Dear Mr. Conver

FYI, its Mr. Covner. I just don't like people misspelling and changing it to sound more conventional, even if un-intended.

...cannot be judged by the more benevolent example of China's long history before that point

My point is, there is much in its history that I would not call benevolent. China in Chinese is called "Middle Kingdom." It has always ruled over its neighbors. Needless to say, China has a very strong history of imperialism. And Chinese pretty much look at their history clearly. Americans see the great achievement of the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, etc. Chinese see this achievement, and remember that Emperor Qin killed about a million people to build the wall…the bodies of slave workers are embedded in the wall. And thousands of people were sacrificed for his tomb. Chinese people also look at the events of recent history pretty clearly as well.

Unfortunately, this only lends credence to my assertion that China is a potentially violent and bullying nation that must be held in check to the best of our ability to avoid dominating world events to its own benefit at the expense of the rest of the world.

You say repeatedly (and at the end of your letter) that just because we HAVE DONE wrong and we DO wrong in the present does not mean we do not have the right to point out the wrongs of others. I agree. But your examples and reasoning of how China is particularly dangerous just does not cut it for me. China, coming out of a turbulent time, had a border war with India, Vietnam, AND the Soviet Union itself. Those wars took place all in the 1970s. During the same time period, America did many worse things in Vietnam and other countries. However, I think your point is that China has little "self awareness" that these were bad things. I would say that Chinese people – much much more than Americans – hate war and violence of any kind. They do not necessarily blame themselves or others for those wars…they just don't want war to happen again to them. They so much fear war and chaos – having lived with war and chaos for thousands of years – that they support the government in-part because the government promises stability.

In regards to Tianamen Square, I must object to your attempt (however unintentional) to diminish the magnitude of what happened … …Watching the events before the Massacre, I came away with the impression that the people who had gathered there may have come for individual reasons, but stayed out of a sense of grander purpose. According to the Chinese Red Cross, between 2000 and 3000 of them were killed by soldiers, tanks, and machine-gun fire. By their own government, Mr. [Covner]

I learned Chinese in part because of this event. (Also in part because its really an easy language to learn how to speak, unlike Spanish.) I do not diminish its importance. What happened was horrible. What the government did was horrible and no one forgives them about it. I was pointing out in my letter that a) 6/4 is not what Americans think it is…or at least it was not nearly as simple as Americans see it, and b) all Chinese people remember it. Now, many Chinese young people have recently become very nationalistic and they criticize the students of the 6/4 Demonstrations. But that is another topic. The demonstration became more than the sum of its parts, but it also became less than the sum of its parts in other ways. If you can say that a march, or a demonstration has a group "soul", then yes…it became a cry for freedom. On the other hand, the tanks moved in to squash the demonstration after some student leaders were calling for the resignation of the CCP. The demonstration became a student revolt. And at that time, most people went home… and the soldiers marched in.

Anyway, I certainly dislike the CCP. They are authoritarian. They do not support a free press. They are not democratic. They do not sufficiently support human rights for Chinese people or others. Many if not most Chinese people (outside of Beijing and the army) dislike the government…Chinese people feel that the CCP has abandoned MAO's party…the party that fought for equality and justice for the common people. But on the other hand, Chinese people are at least somewhat thankful for the stability that the CCP provides them.

Those people who committed this act of murder against the citizens of China belonged to the highest levels of the Chinese government, and they got away with it."

Yup. I really hate politicians. Especially the type that murder people, supposedly for the common good. But…will Bush ever face a war-crimes tribunal for the deaths of some 500000 Iraqi's?

If the people of China are aware of what their government did, they are only so due to the accounts filtered by the government that committed the Massacre. This is not self-awareness."

As I said, Chinese people are fully aware of what happened. THAT is the saddest fact of all. I tell Chinese people this: "You know what? I think Chinese people have no courage. They read the newspapers. They watch the news. They don't believe a word of it. Yet they often pretend to believe that BS. And you know what? Americans…well…you think we are sooo smart. But most Americans actually believe what they read in the newspapers. Amazing huh?"

...I despise many aspects of Saudi Arabian society and government…. …Our hands are covered in a river of blood. Their hands may yet drown in an ocean of it."

Michael, It's just the whole hypocrisy issue. How can the criticisms of America have any relevance when we engage in behavior that is, at best, not better?