Human rights comparison
Ren Yanshi2
In China With Those In
The United States
by Ren Yanshi
Some US politicians have tried their utmost for many years to confuse
world
opinion regarding the issue of human rights in China. While presenting
the
United States as a ``world human rights model,'' they wantonly censure
China
for its human rights situation. The 1995 Human Rights Report recently
released by the US Department of State once again spread rumors about
China
while distorting and attacking China's human rights situation. But the
report did not contain a single word about serious human rights problems
in
the United States. In order to correctly understand and fairly assess
the
state of human rights in China and the United States, it is useful to
make a
thorough comparison of the practice of human rights in the two
countries.
China and the United States are about the same size in geographical
area,
but China's population is 4.6 times that of the United States. China's
per-capita acreage of farmland is just one-10th of that of the United
States, and China's per-capita share of other resources is much lower
than
that of the United States. Furthermore, China is a developing country
with
low income, whereas the United State is the world's most highly
developed
nation.
A comprehensive 1994 estimate made by the World Bank indicated that the
per-capita wealth of China's citizens is less than 1.6 percent of that
of
their American counterparts. In terms of natural resources, economic
development and other conditions indispensable to promoting human
rights,
China lags far behind the United States.
Given the differences in the social systems of the two countries, and
the
divergent attitudes taken and efforts made by the two governments toward
protecting human rights, the human rights situation in China is clearly
different that in the United States.
1. Constitutional Rights
First, the human rights specified in the US Constitution, that is, the
constitutional rights of American citizens, are incomplete and do not
include economic, social and cultural rights.
Human rights, as specified by the Constitution's Bill of Rights and
other
amendments, do not go beyond the scope of civil and political rights.
Various economic, social and cultural rights announced in the World
Human
Rights Declaration and the International Convention on Economic, Social
and
Cultural Rights are not recognized by the US Constitution, except for
the
rights to join trade unions or choose a job and a few other rights.
The US Constitution provides no right for Americans to have their basic
needs satisfied or their right to avoid starvation or to be free from
want.
Second, the US Constitution does not provide full right to equality.
Neither
the 1787 US Constitution nor the 1789 Bill of Rights contains provisions
concerning the right to equality.
To date, the US Constitution has not contained principled provisions
concerning equality among various ethnic groups, equality between men
and
women and equality of civil rights.
Third, protection of human rights as listed in the US Constitution is
very
limited.
The Constitution merely lists a number of individual rights, but it
neither
requires nor authorizes the US Congress or the federal government to
take
measures to promote and protect those rights.
The US constitutional scholar Louis Henkin noted that there is a great
difference between Americans' constitutional rights and internationally
recognized human rights.
He noted that obligations undertaken by the United States in regard to
human
rights, particularly in the area of equality, and economic and social
rights, fall below contemporary international standards.
This is an ``hereditary drawback'' of America's human rights guarantee
system, he pointed out.
In contrast, China's Constitution contains comprehensive provisions on
citizens' basic human rights and the protection of such rights.
Chapter Two of China's current Constitution contains not only general
stipulations on civil and political rights, but also full provisions on
economic, social, and cultural rights as well. It not only explicitly
stipulates that all citizens are equal before the law, but also
specifies
that all ethnic groups are equal, that men and women are equal, and that
all
citizens enjoy equal rights in all aspects of social life.
The chapter not only lists various rights of Chinese citizens, but also
specifies the responsibilities of the State, society, collectives and
individuals in advancing and protecting such rights.
Compared with the United States, the Constitutional rights of Chinese
citizens are much more extensive and specific, and the Chinese
Government
assumes much greater duty in advancing and protecting human rights.
2. Universal Suffrage
Although the United States stipulated in its Constitution of 1787 that
its
citizens enjoy the right to vote, it imposed a number of restrictions in
the
areas of race, sex, property, educational background, age, and length of
residence, and the legal right to vote for black people, women, Indians,
and
about a third of the white men were denied. The black people were given
the
right to vote in 1870, women in 1920, and Indians in 1948, or 94 years,
144
years and 172 years respectively after the founding of the United
States.
Further restrictions based on property ownership, a poll tax, and
educational background pertinent to the right to vote were finally done
away
with by the law in 1856, 1964 and 1970 respectively.
It was not until 1971, nearly 200 years after the founding of the
republic,
that the United States adopted the 26th amendment to the Constitution
stipulating that the right to vote for those aged 18 or older should not
be
denied.
The People's Republic of China, soon after it was founded, clearly
stipulated universal suffrage of Chinese citizens in the Common Program
of
the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a constitutional
document.
China's first Electoral Law, promulgated in 1953, and its first
Constitution, promulgated in 1954, further clearly provided that all
citizens who have reached the age of 18, regardless of ethnic status,
race,
sex, occupation, class origin, religious belief, educational background,
property and length of residence, have the right to vote and to stand
for
election, with the exception of persons deprived of their rights by law
in
this respect.
Universal suffrage was implemented in China 22 years earlier than it was
in
the United States, and 99.97 percent of Chinese citizens aged 18 and
over
now enjoy the right to vote and to stand for election--a percentage that
is
higher than in the United States.
3. Turn-Out for Elections
Participation by eligible voters in China's first general election, held
in
1953, was 85.88 percent. It rose to around 90 percent and stayed there
for
all subsequent elections of the people's congresses, and it was as high
as
93.58 percent in the national election at the end of 1993.
The turn-out in all elections of the House of Representatives of the
United
States since the beginning of this century has hovered at somewhere
between
30 and 60 percent. The presidential election, which is cited as a major
political event in the country, had a turn-out that reached a peak of 80
percent in 1866. Since that time, however, the highest voter turn-out in
this century has been only 65 percent. In comparison, the voter turn-out
in
China is much higher than in the United States.
4. Parliamentary Democracy
Congressional seats in the United States have always been monopolized by
a
tiny number of wealthy people. To win an election in a congressional
contest, a candidate must spend an immense amount of money for the
campaign.
Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars or even US$1 million just for
a
nomination in an electoral district is not uncommon.
In the mid-term election in November 1994, the 35 senators elected spent
an
average of US$3.7 million each for the campaign.
According to statistics, in April 1994, at least 28 senators, more than
a
quarter of the Senate, were millionaires. Millionaires in the House of
Representatives accounted for more than 11.5 percent, or at least 50
congressmen. The ratio of millionaires in the US Congress was at least
30
times that of millionaires in US society as a whole, which is less than
0.5
percent. At least a quarter of members of the Congress elected in 1994
who
were Republicans, were millionaires.
