Hong Kong Protests - An example of why the 2A is important for defending freedom

[actaeon277]

I don't see how you could possibly think that China would fail at restoring order in HK. China is different yes, but they still put bullets in the backs of people's heads with regularity. China doesn't keep official capital punishment numbers, but it's estimated that they kill more than the rest of the world combined.
I have no illusions that if China decides to put the smackdown on HK, and it's unarmed populace, it will swift, bloody, and successful.

I read something, somewhere (wow that sounds silly), where it was surmised that Gandhi's tactics only worked because it was against the British.
Had he tried the same thing against.. say the Nazis, results would have been much different.

 

[BugI02]

I read something, somewhere (wow that sounds silly), where it was surmised that Gandhi's tactics only worked because it was against the British.
Had he tried the same thing against.. say the Nazis, results would have been much different.

It may be correct that "The whole world is watching", but the world has the attention span of a three year old coupled with an adult facility for self-delusion

 

[AmmoManAaron]

I don't see how you could possibly think that China would fail at restoring order in HK. China is different yes, but they still put bullets in the backs of people's heads with regularity. China doesn't keep official capital punishment numbers, but it's estimated that they kill more than the rest of the world combined.
I have no illusions that if China decides to put the smackdown on HK, and it's unarmed populace, it will swift, bloody, and successful.

That's IF they decide to put the smackdown. They may not be willing to go full on with the smackdown. The Chinese have a well-earned reputation for not caring what the rest of the world thinks, but this HK stuff has been going on for a while now. Maybe the eyes of the world are holding them back a bit? I maintain that a half-hearted attempt at re-imposing order could fail. I'm fairly surprised it has gone on this long at this intensity, so it may continue.

FWIW, I agree with everything else in your post.

 

[spencer rifle]

Well, my daughter in China has to go into HK this week with some friends for a visa requirement. She is having a lot of trouble finding out where the protests are happening so she can avoid them. Our other daughter is linking her to a subreddit that might help, but the official PRC line is complete silence internally. Even her VPN is no help. That's the problem with the diffuse structure of the protests - there's no one place to go to get updated information. And if there was, the PRC would have already locked up anyone associated with it.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

FYI.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnko...dcjkZlBKtybAT_nHG1JFsMgP8JCEy3bI#654248c7135a

 

[spencer rifle]

Advice found by our youngest daughter for our oldest daughter, who lives in Shenzhen and has to go with a friend to Hong Kong for a visa requirement:

 

[Thor]

Once it touches the net it is never private...you are never alone.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

Score one for the protesters - armored police vehicle taken out with a Molotov Cocktail.

 

[actaeon277]

Dumb article I just saw, called them "little fuel bomb".

 

[Leadeye]

It may be correct that "The whole world is watching", but the world has the attention span of a three year old coupled with an adult facility for self-delusion

Who run Bartertown?

 

[actaeon277]

Who run Bartertown?

What's love got to do with it?

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Bet they wish they didn't have to fight with medieval weapons

 

[T.Lex]

Yeah, the BBC had a pic of a police dude with an arrow sticking out of his calf. That **** would count as deadly weapon... along with the molotov cocktails.

That pic above looks like a rubber practice tip, but I also saw guy with a quiver of practice points, but not broadheads. Seems like only a matter of time for that.

In other news, the police changed tactics by not letting a group of protesters vanish. As they tried to run away, the police cut them off and... arrested... a bunch of them. Enthusiastically.

ETA:

There are more graphic images available of the wound. It isn't terrible, basically because it wasn't a broadhead. But, that's sure close enough to get some attention.

BTW, there were supposed to be elections later this week. Probably not gonna happen.

 

[Karl-just-Karl]

I don't know if they were "plants", police agents, or not but I find the footage showing the protesters starting to get violent with regular plain-clothed non-participants a little disconcerting

Reports of someone being doused with the contents of a Molotov Cocktail and then being set alight coupled with the confrontations on the mass-transit systems leads me to believe that the police do not have things under control. It would also appear that the violent protesters are willing to make an enemy out of those unwilling to support their cause. Would this be a parallel to those willing to tar and feather Tories?

The whole Mocking Jay thing really advances things much farther. The improvised sling-shots made out of barricades and hard-hats are interesting as well.

I wonder if the PRC hasn't stepped in already due to the supposed semi-autonomous nature of HK. I have also found the US media in and out coverage of developments to be questionable. What, if there isn't enough anti-Trump diatribe they might give 15 seconds to HK?

 

[T.Lex]

Yeah, I'm not sure the MSM has the slightest idea how to cover HK. The layers of it aren't amenable to sound bite coverage. Especially in the context of the larger US-Chinese relationship.

Plus, while it is easy to make China out as the bad guy, some contingents of the protestors aren't particularly honorable, either. Then, to the extent there may be gov't agents involved in the protestors, the whole thing gets messier than 2 minutes will allow.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

It'll be interesting to see if the advancing protesters from outside the university are successful in pushing through the police line to help the protesters inside the university make an escape. The fact that protestors from outside the university are attempting a rescue kicks things up another notch on the intensity scale. If they can pull it off, I think it will strengthen their movement.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hong-...es-as-police-try-to-clear-occupied-university

 

[Thor]

Plus, while it is easy to make China out as the bad guy, some contingents of the protestors aren't particularly honorable, either. Then, to the extent there may be gov't agents involved in the protestors, the whole thing gets messier than 2 minutes will allow.

How honorable did the Brits consider the Colonists? If they are going to fight for independence they will have to fight...not that I think they stand a snowballs chance in Hades unless a whole lot of the world gets involved. The ChiComs will eventually come to kill them all.

 

[T.Lex]

How honorable did the Brits consider the Colonists?

Doesn't matter.

Today's actions are fairly judged by today's standards.

As an American in 2019, setting a guy on fire for voicing frustration about the protests shutting down public transportation (or whatever he was complaining about), is out of bounds honor-wise.

 

[T.Lex]

Looks like mass arrests are starting/continuing.

 

[Thor]

According to Radio Free Asia the U.K. has summoned the ChiCom Ambassador in outrage over a tortured consular employee.

"China confirmed on Aug. 21 that it was holding Cheng under administrative detention, 11 days after his family reported him missing."

"His messages to his girlfriend ended just as he was about to pass through immigration at a controversial joint checkpoint that is legally controlled by mainland China."

"Cheng detailed hours of torture during interrogation sessions where he was restrained in a "tiger chair" and asked to detail the role of the U.K. in the Hong Kong protests."

"Secret police forced me to open my iPhone by grabbing my hair to do the facial recognition,"

"I was handcuffed, shackled, blindfolded and hooded..."Later, he was taken to an out-of-town location where interrogators shackled him to an X-shaped cross "doing a spread-eagled pose for hours after hours," Later, he was told to write a statement confirming that the U.K. had instigated the protests in Hong Kong, and donated money, materials and equipment, and that he had helped to organize protesters on the U.K.'s behalf.

Chinese authorities have stepped up border inspections at the crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen since protests began, and have been routinely scanning the phones and other devices of travelers.

Chang has fled to a foreign country and is seeking asylum, but he added: "I won't give up the fight for human rights, peace, freedom and democracy for the rest of my life, no matter the danger, discrimination and retaliation I will face."