The Enormous Expansion of Chinese Influence: What Does It Portend?

BLOGGERS NOTE: I WILL BE MOVING FROM FACEBOOK TO TWITTER AND BLOGSPOT SOON!

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about China’s influence in Asia. This follows this post about belief in ghosts. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

The Enormous Expansion of Chinese Influence: What Does It Portend?



Article by John Ross Schroeder


Recent news reports strongly suggest that China's military, economic and political influence continues to expand aggressively both in Asia and the world at large. What are the long-term implications?



Some observers predict an Asian-centered world order—part of our ever-changing constellation of global power and influence. One renowned Indian statesman actually stated that the 21st century "will be Asia's century."



Foreign Affairs also comments: "China's extraordinary economic growth and active diplomacy are already transforming East Asia, and future decades will see even greater increases in Chinese power and influence... Will China overthrow the existing order or become a part of it? And what, if anything, can the United States do to maintain its position as China rises?" (January-February 2008, emphasis added throughout).



But before we address these questions posed by Foreign Affairs, let's take a more searching look at Chinese expansionist efforts in Asia itself.



The military implications of Chinese expansion

David Blair, diplomatic editor of The Daily Telegraph, writes: "China is building a web of influence across South Asia. Many of Beijing's immensely ambitious projects are years away from fruition, yet the repercussions of these ventures are already being felt" ("China on the Rise Once More Across the East," Telegraph.co.uk, May 20, 2009).



The Chinese are currently constructing ports in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and on a Burmese island. Recall that China gave Sri Lanka its support during the conflict with the Tamil Tigers. Ports like the one in Sri Lanka could possibly be used as Chinese naval bases in the future, raising questions as to whether China will extend its naval strength into the Indian Ocean.



Kerry Brown, an official of the Asian program of the British Chatham House think tank, states: "China is marching toward regional dominance and that brings it into conflict with India on one flank and Japan on the other. It will at some point become much more active as a military power in that region" (ibid.).



But Mr. Brown does not believe that China necessarily wants conflict. His thoughts are that the Chinese "are seeking a stable international environment within which they can continue their economic development." Nonetheless, other countries in the general region are understandably worried about China's intentions. Australia is one.



Australian reaction to China's growing military

According to Bonnie Malkin, reporting for The Daily Telegraph from Sydney, "Australia is conducting the biggest expansion of its navy since the Second World War and will spend an extra £35 billion on the armed forces over the next 20 years" ("Australia Expands Navy as Chinese Power Grows," Telegraph.co.uk, May 19, 2009).



It seems highly likely that Australia's military buildup could very well be related to Chinese expansion. "The potential instability caused by the emergence of China and India as major world powers was cited as the most pressing concern for this military build-up in particular. Australian defence planners are believed to be concerned about China's growing naval strength and America's possible retreat as a global power in the decades ahead" (ibid.).



This article goes on to discuss the doubling of Chinese submarine patrols in the past year, calling attention to the extension of China's navy into Australian territorial waters. While specifically denying any plans for any future war with China, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stated categorically that his government would "'make absolutely no apology' for taking whatever steps were needed to guarantee the country's security."



China and Russia

China and Russia have a long history of both cooperation and conflict. According to Andrew Boyd's An Atlas of World Affairs, "In a long series of conquests, from 1500 to 1900, Russia and China took over all of northern Asia. Between them, they subdued the Mongolians and all the Turkic-language peoples, from the Azerbaijanis of the Caucasus to the Yakuts of eastern Siberia, and including the Kazakhs, Tatars, Uighurs and Uzbeks" (10th edition, 1998, p. 173).



But cooperation can turn into conflict, and the two giant empires clashed periodically, principally over territorial tensions. Fast-forwarding to the late 20th century, Sino-Russian relations grew considerably warmer.



"In 1989 the USSR withdrew its troops from Afghanistan and began to reduce its forces in Mongolia and on the Chinese frontier; this satisfied some of China's requirements for a 'normalizing' of relations. Tension was eased, and work was resumed on the completion of a [transnational] rail link...The break-up of the USSR created a buffer zone in central Asia, and Russo-Chinese relations continued to improve" (ibid., pp. 174-175).



