tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post5668058151410695813..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Frozen Garlic TwoferMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-48063809253229841072011-11-24T08:08:09.470+08:002011-11-24T08:08:09.470+08:00I took some time to read some parts of the Bloombe...I took some time to read some parts of the Bloomberg article.<br /><b>"A stronger stance toward China need not lead to confrontation for a very simple reason: It’s no more in China’s interest than the U.S.’s. The glue that holds together the entire Chinese economy is exports. The imposition of steep U.S. or European tariffs on Chinese goods would be a huge blow."</b><br />Tariffs will work on countries that does not have a large enough self sustaining economy. China is not among those. So unless foreign countries want to raise hatred by repeating the history of the invasion during the Ching Dynasty, it is best be more creative. Only this can show true leadership style, and be fit to continually lead the world.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-31497001536769304232011-11-21T19:06:58.702+08:002011-11-21T19:06:58.702+08:00BTW Michael,
From what I know about the PX issue, ...BTW Michael,<br />From what I know about the PX issue, the money made were the foundation for taking those out in the cold under their wings. Which is still does not change what I could gather from the information presented so far.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-87052753379173755742011-11-21T19:00:35.388+08:002011-11-21T19:00:35.388+08:00Michael,
American military PX products should onl...Michael,<br /><br />American military PX products should only be available to the US military, "it takes two hands to clap" as we would say, to making these available was the American military PX. Was it illegal? Not to my knowledge from the ROC side of the legal system. What do you know about the US side?<br /><br />Current gangsters no longer thrive on that, so I think it's part of the history, but has nothing to do with how you deal with it today. We can go all the way back to the hatred of foreign invasion on China and blame foreign influence,including foreign values that fueled the current economy situation, but that certainly does not help improving the current situation, so I say we should learn from the past but deal with the current to build a good future like mature grownups.<br /><br />George<br /><br />PS. Got you message that you could not make it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-24282906176652644052011-11-21T14:28:35.547+08:002011-11-21T14:28:35.547+08:00>>>"It sounds like you are advocatin...>>>"It sounds like you are advocating a system which circumvents democratic rule and unfairly costs taxpayers billions in inflated government projects."<br /><br />Hey, that funny, sounds like the U.S.! But wait, we don't have gangsters. How does that work?<br /><br />>>>"Lots of money is riding on the horse that is closest to corruption and organized crime because a lot of rich people can get even richer by fleecing the system like they have been doing."<br /><br />Hey wait a minute, that sounds like...er....see above...<br /><br />>>"Still, your way of incorporating the anti-democratic function of organized crime into the governing structure leaves a lot of people out in the cold."<br /><br />Here we go again. The democracy jock in action....because clearly western liberal democracies have ironed out the corruption issues...all of Asia should be taking their lead...thank god they have the west to show them how real countries run their business...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-77498220243117458872011-11-21T13:02:00.337+08:002011-11-21T13:02:00.337+08:00It seems to me of the families took care of thier ...<b>It seems to me of the families took care of thier own children, and schools would hold on the students that were on the verge of joining gangsters, the gangsters could never have grown.</b><br /><br />George, the gangster class that grew by selling blackmarket items from American military PXes is a well known feature of Taiwan life in the 1950s and 1960s. I am surprised you have never heard of it -- many famous people whom I will not publicly name were part of this network of organized crime. These gangsters were not uncared for children but were generally well-connected individuals who could get consumer items -- remember that sales of consumer items were controlled in Taiwan, to force the public to save money and to reduce imports. Hence you had to be somebody to get access to the goods. This network of corruption thus indeed took in knowing Americans.<br /><br />The gangsters in Taiwan are generally pro-KMT and allied to the mainlander elites, many of them have their roots in the old military villages around Taiwan. They are not the result of neglect, except by the government, but rather of the KMT's colonial system of governance. Like organized crime the world over, such gangs got their start extorting funds by preying on their own people, the old soldiers and than later branched out into other businesses, though in legend they grew out of the need to defend the bases from Taiwanese (ha ha). <br /><br />The gigantic American PXes were also used by diplomats from other countries, who supplemented their incomes by purchasing appliances and other consumer goods and selling them to mainlander gangs.<br /><br />These networks of corruption flourished because the KMT's colonial regime was so incredibly corrupt. One needed to pay bribes even to get a phone, as oldtimers will tell you. <br /><br />MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-87521749666803168722011-11-21T12:41:42.790+08:002011-11-21T12:41:42.790+08:00American supported gangsters?
It sounds like CIA o...American supported gangsters?<br />It sounds like CIA operations.<br />Let's try to piece the information together without making conclusions or taking sides yet.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1697584911548008462011-11-21T12:32:38.651+08:002011-11-21T12:32:38.651+08:00Most of the people I have met that were wanted for...Most of the people I have met that were wanted for crime some time in their life were the kind I have mentioned.<br /><br />Now, what I can only conclude from the information involved is:<br />Children of well connected military officer families with connections and protections take people left out in the cold under their wings which formed the gangster group.<br /><br />Any more information that can shed light on the issue?<br /><br />It seems to me of the families took care of thier own children, and schools would hold on the students that were on the verge of joining gangsters, the gangsters could never have grown.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-64669854554278504732011-11-21T12:22:16.537+08:002011-11-21T12:22:16.537+08:00Not the ones I have met.Not the ones I have met.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-80126356744291292512011-11-21T11:13:25.681+08:002011-11-21T11:13:25.681+08:00Sorry George...
