China Buying Up Canadian Assets; delineates "Four Rights of Man"

In a politically controversial move up here, China is being permitted to purchase Canada's largest mining company, at $7B. And, the Chinese foreign minister says, to Canadians who reacted against this: get ready for more of the same.

Most interestingly, he argued that, actually, China and Canada are politically very similar. I am not making this up: "'On human rights, I believe, our two peoples have a lot in common,' he said.

'Liberty, democracy, freedom and whatever, we share a lot. What is democracy? Democracy is a way in which people enjoy their rights according to law. "

You know you're dealing with someone sincerely interested in the Rousseau's Rights of Man when he's able to delinieate four of them: "Liberty, democracy, freedom and whatever." Now, the first three are pretty limited (although, see the Chinese foreign minister's definition of Democracy, and it might not appear that constraining.)

But "Whatever" is a big umbrella. If we Americans could get behind having "Whatever" enshrined in our Constituion, that would open up our civil rights to a whole slew of behaviors which previously did not enjoy constitutional protections -- like strolling down the street in your tighty-whities. This is a freedom, I'll point out, not presently protected under that "Liberty, democracy, freedom" rubric we're hanging ourselves with.

When I was a kid, there was a guy on my paper route -- Mr. Anderson -- who, when I delivered papers on Saturday and Sunday morning, could usually be found on the median, walking his Shit-zu, in his blue terry-cloth robe, brushing his teeth. Now, I'm pretty sure this is all protected behavior under our present Constitutional freedoms. It didn't matter that Mr. Anderson was a 55-year-old 50 lbs overweight balding nut-job on a median with his dog and toothbrush; he was going to exercise his Constitutional Rights. Now, that's Patriotism. But, I could see the pain in Mr. Anderson's eyes, the shame of wanting something more for himself, something better for his children. He yearned for the freedom of "Whatever", so he could walk his Shit-zu, brush his teeth, and do so happily in the freedom of his tighty-whities -- and maybe a wife-beater. This was a man who wanted to live in China.

I'm sure Mr. Anderson joins me in thanking China for bearing forth the torch of "Whatever".