Xi Jinping – Just Passing Through the Quad Cities

Current Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, predicted to be the next President of Communist China, is currently goodwill traveling in the US.  He was greeted in Washington DC by unusually extravagant pomp that included a nineteen gun salute and a 350 troop honor guard. A first for foreign dignitary visiting the US. Xi spent Valentines Day in political discourse supposedly working US/China ties, with Obama and his security advisors. To the best of my knowledge, there is absolutely no veracity to any vicious rumor -that instead of doing his normal subservient bow, kneel and kiss of the foreign diplomats signet ring- President Obama, VP Joe Biden and other staff members performed a Valentines Day rim job on the future Chinese President, to finalize any future US/China business and political relations they discussed.  According to a National Press service, which will remain unnamed by this author,  Mr. Xi’s is then to visit some farm in Iowa.  ROFLMAO.

I am constantly haranguing the local press on their lack of effort that they put into modern journalism. The story by a major press service of Xi’s visit to some farm in Iowa is another example of the lack of effort put into contemporary journalistic efforts. If they had actually bothered to use journalistic curiosity in order look into the reasons a future President of China would visit some farm in Iowa – they would have found out, as the Quad City media enlightened their readers, that Mr. Xi had visited the same region outside Muscatine Iowa in a previous visit touring the US. As can be expected when foreign dignitaries visit rural America, there is an ever increasing buzz among the residents. Some of the more giddy, disclosed stories of interaction with the Chinese official during his previous visit. One person was digging out a can of tea that VP Xi had presented to the individual during his previous visit. Hmm – Makes you wonder when the  last time the reporter, who educated his or her readers about Xi’s visit to some farm in Iowa, received any type of gift from a Vice President of a Super Power Nation. Not that the local press didn’t have boo-boos in their story.

The local Quad City media was eager to mention that VP Xi would be arriving at the Quad City airport on Wednesday afternoon on his way to the farm outside of Muscatine Iowa. The story on QCOnline – listed on 02/14/12 – talked about how:

Several Muscatine residents talked warmly Tuesday afternoon about a planned meeting with an old friend today.

Of course the article also mentions that VP Xi is not actually arriving in the QC until Wednesday afternoon, 02-15-12, on his way to Muscatine. Nice proofreading editors. Meanwhile back at the ranch….
Another thing the QCOnline piece mentioned was that there would be a welcoming committee of Illinois Politicians for the Chinese VP, when he landed at the Quad City Airport in Moline, Illinois. I don’t imagine that he will get quite the pomp he received during his arrival in Washington DC . In fact if I were Xi’s security, I would be very worried if anyone mentioned a possible 19 gun salute at the Moline airport – considering that both John McCain and Barack Obama were confronted by assassination plots during their 2008 campaigning in the Quad City region. Though that happened on the Iowa side of the QC.  If I were Xi’s security I would “Just Say, NO!” to any possible welcoming involving projectile weapons.

Even more interesting the Quad City article was the mention that the welcoming committee at the Quad City airport would be headed by Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon and Secretary of State, Jesse White.  Unlike in  Muscatine, where Iowa Governor Branstadt will be welcoming XI, there was no mention of Illinois Governor Three-County Quinn being involved with the Illinois ceremony. I suppose Quinn has better things to do, as he helplessly flounders around trying to right the sinking ship that best describes the Illinois economic outlook. According to the QCOnline article, China imported around 3.9 billion dollars of Illinois products in 2011. Yeah, , I would send my second-in-command to head a welcoming committee for the VP of the third largest importer of Illinois’ goods. Perhaps Three-County Quinn has some more important bootyious maximus kissing scheduled for Chicago “We’re Number 1!!!” Politicos, whose “Tombstone Voting” practices were probably integral in electing Three-County,  that overrides any common courtesy for major trading partners: it is probably some genius plan by Quinn to keep from ending up on a Mad Dog Rahm Emanuel enemy list.

Related articles

• ‘Touching story’ brings Chinese leader to Iowa (thegazette.com)
• Iowa Welcomes Back China’s Next President – TIME (time.com)
• Iowa Town Welcomes Back China’s Next President (time.com)
• China’s heir apparent to meet with congressional leaders (edition.cnn.com)
• China’s heir apparent to visit Congress (cnn.com)

Team Obama Pushed Around by Chinese

Wowser – it sounds like Team Obama forgot to eat their Cheerios for breakfast in Copenhagen! In a scheduled meeting between Prez Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao – Chinese camera crew filled up the conference room. The room was then blocked off by Chinese security. The security then refused to let US media in to the meeting. They were not even going to allow in Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and National Security Council Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. Oops – how embarrassing for Team Obama! Gibbs and McDonough finally managed to squeeze into the room and drag in a single cameraman with them. It is good to see that Nobel Prize Winner and US President, Barack Obama, commands so much respect   from Team China. Sounds like it is time for Team Obama and his press disciples to hit the weight room and beefup before their next conference with China.

