War Profiteers

Human Right, Freedom and Democracy? Not really. It’s about Profits at the expense of People’s lives. You die, they laugh all the way to the bank. Goodbye!  But wait, stop don’t cry, I can hear the bell. Karma will send them to hell.

Edi Lee for Peace   *****  Fast Edi Thoughts and Comments

USA, Canada and Winter Olympics 2022

More than 80% exports of Canada go to the U.S. and 70% of imports to Canada come from the U.S.  Canada is never fully 'independent' politically, economically, militarily and diplomatically. Uncle Sam is the big brother neighbor of Canada. 

When Uncle Sam blew the anti-China whistle, would Canada dare to not 'obey' and stand on the U.S.' side? 

This so-called diplomatic boycott led by the US against the upcoming Winter Olympics is a political demonization and smearing  against China using the same old lies, fabrication and accusation of China's failure in the US-defined human rights, freedom and democracy. 

Only 20 countries at the UN followed the US' political stand against China. 173 countries supported China and the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. 

So much political BS in this world !  I support all the athletes from China, Canada, the US and everywhere.  Peace!

Fast Edi Thoughts and Comments  ***  Edi Lee for Peace 

Ask the Boss (3)

Boy: What is freedom of speech?

Boss: It means with my approval,

you are free to speak. Without it,

you must shut up.

Boy: What is human right?

Boss: It means when I treat you

as a non-human, you have no more right.

Boy: What is your kind of democracy?

Boss: It is damage and destruction when

I use it against your country.  

Boy: I don’t understand.

Boss: Good. 

Fast Edi Thoughts & Comments  *** Edi Lee for Peace. 

 

National Security Law

Since the National Security Law came into effect, Hong Kong is no longer a freewheeling spy center of the world. Domestic and foreign anti-China forces in HK can no longer 'freely' operate and make troubles and chaos to separate HK from China. __________________________________________________ The year-long US led political riots and color revolution against China almost destroyed HK. The 'One Country Two Systems' has survived, but the wishful thinking to turn China and HK into 'Two Countries Two Systems' has failed. __________________________________________________ Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China. It was all anti-China political BS to deny this fact. It was futile trying to make HK independent. It would and did fail. __________________________________________________ Cancellation or suspension of extradition agreements by some countries with HK is not surprising. Nor is it surprising that the National Security Law came into effect. Certainly the anti-China separatists and foreign spies don't like it, but there are millions of Hongkongers who cheered and celebrated that the Chinese Government has finally come to their rescue. They have had enough of the violent, destructive and terrifying riots. Law and order are being restored. They now feel safe to wave the China flag and sing China's national anthem without fear of being beaten up by the anti-China thugs and separatists. __________________________________________________ Beware that the National Security Law has taken away one's 'freedom' to commit serious crimes of secession, sedition, terrorism, and collusion with external powers to endanger the security of HK, China. Freedom is not absolute and unlimited. It doesn't include the 'freedom' to commit a crime without paying for the consequence. __________________________________________________ All countries have national security laws. The US has more than 20 such legislations. Yet China may not pass a national security law to protect the sovereignty and security of China including HK which is part of China? Why only talk about some 20 plus Western countries against this National Security Law but ignore some 50 plus countries at UN which support it? What right do foreign countries have to tell a country, in this case China, not to pass a national security law to protect itself? Can I tell you to leave your doors wide open to 'freely' let the strangers, thieves, burglars, spies and criminals of all kinds come into your home? Peace! __________________________________________________ Edi Lee for Peace *** Fast Edi Thoughts and Comments

Hong Kong Question (2): What does Free Hong Kong mean?