An article in the Washington Post in 1994 noted that the Congress of the
United States belongs to, is ruled by, and serves the interests of the
rich.
In China, elections of the deputies to the National People's Congress
and
local people's congresses are free from monetary manipulation. Whether a
deputy wins or loses an election does not depend on the amount of money
he
or she has, but rather on the contributions he or she has made to the
state
and to society, on his or her relations with the people and on his or
her
concrete behavior in serving the people.
Election results have proven that elected deputies cover a wide range of
society, embracing people of all ethnic groups, social strata and trades
and
professions. Many outstanding workers, farmers and teachers have been
elected as deputies to the people's congresses.
5. Crime Rate
According to information released by the Department of Justice of the
United
States, the number of people serving prison terms in the United States
at
the end of 1994 totaled 5.1 million, accounting for 2.7 percent of the
total
adult population. Now the average annual number of criminal cases stands
at
35 million in the United States. Of every 100,000 Americans, 5,483
report
criminal cases to police every year. The country's crime rate and the
occurrence of crimes has for years remained at about 2 percent and 6
percent
respectively.
In contrast with the United States, China is one of the world's
countries
with a low crime rate and rare occurrence of criminal cases, rates
standing
at 0.06 percent and 0.2 percent respectively in recent years. Compared
to
that of the United States, the ratio is 1 to 33 and 1 to 30.
6. Violence and Murder
The United States is the country with the most serious violent criminal
acts. On average, 2 million cases of criminal violence occur annually,
with
6 million victims, of whom 24,000 are murdered.
The number of murders in the United States was a record 24,500 in 1993,
about 2.5 times the combined total number of murders in Canada, France,
Germany, Britain and Japan in the same year.
On average, one person in every 14 minutes and 67 persons a day are
currently murdered, and 1,100 people assaulted in the United States. The
number of people murdered in every 100 hours on US streets is three
times
that of US troops killed in battle in every 100 hours during the Gulf
War.
In 1993, 12.4 out of every 100,000 US males were murderers, and about
9.8
out of every 100,000 people were murdered every day. The proportion is
five
times that of China.
7. Shooting Incidents
Private handguns are strictly banned in every country in the world
except in
the United States, which has listed in its Constitution ``the right to
bear
arms''. The country has 220 million private firearms, almost one gun per
person, making it the world's No.1 private guns-possession country.
A statistical report shows that the United States witnesses 1 million
criminal shooting incidents a year, more than 20,000 people are shot,
more
than 10,000 commit suicide with guns, and more than 200 people are
killed
due to accidental discharge.
About 33 women are raped at gunpoint every day in the United States, and
40
children are killed or wounded, and 160,000 students stay away from
school
because they are frightened or afraid of being bodily harmed.
A report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United
States
in 1994 said that random murders constitute a real danger for all
Americans.
(Relayed from Hong Kong-based Express)
China does not regard the right to own a gun as a guarantee of human
rights,
and its society is not like that of the United States, which is racked
with
the fear of shooting.
8. Number of Rapes
A survey by the Federal Foundation in 1993 said that a total of 1.5
million
women had been raped over the previous five years, and 7.6 million women
were victims of murder, robbery or other assaults.
In 1990 the frequency of rape rose to a record figure of one every six
minutes, and more than 70 out of every 100,000 women were raped.
In 1993 an average of 118 of 100,000 women aged from five to 59 were
raped.
According to a report issued by the US Department of Justice in 1995,
about
500,000 rape cases occur annually, almost one every minute.
In its 1995 Human Development Report, the United Nations Development
Program
(UNDP) said one out of six American women stands a chance of being raped
during her lifetime. The rate of cases of criminal violence in the
United
States is seven times that of Western Europe, and about 18 times higher
than
China's.
Joseph Biden, chairman of the US Senate Judiciary Committee,
acknowledged
that the number and frequency of rape cases in the United States rank
first
in the world.
9. Number of Prisoners
The United States has the largest prison population in the world.
According
to a report released in 1995 by the Department of Justice, the number of
federal and state prisoners exceeded 1 million in 1994. When those held
in
other jails are added, the total comes to around 1.5 million, the ratio
of
prisoners to total population being 565 per 100,000. Both numbers rank
first
in the world. A spokesman for prison planning from American Civil
Liberties
Union (ACLU) said the United States is the world's only country that
puts
increasing numbers of people into jails.
In China, the number of prisoners at the end of 1994 was 1.286 million,
giving a ratio of 107 prisoners per 100,000 people.
When this is compared to the United States, the US ratio is more than
five
times that of China.
10. Recidivism Rate
The rate of recidivism in the United States has stayed at more than 40
percent. According to one study, 55 to 70 percent of the juvenile
delinquents in the United States committed crimes again within 12 months
after being released. Of the juvenile delinquents released from a
juvenile
reformatory in Washington D.C., about 75 percent were recidivists.
In China, the rate of prisoners who can mend their ways has remained at
more
than 90 percent for years. China is one of world's countries with the
lowest
rates of recidivism, with a rate that stays between 6 and 8 percent,
after
the prisoners are released.
11. Right to Privacy
The United States has the most serious problems of infringement on
citizens'
privacy among the developed Western countries. According to a report
released by the International Labor Organization in 1994, every year
about
20 million American employees are monitored by electronic devices,
accounting for 8 percent of the country's total population.
In addition, 80 percent of the employees in insurance and
telecommunications
companies, and in banks and airline ticket offices are subjected to
telephone bug or computer surveillance.
And the most serious violator of the right of privacy is the government
itself. According to statistics, the US government has 3.5 billion
pieces of
data on individuals.
According to a US Time report on March 14, 1994, in 1994, the US
government
agreed that the National Security Agency could equip every telephone or
fax
machine with a chip that could supply information, under the pretext of
safeguarding national security.
In 1995, the FBI decided to expand the scope of telephone bugging to 1
percent of the country's total citizens, eavesdropping on one out of
every
100 telephone or data transmission lines.
In China, such all-round routine invasion of citizens' rights of privacy
does not exist, except when judiciary departments must take measures
within
the boundaries of the law.
12. Slavery System
The United States has an ignominious history in its treatment of blacks,
who
were subject to the system of slavery for 89 years, from independence in
1776 to the passage of the 13th amendment to the Constitution in 1865
which
abolished slavery.
In fact, slavery did not die out completely. The Mississippi State
legislature did not adopt any decision abolishing slavery until as late
as
February 1995.
