in recent years, such that according to a recent Pew survey, 89 percent of Americans "consider China a competitor or enemy, rather than a partner."  This move began with Donald Trump calling out China's predatory trade policy and intellectual property violations before he was even president and continued through then-President Trump and Chairman Xi's trade war.  It was cemented, however, by the CCP's handling of the Covid-19 outbreak last year, which, if the no-longer-a-conspiracy-theory lab leak hypothesis turns out to be true, would mean that China is responsible for the most significant man-made disaster in human history.

The pronunciation of the ethnic group, the Uyghurs, is WEE-goorz.

The Uyghurs are an Islamic ethnic group, which has resisted assimilation into the larger Han population.  They have been sent to re-education camps, their reproductive freedom restricted, their women violated and their organs harvested.  Bad as all this is, there is little we can do about it, ecept scold and impose economic sanctions.  The Author notes that the Progressive Environmentalists want us to do nothing, for the sake of their ideology.

But for the environmentalists, none of this really matters.  They've convinced themselves that climate is the preeminent political issue, and no other consideration comes close.  Many of them would even argue that American capitalism and climate change are inseparable -- even indistinguishable -- political problems, never mind the fact that, while the U.S. has led the world in total carbon emissions decline since 2000, China's new coal-fired energy capacity alone outstripped the rest of the world by 300 percent in 2020.

When you think it is the end of the world in just a few years then your survival instincts kick in and all else falls away, including moral clarity.  Avoiding the Apocolypse becomes the focus.  I can understand it, and yet still I believe these are misguided thoughts.  We are not facing an existential climate disaster.  Is action required to secure our future?  Yes.  However, it should be doable within the larger context of our society.  We can think and engineer our way out of climate change issues, and in doing so guard against the consequences of the iron law:  "Every solution contains the seeds of a new problem."

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

China Butters NBA's Bread

For John, BLUF:  We here in the US have a ways to go to ensure equality and equal opportunity.  China, which controls a big slide of entertainment world wide, due to its big audience share, is much worse.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The NBA as Protesters

From InstaPundit, by Professor Glenn Reynolds, 26 August 2020.

Here is the first link:

DON’T ASK THEM ABOUT THE UIGHURS:

Razor
@hale_razor

NBA players funded by oppressive foreign police state protest American police.

The NBA is disgraceful.  Worse, the players probably don't realize it .

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Confusion in the News

For John, BLUF:  China is trying, through its market power, to shut down dissenting speech.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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China Cancels Soccer Broadcast over Player’s Criticism on Uyghurs

From Democracy Now and News Reader Amy Goodman, 17 December 2019.

Quoting Ms Amy Goodman, from this morning's edition of Democracy Now talking about [British] Arsenal Footballer Mesut Özil:

Turkish, German and Muslim

Which one of these is out of place?

Yes, the first two are nations and the third is a religion.  It is fair to note that the printed article got it right, "Özil, who is Turkish-German and Muslim".

Kudos to Mr Özil for speaking out for the Uyghurs, and shame on China for trying to silence him.

Regards  —  Cliff