Friends, I have a weird one for you — really weird. Yesterday, I had a post on Yang Peiyi, the little Chinese girl — seven years old — who was denied an opportunity to appear in Beijing’s opening ceremony. She won the relevant singing competition; but a Chinese Politburo member said she had buck teeth, so a prettier girl (allegedly prettier) was substituted, lip-synching to a recording by Peiyi.
After this posting, I got three letters (I think) absolutely smoking with hate — toward me and John McCain. Yes, wait for a minute. These letters alleged that McCain had made a very mean joke about Chelsea Clinton, while she was in the White House. If so, that was a rotten thing to do, and I hope (and trust) he feels bad about it. One of the letters was headed, “Darn those mean Commies.”
Now, as I’ve written before, when someone writes or says “commies,” he’s mocking anti-Communism and anti-Communists — because virtually no genuine anti-Communist says “commie.” Only people who think that anti-Communism is misplaced or silly say “commie.” They make a joke out of it. (Same with “Red,” sometimes.)
Anyway, this letter-writer went on to say,
Thank God we have a great American like John McCain running for president. A man who will show those Chinese bastards what we think of people who are cruel to little girls. [Of course, the letter-writer doesn’t think that the ChiComs are “bastards.”] . . . But then, he’s a Republican and the Chinese are Communists. So he’s a great guy and they’re evil.
Welcome to the [sic – ugh!] National Review, where every question of morals and ethics comes down to “It’s okay if you’re a Republican.”
It’s semi-frightening, the mindset exhibited by this letter-writer (and the others). Consider: An item blasting the Chinese Politburo appears on NRO. And some people can think of nothing to do but revile the Republican party, while making light of CCP offenses, which dwarf the worst sins of American conservatives, whatever they may be.
Ya know? I mean, do these letter-writers know anything about laogai or organ-harvesting? Do they know where Hu Jia and his family are? (They were “disappeared” after Hu criticized the party’s Olympic maneuvers.) It should be pretty uncontroversial to knock the Chinese Politburo in an American publication. Something has gone screwy in our country.
And I am reminded, once more, of a big reason I migrated from the Democratic to the Republican party, years ago: To the Democrats (the ones around me), anti-Communism was stupid, hypocritical, dangerous, or other bad things. And to me — it was simply humane.