Here’s another POV from an overseas observer i picked up on the Net: “Chen, an evil genius who, in this election, makes Arnold Rothstein’s fixing of 1919 World Series look like amateurish, has made Taiwan democracy a laughing stock of the world.”
Jeeaz, who’s with us, who’s agin us?
Just love this bit >>>
Of course whatever Mummy and Daddy say must be true. 
[quote=“lane119”]A Taiwanese American writes: “Let’s just get it straight. It is undoubtedly true that Chen staged the attack.”
Scary. He continues:
"Because my parents are Taiwanese, we have first account of all the politics going on here. (my father is very political) Not the most accurate, but definitely more accurate than the supposed truths after filtered through American press.
…
Posted by: Phillip Wang at March 21, 2004 08:58 AM"
[/quote]
It’s unfortunate that most Taiwanese were not allowed to learn about their past under both the KMT and Japanese rule. Even for now the KMT/pan-blue camp continued to prevent the inclusion of unbiased Taiwanese History materials in middle/high school curriculum through their grip of the Legislative Yuan and the pro-blue media. I’ll cross-post one of my summary of KMT’s ugly past here:
I am a firm believer that history serves as the foundation of political movements. To really understand KMT and the Taiwanese independence movement, as represented by CSB/DPP and LTH/TSU, the following two books should prove to be enlightening (for both foreigners and Taiwanese alike):
(1) George H. Kerr’s “Formosa Betrayed”
formosa.org/~taiwanpg/kerr.pdf
formosa.org/~taiwanpg/kerrframes.htm
Kerr was an American who witnessed the Feb. 28 Massacre in 1947 first hand after the then-notorious KMT landed in Taiwan. KMT thugs alleged to have killed 30.000 Taiwanese during the 228 Massacre and its aftermath. KMT effectively wiped out a whole generation of Taiwanese elites educated under Japan’s colonial rule from 1895 to 1946, sans some pro-KMT collaborators (which incidentally included Lien’s father). KMT had banned the circulation of Kerr’s book until Lee Tung-Hui, a native Taiwanese and 228 victim, became president in the late 80’s. To this date, most waishenren/mainlanders in the KMT/pan-blue camp either don’t believe in the real history of 228 (e.g. the famous writer Lee Ou) or downplayed its implications (e.g. the “beloved” waishenren Mayor Ma).
As a matter of fact, the first thing Ma did after elected mayor in 1998 was to push out the Taiwanese group who established and operated the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum (228.culture.gov.tw) while CSB was mayor. Mayor Ma gave the administration rights of the museum to a mainlanders’ group, who have been distorting the history and meaning of 228 ever since. This is one of the reasons that I will not support Mayor Ma if he is indeed pan-blue’s presidential candidate in 2008. By the way, it was widely noted in the local Taiwanese community that CSB won by 0.228% of the vote ([6,471,970-6,442,452] /12,914,422*100) in this election. What a coincidence?!
(2) Peng Ming-min’s “A Taste of Freedom: Memoirs of a Taiwanese Independence Leader”
romanization.com/books/peng
hi-on.org.tw/Nbut/0soangieen/free000.htm
Peng was a Taiwanese leader cultivated by the KMT in the 60’s. He was arrested by KMT’s thought police for attempting to publish his famed “A Declaration of Formosan Self-salvation.” Nonetheless, he was able to escape from KMT’s confinement in 1969 and had been in exile overseas for more than two decades. After LTH became president, Peng returned home to run for president in 1996 on the DPP ticket. He lost to LTH in that race but had successfully inspired a whole new generation of Taiwanese leaders, either directly or indirectly. For one thing, Peng educated CSB’s advisor (Dr. Lee Hong-Hsi, renowned expert in constitution law) while teaching at NTU in the 1960’s.
Most pan-blue heads who got a chance to read these two books jettisoned their position, with the exceptions of die-hard pan-blues. You will be surprised by the gigantic gap between the real modern Taiwanese history and the false one that the KMT had implanted.
Not to mention that Phillip Wang’s daddy is more likely than not one of the prime beneficiaries of the KMT’s corrupt and rapacious 50-year rule of Taiwan, having, like so many of his kind, filled his bank account handsomely at the Taiwanese people’s expense before upping from this island with his family to enjoy his ill-gotten gains in the greener pastures of the USA. So little not-very-well-able-to-think-for-himself Chinese-American (I’m sure he wouldn’t refer to himself as Taiwanese-American) Phillip is not exactly drawing on an objective or credible source for his “information”.
No doubt the daft todger’s a draft dodger too.
HG
Did I read the scroll correctly on MinShi TV NEws that 66% of the people in Taiwan think that the election has been decided? I am not sure how to feel about that if it is true.
Speaking of MinShi TV News, the anchorlady is wearing two green ribbon pins, I presume in support of President Chen. I wonder if they are available in night markets. I will check the YiJhong and JhongHua night markets tonight.
Again, feel free to check my blog. I have just posted comments from a poll worker and two friends in Taipei. If you have any first hand knowledge of what is happening, PM me.
The China Times today came out with two editorials (not columns) that called on Lien and Soong to
Send the mob home and agree to CSB’s recount proposal
Lay off the accusations about the shooting or risk permanent alienation from the moderate voters and hatred from the DPP supporters
I take this as a sign the urban middle class is losing patience.
