The Republicans would rather we live in China?

UPDATE: Today's NYT takes China to task for its new censorhip of the press - does this sound that different than the Bush administration?

The Soviet Union dealt with the problem with the infamous Article 70 of the penal code, which basically defined anything the state didn't want people to hear as "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda." Now China proposes to take the art of censorship a step higher with a bill that would severely fine news media outlets if they report on "sudden incidents" without prior authorization.

"Sudden incidents" sounds awfully similar to what most of the world knows better as "breaking news," and in most countries it's considered a core function of the news media.

In light of the total insanity over the past several days regarding the NYT, Wall Street Journal, and LA Times articles about spying on terrorist finances, I think it's worthwhile to take a look at a country with the kind of media policies Republicans are apparently hoping for: China.

In China, police randomly fired into a crowd of demonstrators, reportedly resulting in the bloodiest government action since Tiananmen Square 17 years ago . . . and then the government completely covered it up. Because the state has control over virtually all domestic media, the story simply disappeared, and for most of the nation's 1.3 billion people, the event never occurred.

My first reaction to this is sadness and total disgust.

My secondary reactions are twofold. First, the Chinese government has apparently done a masterful job of whitewashing this incident. According to China (and the "press" there), this basically never happened. Now, what if China made a statement that these villagers were actually domestic terrorists, and to reveal information about operations against them would be a detriment to national security? Sounds pretty ridiculous, but not beyond the realm of possibility -- especially if no facts can get out. If China said that, would conservatives who support similarly limiting the freedom of the press in American accept and support such an explanation? In China, we can see the result of government control of information flow. Is that what the right wants here, too?

And second, where's the outrage? Where are the right wing groups lining up an invasion plan? Where are the conservative blogs advocating regime change? We have all the hallmarks of Invasion Time: a repressive government killing its own people, shadowy and untrustworthy leadership with connections to rogue states (North Korea being at the top of the list), and . . . wait for it . . . possession of weapons of mass destruction!

I wouldn't personally support a violent U.S. response, of course, I'm just asking for a little consistency from the right. If conservatives can't quite get up the energy to advocate attacking the evil Communist Chinese, how about some pressure on our own Dear Leader to help along democracy in the Far East as well as the Middle East?

One of the more irritating habits of right blogistan is the constant challenges to we lefties to denounce baddies. Well, here it is. China's behavior is disgraceful, so how about a little soft power? Remember, the kind that we used to assert ourselves with? And regarding the clamor against the free press, be careful what you wish for . . .