With the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, slavery on
the
mainland was ended, except in the case of Tibet. In 1959, out of respect
for
the Tibetan people's wishes, the Chinese government undertook democratic
reforms there, abolishing the feudal serf system. With that action, all
remnant forms of slavery were wiped out across the Chinese mainland.
13. Gap Between the Rich and Poor
The United States has the worst record of polarization among Western
countries. According to official figures for 1995, the top 1 percent of
the
population own 40 percent of the country's wealth.
According to a report in Business Weekly in 1994, the top 20 percent of
the
population receive 44.6 percent of the country's total income, while the
bottom 20 percent earn only 4.4 percent of the country's total income.
The
income earned by the former is 10.2 times that of the latter.
In China, a 1994 survey conducted by the State Statistical Bureau of the
20
percent of high-income households and the 20 percent of low-income
households showed the following: incomes of the first 20 percent group
were
three times the incomes of the second 20 percent group in cities and
towns;
the gap between the rich and the poor was six times in the countryside;
and
the weighted gap between the rich and poor when both urban and rural
areas
were taken into consideration, was 5.6 times. This demonstrates that the
distribution of wealth has a far narrower gap than in the United States.
14. The Homeless
According to statistics, over 80 percent of the 5 million poor families
in
the United States cannot afford to pay rent. The Clinton administration
officially admitted in February 1994 that there were 7 million homeless
people in the United States. The US Association for the Homeless
estimates
that about 2 to 3 million people in the United States sleep in the open
air
every year, while in China the figure is only 5 to 7.5 percent of that
of
the United States.
15. Illiteracy
According to a report entitled ``US Adult Culture'' issued by the US
Department of Education, semi-illiterates account for about half of the
US
population. Among them, 42 million are semi-illiterates at the lowest
level,
while another 52 million semi-illiterates are only a little better
educated.
Semi-illiterate refers to the ability to read but not understand the
meaning
of common words.
The United Morning News of Singapore in 1992 quoted US statistics as
saying
that half of the American people are illiterate.
China, on the other hand, through consistent anti-illiteracy efforts,
reduced the number of illiterates and semi-illiterates (referring to
those
at or under 15 years of age who cannot read or read very little) to
15.88
percent of the total population in 1990 and further to 12.01 percent, or
145
million people, in 1995, as against 80 percent in 1949, when the
People's
Republic was founded.
16. The Change in Living Standards
According to a report in the Christian Science Monitor in 1995, in the
22
years since 1973, the real income of 80 percent of American families has
declined or remained unchanged, and the real living standards of
ordinary
people have substantially dropped, with many of them falling below the
poverty line.
The average hourly net income of American workers decreased at an annual
rate of 0.73 percent between 1974 and 1993. Calculated at the price
level of
1987, the weekly salary of US workers in 1993 dropped by 14.7 percent
compared with 1970.
Between 1988 and 1993, the productivity of American private businesses
rose
by 5.9 percent, while the hourly income of workers dropped by 4 percent.
The
purchasing power of an ordinary American family was US$1,400 lower in
1993
than in 1991.
Referring to information published by the US government, the Social and
Political Research Institute of Fordham University of the United States
concluded that the life quality and social health index of the United
States
was 41 in 1993 as against 77.5 in 1973.
Though the living standards of the Chinese people has been comparatively
low, it has been substantially improved over the past 20 years. China's
economy has grown at an average annual rate of 9 percent since 1978.
Meanwhile, the per-capita income of the Chinese people, which doubled
between 1977 and 1987, is rising at a high speed.
Between 1990 and 1994 the actual per-capita income of urban families in
China grew at a rate of 38.3 percent, at an annual rate of 8.4 percent;
the
per capita actual income of the rural residents increased by 18.2
percent,
at an annual rate of 4.3 percent; and savings deposits of both urban and
rural residents soared by over 200 percent.
After citing China's tremendous achievements in improving the people's
living standards, Ernest Stern, a vice-president of the World Bank,
pointed
out that such great progress in such a short period of time has rarely
been
made by any other social grouping in human history.
17. Racial Discrimination
The United States has long been notorious for its racial discrimination.
Discrimination against ethnic groups remains the darkest abyss in the US
society. The black people, Hispanics and other ethnic groups now account
for
17 percent of the total population. However, only a tiny number of them
can
squeeze into the upper circles in the political, economic and social
spheres. In the US Congress there is no seat at all for many ethnic
groups.
Though the number of black congressmen increased from 25 to 39 in 1992,
the
ratio remains at 7.4 percent, much lower than the ratio of black people
in
the American population.
According to a US government survey in 1995, two-thirds of the total US
population or 57 percent of employees are women or come from ethnic
groups.
However, some 97 percent of the senior managerial personnel of big
corporations are white males. In sharp contrast, of the 5.1 million
convicts
in jail, black and Hispanic people account for two-thirds. And of the
1.5
million people in custody, people of color account for 70 percent. About
one-third of the blacks, Hispanics and Indians live in poverty, triple
the
rate for white people.
Black people account for only 13 percent of the US population, but the
number of black people who are murdered is six times the figure for
white
people. Moreover, some 54.2 percent of the country's criminals, over 40
percent of the convicts sentenced to death and 48 percent of the
homeless
are black people.
In addition, in 25 states and 50 major cities of the country, two-thirds
of
the black people and Hispanics live near poisonous waste disposal
places.
And of the country's five largest rubbish disposal places, three are
located
in residential areas inhabited by ethnic groups. Almost all the largest
poisonous waste disposal places are located on Chicago's (see a report
in
U.S. News & World Report, issue May 4, 1994), a major residential area
for
black people. Discrimination against ethnic groups has also extended to
language, with 22 states having passed laws making English the official
language.
But in China ethnic-minority peoples not only enjoy all civil rights on
an
equal footing with the Han people, but also enjoy various privileges
according to law. In successive terms of the National People's Congress
(NPC), the top Chinese legislature, the proportion of deputies from
ethnic
groups to the NPC in the total NPC membership is about twice that of the
ethnic-minority peoples in the country's total population.
Of the deputies elected to the Eighth National People's Congress, in
1993,
the proportion of the ethnic minority deputies stood at 14.7 percent,
much
higher than the proportion of 8 percent of the ethnic groups in the
country's total population.