Regarding 'Free Hong Kong', when the word Free is used as an adjective, it means one thing. It means Hong Kong is one of the freest places on earth, even freer than USA, the so-called land of the free. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ When the word Free is used as a verb, it means something else. It is part of a political slogan used by the anti-China separatists in Hong Kong. They wave independent flags and banners shouting 'Free Hong Kong, Revolution of our Time'. In essence, it has little to do with the abundant freedom which Hong Kong already has. The Pro-Democracy Movement (PDM) is rather a US-backed color revolution, a Pro-Destruction Madness (PDM) to bring down the HK Government and even the Chinese Communist Party.The separatists want to seize power and free Hong Kong from China, which is nothing but a political pipedream. Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China, a Special Administrative Region (SAR) with a very high degree of autonomy. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some separatists say that they just want China to leave Hong Kong alone. They complain that China is turning the promise of 'One Country Two Systems' into 'One Country One System'. This is far from the truth. While keeping the promise of 'One Country Two Systems', China does not and shall not allow it to become 'Two Countries Two Systems'. Hong Kong may keep its own system, but it may not turn the one country China or the two systems into two countries. China has given Hong Kong a very high degree of autonomy, but the separatists want a 100% autonomy, which is independence. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The separatists led by the so-called freedom fighters or democracy activists include the opposition party politicians and people from different walks of lives. These separatist leaders have direct link to the highest level of the US Government. They include Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee, Anson Chan, Joshua Wong and others. They are pro-democracy American heroes, but to the normal Hongkongers, they are nothing but useful idiots of Uncle Sam and despicable traitors to their own country China. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do all Hongkongers support the separation of Hong Kong from China? No. The recent China’s National Security Law put forward by the National People’s Congress has received the signed support of almost 3 million Hongkongers. They cheered and celebrated. They’ve had enough of the non-stop violent riots and PDM which started in June last year. They are fed up with the separatists’ Larm Chow (see HK Question (1) for its meaning). 'Free Hong Kong' continues to be free. But no to treason, secession, subversion, sedition, terrorism and foreign interference! Goodbye traitors, separatists, foreign spies, terrorists, rioters, revolutionists, thugs and criminals! Please leave Hong Kong or run the risk of being captured and sent to trial, and if found guilty, to jail. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Edi Lee for Peace *** Fast Edi Thoughts and Comments

Gun-Rich America

Mass shootings in America are no longer shocking news. They are repeated episodes one after another. Whether you think it is crazy or not, it has become part of the US reality. Free to kill. Free to get killed. Welcome to gun-rich America !!!  

July 1, 2015

July 1, 2015 is an important day of Canada and Hong Kong. It is Canada Day. It also marks the 18th anniversary of British handover of Hong Kong back to China. Canadians celebrate Canada Day today, but not all HongKongers celebrate the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule.

A Keith Durant in Youtube gave his comments on the political situation in Hong Kong. He told the truth. Here are his comments: The funny thing is they have more democracy under China than they ever had as a British protectorate. Under Britain the governor was appointed in Britain with no input from the people of Hong Kong. Under China they are at least offered choices of those the government is willing to accept.

My thoughts:

There is no way that the Chinese Government will allow separatists or independence-leaning politicians to run for the chief executive office in Hong Kong. Candidates must be pre-screened and approved by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong committee made of 1200 members, which represents almost 40 different sectors or groups of people in Hong Kong society. The approved candidates or finalists will then run for the office, and every adult HongKonger will be given a vote to select their leader.

This is the situation: since the handover on July1, 1997, Hong Kong has become a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. It has a high level of autonomy, but it is not a separate country. To become the chief executive of Hong Kong, you must be pro-China, not anti-China.

Hong Kong already has much democracy and freedom. In terms of economic freedom, it is on the very top in the whole world. The rejection of this new election and voting system appears to be a small victory of the pro-American and pro-Western styled democracy politicians and people. It is a setback of Chinese styled democratic reform in Hong Kong.

It is rather stupid and irrational that some anti-China HongKongers still wave the British flag, complaining that there is no free election in Hong Kong. Was there any free election when Hong Kong was under British rule? No, None. Would these anti-China HongKongers be happy to re-become British 'subjects' or 'second class citizens' under British colonial rule?

