I really really really don't like the Chinese government.

The woman in this picture is Zeng Jinyan. She's about to go under indefinite house arrest with her infant daughter. Why? Because her husband wrote some editorials criticizing the government. That husband is Hu Jia, an environmental activist who was just sentenced to 3.5 years behind bars for writing those editorials. Even if his sentence really does last only 3.5 years (fat chance!), his daughter won't even recognize her father by the time he gets out. That is his punishment for speaking out about the pollution that is threatening the lives of millions of his countrymen.

I really, really, really don't like the Chinese government. Sure, they've brought most of the Chinese people out of desperate poverty - more because of the calculus of political survival, I'm guessing, than out of any sympathy for the people themselves. But is it really necessary to keep young women like the one in that picture under lock and key to ensure that the growth continues?

The Chinese government talks a lot about "stability." That's code for "Obey us, slaves." They also talk a lot about "harmony." That's code for "Unlike other people, East Asians don't need dignity, and enjoy being slaves."

Naturally, the Chinese government will try to portray any criticism of it as anti-Chinese animus. And the many people who gaze in awe at China's growth, size, and power will tend to buy that classic excuse. I do not. A steady stream of Chinese people continues to criticize the injustices perpetrated by their government - are those people against their own country? No - they are more patriotic than the suits in Beijing could ever hope to be.

Let's not forget, in the turmoil over Iraq and terrorism and the recession, that the rise of China is the single most important political change going on in the world today. If China, like India, had a government that respected its people's dignity, this would be a great thing. But it does not, and so it is not. Although it'll be hard going, we have no choice but to make plans to oppose the government of China, and support those of its people who want to live in a more humanistic sort of society.