🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3u1n6q$icj@newsbf02.news.aol.com> scottyang@aol.com (Scott Yang) writes:
>He knowingly broke Chinese laws by entering illegally (doesn't matter what
>one think of the Chinese gov't).  He knew the consequences and the risk. 
>Now he needs to live up to him.  If he has any integrity, he will live up
>to the consequences.  Sure, he's no William Wallace, but should at least
>take responsiblity for his actions and not wait for Amnesity Int'l and
>CLinton to save his hide.  He want's to be a hero, he'll have suffer or
>even die like one.
>
>-Scott

There seems to be an awful lot of criticism or apathy for Harry Wu.
There is of course the issue of whether things he has complained about
are really human rights violations.  I for one don't see anything
particularly wrong with prison labor camps or using executed prisoners
as organ donors (provided of course that the labor is done in humane
conditions and the prisoners are executed for their crime, not for
their organs).

But most people haven't taken issue with that, so let's assume for a
moment that he does have a legitimate beef with the Chinese
government.  Shouldn't he have our support simply on moral grounds?
Sure he broke a few laws, but those laws were being used to protect a
brutal system.  Nelson Mandela broke a few laws, but we wanted him
freed.  

I think a question we need to consider with Harry Wu before we start
comparing him to other people who have committed crimes abroad, is who
exactly was being hurt by his crime, and how just the law he broke
was.  For example, the kid in Singapore was actually causing damage.
Spray painting causes property damage and hurts people.

Or you might consider someone drinking in Iran.  We may not think
their hurting anyone, but their government thinks they are, and we can
agree that their not _helping_ anyone.

Harry Wu was trying to change a system that our country's foreign
policy says must be changed.  He wasn't hurting anyone, and he was
trying to help people.  Furthermore he is an American citizen.  We
certainly should make efforts to have him released.  And it might be a
good idea after this blows over for the President on whether or not we
will provide such help in the future, if we think it's necessary to
dissuade other lone ranger types who don't have either permission or
mission from our government.
-- 
blr2w@Virginia.EDU ***** "Individuals who have been wronged by unlawful 
discrimination should be made whole; but under our Constitution there can be 
no such thing as either a creditor or debtor race...In the eyes of
government, we are just one race here.  It is American." - Justice Scalia