Man Bites Basketball

Here's a man bites dog story: both AOC AND Ted Cruz signed a three page letter condemning the NBA for its cowardice and greed in the face of Chinese oppression! Adam Silver, the craven NBA commissioner who backed China over Hong Kong and his own executive and thus helped spark this retort, may have worked a political miracle  But, sadly, the real man bites dog story would be if the NBA stood up to its Chinese Sugar Daddy. Think of it, Nike, Addidas and the NBA must be really hard up that they rely so much on Chinese cash that they will sell out and throw even their own people under the bus to keep the Chinese on their street corner.

And, as Trump points out, Steve Kerr and Lebron James (not to mention Colin Kaepernick and states like New York) criticize the US 24/7 in the most execrable terms about relatively trivial sins. But, when it's time to defend ordinary people against the depredations of the worst, biggest dictatorship in the World, their money and brownie points with the Chicoms are, as South Park satirized, more important than freedom and democracy or even intellectual consistency. James Harden actually apologized to the "people of China" for the executive's comments in support of protestors in Hong Kong. Doesn't he understand that most of the people of China would give their right arm to have the chance to protest their government the way that Hong Kongers are (so far) permitted to do every day? He and the NBA should apologize to them and the people of Hong Kong for lending comfort to their tormentors, the Chinese State.

It occurs to me that the same people who laugh at John Bull or Uncle Sam or call for empire, the flag and the anthem to be disavowed would be appalled that some of those brave young Hong Konger protestors  brandish Old Glory and the Union Jack as symbols of freedom and democracy.  Those who are embarrassed by patriotism about the greatest countries in the World should be embarrassed...at their own smugness, inanity and hypocrisy. Will any of these arbiters of Woke call for boycotting China, Cuba or Zimbabwe at any time about anything before they call for a boycott of Chik-fil-a, Israel or North Carolina?

And will some one (perhaps Cruz and AOC) propose a Foreign Oppressive Practices bill that would forbid companies like Google from assisting China or any other dictatorship in oppressing their people and define it as a "foreign corrupt practice".  In this imperfect world, if I had to choose, I would rather a country be free before it is financially hygienic. Isn't it more likely the latter will follow eventually (as it did for us in the 1800's) after the former is achieved? Then Google would be forced to reconcile their stated policy of refusing to help the Pentagon on pain of "sabotaging" them while helping the Red Chinese Army to censor, plunder and enslave their people.

BTW - for what it's worth, I hereby boycott the NBA.