Significantly, all the 55 ethnic minorities in China have their own
representatives in the National People's Congress. Among the current
senior
officials at the provincial and ministerial levels nationwide, some 10.5
percent are from ethnic minorities. All the heads of the country's
autonomous regions, prefectures and counties are from autonomous ethnic
groups. Moreover, quite a number of the civilians from ethnic minorities
are
holding or once held the posts of vice-president of the state,
vice-chairperson of the NPC, vice-premier of the State Council or
president
of the Supreme People's Court.
In China, the Constitution explicitly rules that all the nationalities
enjoy
the freedom of using and developing their own languages. In addition,
the
Chinese government helped 10 ethnic groups which used to have no written
languages develop their own written languages. The Chinese government
has
also given the ethnic minorities energetic support and financial
assistance
to develop culture and education by using their own languages. In public
activities the ethnic minority languages are put on a par with the
language
of the Han nationality, the largest in China. Citizens of various ethnic
minorities enjoy the right to use their own languages. And government
officials at various levels in areas inhabited by ethnic groups or by
multiple nationalities must use one or more languages which are commonly
used in their own respective localities.
18. Gender Discrimination
It is clearly stipulated in China's Constitution that women enjoy equal
rights with men in the fields of politics, economy, culture, society and
family life, while in the United States such stipulations are not
covered by
its Constitution.
In China female deputies take up 21 percent at its current Eighth
National
People's Congress, which began in 1993, and more than 20 percent at
local
people's congresses at all levels. However, in the US Congress, even
after
the elections in 1992, a year called the ``Women's Year,'' female
lawmakers
only accounted for 10 percent or so and 18.4 percent of legislatures at
all
levels.
While female staff members in China's government departments account for
31
percent of the total, the figure in corresponding US departments stands
at
22 percent. And while the number of women among China's senior leaders
accounts for 19 percent, the figure in the United States is less than 12
percent.
Job opportunities for women above age 15 are only 65 percent of those
for
men in the United States, while in China, job opportunities for women
stand
at 81 percent of those for men. Women's unemployment rate is twice
higher
than men's in the United States, but for Chinese women it is only 13.4
percent age points higher than that for men.
In 1993 Chinese female technicians made up 35 percent of the nation's
total,
while in the United States the proportion was 12.2 percent. The Chinese
Constitution stipulates that men and women enjoy equal pay for equal
work,
yet as a practical matter, women in the United States enjoy no such
protection.
The monthly income for China's urban female workers was 77.4 percent of
their male counterparts in 1990, while the corresponding proportion in
the
United States stood at 59 percent.
Chinese women enjoy special labor protection by law during their
menstruation, pregnancy, delivery and lactation. However, in the United
States there are no nationwide legal provisions on fully paid maternity
leave, lactation leave with partial pay and employment protection during
pregnancy and delivery.
In 1993 the poverty rate for women (14.9 percent) was more than 1.5
times
that for men (9.7 percent) in the United States, while in China men's
and
women's poverty rates are almost the same. On the whole, the state of
equality between men and women in China is better than in the United
States.
19. Domestic Violence
In China, conjugal love, family democracy, respect for seniors and love
for
juniors are the mainstreams of the relationship among family members.
Violence only afflicts some 1 percent Chinese families.
But domestic violence in the United States is more serious than in any
other
country in the world. According to a US national women's organization,
the
number of women who die as result of domestic violence every five years
is
equal to the number of Americans who died in the Viet Nam War.
In the Unites States each year, 6 million women are injured and some 4
million women are victims of domestic violence, and one-third of all US
women will be attacked by their partners.
Moreover, 15-20 percent of pregnant women are beaten and every year
170,000
women are attacked when they are 5-9 months pregnant.
Each year 2 million US women are seriously injured in domestic violence
and
1 million US women are so maltreated by their husbands, former husbands
or
boyfriends that they have to go to a hospital. Among every 14 couples,
there
will be a case of violence, and arms are used in 40 percent of such
cases.
Every year 2,000 to 4,000 women are beaten to death, among whom 1,500
are
killed by their husbands. Half of all homeless women and children leave
their families to escape domestic violence. US public health secretary
said
that domestic violence is an unacknowledged pestilence of US society.
20. Narcotics Abuse
The United States is the largest drug market in the world, and also the
developed country with the highest percentage of drug addicts. At
present,
about 20 million US citizens use marijuana, 6 million use cocaine and
500,000 use heroin. Every year nearly 500,000 die from taking drugs.
Over
230 out of every 100,000 people commit crimes relating to drugs. About
80
percent of US prisoners took drugs or were involved in drug-related
problems
before they were imprisoned, and 60 percent of the prisoners are in
prison
for drug-related crimes.
Drug taking not only damages the health of the drug takers, but also
causes
disastrous consequences to the unborn generation. Since the 1980s when
``crack'' became widespread, there have been more and more babies born
to
crack-addicted mothers. Statistics indicate that every year about 11
percent, or 375,000, of new-born babies in the United States are harmed
by
drugs while they are still embryos.
China has been effectively cracking down on crimes relating to drugs.
Although a few people are involved in drug taking or trafficking in
China,
the situation in China is unlike that in the United States where abuse
has
become rampant.
21. AIDS
AIDS, a disease widespread as a result of homosexuality and promiscuity,
has
become a serious social problem threatening the lives of Americans.
Statistics in 1993 from the Centers for Disease Control showed that
339,000
people in the United States were suffering from the killer disease.
204,000
of them have died from AIDS since it first appeared in 1981. AIDS has
become
the number one killer of American men aged 25 to 44, and the fourth
killer
American women in the same age group.
In 1993, statistics showed there were 25.4 cases of AIDS for every
100,000
people in the United States, the highest incidence in the developed
nations.
AIDS not only is killing more sufferers, but also is bringing disastrous
consequences to coming generations.
Statistics show that one-third of the babies in the United States born
to
mothers with AIDS contract the disease and eventually die of it, and
two-third of them are orphaned because the mothers die.
There does not exist in China the AIDS disaster that has been plaguing
the
United States.
22. Testing on Human Bodies
The United States launched massive nuclear tests and chemical weapons
tests
with living people after World War II.
According to 1994 US official sources, in the 30 years after World War
II
the federal government conducted 1,400 different radioactive experiments
in
which 23,000 people were used as guinea pigs. However, this figure did
not
include the experiments launched by the US Department of National
Defense
and the Department of Energy (DOE).
According to sources at the DOE, the United States has done nuclear
testing
on human beings many times. In the 48 disclosed nuclear radiation
experiments with human bodies as targets, about 1,200 people have
suffered
nuclear radiation.
