The whole school is being fomented, ready for Jiang's visit, and a socially concerned American youth would feel the encouragement and need for a protest.

But tell me if those who are planning on a protest have lived in China for 20 years, have learned the history of China, every kingdom, every revolution, every reform all through these 5,000 years. Tell me if they have seen the pride and humiliation of this nation, the strivings of her people in finding a path they can follow. And tell me if they have been to China, seen the leaders making every attempt to maintain this huge country with a billion difficulties.

How much do they know about China to make a claim against its government?

Capitalism failed in China as early as in the Qin Dynasty, and kept failing due to internal and external reasons too much to exhaust. Theocracy, military dictatorship, none of them survived. Socialism is not a choice but a fate, the only way that preserved this feudalistic machine in this modern materialistic world. If that is not why the West hates China, then is it because of its abuse of human rights?

There are dark sides in every government that we don't wish to see. We try to harden our hearts when walking past that guy on the street shouting "Spare change." If human rights must be observed, let there be no black man beaten on the street of Los Angeles. Let there be no more men promoted than women. Let there be no native people driven to the West. Let there be no foreign nations slaughtered in the East. Let there be neither military invasions nor political invasions.

If there is a better way for the Chinese to manage their affairs, do you think the wisdom of one of the oldest and largest civilizations could overlook it, and that she has to be reminded by the U.S. "human rights protectors" who could "care for their well being more than the Chinese people themselves"? --Ying Liu '00, co-president, China Current