The Chinese Charade...

Since the Olympics were being held in Communist China, for some strange reason, as in, 8 of the past 14 years (money?), I was reminded of a time when my wife and I and a couple dozen of our friends and neighbors* had the chance to visit that ancient, "inscrutable" country.

The ChiComs were hosting a series of invites to members of our Chambers of Commerce back then to come visit and bring their manufacturing opportunities.  We jumped at the chance when we learned the fare would be chump change, no doubt due to the Chinese' willingness to pay a hefty share.  As I recall the round-trip for a 10-day tour of Beijing, Honjou, Soujou and Shanghai, including all airfare, hotels, tours and tips, was only about $1,100 per person.  All inclusive!  Horeee Klap, we thought!  That was cheaper than staying at home!  Literally!  Now's the time to go if there ever was one, we thought.  And one specific memory from that trip has bubbled to the surface that might interest my tens and tens of Patriotic readers.

After some 8 days on an uncomfortable bus, visiting every silk farm and tea plantation along the way, and being forced to eat nothing but indigenous Chinese food, we were famished for some Western fare.  And so, when we saw a Hard Rock Restaurant's neon sign shining brightly in the distance, we let out a roar of glee!  Let us off, we shouted in unison!  Let us off! 

The little Chinese girl who'd been our hostess and guide for all of our tour was apoplectic; there's no way she could let us off that bus, she told us!  We were tightly controlled as to our whereabouts, and jumping ship, so to speak, was not on their agenda.  It was on ours, not theirs.  We demanded she open the door and she finally surrendered; we ran like school kids at recess to wrap our hands around a greasy cheeseburger.  Ahhh!  The symbol of America!  One of our best days in China was an evening at the Hard Rock.

Anyway, the next day was to be our last.  We learned from that same cute, smart, capable 21 year-old tour guide that she was a student at their university, and was engaged to be married that coming Saturday.  The day after we were to leave.  Knowing that, we quietly passed the hat amongst ourselves to raise a little "thankyou" contribution to help launch this young lady and her new hubby off to a grand and proper start.

The way we do things here in 'Murica, doncha' know.

As I recall the donations totaled $210.00.  Nothing much, certainly not in present-day terms.  Not even then, really.  Chump change.  To us, that is.  When our young lady tour guide opened the envelope we passed up to her she nearly passed out.  "No!," she said, she couldn't accept our little offering.  We insisted, believing that she was simply refusing once, even twice for politeness.  We were wrong.  She couldn't accept the donation, she told us.  Not then, not ever.  For if she did, she'd have to report it to the Government, and they'd confiscate it.  They'd then punish her for having accepted it.

And if she didn't tell them?  If the word got out, and it most assuredly would, she told us (there were cameras everywhere), she'd be kicked out of school and send to a reeducation camp.  So no thankyou, she told us, she couldn't accept.  I looked her in the face and told her that our entire ten-day visit to her ancient land was nothing but a charade.  Nothing but a thinly-disguised effort to hide the more insidious aspects of communism before a gullible American crowd.  We wished her and her intended good luck.

We told her she'd most assuredly need it.

So as you remember the communist Olympics, just recall that this is the same country that so micro-manages its citizens lives that they can't even take a thankyou donation.  Oh wait!  The P.M. of Canada just enacted martial law.  Unilaterally.  All by his lonesome.  And using same, he's seizing the bank accounts of thousands of legally protesting truckers.  And their trucks.  And threatening to kill their pets, if they're found in the trucks.  And maybe their children also.  You know how that socialism/communism thing goes when people start rebelling against authority.

A foretelling of things to happen here?  I'd say no.  The Chinese have disarmed their citizens.  A disarmed society is a compliant society, they've discovered.  And owning a gun in Canada is not a Right.  But it sure as Hell is here.    One Hundred Million of our American citizens are armed with more than 500 million firearms.  Gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, now don't it? 

*  Call the David Salon in Newport and ask for Wayne.  He the best cutter in the entire O.C.  And while you're there, he can tell you all about our very memorable tour...