The sources also revealed that from 1945 to 1963 hundreds of thousands
of US
troops who were marching near the atomic bomb testing spot in Nevada had
400
times higher rates of blood cancer than the average rate of US
residents.
The United States also used human bodies for experiments with chemical
and
biological weapons, including testing human bodies with chemical
reagents,
psychedelic and poisonous bacteria. The US army has publicized the names
of
12,000 people who might have been harmed by its chemical experiments.
According to an investigation of the General Accounting Office of the US
Congress, from 1940 to 1974 the US government experimented on 500,000
people
(including blacks, soldiers, women, children and retarded persons),
among
whom 210,000 were affected by radioactive materials. Moreover, the
United
States also collected human tissues from abroad for nuclear testing and
conducted experiments for biological weapon testing upon human bodies in
some African, Asian and European counties, which brought about all kinds
of
``strange illnesses.''
Such inhuman things have never happened in the People's Republic of
China.
23. The Encroachment on Human Rights of Other Countries
The United States has launched some 70 wars and invasions against other
countries in the 200 years since its founding, causing countless
casualties
among foreign civilians. Moreover, US troops used bacteriological
weapons
and defoliants against civilians in the Korean War and the Vietnamese
War.
The United States is the only country in the world to disregard
international law to the extent of sneaking an attack on the
presidential
palace of another country, kidnapping the president and meting out
punishment according to its own law.
Over a long period of time, the United States has built many military
bases
around the world and stationed several hundred thousand soldiers there.
American soldiers have committed many crimes against the human rights of
the
people who live there. A case in point is that in 1995, three American
soldiers raped a 12-year-old girl student in Okinawa, Japan.
The United States, which possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal,
has
conducted the most nuclear tests in the world, and is the only country
that
has ever used nuclear weapons. Moreover, the United States has never
undertaken not to use nuclear weapons first.
In comparison, the number of nuclear tests carried out by China accounts
for
only about 4.1 percent of that in the United States, and the amount of
nuclear weapons China possesses accounts for only 1.2 to 1.8 percent of
the
figure of the United States. China has unilaterally promised on the
first
day of acquiring nuclear weapons that it will never be the first to use
them
and that it will not use or even threaten to use them against
nuclear-free
countries or regions.
24. Attitude Toward International Documents on Human Rights
Up to now the United State has not entered the International Convention
on
the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, the
International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women,
the Convention on the Rights of the Child or other important
international
conventions on human rights.
China, on the other hand, since the restoration of its legitimate seat
in
the United Nations in 1971, has been adopting an active attitude toward
the
international conventions on human rights passed by the United Nations.
It
has so far entered 15 such conventions, including the above-mentioned
ones,
and conscientiously performed its duties prescribed in the conventions.
China has always been a consponsor of the motion on the resolution on
development rights in the United Nations Human Rights Committee,
actively
taking part in formulating and supporting the United Nations to adopt
the
Declaration on the Rights of Development. However, the United States has
opposed the designation of development rights as a category of human
rights.
It is the only country among the Western countries that has voted
against
the Declaration.
Full enjoyment of human rights requires all countries in the world to
devote
painstaking efforts before they can reach this noble objective.
Virtually no
country in the world can style itself as being perfect in terms of human
rights conditions. Due to limitations in historical and economic
development, China has a long way to go before it realizes the goal of
fully
enjoying human rights. However, it is a basic fact that China has been
doing
much better than the United States in terms of equally enjoying and
universally guaranteeing basic human rights and freedoms. The United
States,
on the other hand, should make greater efforts to improve its domestic
human
rights conditions. The United States is not qualified at all to feed its
own
arrogance and make indiscreet remarks or criticisms against China
regarding
this matter.
xiao-lin li
Oh God, this is a nuclear bomb against the American motherland, a naked
interference on the US domestic matter. I guess Bill Clinton has bought
the Chinese government to help win his election this year. :-)
Eric Rotzoll
the US is a master piece of dsitortion and selective use of facts.
Perhaps he should work the state department. He stresses the changes
that have taken place in China and yet at the same time insists on a
static analysis of the US. A major problem with this analysis is that
he can't seem to make up his mind as to what period this analysis will
cover. Thus, foe example he says there is no provision for equality in
the US constitution when in fact that provision has existed for over 100
years and has been progressively broadened by subsequent Supreme Court
decisions.
His comparisons on elections and homelessness are absurd.
Voter turn-out is so impressive in China because it is coerced. I
remember very vivly Chinese classmates all being put on a bus and sent
off to the polling place to vote for whoever the party chose. Not one
showed any enthusiasm for this and all of those willing to express an
opinion said it was a sham. The biggest part of the sham of course is
that while everyone can vote, there is no open access to the
ballot---you won't see Wei Jingsheng on the ballot in China, but Gus
Hall ran for years in the US.
Homelessness is a serious problem in the US. It is also a very serious
problem in China. I have been approached by more destitute beggers in
Shanghai and Nanjing then I ever was in New York city. I would ask Ren
if there is no homelessness in China, then who are the mobs you find
outside the rail stations in the major cities? If there is no
homelessness in China, why do half starved peasents from Anhui insist on
showing me their ID cards to prove they come from poor regions and have
no work or place to sleep?
The gender issue is many times more serious in China than in the US.
Female students have told me that work units coming to their departments
say flat out that they are not interested in hiring women. Of course
this is illegal, but the law doesn't count for much.
Now before every wacko out there assumes I am saying China is all bad
and that the US is perfection, I will say that is not so. The US needs
to improve a great deal. China is improving. But, if you expect to
contribute anything useful to the issue at hand Mr. Ren, get your facts
straight and be honest.
Qi Yu Zhang
Eric Rotzoll <luo...@umich.edu> wrote:
>Ren Yanshi's little comparison of the human rights record of China and
>the US is a master piece of dsitortion and selective use of facts.
>Perhaps he should work the state department. He stresses the changes
>
>and that the US is perfection, I will say that is not so. The US needs
>to improve a great deal. China is improving. But, if you expect to
>contribute anything useful to the issue at hand Mr. Ren, get your facts
>straight and be honest.
>
Yes Mr. Ren. Enjoyed reading your analysis of America, but
"Let's not suck each other's dick yet" (Mr. Wolf in Pulp Fiction)
Cut the crap on the Chinese comparison. It weakens your argument that
American State Dept failed to mention any human right abuse in the US.
Besides, whose definition on human right? Henry Wu's? If America's
unemployment rate is 30%, who gives @#$% on human right in China?
