The left and china

I feel weird giving this stuff ink (err, pixels), but it's sort of sadly amusing. Some of the socialist/communist parties in the US are still pro-China. I forgot that this stuff existed. In fact, a handful of members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation were out in San Francisco at the torch relay, demonstrating in favor of China, the NY Sun reported (the Sun is a fascinating source of information, I tell you. Some of it is fake news. But some of it is true, if obscure).

On a different but related note, Uri Avnery's recent column on China is useful, though I think ultimately wrong. He argues that while he'd like a free Tibet, he's troubled that the media and the public have so focused on Tibet (politically safe -- sort of) while ignoring other liberation struggles that conflict deeply with US policy (say, Palestine).

I think he goes a bit overboard; after all, the cause of human rights in China is in conflict with existing US policy -- which sort of supports human rights in China, but as a very very low priority in bilateral relations. So it's not that un-radical, really..