The Tiananmen Square Massacre

"The Chinese leadership hoped that the world would soon forget the Tiananmen Square massacre.  Our job in Congress is to ensure that we never forget those that lost their lives in Tiananmen Square that day or the pro-democracy cause for which they fought."

--  Tom Lantos (1928-2008), U.S. House of Representatives

Freedom is not free, and governments that demand full control can be brutal.  For all of China's historic beauty and culture, the images of the aftermath of the 1989 pro-democracy protest are a painful reminder to all freedom loving peoples of how heartless and brutal this truth is.  The 1970 massacre of students at Kent State University is proof that even the United States can fall prey to the deadly excessive use of force.  However, any government that loses control of itself to the point of killing 2,600 of it's our citizens should be dropped for it's status as a first world power to that of a fourth world dictatorship.

The U.S. learned from it's deadly mistake at Kent State.  We learned because we cared.  China harbors no such grief or guilt over the action taken that day, 25 years ago.  As we approach the 25th anniversary, even the free media call it the "25th anniversary of Tiananmen protests."  The "protests" are the commemoration?  I'm sorry, I thought it was the bloody, heartless, massacre of 2,600 people who's only crime was wanting freedom.  As  usual the world puts on blinders and tries to paint a pretty face on a pig.  I hate to remind the clueless media that, if you dress a pig up in a ball gown, it is still a pig in a ball gown.  Wikipedia wrote this about it:

The crackdown that initiated on June 3–4 became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre or the June 4 Massacre as troops with assault rifles and tanks inflicted casualties on unarmed civilians trying to block the military's advance towards Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, which student demonstrators had occupied for seven weeks. The scale of military mobilization and the resulting bloodshed were unprecedented in the history of Beijing, a city with a rich tradition of popular protests in the 20th century.

China's government is still practicing total control to this day.  On the eve of the memorial they still forbid open discussion concerning their lack of civilized judgement concerning their own people.  Have they learned a lesson?  I doubt it.  I spent 22 years in military Intelligence and this is not their strong suit.  One has to remember that, when you peel back the mask of modern China, it is just a more acceptable North Korean dictatorship with all the charm of any corrupt, militaristic political system that believes the people are simply the means to an end.

"The Chinese people have been forced to forget the Tiananmen massacre.  There has been no public debate about the event, no officail apology.  The media aren't allowed to mention it.  Still today people are being persecuted and imprisoned for disseminating information about it."

--  Ma Jian, writer

I feel comradery with the Chinese people and their struggle for the freedoms that we as Americans enjoy and rarely think about.  I ask my readers to consider your own situation over the next couple of days, and remember the freedom fighters of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

As usual, this is just my opinion and I could be wrong, although in this case I doubt it.  We all have an opinion and I would sure like to hear yours, either by comment or e-mail.

"As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower being he will never know health or peace.  For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.

Pythagoras, philosopher (c. 570-495 BC)