Relations between these two geographic giants had apparently deteriorated to the point in the early 1970s that Leonid Brezhnev had reputedly asked President Richard Nixon for permission to "nuke" the People's Republic of China. Reportedly, the stern reply was a firm "No."



The Sino-Russian relationship continues to wax and wane. "In the early 1990s, massive sales of arms to China made up 2% of Russia's exports. Russia needed the money badly, but its generals grew nervous about China's new military strength" (p. 175).



China's relationships with other countries on its border also warrant observation, in terms of possible prophetic overtones for the end time. Consider India.



Chinese disputes with India

After many decades of relative stagnation, both China and India have seen remarkable growth rates over the last two decades and more. These two Asian giants alone have almost two fifths of the entire world population. Although set back somewhat by the current world recession, economically both nations could still be viewed to be on the march.



These two Asian countries have a long history of border tensions and disputed territorial claims on their 2,100-mile border. Threats of war and even a few serious skirmishes have occurred. David Blair recently reported, "The tension between China and India over their bitterly disputed border has spread to the Asian Development Bank [ADB], where Beijing has blocked almost £2 billion for its neighbour" ("China Blocks £2 Billion in Aid to India," Telegraph.co.uk, May 19, 2009). Part of the total amount has been earmarked for a northern Indian water project on territory China claims for its own.



India would need U.S. support if it ever hopes to be able to persuade the Chinese to relent and ask the ADB to release the funds. Such events shift relations between nations. But in spite of serious periodic differences between these three countries, could China, Russia and India come together at the time of the end?



Certainly in today's world, America appears to be on the wane and China and Asia on the ascent. Why is the United States suffering so many setbacks in the world? Are there both historic and prophetic reasons?



A prophetic picture of the time of the end

Bible prophecies in the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel dovetail together to give us an intriguing picture of events at the time of the end.



Daniel 11:40And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.



See All... mentions these occurrences "at the time of end" and the fact that the king of the North (identified prophetically as the charismatic leader of a Central European combine of nations), while entering the Holy Land, attacks the king of the South (probably the leader of an Arab-Islamic confederation). Then verse 44 tells us of "news from the east" that will trouble this king of the North.



Revelation 9:13-16 [13] And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

[14] Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

[15] And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

[16] And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.





See All..., also describing end-time events, describes an eastern army 200-million strong that unleashes great devastation, killing a third of mankind. Several chapters later, in Revelation 16:12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.



See All..., we read of "the kings [leaders] from the east" crossing the Euphrates River.



It would appear that one of these forces is an Islamic counterattack to the king of the North entering the Holy Land. The other, it appears, is likely from further east, from China, India and other Asian nations that lie to the east of the Holy Land. Regardless of which is which, demonic forces will influence "the kings of the earth" to gather together at Armageddon for that final battle against Jesus Christ (Revelation 16:14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.



See All...).



In effect this will be the final World War. The returning Jesus Christ will be the undisputed winner of truly "the mother of all battles." It will constitute mankind's final rebellion against his Creator during this age of man. But the outcome has already been determined. "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.



See All...).



To learn more

This article can only briefly summarize the significance of these end-time events. Our free booklet You Can Understand Bible Prophecy will give you a basic overview of all the major events accompanying the time of the end and even well on beyond. A companion booklet titled Are We Living in the Time of the End? highlights the telltale signs that signal that we are indeed approaching the close of an age.



Another publication, The Book of Revelation Unveiled , shows how to truly comprehend the message of that mystery book. The booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy brings a needed perspective of historic events such as the four empires revealed in the book of Daniel and the rise and fall of ancient Israel.



Since no power identifiable as the United States is found depicted in the events described in the book of Revelation, this fact strongly indicates that some combination of major factors leads to America's prophesied collapse before the very final events preceding Christ's return. To learn more about this whole story, historic and prophetic, read the booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy . WNP

.

Pearl Harbor Day and the Pearl of Great Price

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Pearl Harbor. This follows this post about marriage problems. This follows this post about the season called Advent. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Pearl Harbor Day and the Pearl of Great Price


 Submitted December 6, 2011





USS Arizona Memorial Pearl Harbor Hawaii



Source: Photos.comPearl Harbor Day, 70 years later, December 7, 2011.



