LAME! Brandon announces "diplomatic boycott" of Commie Olympics

There is a special place in hell (so it is said) for those who, in a time of moral crisis, refuse to take a stand. If weakness and indecisiveness lead you to hades, President Brandon is well on the road. In fact he's in the fast lane! 

Case in point: Yesterday's announcement (made by the ubiquitous Jen Psaki, since the Grim Creeper is increasinbly unable to read the autocue) of an American "diplomatic boycott" of the Winter Olympics, to be held early next year in Communist China. 

What (Walt hears you ask) is a diplomatic boycott? If you want to express your condemnation of the Red Chinese genocide of that country's Uyghur minority, you boycott the Olympics completely, totally and absolutely. Have nothing to do with Mr Xi's propaganda games, clearly modelled on Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics to show what a great and powerful nation Communist China has become. 

But nooooo... Sleepy Joe doesn't want to go that far. It might be bad for business, dontcha know. So he has adopted the mugwump strategy. You know what a "mugwump" is, don't you?

The idea is to have it both ways -- do something while at the same time not doing anything! So the "diplomatic boycott" means that 100s of American dips, politicians and sports executives won't get to visit Beijing in the (ugh, brrrrrr) winter. But American athletes will get the chance to do a Jesse Owens and show up the Chinese super-athletes in front of their Dear Leader.

What does the rest of the world think of this? Another sign of weakness from a doddering old man who is a good bet not to finish out his term. It's not the first such failure. There was the Afghaistan debacle. Then there was the failure to respond to the Colonial pipeline attack, followed by the failure to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. America's enemies look at these things as opportunities to step up their plans for aggression, knowing Brandon will do nothing to stop them.

Cases in point: The Chinese are rattling sabres [flying fighter jets, actually. Ed.] across the Taiwan Strait, threatening the long-promised invasion to reclaim the "rogue province". And the Russians are massing troops along the border of occupied Crimea, preparing for war against what's left of Ukraine.The Russians and the Chinese know the Brandon administration lacks the fortitude to do anything serious for a strong defence of other nations. So they're going to go do anything and everything they please, knowing they're going to get away with it. 

The US State Department is tut-tutting vigorously, promising that if push comes to shove, stern measures will be taken... up to and including a "diplomatic boycott". President Brandon's inabililty to make up his mind, let alone order any concrete action, not only discourages whatever allies the USA has left, but encourages America's enemies.

Can Russia and China be stopped from dominating the rest of the world, economically and by force of arms? The question is not how they can be stopped, but who is going to stop them!

Amazing news from Hong Kong: Democrats win one!

In a result that no-one (not even Walt) predicted, the members of Hong Kong's Communist-dominated Legislative Council voted yesterday to rejected a controversial Beijing-backed election reform package that sparked mass protests -- "the Umbrella Revolution" -- last year.

The goal of the the Umbrella Revolution was universal suffrage -- to allow all Hong Kong Residents to vote for the next Chief Executive, in elections due to be held in 2017. But there was more to it than that. Following the Communist model for elections, the Chinese government had proposed that everyone should vote, OK, but only to choose from two or three candidates approved by Beijing. "Choose Commie A or Commie B!" Pro-democracy advocates rightly called that "fake democracy".  

Beijing's decision last August to control the candidates for the next leadership election sparked protests that drew crowds of more than 100,000 people to the streets, where they demonstrated and camped and demonstrated some more. Activists occupied major parts of the city demanding universal suffrage for several weeks. HKG police used violent force against demonstrators, as well as tear gas which the protesters repelled with upturned umbrellas, hence the term "Umbrella Revolution". After more than two months with no concessions -- not even the courtesy of a meeting -- from incumbent Chief Executive CY Leung, the protest camps were ultimately dismantled by police.

After the police finally cleared the streets, the protests moved into "Legco", Hong Kong's Legislative Council, which was the scene of raucous debates, recriminations, demonstrations and walk-outs for weeks prior to last night's vote. Pro-democracy members hoped that if Beijing's proposals were rejected, China would be forced to offer more far-reaching reforms, but there was considerable doubt as to whether the democrats could carry the day.

Then came the drama of last night's proceedings. For reasons unknown -- hey, it's the inscrutable Orient! -- pro-Communist government officials gave their final speeches hours ahead of schedule. Journalists scrambled to retake their seats in Legco's main chamber. Then a bell rang, reminding the solons to get into the hall to vote. With only minutes to spare, a voiced called out for a halt to the proceedings, but the chairman of the council declined. Then pro-government legislators walked out in protest, resulting in the government's "reform" plan, which needed 47 votes to pass, being defeated by 28 votes to 8.