Stephen Harper's Canada

First and foremost, I don't belong to any political party in Canada or anywhere. I don't blindly take side with one political party against another political party. I look at the issues and concerns rationally, and see how our leaders deal with them. Basically, I am a pacifist. I am pro-peace and anti-war. I am pro-diplomacy and anti-destruction. I am pro-negotiation and anti-nuke. I am pro-freedom and anti-fear. 

I am a Canadian. I love Canada, even the whole world. I am very concerned about the Harper Government's domestic and foreign policies. To put it bluntly, I don't like them. But do I still respect Stephen Harper? Yes, he is our prime minister. He is not all bad. Is he a good politician? Yes, he is. Is he a great statesman? No. 

Today's Canada is not the Canada that I used to know. Sad to see that Stephen Harper has joined the U.S. led Fighting and Killing Club.It is my opinion that Canada must not go into Syria to strike ISIS. However bad you think Syria is, it is a sovereign country. Call it a dictatorship, evil empire, or whatever, it is a sovereign country. Without the support of the Syrian Government,  it just doesn't make any legal and diplomatic sense, to go into Syria to fight ISIS or do whatever. Does Syria post a direct threat to Canada? No. Even if it does, the Canadian Parliament must first approve a declaration of war against Syria, before Canada should go into Syria. Have we learned anything at all from 911 and the illegal U.S. invasion of Iraq? Had there not been an Iraq War, there would not even have been ISIS. Do international law and the U.N.Charter mean anything at all ?    

Canada used to stand for Peace and Peace Keeping. What is Canada now becoming ? Now that oil price has dropped drastically, Harper and his gang can no longer boast that Canada is a super oil power. Alberta is moaning. Sorry, no more easy oil money! I feel very sad that Harper is turning Canada into a militarized and war-oriented country. 

I despise politicians who use moral justification in their military actions, to order the fighting of evil with evil, and killing of other human beings, including the innocent, all in the name of god and religion. Adding religion to politics only makes it stink even more.To me, war is the worst kind of organized crime. There is no true honor in killing innocent people, whether they are your enemies or your own countrymen. Can you tell me any war which was not messy, in which there was absolutely no injury or death of the civilians? You can't. Want to talk about moral high ground ? How about Thou Shalt Not Kill ? How about Love your neighbor ? How about Love your enemy ? So many religious and political hypocrites !!! 

Regarding fighting ISIS, I do not favor the military involvement of Canada. I support any humanitarian work, such as helping the refugees and displaced people, which Canada is very good at. I would like to see Canada return to its old peaceful way. Improving homeland security should focus on home soil, not by fighting and killing in foreign lands far away. Again, have we learned from 911 and the U.S. illegal invasion of Iraq? Don't tell me that you don't understand the difference between Defense and Invasion. To defend your country, you must focus on your homeland and its border, not by invading another country or engaging in fighting and killing people far away from home. 

In the past, if you held a Canadian passport, you would be welcome everywhere in the world. After 911, some American travelers pretended to be Canadians, to avoid being targets of the terrorists. Today, the terrorists treat Canadians the same as Americans. Why? Please do some thinking yourself and you will find the answer.

I love Canada, but not Harper's Canada. As said earlier, I don't belong to any political party, but I am hoping that Stephen Harper will not be re-elected in the upcoming election. But there is a good chance that I will be disappointed. He may win again!     
 

Smart Up and Dumb Down

I believe that Religion can dumb you down, and Science can smart you up. My belief is based on many years of diligent studies, observations, and personal experiences.

I don't mean to tell you to give up Religion altogether. I am saying that Religion is like wine. Abstinence can do you no harm. Moderation may do some good to your health. Over consumption can lead to death, yours and others.

Religion and Spirituality are not the same thing. Religion separates and imprisons people. Spirituality unites and liberates people. Spirituality is true religion, and Religion is false spirituality. Religious people would become violent and go to war to kill others. Spiritual people are non-violent and peace-loving. I hope I am not confusing you.

