quote: -dead-
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ROFLMAO!!!! Taiwan's a symbol of freedom? Yeah rrright - they got democracy in 1992. So 10 years of democracy, and 43 years of Military Junta rule (37 years under Martial law banning opposition parties) is your symbol of freedom. Hmmm not my idea of freedom. And Taiwan has its share of corrupt leaders - see the accountancy fiasco over the French Frigate purchase.
Here's a quote from the Guardian on the KMT losing to Chen Shui Bian:
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-Dead-, sorry but nothing is perfect in this world. I consider this improvement and progress. Every Country has a bit of shadiness in its history and nothing good happens overnight. Considering that the KMT were the lesser of two evils emerging from a by gone era of oligarchy, then fought WWII against the invading Japanese, then against the local Chinese communist party, losing and fleeing to Formosa (Taiwan), I dont officially agree with all of their decisions made however I understand to a certain extent. So does the US Govt and their policies up to today as they are considered friendlies in that region.
------from the article---------------------------------------------------------
Official KMT propaganda presents the growth of democracy as a natural process. Improvements in literacy, economic growth and social mobility all created rising expectations. The turning point was the lifting of martial law and of the ban of political parties in 1986. Two rounds of constitutional reform culminated 10 years later when Lee Teng-hui won the first presidential election.
But this version ignores years of struggle and repression. Taiwanese had learnt to hate the KMT even before Chiang Kai-shek's flight from the mainland. In February 1948 a mass protest led to bloody suppression.
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I consider this just the price of freedome for that nation as all nations have had to pay their own dues. Even the US with its Revolutionary war and Civil wars...
quote: -dead-
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Meddling in Vietnam & Korea, eh? Whereas, of course, the US has borders with both these countries and therefore is perfectly justified in taking an interest
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No the US does not have borders with these two countries however after world war II, emerging from that as the predominate world superpower vs the USSR, the issue of important borders and securities had become grossly vague and even more so today as the world is now high tech. The borders today are at the airport security check points and the battlefields are between 30 thousand feet over New York or another city and the side of a sky scraper. These battlefields the US is not fully capable of winning, thus the campaign in Afganistan. Everything else in between is gray now.
quote:
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Although the Chinese helped [North] Korea, it was only with the aim of protecting their own northern flank. After the fighting had finished [in Korea] and when the pressure was on Vietnam, he [this appears to be a reference to Zhou Enlai as the text soon seems to suggest] said that if the Vietnamese continued to fight they would have to fend for themselves. He would not help any longer and pressured us to stop fighting.
When we had signed the Geneva Accords, it was precisely Zhou Enlai who divided our country into two [parts]. After our country had been divided into northern and southern zones in this way, he once again pressured us into not doing anything in regard to southern Vietnam. They forbade us from rising up [against the US-backed Republic of Vietnam]. [But] they, [the Chinese,] could do nothing to deter us.
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My opinion, they would rather have a split neighbor than a longshot unified communist neighbor. After Korea, they figured that the Communist party in Vietnam could not pull off a victory against the US in terms of general political outcome post war. My question is where did all of the fancy weapons come from. Where were the mig pilots and SAM operators trained. How were they funded through this war for so long against the US. After all this document comes from a public peoples library in a communist country. Thats what they want everyone to believe. I cant comment on what really happened however my opinion is that, of course they were involed in some way. They had their own changing interests and in general its called meddling.