Don't tell me those who stand in bitter cold on Chicago streets with
signs that say "Will Work For Food" would give a damn that Chinese
Government is making prisoners work.
Hui Zheng
Wow, that guy dares to say that male tigers have penises! I would rather
say that male tiger is beautiful and he has not any penis.
xiao-lin li
Eric Rotzoll <luo...@umich.edu> wrote:
>
>Now before every wacko out there assumes I am saying China is all bad
>and that the US is perfection, I will say that is not so. The US needs
>to improve a great deal. China is improving. But, if you expect to
>contribute anything useful to the issue at hand Mr. Ren, get your facts
>straight and be honest.
I particularly like your sentence here. In fact I agree with you
that the document is biased and politically motivated. I view America
a lot better than what described by Ren.
But perhaps, America's publication is also somewhat politically motivated.
Such political attack on each other really hurt the heart of both Chinese
and American people. Both should get to the ground and be more objective.
If there is any progressive value in both the American and the Chinese
documents, it has to be viewed by its opponents in a positive way. If that
is the case, both the Chinese people and the American people will be
benefitted. Let us wish for the best.
YDX
>
> Ren Yanshi's little comparison of the human rights record of China and
> the US is a master piece of dsitortion and selective use of facts.
> Perhaps he should work the state department. He stresses the changes
> static analysis of the US. A major problem with this analysis is that
> he can't seem to make up his mind as to what period this analysis will
> cover. Thus, foe example he says there is no provision for equality in
> the US constitution when in fact that provision has existed for over 100
> years and has been progressively broadened by subsequent Supreme Court
> decisions.
Well, Ren Yanshi used statistical data, US human rights bashing
on China used discrete cases like the jailing of Wei Jingshen, a
traitor in the eyes of most Chinese, US also used Harry Wu, a
ex-convict who was jailed for theft and rape, who now
tries everything to revenge on Chinese government. If your senetors
and media naively believe a person such as Harry Wu, they make
themselves idiots. A Recent US human rights bashing
even blamed China for cracking down a doomsday occult, the leader
of which committed a lot of crimes, such as rape.
>
> His comparisons on elections and homelessness are absurd.
>
> Voter turn-out is so impressive in China because it is coerced. I
> remember very vivly Chinese classmates all being put on a bus and sent
> off to the polling place to vote for whoever the party chose. Not one
> showed any enthusiasm for this and all of those willing to express an
> opinion said it was a sham. The biggest part of the sham of course is
> that while everyone can vote, there is no open access to the
> ballot---you won't see Wei Jingsheng on the ballot in China, but Gus
> Hall ran for years in the US.
According to Chinese law, a person convicted of crimes is deprived
of political rights for at least a number of years. Wei was
sentenced to prison for high treason.
Anyway,
Who would vote for Wei? an uneducated, arrogant, stupid person
shouting about democracy--though he understands nothing about
it. Just read his bullshit stuff, you will who he is.
If the US takes anyone against China as its friend, then Chinese
have to think how we would answer the "enemy or friend" question.
>
> Homelessness is a serious problem in the US. It is also a very serious
> problem in China. I have been approached by more destitute beggers in
> Shanghai and Nanjing then I ever was in New York city. I would ask Ren
You see they have the freedom to beg! On the first day in US,
I was asked by a nicely dressed woman for money to make a phone
call, I gave a quarter, but she then asked for food.
In China, beggers are often rich people, because Chinese are
sympathetic to those guys who pretended to be very miserable, and
the beggers make a lot of money.
> if there is no homelessness in China, then who are the mobs you find
> outside the rail stations in the major cities? If there is no
> homelessness in China, why do half starved peasents from Anhui insist on
> showing me their ID cards to prove they come from poor regions and have
> no work or place to sleep?
Ren Yanshi did not say there was no homeless in China, he said the
the number is much smaller.
>
> The gender issue is many times more serious in China than in the US.
> Female students have told me that work units coming to their departments
> say flat out that they are not interested in hiring women. Of course
> this is illegal, but the law doesn't count for much.
Well, the fact is Chinese women play much bigger role
in the society and family than US women.
For example, only recently, US had its first female general,
while in China, there are a number of them 40 years ago.
Chinese women are respected for their talent, their intellectual
capabilties in the Chinese society. There are a much bigger
proportion of female
scientists and engineers in China. In the game of Weiqi(Go),
there are a lot of high rank female professionals, like
Rui Naiwei 9Dan, who had victory over a number of Jap. male 9 Dans.
>
> Now before every wacko out there assumes I am saying China is all bad
> and that the US is perfection, I will say that is not so. The US needs
> to improve a great deal. China is improving. But, if you expect to
> contribute anything useful to the issue at hand Mr. Ren, get your facts
> straight and be honest.
I think Ren has told the facts, now people can make their
own judgement.
YDX
>
>
赵里昱
says...
>
>Eric Rotzoll wrote:
>>
>> Ren Yanshi's little comparison of the human rights record of China and
>> the US is a master piece of dsitortion and selective use of facts.
>> Perhaps he should work the state department. He stresses the changes
>> that have taken place in China and yet at the same time insists on a
>> static analysis of the US. A major problem with this analysis is that
>> he can't seem to make up his mind as to what period this analysis will
>> cover. Thus, foe example he says there is no provision for equality in
>> the US constitution when in fact that provision has existed for over 100
>> years and has been progressively broadened by subsequent Supreme Court
>> decisions.
>
> Well, Ren Yanshi used statistical data, US human rights bashing
> on China used discrete cases like the jailing of Wei Jingshen, a
> traitor in the eyes of most Chinese,
I don't think so, see the comments on Wei JingSheng in
http://www.bahnhof.se/~chps/results-feb.html
How ever Harry Dog Wu is certainly a reincarnation of Wu San-Kui.
>US also used Harry Wu, a
> ex-convict who was jailed for theft and rape, who now
> tries everything to revenge on Chinese government. If your senetors
> and media naively believe a person such as Harry Wu, they make
> themselves idiots. A Recent US human rights bashing
> even blamed China for cracking down a doomsday occult, the leader
> of which committed a lot of crimes, such as rape.
>
>>
>> His comparisons on elections and homelessness are absurd.
>>
>> Voter turn-out is so impressive in China because it is coerced. I
>> remember very vivly Chinese classmates all being put on a bus and sent
>> off to the polling place to vote for whoever the party chose. Not one
>> showed any enthusiasm for this and all of those willing to express an
>> opinion said it was a sham. The biggest part of the sham of course is
>> that while everyone can vote, there is no open access to the
>> ballot---you won't see Wei Jingsheng on the ballot in China, but Gus
>> Hall ran for years in the US.
