andrel wrote:
> Probably me. I keep hearing stories about various religions being 
> illegal and followers having been prosecuted for convening. It is hard 
> to judge from here, and probably they were indeed trying to overthrow 
> the government.

Apparently, religion is often used as a front. It's quite fine (or so I hear 
from those living there) to practice Falong Gong or whatever it's called, as 
long as you don't say "because you don't recognize our practice, we want to 
overthrow you."  Yet around San Diego, people pass out brochures about all 
the abuses perpetrated against proponents of falong gong.

Of course, it's not like the chinese government never lies or propagandizes. 
But from what I saw when I'm there, most people seem pretty happy with the 
government, and it's the individual abuses that get blown out of proportion 
here.  Not unlike 98% of the cops in the USA are nice and polite and such, 
and it's the 2% who beat the crap out of handcuffed suspects that makes the 
news.

They don't have as much freedom. The government officials are still trying 
to keep the country stable and prosperous. But from everything I hear, 
they're actually working quite hard to keep the majority of chinese citizens 
happy and healthy and prosperous. (Unlike, say, what I hear about Zimbabwe 
and such.) The government just tries to keep people from disrupting the 
government and throwing the whole country back into hundreds or warring 
territories.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Insanity is a small city on the western
   border of the State of Mind.

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