December 7, 1941, was the worst day in U.S. military history as a Japanese armada of ships and planes made a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. This Hawaiian U.S. naval base was a tempting target for the imperialist Japanese since America’s entire Pacific Fleet was headquartered at Pearl. The Japanese met little resistance as their planes bombed and strafed U.S. Navy ships and Army aircraft.



The next day the President Franklin Roosevelt addressed the U.S. Congress and delivered what turned out to be the most famous American political speech of the 20 th century—the “Day of Infamy Speech.” Congress then declared war on Japan, and three days later it declared was on Nazi Germany.



The United States, by being unprepared for this attack, paid a very heavy price:



- 2,388 Americans died in the attack



- 1,178 Americans were wounded



- 21 American ships were sunk or damaged



- 323 American aircraft were destroyed or damaged



The Japanese paid a dear price but not nearly so great:



- 64 Japanese died during the attack, though the number of injuries is unknown



- 5 Japanese ships were destroyed



- 103 Japanese aircraft were destroyed or damaged



The U.S. paid the greater short-term price but Japan paid the greater long-term price. If much more time had gone by without the U.S. getting involved militarily, both the Japanese and the Nazis might have been victorious in their conquests. Quite likely, God allowed the Pearl Harbor bombing to awaken America to join the war against Japan and Germany.



Some inspiring facts

The Japanese failed to accomplish their primary objective when they bombed Pearl Harbor. They wanted to destroy the aircraft carriers, but the three carriers were all at sea away from the port at the time. Those carriers were critically important in the ensuing war against Japan. and at the same time protected the aircraft carriers. Sparing those carriers was also likely an act of Providence.



Lately several websites have posted a message which had also been sent around the world by e-mail. It supposedly is an excerpt from a book titled, "Reflections on Pearl Harbor" by Admiral Chester Nimitz. Although it sounds like it could have been authored by Admiral Nimitz, I have not been able to verify that such a book exists. However, I did verify most of the facts stated. Following is my summary of that message:



“Immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Roosevelt appointed Admiral Chester Nimitz to be the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.



“When Nimitz landed at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941, there was such a spirit of despair, dejection and defeat--you would have thought the Japanese had already won the war. On Christmas Day, 1941, Adm. Nimitz was given a boat tour of the destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.



“Afterwards, someone asked him, ‘Well Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction?’ Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone: ‘The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could ever make, or God was taking care of America.’



“Nimitz explained:



“Mistake number one: The Japanese attacked on Sunday morning. Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were ashore on leave. If those same ships had been lured to sea and been sunk, we would have lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.



“Mistake number two: When the Japanese saw all those battleships lined in a row, they got so carried away sinking those battleships, they never once bombed our dry docks opposite those ships. If they had destroyed our dry docks, we would have had to tow every one of those ships to America to be repaired. As it is now, the ships are in shallow water and can be raised. One tug can pull them over to the dry docks, and we can have them repaired and at sea by the time we could have towed them to America. And I already have crews ashore anxious to man those ships.



“Mistake number three: Every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war is on top of the ground in storage tanks five miles away over that hill. One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed our fuel supply. That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could make, or God was taking care of America.”



Whether or not Admiral Nimitz said those exact words, it’s obvious that this disaster could have been much, much worse. God has been very merciful to the United States and to freedom-loving people in general.



The "pearl of great price"

Pearl Harbor has a nice name. It originally had a native Hawaiian name which meant “Water of Pearl.” The harbor was teeming with pearl-producing oysters until the late 1800’s.



One of the most famous and popular Bible passages is Matthew 13:45-46 [45] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

[46] Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.





See All..., in which Jesus said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”



The naval base at Pearl Harbor has been and still is extremely valuable for the United States. It would have been extremely valuable for the Japanese had they been able to conquer and hold it.



But the combined value of that that harbor, that real estate, the military facilities, the ships and planes, and the strategic location are a tiny pittance compared to the value of life after death—life in the Kingdom of God forever and ever! Every sacrifice that we ever need to make in this life will be a small price to pay for glorious eternal life!