>
> According to Chinese law, a person convicted of crimes is deprived
> of political rights for at least a number of years. Wei was
> sentenced to prison for high treason.
>
> Anyway,
> Who would vote for Wei? an uneducated, arrogant, stupid person
> shouting about democracy--though he understands nothing about
> it. Just read his bullshit stuff, you will who he is.
I will vote for him, if overseas Chinese were allow to vote in a
Democratic China.
How can you be so shameless? Sit in a save place to attack a person
who have volutarily given up is freedom to exchange for other's freedom.
The fact is, Wei can give up and denounce democratic movement, but he
didn't give in.
Who are you to critisize him?
You probably couldn't stand a single second in the jail.
Disney is going to release a cartoon about one of them in 1998,
how ever, she did not live 40 years ago.
Cantonese Han Culturalist From Malaysia
Chiew Lee Yih
J Peng
<yuex...@gold.tc.umn.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Homelessness is a serious problem in the US. It is also a very serious
> > problem in China. I have been approached by more destitute beggers in
> > Shanghai and Nanjing then I ever was in New York city. I would ask Ren
>
> You see they have the freedom to beg!
Cheers for the great freedom we Chinese have.
> On the first day in US,
> I was asked by a nicely dressed woman for money to make a phone
> call, I gave a quarter, but she then asked for food.
>
> In China, beggers are often rich people, because Chinese are
> sympathetic to those guys who pretended to be very miserable, and
> the beggers make a lot of money.
Yeah, Chinese beggers are richer than American homeless people. Great.
More cheers.
> >
> > Now before every wacko out there assumes I am saying China is all bad
> > and that the US is perfection, I will say that is not so. The US needs
> > to improve a great deal. China is improving. But, if you expect to
> > contribute anything useful to the issue at hand Mr. Ren, get your facts
> > straight and be honest.
>
> I think Ren has told the facts, now people can make their
> own judgement.
>
> YDX
>
I think Eric has told the facts too, now I made my own judgement:
his arguement is much stronger than yours.
JP
> >
> >
Dongxiao Yue
You are incapable of making sound and logic thinking, all you said
was no more than a poor guy's complaint for the lack of money.
人穷志短, 马瘦毛长.
>JP
I think Eric was either completely illogic or simply trying to divert
people's attention to minor problems. He said Ren's article was
a "distortion of facts", what the did he mean?
The facts are facts, how could someone distort the facts?
Didn't Eric agree the facts Ren gave were true facts?
Did Eric mean that Ren reached wrong conclusion based on the facts?
Then I would like to ask everyone, what is your conclusion after
reading about all the facts? What would you say about slavery, racism,
genocide, human radiation tests, huge crime rates, germ warfare,
gender discrimination, sexual abuse of children, ...?
Would you say these things has nothing to do with human rights and they
are normal, legal, damn good? Would you say these things are irrelavent
because they happen mostly to those poor, weak, helpless invisible
people who live at the bottom of the society?
The fact that Eric avoided addrressing all these key issues, and only
pick the light things such as voter turn out, gave me an impression that
he was much afraid to face the reality--there are bigger problems in
American society than in Chinese society.
I agree that in US the rich has tons of superhuman rights and freedom,
the middle class enjoy pretty good human rights as long as they don't
anger the rich class. But there are a subtantial number of people
who often become victims, they are the "invisible man" (did you read
this novel, which told the story of a black man). You don't see them,
but they are real.
No one is perfect, China needs a lot of improvement, China must
grow stronger and richer, and I think Ren Yanshi admitted that, as a
honest man. What is funny is this: some people are saying someone else
is dirty, while there are a lot of shit on their own faces.
In the eyes of Chinese, such people are ridiculous.
DXY
Yidao Cai
>To be honest, I do not mean to discredit this posting completely.
>It does contains some useful information on the evalution of human
>rignts in the States and some impe....
To be honest, this paper provides much more statistical facts than
the US paper (which contains mostly individual examples). With the
assumption that the basic facts are correct in both papers (nobody
challenged them seriously so far except for some empty shoutings), this
reflectsthe sharp difference in the definitions of HR.
cai
Sorry for posting in English. I tried some Chinese but the system does
not let me post them.
J Peng
> ag...@emrisc.eas.asu.edu (J Peng) writes:
>
> >In article <316AC02F...@gold.tc.umn.edu>, YDX
> ><yuex...@gold.tc.umn.edu> wrote:
>
>
> >> > Now before every wacko out there assumes I am saying China is all bad
> >> > and that the US is perfection, I will say that is not so. The US needs
> >> > to improve a great deal. China is improving. But, if you expect to
> >> > contribute anything useful to the issue at hand Mr. Ren, get your facts
> >> > straight and be honest.
> >>
> >> I think Ren has told the facts, now people can make their
> >> own judgement.
> >>
> >> YDX
> >>
>
> >I think Eric has told the facts too, now I made my own judgement:
> >his arguement is much stronger than yours.
>
> You are incapable of making sound and logic thinking, all you said
> was no more than a poor guy's complaint for the lack of money.
> 人穷志短, 马瘦毛长.
As you said, facts are facts. I merely pointed the facts, and tell me how
you made the conclusion 人穷志短, 马瘦毛长? The reason that your mind
is twisted is that it is full of money and hatred. Check out the list of
the followups and read the posts from both of Ren and Eric, it will show that
you are the only one who is illogic and unreasoning.
Lynn
: To be honest, this paper provides much more statistical facts than
: the US paper (which contains mostly individual examples). With the
: assumption that the basic facts are correct in both papers (nobody
: challenged them seriously so far except for some empty shoutings), this
: reflectsthe sharp difference in the definitions of HR.
I agree with you. America's trouble comes from their social system, as
well as some of the side effects of western believes (eg, redical
freedom). I really felt disgusted when I knew that they used human being
to test the result of radiation of nuclear explosion.
L.
亚桂
>Ren,
>
>Thank you very much for reminding us of the numerous rights that we
>enjoy in China. I should read this masterpiece to the students in
>my class and advise them not go to the horrible place, the United
>States of America, for their graduate education.
>
>Wait a moment. They may have already been fed with this kind of
>stuff from the White Paper on the Comparison of Human Right Status
>between China and the United States by PRC Government. They sound so
>familiar. Are you sure this is your original work?
Actually, this WAS a translation of the white paper. "Ren Yanshi"
is an aliase which stands for "Human Rights Research Office" of the
PRC.
