tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post9043845462178247326..comments2023-08-13T19:25:45.898-07:00Comments on East Meets West: Green Shoots of DemocracyTeresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12831169405732892599noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post-31075524869525100412009-11-24T07:07:32.432-08:002009-11-24T07:07:32.432-08:00I think that can only come when one has a broader ...I think that can only come when one has a broader view of the common good and a free, fair competitive electoral system that gives the people a real choice. <br />It's distressing to me to see how far we have fallen from caring for the good of the nation as a whole to just thinking of the interests of our own little fragment of the population. We don't seem to worry about using "scorched-earth" tactics in our politics as long as our side gets ahead. In the end, everyone loses. <br /><br />Again, I keep thinking of the Chinese citizens with their cell phone pictures. It's becoming a widespread phenomenon that ordinary people will take pictures of government malfeasance, disseminate it via the internet at great personal risk in the hopes that next time, the entire society will benefit. They are gaining a sense of social responsibility that we seem to be losing.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12831169405732892599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post-84370715378802969722009-11-24T06:35:33.458-08:002009-11-24T06:35:33.458-08:00Imagine one of our own throwing support behind the...Imagine one of our own throwing support behind the opposition candidate, in order to foster and preserve diversity and inclusion, rather than monopolized power.murat11https://www.blogger.com/profile/00663364407992075130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post-44940752944340397682009-11-23T21:06:04.462-08:002009-11-23T21:06:04.462-08:00Hi Cloudia,
I guess the Bible smuggling posts wer...Hi Cloudia,<br /><br />I guess the Bible smuggling posts were before you started reading the blog. I've put the links here in case you want to read an exciting adventure that I had in my early twenties.<br /><br />Teresa<br /><br />http://wwwwhitechinese.blogspot.com/2009/01/bible-running-part-one.html<br /><br />http://wwwwhitechinese.blogspot.com/2009/01/bible-running-part-two.htmlTeresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12831169405732892599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post-10826821441064360262009-11-23T20:10:26.190-08:002009-11-23T20:10:26.190-08:00Wow, you were a part of history. I hope someday yo...Wow, you were a part of history. I hope someday you will write your autobiography (Bible smuggling?!).<br /><br />Your post are a wonderful start, Teresa.<br /><br /><br />Aloha, Friend!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Comfort Spiral</a>Cloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post-19349671880956720282009-11-23T16:43:45.982-08:002009-11-23T16:43:45.982-08:00Chiang Chin-kuo gets very high marks from both maj...Chiang Chin-kuo gets very high marks from both major political groups in Taiwan for refusing to allow a Chiang dynasty to continue and for giving the presidency to Lee Teng-hui. When Lee stepped down, he actually threw his support behind the opposition candidate so that the next president was NOT KMT. He is quite vilified by a number of people in the KMT, but I think that he was wise to do that. Now they really do have a two coalition program. There is a coalition of KMT and other parties that want to reunite with China, and then there is a coalition of the DDP (party of jailed corrupt ex-president) and other parties that want to make Taiwan an independent country. Obviously, it is not perfect, yet, but there is a fair amount of participation and interest in what the government is doing. That is so important for a democracy to function properly.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12831169405732892599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607441034503290367.post-32826399084411861752009-11-23T16:25:54.037-08:002009-11-23T16:25:54.037-08:00Pragmatism reigns again, it seems: raising the sta...Pragmatism reigns again, it seems: raising the standard of living and literacy first, then opening up the democratic process: now, that's nation-building. Of course, it depends upon nation-builders truly committed to the larger vision, and not just biding their time to line their pockets and/or corral their own power.murat11https://www.blogger.com/profile/00663364407992075130noreply@blogger.com