The “good news” is this: All those who died on December 7, 1941—and at all other times and places—will yet have their opportunity to learn God’s truth and to qualify for God’s Kingdom! With Jesus Christ reigning over all the earth, we will at last have peace on earth!



Someday all peoples will have the opportunity to attain “the pearl of great price”!







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Is the Way...Two Men and a Valley

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/  about an opium farming valley. This follows this post about the new definitions of family being thrust upon us.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

This Is the Way...Two Men and a Valley

article by Robin Webber





This is the story of so many young men who have put on the uniforms of their respective countries.



In a world away and a lifetime apart from most of us, there lies a small and delicate valley tucked away into the steep and gorgeous hill country between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). There above the jungle-clad slopes, punctuated with picturesque rice paddies filtering down to quaint tribal villages below, stand two young men of Asia who have never spoken to one another. In fact, they have never met. They merely know one another from afar.



This is their story. This is the story of so many young men who have put on the uniforms of their respective countries. And, it touches a truth in our lives.



Recently, my wife and I traveled to Thailand to take part in a Christian leadership training program for local leaders who serve tribal groups and refugee camps in northern Thailand and Burma. After the seminar was completed, we went about three hours north of Chiang Mai, Thailand, towards our intended destination, the Royal Agricultural Project, which hovers in the shadows of the Burmese border.



Here, nearly 30 years ago, the current monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, invested his royal prestige and influence in developing a project that would teach the highland people how to turn from the cash crop of opium to farming profitable long-term crops. This was quite an undertaking and transformation of an entire mind-set. These local residents had to overcome the very real pulls of "cashing" in on the profitable drug trade of exporting opium.



A cloud over Shangri-la



As we came over the horizon and looked down on the royal project, thoughts of "Shangri-la" flooded my mind. The luscious green slopes eased down to neatly tended farmland of orchards, meticulously planted rows of vegetables and greenhouses full of produce. The locals seemed happy and content. It was a joy just meandering through such a renaissance atmosphere of transformation and renewal. I saw a small type of the biblical prophet Micah's millennial vision: "But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:4But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.



See All...).



My mind snapped back to the present as our hosts then mentioned to us, "Burma is right there!" My eyes slowly traveled away from the valley floor up the slopes opposite where we had come. Suddenly a feeling of foreboding clambered through me. The Thai and Burmese people have been at loggerheads for centuries. Oftentimes, the border area is shut down due to political rivalries, ethnic tensions or military operations. Suddenly, Shangri-la had a cloud over it.



An hour later, we were in a quaint village of tribal hill people whose lifestyle remains the same as it has been for many centuries. Their village rests on a thin rim of mountain strand looking down on curving slopes streaming down to the flatlands below. Chickens strutted across the road and piglets scampered across the gravelly stretch in front of us in search of their next whimsical adventure. Smiling and curious children were seemingly everywhere, and we walked up and down the streets with them. Immediately, we were "buddies," even though we couldn't speak a word of their tongue.



We are here; come no further



The placidity melted, as we moved up the road a short distance to a small army post. It struck me that the presence of this small fort says, "We are here; come no further." On this small ragged bluff, 15 young men stand ready to thwart any incursion from neighboring Burma.



A young officer came out to see what the commotion was all about. Our Thai-speaking host asked the officer if we might walk up to the outskirts of the border outpost, which is lined with sand-bagged trenches and bunkers, and have a look. Before and below the one lone soldier on duty was a deep mountain ravine, and a couple of hundred yards across the ravine was another fort with an identically situated young sentry. Two nations, two forts, two men, one valley—all come together in tropical paradise.



Something is terribly wrong here.



As we look through a pair of military binoculars, we see a Burmese soldier staring at us through his binoculars. As close as we are, we remain worlds apart and unable to meet each other.



I began to think how often in a day, every day, every month, every year and every decade do the two solitary sentries of Burma and Thailand stand alone, occasionally observing one another through their binoculars.



They simply wait and stare



Do you suppose they ever consider what the other is thinking? Where he is from? Is he married? Does he have a family?