The translation was posted anonymously from University of Minnesota.
I thought I had cancelled it from alt.chinese.text but for some
reason it is still here. I guess it was posted twice.
Good to see someone posting from China. Do you get all the newsgroups
in PKU (soc.culture.china, alt.chinese.text)? Just curious.
Ya-Gui Wei
--
--
Ya-Gui Wei 魏亚桂 E-mail: ya...@cs.indiana.edu ya...@winternet.com
WWW: http://www.winternet.com/~yawei/ http://www.geeks.org/~yawei/
J Peng
(Lynn) wrote:
> I agree with you. America's trouble comes from their social system, as
> well as some of the side effects of western believes (eg, redical
> freedom). I really felt disgusted when I knew that they used human being
> to test the result of radiation of nuclear explosion.
>
> L.
I wonder if you read some articles published lately in a few Chinese
magzines about the development of nuclear submarines. Though they might
not be test subjects, soldiers were sent in to fix problems of nuclear
reactors without proper protections. Did the authorities know the risk?
You bet. Why didn't the
authorities go there themselves, instead of risking other people's lives?
Is it moral? Are you disgusted?
rk...@pku.edu.cn
Thank you very much for reminding us of the numerous rights that we
enjoy in China. I should read this masterpiece to the students in
my class and advise them not go to the horrible place, the United
States of America, for their graduate education.
Wait a moment. They may have already been fed with this kind of
stuff from the White Paper on the Comparison of Human Right Status
between China and the United States by PRC Government. They sound so
familiar. Are you sure this is your original work?
To be honest, I do not mean to discredit this posting completely.
It does contains some useful information on the evalution of human
rignts in the States and some imperfections in the U.S. system.
Tu Ping
Lynn
: > I agree with you. America's trouble comes from their social system, as
: > well as some of the side effects of western believes (eg, redical
: > freedom). I really felt disgusted when I knew that they used human being
: > to test the result of radiation of nuclear explosion.
: magzines about the development of nuclear submarines. Though they might
: not be test subjects, soldiers were sent in to fix problems of nuclear
: reactors without proper protections. Did the authorities know the risk?
: You bet. Why didn't the
: authorities go there themselves, instead of risking other people's lives?
: Is it moral? Are you disgusted?
I'd say, this is totally different from America's using human being as
*test* subjects. This kind of incidence is undesired. Of course, things
would be much better if they had proper protection.
L.
YDX
>In article <4khuge$2...@epx.cis.umn.edu>, dy...@cs.umn.edu (Dongxiao Yue) wrote:
>> agjbp@emrisc.>> >> I think Ren has told the facts, now people can make their
>> >> own judgement.
>> >>
>> >> YDX
>> >>
>>
>> >I think Eric has told the facts too, now I made my own judgement:
>> >his arguement is much stronger than yours.
>>
>> You are incapable of making sound and logic thinking, all you said
>> was no more than a poor guy's complaint for the lack of money.
>> , .
>As you said, facts are facts. I merely pointed the facts, and tell me how
>you made the conclusion , ? The reason that your mind
>is twisted is that it is full of money and hatred. Check out the list of
>the followups and read the posts from both of Ren and Eric, it will show that
>you are the only one who is illogic and unreasoning.
I was joking that "Chinese beggers" have
the same freedom as American beggers, Eric was making fun of Chinese beggers.
I was merely trying to say :
hey, that is not fair.
You, a person who supposed to be intelligent enough, blindly
followed Eric, and you picked two of my points to attack, both of
them had to do with the poverty in China, and you are a Chinese.
The only logical conclusion is , you are "ren2qiong2zhi4duan3".
Actually, you did not point out any facts, you posted your sentiment,
and I believe I made a pretty good reasoning on your psychological profile,
though
a little blunt.
You did not answer my questions.
YDX
>
>
> > I agree with you. America's trouble comes from their social system, as
> > well as some of the side effects of western believes (eg, redical
> > freedom). I really felt disgusted when I knew that they used human being
> > to test the result of radiation of nuclear explosion.
> >
>
> I wonder if you read some articles published lately in a few Chinese
> magzines about the development of nuclear submarines. Though they might
> not be test subjects, soldiers were sent in to fix problems of nuclear
> reactors without proper protections. Did the authorities know the risk?
> You bet. Why didn't the
> authorities go there themselves, instead of risking other people's lives?
> Is it moral? Are you disgusted?
You are absurd. The soldiers who went to fix the reactor were
heroes. If they did not go, everyone on board would die.
Although the soldiers went to fix the problem might die, the
rest of the crew may survive. In a war against aggression,
we sent soldiers to defend the country, evryone may die, the
whole point is by sacrificing some part of our people, the whole
race can survive. It is almost ridiculous that you
don't even understand
this.
If you watched Star Trek, you may remember one episode:
Troi was taking a test to get a promotion, the test was to handle
warp core breach in process, the only way to save the ship was
to order the chief engineer to enter the engineering room to
fix the problem manually. But this would mean the death of
the chief due to the high radiation. Troi failed the test
the first few times, because she was unwilling to send the cheif,
and the whole ship exploded (in simulation). Finally, she
realized she had to make the tough decision. She passed the test,
and got the promotion.
YDX
¥t¤@Ó¦t©zªº¤H"
Thanks in advance.
--
Xiang Du 对酒当歌，人生几何？
University Of Queensland, 澳大利亚 譬如朝露，去日苦多。
Email - s32...@student.uq.edu.au
J Peng
(Lynn) wrote:
> J Peng (ag...@emrisc.eas.asu.edu) wrote:
> : > I agree with you. America's trouble comes from their social system, as
> : > well as some of the side effects of western believes (eg, redical
> : > freedom). I really felt disgusted when I knew that they used human being
> : > to test the result of radiation of nuclear explosion.
> : I wonder if you read some articles published lately in a few Chinese
> : magzines about the development of nuclear submarines. Though they might
=================
> : not be test subjects, soldiers were sent in to fix problems of nuclear
==========================================================
> : reactors without proper protections. Did the authorities know the risk?
> : You bet. Why didn't the
> : authorities go there themselves, instead of risking other people's lives?
> : Is it moral? Are you disgusted?
>
> I'd say, this is totally different from America's using human being as
> *test* subjects. This kind of incidence is undesired. Of course, things
> would be much better if they had proper protection.
>
> L.
I said that it is different from using human beings as test subjects, as is
underlined above. I do not think there is difference in moral issues to
the authorities.