All said, it is only my view of looking at science, religion and spirituality. You may disagree with me and have a different view. It's O.K. I believe in freedom of choice. I am only sharing my thoughts and comments with you. I just don't care whether you are a theist, atheist, or agnostic, as long as you are a peaceful and reasonable person. Love and Peace to all !!!

Economic Freedom

In the news, the U.S. ranks 12 in a report of Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation. These are the top five with the most Economic Freedom: (1) Hong Kong, (2) Singapore, (3) New Zealand, (4) Australia, (5) Switzerland.

Canada is (6), which is not bad. The falling of Oil Price and the value of Loonie is good news to some, but bad news to others. There is no perfect country on Earth. On the whole, Canada is still a great country to live in. What do you think ?

Unity Rally In Paris

Je suis Charlie. Où est Obama?

Unity ? The world leaders were not even with the crowds. They only had a Photo Op holding hands at a separate location. A good number of these world leaders showed support to freedom of speech in France, while banning or censoring free speech in their own countries, even harassing journalists and putting them to jail.

This is my guess why Obama did not attend this so-called Unity March: 

The world of Islam is huge. There are billions of Muslims just as there are billions of Christians in this world. The Muslim World is not only one small country like North Korea that Obama could easily pick on. Obama himself has a Muslim family background and spent some childhood years living in Indonesia, the country with a very large Muslim population. Some people even believe that Obama is a closet Muslim, although he claims that he is a Christian. 

The point I want to make is this: Obama understands that one may not create an image or picture of Mohammed, the Muslims' prophet. While freedom of speech is a fundamental right available in most countries in the West, creating an image or picture of prophet Mohammed is an unforgivable blasphemy to the Muslims. Obama is not a stupid man. I believe he decided not to attend the rally. Had he gone to attend the freedom of speech rally in Paris, that would have offended the Muslim world, and be seen taking side with France and the West against Islam and  the Muslims in the world. Instead, he just sent his spokesperson to issue sort of an apology or excuse afterwards. Well, it is only my guess. 

All said, it is my opinion that all violence, killing, war and terrorism are wrong. Love and Peace are always right. Unfortunately, in the name of God, Religion, Democracy, Nationalism, or Whatever, some people would justify the use of violence, killing, war and terrorism. And then some others who are against terrorism are ironically terrorists themselves. Oh, so much hypocrisy, so much failure ! Yes, we still live in a messy and 'uncivilized' world ! What do you think ? 

I Don't Care

Success doesn't mean you don't really care. It means you are able to say I Don't Care with ease and confidence. If you disagree with me, I don't care ! 

October The First

October 1 (Wed), 2014: today is Jimmy Carter's birthday. He is 90 years old. Happy Birthday, Mr. President !!!

Today is also the national day of China. The celebration is dampened by the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. It is unlikely that the Chinese Government in Beijing will back down, but the protesters also stand firm on the ground, demanding Leung Chun Ying, the current chief executive of Hong Kong to step down. In any case, I hope peace and calm will prevail, and pray that there will be no violence and bloodshed.

Jimmy Carter is a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Here are his words: " My position has always been, along with many people, that any differences be resolved in a non violent way ". Peace !!!

Scotland

Scotland's referendum on independence resulted in a yes-vote of 45% and no-vote of 55%. Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom. God Save The Queen, some would say, that the marriage did not become a 'painful divorce', a term used by Prime Minister David Cameron, in warning what the U.K. would become if a yes vote had won.

What does it mean, that Scotland is still part of U.K.? It means many things. For one, although the marriage has not resulted in divorce, it is no longer the same. Cameron has promised to devolve more power to Scotland, but then millions of Scottish independence seekers (the 45%) remain unhappy. It is like an unhappy spouse agrees to stay married and stop seeking a divorce, while the other spouse makes all kinds of promises to prevent the marriage from falling apart. How would U.K. feel, now that Scotland said, " Darling, I used to love you 100%. Now I only love you 55% " ?