They arise to the same sun, breathe the same mountain air, feel the chill of the morning and the same noontime warmth of tropical sun. They hear the same birds as they soar and dive into the valley before them. They get wet from the same thundercloud and see the same rainbows. But they only know one another by fixed stares through binoculars. Two men of Asia, alone, in a valley. They do not speak. They do not move forward. They simply wait and stare.



There are so many other valleys where other men face each other, standing guard. Valleys in Pakistan, India, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, as well as the urban canyons of Belfast, Medellin and Hebron.



In the aftermath of World War I, Erich Maria Remarque wrote an epic antiwar novel titled All Quiet on the Western Front. It is the story of young German lads who gladly go off to serve the Fatherland thinking that they will shortly return to finish school and life will go on just like it was before. But they soon come to understand the ever-so-true maxim of "war never leaves a nation where it found it." They are about to meet the enemy in the close quarters of battle, and they find the enemy is the same as they are.



A man just like me



The pivotal point of the book is when the main character, young Paul Baumer, meets the other side. Pinned down in a foxhole with machine-gun bullets whizzing overhead, he sits and waits, hoping against hope that the enemy will pass by. In a brief but brutal hand-to-hand combat with an enemy soldier, Baumer mortally wounds him. His victim dies slowly, and the victor reflects on how much like himself the dying man is.



"If only he had run two yards farther to the left, he might now be sitting in the trench over there and writing a fresh letter to his wife... The silence spreads. I talk and must talk. So I speak to him and say to him: 'Comrade, I did not want to kill you. If you jumped in here again, I would not do it, if you would be sensible too. But you were an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response. It was that abstraction I stabbed. But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship.



"'Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are just poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony—Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy? If we threw away these rifles and this uniform you could be my brother just like Kat and Albert. Take twenty years of my life, comrade and stand up—take more, for I do not know what I can even attempt to do with it now'" (1929, p. 227).



Remarque wrote this over 70 years ago, but it might as well be today.



The Sun of Righteousness shall arise



As we walk away from the bunkers and trenches, 15 of Thailand's native sons slowly lower the Thai colors to the singing of the national anthem. It is getting darker by the second as I look over the forest to the sun going down over the hills of Burma just yards away. I think to myself that the exact same ceremony is playing out just across the valley with another group of young men, another flag and another song. There is a greater shadow lurking here than that cast by the men guarding the sovereignty of two nations. It is the darkness of human nature left to its own devices.



Nearly 50 years ago, the Cold War statesman John Foster Dulles put it so well when he stated, "The world will never have lasting peace so long as men reserve for war the finest human qualities." We often equate peace as being "the absence of conflict," rather than the true peace that comes by the presence of workable solutions. As the Thai flag went down with the sun, I could not but sense the need for another light to arise and shine on these two men of Asia, and the humble village and the beautiful farming valley below.



Malachi's words came to mind: "But to you who fear my name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" (4:2). The healing that Jesus Christ, the ultimate Light of this world, is going to bring is more than a temporary cessation of hostilities between age-old enemies. It is the way to permanent peace through God's Spirit. Only Christ's way will reverse mankind's shameless record of but 300 years of recorded peace in over 6,000 years of recorded history.



What enables the vision of Micah, cited in the beginning? In his words: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not raise sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (4:3). A change of heart makes it possible for this marvelous image to become reality.



Put down those binoculars



Sitting in the dark with my wife, as our host drove down the long and winding roads to the flatland below, I turned over again and again in my head how often I've been in the dark when it comes to what I can control. I'm not responsible for the Thai and Burmese people at this time. God will have to deal with them and the rest of the world.



But I, too, have so often maintained a "binocular mentality" of simply standing and staring at another person from a distance. There I stand as I wonder and ponder his every movement over the same valley of bloodline, beliefs or shared experience. There I stand simply holding my ground, rather than putting down the binoculars to gain a wider perspective of what needs to happen. And what is needed is to "wage peace" with real answers, rather than war with all my good excuses.



Do you have binoculars like mine? Maybe it's time to put them down, and start walking down into the valley never walked before, towards that person who is really a lot like you. It is then we demonstrate the encouraging refrain found in Isaiah 30:21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.



