A Chinese activist who campaigned for compensation for victims of a 2008 contaminated baby milk scandal has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Zhao Lianhai, whose child was among the 300,000 made ill by the milk, was convicted of inciting social disorder.
Mr Zhao founded a website to provide information for parents after it was found milk formula had been laced with the industrial chemical melamine to give it a high protein-content reading. At least six babies died.
“It is such a harsh sentence,” Mr Zhao’s lawyer Li Fangping told the Associated Press news agency.
He wasn’t an “activist” he was a dad. The Chinese have some explaining to do. The Chinese love children possibly more than any other culture (hence the population).
One child per family. Think about that.
bobbo, the evangelical anti-theist said –
You blew me away with your impeccable logic and well rounded argument. Here’s your cookie.
“can’t imagine a president much worse than Ron Paul.”
I can. BHO
#22–Fred==I was gonna respond to each “complaint” but really it would be just an exercise find what countries were better/worse/about the same for each item. Just a meaningless exercise.
How to sum it all up?
To be fair: every country has pro’s and con’s about it. They both should be made better as resources/imagination/leadership/lack of corruption allows.
I agree Canada has a lot going for it including the USA just South of it providing cover for most objectionable activities. Too cold up there for me.
Ah Yea: good point.
Does the government of China actually care about the Chinese children? Some but not all that much.
Smugly you put down China, like it couldn’t happen in the USA. Search “food slander laws” (or food disparagement) which makes such activity unlawful in 13 states. China has around 4 times as many people as the US. It has a mainly centralized totalitarian government that is embracing capitalism. The US has a [formerly?] democratic republic government that is embracing plutocracy. We’re heavily in debt to China (in part so we can buy bombs without taxing rich people).
More about food slander (if you don’t want to read up on Oprah’s lawsuit) is all over the web. One sample:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Food-Slander-Laws-ill-t262279.html
“Food Slander Laws
It is now illegal to publicly criticize corporate food products under so-called “food disparagement” laws in 13 states. The milk and meat associations are poised to sue anyone who criticizes their products in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan (passed just last week), Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas.
They used these laws to sue Oprah Winfrey when she told the audience that she would not be purchasing any meat because of mad cow disease. After a 3 month battle in court, Oprah won. But she had to PROVE that she that she had made the statement based on a scientific reason. Without scientific reasons, she would have been found guilty of food slander.
These laws have put a chill on small media companies and citizens who are worried about the high cost of defending themselves in a lawsuit. Books publications are also being dropped because authors can be sued.
Some authors cannot find publishers willing to accept books that discuss the dangers of pesticides.
Alec Baldwin, the actor, said he that several television channels (Discovery Channel) could not create a documentary about “The History of Food” because it would discuss pesticides, herbicides and some disputed practices used to raise beef. They didn’t want to deal with the lawsuits.
These laws also make it illegal to hand out leaflets or to dump rBGH milk in public (called milk-dumping parties).”
#26–not to put too fine a point on it I think everyone would agree the food disparagement laws are a disgrace to the free speech rights of any free person. They should be struck down by the first judge hearing such a case–even on his own motion.
But the situation posted above is about THE STATE JAILING PEOPLE for their free speech activities. Very different than losing money in a civil suit. Oprah won her lawsuit and found Dr Phil in the process. She may even have countersued and won, but don’t quote me.
Quality of Life surveys/evaluations are interesting. USA used to be on top, now we are around 15th on the list and headed downward. Still about 185 more countries below the USA.
Probably still true the USA is about the best if you are young, educated, and want a job. Not so good outside of those parameters.
Yes he was an “activist” and that’s the right thing to be as a dad whose son was poisoned by lack of regulation.
Then the guy decided not to protest after hearing two words “Our Land”.
#26
I had never heard of “Food Slander Laws” before. Thats nuts, thanks for sharing that info. From what I can see, it doesn’t appear to exist in Canada.
JCD should talk about it on NA or DH.
#16
Totalitarian oligarchy with a socialist/capitalist society/economy and a lack of ethics and morals due to avarice and lust of power.
Communism eradicates a central government after the initial revolution by the proletariat and cedes the power to the collective society.
That has NEVER happened in ANY so called commie nation. It has always fallen into an oligarchy or autocracy.
No matter if you slap a label and hyphen aside the word communism, it does not make it so. Altering it makes it no longer what it was meant to be.
Lenin-, Mao-, Stalin-, Tito- communism is never going to be communism. It will be some bastardisation
Akin to like making turkey ham. It isn’t ham, its turkey. And no matter how much you call it ham it will NEVER be ham.
The propaganda of the 1950s blinded people to Communism. That system, like democracy, cannot work in the real world. They require too much of humans to be usable.
That is why the basic forms of government have never strayed far over the years.
Cursor_
#7 Breetai said
Does anyone really care what that fairly useless organization based in New york has to say?
Ziff-
Have you gotten out of your Mom’s basement yet?
cloewe
Well Cursor #32–should I say “right you are” or “its definitional” or “don’t get all technical on me” or “I was speaking in the nomimal case not the definitional one?”
Rather contrarian for no point at all, I think thats called being irrelevant?
bobbo, the evangelical anti-theis -
Quiet Slave!
Just be glad we in Canada are on top, that makes you our bitch!
If the Chinese actually loved children, they wouldn’t have any, China being the unspeakable shithole it is. Same for Amerika.