I am not Scottish, but if I were Scottish and lived in Scotland, maybe I would have voted yes to separate from the United Kingdom.Why? Well, just look up the reasons given by Alex Salmond and the 45% Scottish population who said yes. Of course the pro-union Brits have their reasons, too, to say no. I bet you the elites, the billionaires, the bankers, the London Stock Exchange, the City of London, the rich and powerful,  and the 1% would have said no.

Certainly the Queen and the noble family would not like to see Scotland go.The pro-union supporters would have voted with much of their head, while the pro-independence seekers would have voted not only with their head, but also with much of their heart. Please don't get mad at me, if you disagree with me and think otherwise. I believe in freedom of opinion, freedom of choice and freedom of speech.

Each case is different, and the only common rule we should follow is to settle any conflict and problem by peaceful means. For example, I am a Canadian, and I don't like to see Quebec separate from Canada.
" What is Canada without Quebec? ", I often ask myself this question. But what then if Quebec really wants to separate ? Then so be it ! They have the right to choose. 

Anyway, we now have a new, or rather a survived United Kingdom. Who are the true winners, the Scots or the Brits? What do you think?

I think the true winner is Freedom and Democracy. There were no bullets flying in Scotland. There was no fighting, no violence, no killing, and no civil war. It was a peaceful process of referendum and freedom of choice. To that, I salute !      

 

Good Bye Country, Hello New Home

Just finished watching a Youtube video titled ' Time to Get the Hell Out of the U.S.' As the news channel was RT (Russia Today), there would be people who just wrote it off as nothing but Russian propaganda. 

Here are my thoughts and comments: some haters of Putin and Russia would say that this is nothing but Russian propaganda, but I do think that there is some truth in this report. You can argue about different ideologies, but you can't deny facts. There has been an increase of Americans who gave up their U.S. citizenship and moved to other countries. If you are an American citizen, you have to report your world wide income to Uncle Sam wherever you live. This controversial and complicated tax system alone would be a reason for Americans living abroad to give up their American citizenship.

For example, Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook, surrendered his U.S. citizenship and moved to Singapore. He said it was a personal choice which had nothing to do with tax saving. Whether he told the truth or not, he had saved millions in tax money. Uncle Sam got mad and increased the exit tax to punish such non-patriotic Americans. Give me your money before I let you go !

Tina Turner, an iconic American singer also gave up her U.S. citizenship and now lives in Switzerland. Dear Uncle Sam, I know I know, this one really hurts ! Tina Turner is no longer an American ... WTF ???!!! 

French actor Gerard Depardieu left France and became a Russian citizen. Putin happily granted him a Russian passport. There are people who envy the rich. There are people who look down on the poor. But most people do not fully trust their governments. In this case, can you blame Gerard at all, that France's tax rate was going up from 45% to 75%? Russia has a 13% low flat rate. For comparison, Singapore's rate is 18%.

In the past, people looked to the West. So many people wanted to go to America, the Land of the Free. Today, people look to the East. The center of world economy has already gone to Asia. There are so many troubled spots in the world today, and I feel so lucky to be in Canada. I feel both free and safe here. I don't see any need for me to move away from Canada. Dear American friends, would you consider moving to Canada, the true North strong and free ?

July the First

Today is Canada Day, also the 17th anniversary of Britain's hand-over of Hong Kong back to Chinese rule. There has been some political turmoil in Hong Kong, where the Hongkongers demand their UK-China promised autonomy and democracy, while the Chinese Government strongly asserts its authority and sovereignty over the previous British colony. I hope the problems will be resolved peacefully. No violence on either side please !!!

Economic Freedom

Which countries / places have the most economic freedom in the world ? Top 10 ranking for 2012 (don't know 2013 or current ranking, but it should be similar): 1. Hong Kong (previous British Crown Colony, now a special administrative region of China), 2. Singapore, 3. Australia, 4. New Zealand, 5. Switzerland, 6. Canada, 7. Chile, 8. Mauritius, 9. Denmark, 10. U.S.A. Economic freedom, political freedom, and religious freedom are not the same thing. A friend has just posted in Facebook that New Zealand is the country with the most freedom (I presume he means overall freedom).