CNN Link

Hillary Clinton the Power Behind the Throne

It is being reported that Hillary Clinton was unhappy when in a probable mistranslation, a translator asked a question about what her husband Bill Clinton would think over a Congolese financial deal with China. Can you really blame her? She has been the only Obama team member displaying his or her self-capable of doing the job she was asked to do and seems to get the least credit for her work. Her husband Bill seems to always overshadow her accomplishments, without ever doing anything other than show his face. I suppose she should be used to it by now. It was never much of a top secret than during Bill Clinton’s presidency he spent his time chasing skirts while she worked behind the scenes. Yet he is semi-retired and still stealing the limelight and credit while she continues to work with her nose to the grindstone. I am not a Hillary Clinton fan but situations like this translation muff and the recent insult she recieved from North Korea followed by a Bill Clinton press coverage credit for the North Korea release of prisoners must stick in her craw. It seems like she continues to work-work-work while Bill Clinton and Brack Obama take credit for her labors.

Obama Ethics Held Hostage by Reality

Ethics and transparent ethical Washington DC leadership. That was one of the fundamental themes of the media driven Barack Obama elect-me-president campaign. He claimed he had ‘em and that most everyone else in Washington didn’t. Well I ain’t gonna argue with the point that most everyone in Washington DC politics lacks ethics. But I am afraid I would have to include messiah-wannabe Obama in that lack of ethics list. It is early but so far during his presidency, the translation of ethical government practice has changed with the wind. According to the dictionary if one is ethical they prescribe to the principles of accepted moral conduct. Okay what we are really saying is that ethical/ethics is a wishy-washy word similar to truth – in that it is defined by individual perception – which means you can pretty much create your own meaning as to what establishes ethical practice. Which is probably a good thing for the Obama disciples. Considering the Obama presidency has not looked all that different to the Bush presidency when it comes to comparing his actions as President to the pretty pictures of anticipated ethical behaviors painted of his future administration by Obama during his campaign. So far differences with Bush – are minimal at best – if any differences actually exist. The latest head scratching “huh” moment must have come for the Obama disciples during the Hillary Clinton hug-fest with Communist China. Her statement -badly worded even giving her the benefit of doubt- that the US concerns over human rights in China Human “cannot interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises” as the US pursues closer bonds with Communist China. Translation – North Korea is still a problem and China holds the leash plus Obama just committed to trillions of dollars in spending and China will have to do their part by financing much of that US expenditures. Global warming was just a toss in phrase for the Obama-drooling leftwing activists as everyone knows global warming is not high on China’s priority list. So the US government monetary needs outweighs any atrocities Communist China is responsible for on its citizens. The Obama/Clinton policy statement already has some activists groups unhappy. My guess is that many of the dissidents in China were also probably expecting a more “ethical” direction by an Obama administration. Oops! So it seems that though Obama campaigns and speechifies a good game of ethics – when it comes down to choosing between ethics or the pursuit of personal agendas – in the Obama administration political ethics are still held hostage by the reality of survival. It is a good thing for the Obama mesmerized that “ethics” is one of those words you can adapt the meaning of: I am sure they are spinning that definition in theri minds as we speak. New President – Washington DC politics as usual – still no “agent of change” in sight.

