You posted a revised post of mine stating that Americans' behavior has been unacceptable, looking to get a laugh from the liberals who are all to eager to agree with any kind of statment like that. Not sure where the racism is found in that.
I'm not sure what you’re talking about. I never called you a racist. I just said that racism was stupid and not funny. You concluded (guilty conscious?) that I called you racist.
There are three different areas you are assaulting PRC at: environment, workplace safety, and public health. The PRC central, provincial and municipal governments have *long* been toughening up the environmental laws. Believe it or not, cleaner water and air are now seen in many regions previously polluted. I used to work in an environmental protection research institute in Shanghai and I can tell you that the Chinese at all levels are truly concerned about their environment. Unfortunately thanks to poorly regulated capitalist economy, everything is now tied to profit -- many older industrial units have to cut corners to beef up their bottom lines. Workplace safety and good manufacturing practice often don't go hand in hand under economic pressure. The large amount of benzene leakage into a river in Northeastern China was due to an explosion at a petrochemical plant. That was a freaking manufacturing accident and it had little do with lapses in China's environmental laws. While the the initial actions of the local officials in the aftermath of the accident left a lot to be desired, the subsequent exposures in the Chinese media have been unprecedented. Unlike my take on their environmental issues, PRC's laissez faire attitude on occupational safety is not something I am going to defend, so I give you a free run. As to your questioning China's dealing with SARS outbreak, I have already addressed that from my own perspective in another thread.
Damn, that is frightening. If that's required to save the bulk of people who contract avian flu, does everyone realize what a nightmare that will be? The United States has arguably the most advanced medical system in the world, even if tens of millions here have no access to it, because they don't have medical insurance. There is no way in hell that we have the equipment to treat more than a fraction of those who would get avian flu if there were a pandemic, not if they are going to need this kind of care. We better keep all our appendages crossed and pour billions into research to find a way to treat this. We are staring at a possible catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. Keep D&D Civil.