Guantanamo Prison

U.S. Major General Michael Lehnert, now retired, said Guantanamo Prison in Cuba was a mistake and should be shut down, because "it validates every  negative perception of the United States". Didn't Obama back in 2008 say that he was going to close it down within the first year of his presidency?
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Indeed, unless Guantanamo Prison is shut down, who will listen to Uncle Sam's talking about democracy, freedom, human rights and international laws?

Quebec Values

The Charter of Quebec Values would ban religious symbols for public workers.The ban includes not only religious symbols, but also religious head coverings and clothing. Public workers are required to stay neutral and not to show their religions when they go to work.
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It is my opinion that banning public workers from wearing religious symbols, head coverings and clothing will run into many problems.First, you have to definite what religious symbols are. Then, you have to justify and clarify the permitted size of religious symbols on what is too large and unacceptable, and what is O.K.and why. Finally, how are you going to enforce such law?
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Some well-known religious symbols and head wears are the cross or crucifix, star of David, kippa, turban and the hijab.There are many other less known religious symbols.There are also symbols which are social, cultural, political, commercial and personal.When would a symbol become religious, hence must be banned? Who would be given the authority to define what a religious symbol is? What if a symbol is both cultural and religious, such as the cross? Is it O.K. to wear a hockey cap, since Canadians, including Quebeckers, love hockey 'religiously'? What about wearing a black hat that looks like one worn by an Orthodox Jew or Mennonite? What about a female worker wearing a head scarf, which is not necessarily a religious symbol? What about Halloween? Public workers are no longer allowed to become certain characters and wear Holloween costumes for just one day of fun? No more fairies and monsters? What about Christmas? No more Santa coming and passing candies and gifts? What if a public worker has tattoos on his or her arms, or hands, which are religious symbols? Are they supposed to hide them? Or will they be forced to remove the tattoos? What about life guards on a public beach or swimming pool ? What are they supposed to do if they have religious tattoos on their bodies? There are so many questions to ask !
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It sounds O.K.if you wear a small cross, but a big one is not allowed.Who would determine what is a permitted small size and what is not? What is too big, what is small enough, and why? After French language law, is the Quebec Government going to create an anti-religion police force? It sounds silly that in a free society, one would have broken the law, just because what one wore was a little too big. It is ironical, even hypocritical, that the crucifix on the wall of the Quebec National Assembly would be allowed to stay, based on an excuse that it is part of cultural heritage.And what about the huge Cross at Mount Royal ?
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As a Catholic or Christian, you will find it easy to comply with such law:just make your cross small enough to be O.K.to wear, but to a Sikh man, for example, you just can't tell him not to wear his turban.What kind of reasonable accommodation does the Charter of Quebec Values provide? Please tell me. Could the Charter of Quebec Values being created by the Quebec Government reject multiculturalism, which is clearly a Canadian reality? 
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I am not saying that the Charter of Quebec Values is all rubbish. Such important issue is indeed worth some rigorous debate and  honest discussion.Personally, I think it is very difficult and complicated, to put clarity and workability to the definition, measurement, and enforcement of the Quebec Values. Last but not least, Quebec is not, or not yet, a separate sovereign country. It is part of Canada. There is no way that the Quebec Charter of Values can trump the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I see troubles ahead.    

 

            




         

Happy Go Topless Day

HAPPY GO TOPLESS DAY! Equal right does not mean mandatory compliance. It means an option, a free choice.If men can choose to go topless, women should be given the same equal right to do the same. How free, really, is your community or country in 2013? Are you sure you are living in a free country? Are you still living in the 19th century? If you don't like to go topless, then please don't do it, but those who like to do it should be allowed to do it.