These gangsters were the childre...Sorry George... <br /><br />These gangsters were the children of well connected military officer families with connections and protections. They could get American contraband off base without fear of persecution under a system that favored the KMT class.<br /><br />By Any Other NameAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-37062712455429253482011-11-21T08:49:25.697+08:002011-11-21T08:49:25.697+08:00Rose,
I put my signature because I feel openminde...Rose,<br /><br />I put my signature because I feel openminded enough to discuss issues without betting emotionally involved.<br /><br />Bare in mind that most youngsters that joined in gangster groups are mostly those that were left out in the cold! These groups took them under their wings at a time that nobody else cared for them. These may include parents that were emotinally unstable (possibly like you), cast out from schools that did not want to deal with thier behavior (schools which did not live up to their responsibility to educate, and for many other reasons. These cannot be solved by brute force, but with sound reasoning and caring.<br /><br />Gangsters are organized like any political party or companies, they just have a different management system. If proper communication is conducted, the majority will abide the law and are actually well controlled so that they do not disturb others.<br /><br />If you have better solutions, please make them available to all of us.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-77866519748982598452011-11-20T20:49:33.771+08:002011-11-20T20:49:33.771+08:00Whatever George... Does a name really matter when ...Whatever George... Does a name really matter when calling you on your bullshit? Is it the name you are afraid of or the comment? <br /><br /><br />RoseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-57554527447278680642011-11-20T16:44:01.967+08:002011-11-20T16:44:01.967+08:00I hereby refuse to address any comments on my post...I hereby refuse to address any comments on my posts made by sissies hiding under the Anonymous skirt unsigned. Please put at least your first name to assume responsibility for whatever you say.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-7948126621217615122011-11-20T08:55:34.101+08:002011-11-20T08:55:34.101+08:00George-
It sounds like you are advocating a syste...George-<br /><br />It sounds like you are advocating a system which circumvents democratic rule and unfairly costs taxpayers billions in inflated government projects. <br /><br />Lots of money is riding on the horse that is closest to corruption and organized crime because a lot of rich people can get even richer by fleecing the system like they have been doing. <br /><br />Still, your way of incorporating the anti-democratic function of organized crime into the governing structure leaves a lot of people out in the cold.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-4722218577925809082011-11-20T07:58:37.942+08:002011-11-20T07:58:37.942+08:00It's hard to believe claims of "Swiftian ...It's hard to believe claims of "<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/11/selling-taiwan-to-mainland-china-the-author-explains-his-swiftian-intent/248637/" rel="nofollow">Swiftian satire</a>" from someone who spells "misspent" as "miss spent"...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-39553025268939685252011-11-20T07:16:46.915+08:002011-11-20T07:16:46.915+08:00Daily Links
people to speak on
Taiwan's beha...Daily Links<br /><br />people to speak on<br /> Taiwan's behalf???<br /><br /><br />National Review<br />"I also have no desire to go to war over Taiwan and think we need to make clear we’re not going to do that..."<br /><br />DAVID MILLAR - reunify rejoin .. with the mainland.yankdownundernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-9301581996787739312011-11-20T06:52:39.528+08:002011-11-20T06:52:39.528+08:00The US military has bases in Korea and Japan and i...The US military has bases in Korea and Japan and is going to station<br />more soldiers in Darwin,Australia.<br /><br />Taiwan wants US to defend it so I think the US should move some bases from Okinawa to Taiwan.yankdownundernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-16942445465748354602011-11-19T20:57:56.320+08:002011-11-19T20:57:56.320+08:00Organized crime is in so many countries that you t...Organized crime is in so many countries that you think what the hell is going on with law enforcement. When dealing with these, one needs to be careful because if you use brute force, you create more problems than good. Normally you have to negotiate enough that will keep them in line and use there own influence to help keep things in order. They want to make money, they want to have power, just like any company. It is how they do it that makes a difference. I have met people in Taipei that tried to rob me, and we were actually able to strike a deal and both walk away satisfied. <br /><br />There are different ways to handle things that unfortunately the average person has no knowledge as to how difficult it is to maintain a good balance. These are also the people whom would be reluctant to pay for what they believe is doing the right thing. They do not hesitate to urge the Government to do things util you ask them is it important enough that you will pay for it. These are also the same people that complain the Government is not doing enough for living support. These are also the same people that are reluctant to go out there and learn more skills and knowledge to contribute to the well being of where they live, these are also the people that will also throw waste down the gutter and wonder why they get flooded, these are also the people that like to build things wherever they want and blame the Government when it gets damaged by the Typhoon, these are also the people that block the roads to prevent you from parking where you should be able to legally park...<br /><br />I am more worried about disorganized crime you cannot communicate with, and they have nothing to loss.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com