The conventional wisdom is that Lien and Soong want to stall until after the 3/27 demos so that they can keep their supporters fired up and prevent or postpone the collapse of the Blue alliance/KMT.
That’s great news from the Post. Hope more editorials in the Chinese KMT stalwarts follow suit. Zhong Yang Ri Bao? Somehow doubt it at this point.
HG
Please forgive me for starting yet another election thread. It has been brought up here, in other forums and in newspapers that up to 200,000 military personnel were deprived of their right to vote because of some sort of heightened alert status after CSB was shot. Many have made convincing posts as to why this claim is untrue. However, I continue to see it in the Chinese and English media. In my opinion, this would be the only real piece of ammunition that the Blues could use for demanding that the election be declared void. Has anyone heard any official confirmation or denial that a large number of military personnel were not allowed to vote? Can you provide links to any such official confirmation or denial? It seems to me that if this were true, the military would have at least confirmed it, if not already backed a coup.
The Taipei Times has a pretty good report on it here:
taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … 2003107518
There were 37,000 soldiers on duty on Saturday - of those, 13,000 were within 2 hours drive of their home. In 1996 & 2000, those people close to home were given leave to go and vote, however, the rules were changed a couple of years ago so that this year, noone could vote. None of this had anything to do with the assassination attempt.
If the TT is too Green for you to believe, there’s also a report in the China Post:
chinapost.com.tw/detail.asp?ID=47124&GRP=A
So, the 200,000 figure is fiction, the link to the assassination is fiction, and the suggestion it was unfair/illegal is fiction.
I think that anouncement was made by the deputy head of the armed forces whilst the head was having a splinter removed from his eye.
Judge not
Judge not, that you be not judged.
For with whatsoever judgment you judge others, so shall you be judged: and with what measure you mete out, so shall it be measured unto you.
And why do you behold the splinter that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the wood that is in your own eye?
How will you say to your brother, Let me remove the splinter from your eye; while a larger splinter is in your own eye?
What man is there of you, who, if his son asks for bread, would he give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, would he give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to those that ask him?
Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do even so to them.
Enter in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be that take that path;
But strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leads unto life
And as a caveate: DEMOCRACY!!!
Does that even still exist? 
[quote]the following two books should prove to be enlightening (for both foreigners and Taiwanese alike):
[/quote]
More books about the way the KMT behaved in Taiwan:
Formosa Calling by a New Zealand bloke I forget the name of.
Lords of the Rim by Sterling Seagrave (excellent chapter on Taiwan).
The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave (Haven’t read it yet, but expect that it contains even more dirt on the KMT in Taiwan).
Brian
Actually, the Soong Dynasty has massive dirt on KMT shenanigans in mainland China - the retreat to Taiwan is framed as The End. But it’s an extremely entertaining read nevertheless - one of those books you start one afternoon and are up at 2 A.M. still reading.
[quote=“SCL”]The China Times today came out with two editorials (not columns) that called on Lien and Soong to
Send the mob home and agree to CSB’s recount proposal
Lay off the accusations about the shooting or risk permanent alienation from the moderate voters and hatred from the DPP supporters
I take this as a sign the urban middle class is losing patience.[/quote]
Big business is not very happy about it either, as it’s damaging Taiwan’s international reputation, negatively affecting the financial sector, and even posing a threat to Taiwan’s economic stability. If they thought it had a realistic chance of succeeding and putting the pan-blues in the Presidential Office in Chen’s place, they’d probably be willing to put up with it and even give it their support. But as it is evidently going nowhere and doomed to fail, they’re getting rather restive about it and dropping louder and louder hints that enough is enough and it’s time to bring it to an end.
Yes, it’s a great read, and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, I mislaid my copy when moving home more than a decade and a half ago. I’d love to get another one and read it again, but I’ve never seen it when browsing in any bookshops here.
Getting off topic, but Sterling Seagrave’s "Soong Dynasty’, ‘Lords of the Rim’ and ‘Dragon Lady’ are all available at Caves and Page One.
Brian
[quote=“lane119”]RECEIVED TODAY to counter KMT disinformation camapign.
But now they have lost the big game
twice and are throwing a Ilie Nastasie-sized
tantrum. A tantrum that threatens to bring down the
whole league and end the democracy game for good.
[/quote]
Which is, of course, far worse than even a John McEnroe temper tantrum.
Heard on the news this evening that Lien/Song are holding CSB responsible for their safety
Ludahai wrote:
[quote]lane119 wrote:
RECEIVED TODAY to counter KMT disinformation camapign. But now they have lost the big game > twice and are throwing a Ilie Nastasie-sized > tantrum. A tantrum that threatens to bring down the > whole league and end the democracy game for good.
Which is, of course, far worse than even a John McEnroe temper tantrum.[/quote]
I must point out for the tennis aficionados among us that the KMT/PFP (now very loose and getting loser by the day) alliance is actually pulling a Jeff Tarango-sized tantrum. If you are not a tennis buff, do a “Wimbledon 2000 Tarango tantrum ” Internet search to find out why. Tarango had to eat crow then, but can you imagine Lien/Soong ever, and I mean ever, no matter how this thing is resolved, acknowledging that they lost or did anything untoward?