Dakota Beacon

It began as a simple protest against a move by the People’s Republic of China to institute extradition procedures in the autonomous administrative district of Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong have long exercised relative freedom. They were a British colony for many years during a time when Britain itself was a free country. Since the city was handed over to the Chinese (to be administered as a special district) the overall social conditions vís-a-vís their freedom, have deteriorated. When early this year the People’s Republic government made its move against the city, demanding that extradition procedures be instituted in Hong Kong, residents strongly repelled it.

As days, weeks and months have gone on, matters have escalated, with the people of Hong Kong demanding greater independence and a free, democratic government, making five demands: 1. Withdrawal of the “extradition” bill; 2. A commission of inquiry into police brutality; 3. Retracting the classification of protesters as “rioters”; 4. Amnesty for arrested protesters; 5. Establishment of a more equitable voting system providing for universal suffrage. They have surprised not only the Chinese government but the whole world with their visceral reaction to oppression and their fearless demand for freedom and dignity. Freedom fighters have been waving American flags and singing Christian hymns. They have avoided provoking any violence but violence has been brought to bear on them by the government police., with excessive use of tear gas, among other weapons.

On Sunday, elections were held. The turnout was massive – 2.9 million voters, or 70%, a record, and the result was a landslide victory for the candidates who represented the pro-democracy movement. This vote of rejection of Chinese oppression is likely to bring an angry response from China. The people are asking that student protesters will not be punished.

It has become not only a test of the Hong Kong people, but of the character of people in the West. A sometime supporter of the Red Chinese government, President Trump had threatened to veto a bill passed by both houses of Congress in support of the freedom fighters of Hong Kong which called for economic sanctions against the Chinese government should they use force to silence the people. Trump said he supports this fight for freedom but also supports the oppressor, Xi Jinping: “He’s a great guy. He’s a friend of mine.”

Today, however, Trump signed the bill, a step which, although it “angered” the Chinese government, who said it was “full of . . . arrogance”, was a courageous move, and the right thing to do. After all, if America cannot be counted upon to lend moral (and perhaps economic) support to an organic, grassroots fight for democracy, it can’t be said to stand for very much. Xi Jinping showed epic arrogance in assuming that China could control and dictate U.S. policy. Obviously it would have been disastrous to allow that. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to strengthen our own fight for holding onto freedom at home, for the fight is never over and freedom is always tenuous.

We’ll see how the Hong Kong drama plays out. One thing is certain, we would have gained nothing by allowing our policy to be set by the government of Red China. It would have conveyed a moral weakness which would only have served to strengthen China’s hand in the long run. There is an old Scottish saying, “You need a long spoon to sup wi’ the devil.” In the case of China, allowing the oppressive government of China to take us for granted as a pushover would be easy in the short term but ultimately would only give them encouragement in their aggression and their oppression.

A survey conducted by the Ronald Reagan Freedom Foundation revealed that a large majority of Americans support the freedom fighters in Hong Kong. Chinese President Xi Jinping might be angry that he has failed to dominate the President the the United States, but nearly 70% of Americans agree with Congress and the President.

I have often called President Trump out when he has disappointed conservatives. When he does something good and strong and honorable we are honor-bound to recognize it and applaud it. In his act of moral upstanding he has shown himself the better of Dwight Eisenhower, who left the Hungarians hanging in the wind and John Kennedy, who betrayed freedom fighters in the Bay of Pigs effort, Obama, who left the man who helped us to capture Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani prison and Lyndon Johnson, who threw us and South Viet Nam under the bus. America’s image of strength was shored up by Ronald Reagan when the Berlin Wall came down. Today it shone a bit brighter with Trump’s act of solidarity with freedom.

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