China – Contaminated Food Export Scandals Continues

It has been since early 2007 since I started blogging that there has been news of contaminated food products exported by China causing health problems. There was dog food/treats that turned up contaminated. There was contaminated gluten that made it into the domesticated fish and livestock feed sold here in the US. There was poisoned toothpaste and cough syrup that was released into several world-wide markets. There was even a shipment of it stopped from entering the US. Most recently there was an infants/milk scare where several children were poisoned with contaminated milk products. These problems were not accidental. The toothpaste and cough syrup contamination occurred when a manufacturer included a poisonous anti-freeze product in the ingredients to cheapen the cost. The other products were all contaminated with a combination of melamine and cyanuric acid, which has proved dangerous to humans and pets. The products are added either directly or indirectly though animal/fish feed to products tested for protein content; they then create a false positive testing score making the product imitate products with higher protein content. In some cases companies had paid of government officials to get their products to market. A recent government official stated that they were solving the problem and the danger was minimal. Hmm that is almost reassuring, except that the melamine/ cyanuric acid contamination problem has been repeated continually, without successful intervention by the Chinese Government. Sadly, these kinds of events are not unique to China. The Chinese Government has expressed remorse over the infant milk scandal, mostly because it also effected mainland China. But it seems evident that either the Chinese Government takes a mostly unresponsive attitude towards the danger presented or that they are way over their heads in product safety checks, even more likely – both.

Update:

The European Union has imposed a ban on some Chinese products and will require other products to undergo strict testing.

Denver Colorado and Beijing China Present – The Big Rock Candy Mountain Show

I thought today I would toss out a question to contemplate. What do the Beijing China Olympics and the Denver Colorado Democrat National Convention have in common? Extra bonus hint – it is the same performance probably coming soon to a theater in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Minnesota region!

The answer –> Both cities are using their respective prestigious events as a reason for rounding up homeless and undesirable individuals that they do not want tourists to know exist in their picturesque cities and then sweeping them under whatever carpets they have available, out of sight – out of mind! These are the invisible people that City Fathers do not see except when they are in the way of a successful big bash or have to donate them a dollar for washing their luxury automobile windows at the stoplight. Can’t have all them rich folk and power players having to stare at dirty scarecrows while they are busy drinking and eating their Champagne and Caviar. That could slow down the campaign money trains and sour the contributors swollen bellies. China is simply hauling their unwanted invisible people to the closest empty prison complex. Denver on the other hand is attempting to hide their shame with panache and style. I read on various sites that Denver has offered free haircuts plus free zoo, movie and museum tickets to the invisible people of Denver for the days of the convention. that should help keep them invisible from prying eyes. I have also read that they are improving and sprucing up the homeless centers for the Big Show. (Kind of reminds me of companies that had been informed that Big Wigs or OSHA was coming to inspect the workplace. Time for the old spit and polish routine.) Sigh, at least they are not just hauling them away and dumping the individuals in other towns, like Rock Island and Davenport have done in the past. Not to be outdone of course, I am sure Minneapolis-St. Paul is already busy firing-up their street sweepers, getting them set to rock and roll where they can also start rounding up the unwanted and destitute from the chaste eyes of the Republican Conventioneers in September. Ahh unadulterated moments like these just make you want to kick back your feet, pour out an icy cold Mt. Dew and sing a few verses of “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” (if ya can’t remember the tune you can always just go rent the Movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou” and sing along with the intro. Of course that is assuming you are not outside in nature on a personal quest searching for your existence on the Big Rock Candy Mountain.)

Undesirables – Out of Sight and Out of Mind – Makes It a Perfect World

What do street children, the homeless, prostitutes, mentally ill individuals, black migrants, gays and drug dealers all have in common? Well according to an article in the UK Daily Mail they are all undesirables that were rounded up by China off the streets of Beijing prior to the Olympic Games and placed in Chinese Concentration Camps. The old – out of sight out of mind – deception of putting on your Sunday best for the visitors. Just sweep the dirt under the carpet and nobody will actually know it’s there! , another embarrassing moment for the Chinese Olympic Games.

2008 Olympic Games – Politics and Scandal – As Usual

I have yet to watch one minute of Olympic coverage nor do I plan to watch any. In fact I have not watched the Olympics since the year of the “Miracle on Ice” and I do not even know why I watched that since I do not like hockey! The reason I do not watch is that the Games are all about politics and scandal. The politics and scandal surround and engulf the sports aspects and have sucked away any integrity of the Olympic Games. Politics are even ingrained in the sports and judging aspects of the games. In my lifetime of 29+ years, I cannot remember an Olympics that was not tainted with politics and scandal. This year is no different. Following in no particular order are links to Olympic scandals.

The Top Ten Olympic Scandals.

Swimmer bares all in animal rights protest.

Chinese Gymnasts’ age in question.

China uses Lip synch in Olympic Ceremony song because of image issues.

China lies about ethnic diversity displayed in program.

Athletes face suspicion over past drug scandals.

UPDATE On China Gymnast scandal: The International Olympic Committee has Started an Investigation into the Ages of the China Gymnasts.