Po-faced Chief Executive Leung said he was "naturally disappointed" that legislators had voted against the wishes of the majority of Hong Kong's people. Presumably he was referring to people other than the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who had hurled insults (and the occasional egg) at him for the last ten months.

A spokesthingy for the government in Beijing said the "reforms" would remain in force and were legal despite the vote. That's the Communist way -- votes don't matter.

5 things you should know about the Umbrella Revolution

It is now the middle of the night in Hong Kong. The protesters are still in the streets of Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Tsa Tsui and Mongkok. (The streets of Mongkok are always full of people, but even more so tonight.) There have been scuffles with the police, but no more tear gas or pepper spray. Not yet.

Yesterday, Hong Kong's CEO, Leung Chun-ying -- that's him on the poster -- offered the demonstrators a very small olive branch. While saying again that he would never resign, he did say that he would delegate one of his minions, Carrie Lam, to talk with the leaders of the "Umbrella Revolution". After thinking about it overnight [and over noodles? Ed.], the protesters rejected the offer. The standoff continues.

Walt has posted two articles on this extremely important confrontation between the supporters of democracy and the rulers of Communist China. See "Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Revolution' -- paying the price for democracy" and "Why Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Revolution' matters", published here Monday and Thursday.

For those who are in the dark about what's going on and why this is important, Walt recommends "Hong Kong protests: 5 things to know about the 'umbrella revolution'". Aleksandra Sagan, of CBC News, answers these questions:
- Who are the protesters?
- What are their demands?
- What is Beijing's role in Hong Kong's government?
- How has the [Hong Kong] government responded?
- What happens next?

Elsewhere on the Net today, a student leader summed up the whole issue in one pithy statement: "We are afraid that in a few years Hong Kong will become China."

On the other hand, if Beijing can be made to keep its promise of a free, one-person-one-vote election for HKG's next chief executive, that could be the chink in the armour of the Communist regime. Stay tuned.

Note from Ed.: Walt has been waiting since the Umbrella Revolution started to use that "chink in the armour" bit. I couldn't restrain him any longer. Please forgive the pun.

How Beijing keeps Catholic "bishops" in line

It's been a while since we looked at the state of the Church in China. Walt is sorry (but not surprised) to report that despite the efforts of Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, to make nice with the the Communists, bishops and priests who remain loyal to Rome continue to be persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and even executed.

The least that can be expected by a bishop who doesn't toe the party line is to be discriminated against when it comes to things like travel outside (or even inside) China, and the freedom (or lack thereof) to speak out on matters of faith and the governance of the Church.

On the other hand, Catholic bishops who accept the leadership of the schismatic Chinese Patriotical Catholic Association -- the puppet "church" established by Beijing following the Communist revolution -- are richly rewarded for their objectively sinful allegiance.

In "Reward or Punishment. How Beijing Sanctions the Bishops", Sandro Magister, a Vatican insider, describes the very favourable treatment accorded by Beijing to "Bishop" John Baptist Li Suguang, who was ordained in October 2010 without the approval of the Holy See. The "bishop", by accepting this invalid ordination, is subject to automatic excommunication. However, he now claims to be acting as a force for reconciliation between the puppet "church" and the millions of Chinese Catholics who practise their Faith in the "underground Church".

Joseph Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong, an outspoken critic of Beijing, recently scolded the Sant’Egidio community for inviting Bishop Suguang to participate in an international conference. Cardinal Zen argued that all Catholics should accept the directive of Pope Benedict XVI to refrain from giving any recognition to the CPCA and its Communist-appointed leaders.

The fact that Bishop Suguang was allowed to travel to the meeting in Germany is itself evidence of the government's favour. Bishops loyal to the Holy See have been routinely denied permission to travel to Rome on Church business.

But that's how it is in the People's Republic of China, where freedom of religion is guaranteed in the constitution... as long as the Communists approve. There's one law for Communist Catholics, and another for real Catholics.

Mind you... there are many traditional Catholics who would say it's the same way in the Church of Rome itself: one law for the modernist, liberal Catholics who go along with the Vatican II "reforms", and another for the traditional Catholics who still cling to the Faith of our fathers.