Noahpinion banned in China!

Although Noahpinion can still be found by searching Chinese Google, reliable sources have indicated that this blog is now inaccessible from inside the People's Republic. Also, an email containing a link to Noahpinion was blocked by a Chinese server, and the American email address that sent that email is now permanently blocked on that server.

Banned in China? That's a badge of honor.

It's ironic because, all in all, I think the Chinese Communist Party has done an amazing and unprecedented job of reducing poverty in that nation - the single greatest advance against human poverty in the history of the planet. You can't help but applaud that.

Yes, China's goverment is a nasty piece of work - harvesting organs from political dissidents is not the kind of thing I'd want to see my own government doing. And yes, China's environmental destruction, extreme inequality, dysfunctional financial system, and massive corruption are going to come back bite them in the butt one of these days. But I'd rather see China clean up its act instead of disintegrate into chaos. 1.3 billion Chinese people deserve a government that treats them like human beings, not Iraq-style meltdown.

So I'm not really an enemy of the Chinese state. Banning people like me isn't a smart move. What China needs most, for its own stability, is a press that's willing and able to point out government shortcomings where they occur. A free press provides a natural balancing force that makes sure problems are rarely allowed to get out of hand before they receive proper attention.

But oh well. Ban me if you like, mandarins. I take it as an indication that what I say has some painful truth to it. Phhhhbbbtttt!


BONUS READING GUIDE

1. I've found in my life that lifestyle is sometimes just as important for happiness as prevailing political and economic conditions. That's why this is such good news for Americans' happiness.

2. The stem cell research bill is moving through Congress. Great. Great to see Congress A) standing up to Bush, and B) reaffirming the respect for science that has kept America on top of the world for a hundred and fifty years. If Bush vetoes it - which would be the first veto of his presidency - he'd only underline the irrationality and anti-science agenda of his political faction. And with a clear majority of Americans in favor of the bill, it would be a politically unwise move. Come on, Bush, make my day.