Tuesday, June 21, 2005
RECOMMENDED READING
President Bush is meeting today with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai as I discussed earlier and the world is watching to see what position the administration will be taking on Vietnam's abombinable human rights record that was highlighted yesterday by Congressman Christopher Smith.
Bruce Kesler, a Vietnam veteran, op-ed columnist and conservative activist has been working very hard to raise awareness of the lack of religious and political freedoms in Vietnam, has published two articles in the last few days:
" A Test for President Bush on Democracy and Human Rights" in the Augusta Free Press, Kesler writes:
"In President Bush's second inaugural address, he pledged, "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors." President Bush has been stalwart in keeping that pledge. Let's hope and demand he continues to keep that pledge, to oppressed Vietnamese.
Reporters from Vietnam and Vietnamese say that the thugocracy ruling Vietnam only respond to Western media and political pressure, to free some dissidents and lighten up a bit in their oppression, in order to further their kleptocracy through Western business investment and foreign aid.
Vietnam's true priorities were expressed when Khai joined with other Vietnam Politburo leaders in rejecting more reforms, when he said: "We need to breathe and have opened our windows and doors to the world but bugs and flies are coming in so we have to stop them from contaminating our society."
The United States must demand far greater quid pro quo from Vietnam before further entrenching its regime's oppression."
And on a related but more partisan topic in " Same Lies, Different War" at David Horowitz's Frontpagemag.com , Kesler attacks the analogies drawn between Vietnam and Iraq.
That's it for now. ¶ 8:42 AM
President Bush is meeting today with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai as I discussed earlier and the world is watching to see what position the administration will be taking on Vietnam's abombinable human rights record that was highlighted yesterday by Congressman Christopher Smith.
Bruce Kesler, a Vietnam veteran, op-ed columnist and conservative activist has been working very hard to raise awareness of the lack of religious and political freedoms in Vietnam, has published two articles in the last few days:
" A Test for President Bush on Democracy and Human Rights" in the Augusta Free Press, Kesler writes:
"In President Bush's second inaugural address, he pledged, "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors." President Bush has been stalwart in keeping that pledge. Let's hope and demand he continues to keep that pledge, to oppressed Vietnamese.
Reporters from Vietnam and Vietnamese say that the thugocracy ruling Vietnam only respond to Western media and political pressure, to free some dissidents and lighten up a bit in their oppression, in order to further their kleptocracy through Western business investment and foreign aid.
Vietnam's true priorities were expressed when Khai joined with other Vietnam Politburo leaders in rejecting more reforms, when he said: "We need to breathe and have opened our windows and doors to the world but bugs and flies are coming in so we have to stop them from contaminating our society."
The United States must demand far greater quid pro quo from Vietnam before further entrenching its regime's oppression."
And on a related but more partisan topic in " Same Lies, Different War" at David Horowitz's Frontpagemag.com , Kesler attacks the analogies drawn between Vietnam and Iraq.
That's it for now. ¶ 8:42 AM
