One Column Says It All

     Every now and then a writer hits the bullseye.  Often media types endure the vagaries of the seesaw of events across the world landscape with patience, exasperation, mental stress, and a sense of  frustration that their ideas and opinions don't measure up.  Whether one prefers the NY Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Politico,  or many others, the writers want the truth exposed for their readers.
       William McGurn is a regular writer on the staff at the WSJournal(mcgurn@wsj.com)
His columns resonate with insights born of intelligent ideas, careful wording, timely response to a changing world, and, of course, a more conservative view than much of today's opinion.  So, his column of Tuesday, April 28, 2020, follows his past practice.   It is timely, it is relevant, and it speaks to the truth of the matter.  In this instance, the changing conditions in Hong Kong, China.   Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus in December, 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, protesters were taking to the streets in Hong Kong to protest Beijing's effort to silence dissent in the "autonomous" region.  The region's governor, Carrie Lam, supported by Beijing, was hanging on by a thread.  Despite calls for her resignation, she remains in office.  Since the outbreak, demonstrations have largely gone silent.
        Mr. McGurn writes of a recent action taken against an oldtimer, son of a former Koumintang general who fought the Japanese, and then settled his family in Hong Kong when the Communists prevailed.  The general told his son, "Martin, you can never, ever trust the Communists." McGurn goes on: "the words of the old general ring loudly in my ears".  A new generation is learning the hard way that Communists don't change with time.  It's always about power and keeping it at any cost.  He contends that the modern Communist has traded in his Mao jacket for a Brooks Brothers suit and sent their children to Harvard Business School.  But, while they can change uniforms, the Communist underneath remains the same.  And therein lies the staple message for the day: "Never, ever trust the Communists".  His evidence is real, the Hong Kong police arrested 81-year old Martin Lee, an aging barrister who promotes the truth, which Beijing cannot handle.  Here is a man who would hardly commit a crime at anytime, least of all now.  But Beijing sees a man brandishing a weapon: the truth!
Americans should keep a wary eye out on the machinations of Beijing, especially as intelligence services seek to find the answers to the coronavirus outbreak and its spread over the world.  Did it happen at a Wuhan Lab?  Did the mayor of Wuhan deny details at a crucial moment or is he a Beijing 'fall guy'?  Time will tell.

Airport Offering Wuhan