See All..., "This is the way, walk in it."

.

China & Myanmar

I wanted to send you two articles which show the contrast of two nations which have suffered natural disasters this year are dealing with the disasters. The first, Myanmar Burma, has not allowed much of any aid into their country and is in fact using the disaster to strengthen their hold on power. The other, China, although still a dictatorship which has been facing pressure earlier this year because of their policies on Tibet and Sudan, nevertheless is allowing charities to enter and give aid. It is sad when disasters hit anywhere, but taking advantage of situations like this are very saddening. I hope you find the articles interesting.

http://jeffandrus.blogtownhall.com/
HELL HOLE
Posted by Jeff Andrus on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 9:11:47 PM
The bodies floated.They were part of the aftermath of last month's Cyclone Nargis that cut across the Irrawdy Delta of Myanmar. The sawing vortex of wind and rain, and the storm surge that followed killed 23,000 people and left a million homeless. Nature's worst is child's play compared to the atrocities committed by the government.Myanmar used to be called Burma when it was a British colony. Independence came in 1947. A leftist military coup in 1962 instigated "The Burmese Way of Socialism," kicking off more than 40 years of steady economic decline and periodic outbursts of ethnic cleansing. In 1989 the ruling generals changed the name of their killing fields to Myanmar. The current strong man is General Than Shwe.After refusing foreign aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis, Shwe's State Peace and Development Council allowed show displays of humanitarianism. Among them was a tent city put up and supplied by the United Nations. When the reporters left with their sound bites and footage, the refuges were sent packing and the food distributed to Shwe's soldiers.I know two people whose names I can't mention because they are returning to Myammar to continue whatever they can do. In the past they set up home churches and brought money to buy food and medical supplies from the regional thugs. Bringing material directly into the country is vorboten because there is less chance for profiteering.The churches they help shepherd no longer exist. The people fled to a town above water. There the military conscripted males over the age 12, and put the elderly, women and children into boats. They boats, they were told, would take them to a refugee center.None arrived.
A medical missionary has video of the bodies that floated. They were bloated and pierced by bullets.


http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/HughHewitt/2008/05/22/helping_china_in_an_hour_of_need
Helping China In An Hour Of Need
As the pictures continue to arrive from the region of China impacted by the massive 7.9 earthquake of last week, the reality of the scale of the devastation sinks in.
80,000 are dead or missing, and that number will almost certainly rise.
7,000 schools collapsed. 4,000 children were orphaned in the space of minutes.
There are an estimated 5 million newly homeless Chinese.
The response to such an epic of suffering ought to be generosity, and indeed hundreds of thousands of Americans have been digging deep to send private aid to China.
On my radio show I have pointed listeners to Caring for China, which has been operating orphanages and medical clinics in the earthquake zone for more than 25 years. The Christians who run Caring for China can be trusted to get the donations directly to those suffering in the devastated cities and towns. You can contribute online to an earthquake relief fund at CaringforChina.org, or via a check made out to Caring for China and sent to their American office at 3300 S. Fairview, Santa Ana, CA 92704.
Think about the shocks to the American political system that followed Katrina and 9/11. Disasters -- both natural and man-made-- impact cultures and governments in profound and lasting ways. Many journalists are shocked at the changes the PRC's government have initiated in the aftermath of the quake, allowing private efforts completely divorced from the party or the state to rush aid to the region. Given that the destruction and loss of life has been easily 50 times that which followed Katrina ashore in Louisiana and Mississippi, we can expect China to engage in a long period of soul-searching after the rush to dig out the trapped and bury the dead slows.
When the Chinese begin to mix their massive grieving with the necessity of looking forward and to preventing a recurrence, they will also have occasion to ask who came to their aid? Americans certainly did after 9/11, and again after Katrina.
While the Party in the time of Mao and even in the last years of the 20th century could effectively control the media, the new China is wired, and the Chinese are well aware of the terrible scale of the disaster that has hit them. They are also aware of who is helping them. This is not a time to allow legitimate grievances over heparin and other product scandals or rightful concern over PRC aggressiveness towards Tibet or Taiwan to limit the response to the human suffering and the vast changes set off by the shaking of the ground.