Bush Apologizes to Communist after Free Speech Outbreak

WASHINGTON (AFP) -
President George W. Bush apologized to Chinese President Hu Jintao after he was screamed at by a Falungong protester during an official ceremony at the White House. (more)

It is rude to disrupt a ceremony of any kind, but should it be illegal?

Every day in this country, speakers and MC's alike must deal with that most bothersome of sort, the heckler. I had to deal it myself recently when, during a question and answer session with a panel of Patriot Act experts, a woman got up and began accusing one of the panelists of genocide. At no point did it occur to me to call the feds.

I learned today that Wenyi Wang, the reporter who was arrested yesterday for interrupting the leader of Communist China as he made nice with George Bush, is now facing 6 months in prison and $5000 in fines for the crimes of annoying a curmudgeon and pointing out the obvious.

To further show the communists how this free speech thing works, after six federal officers dragged Wang away, George Bush passionately defended political and religious freedom here and abroad by apologizing to the Chinese president!

I wonder if it occurred to Bush for even a moment that instead of apologizing, he should have defended Wang, defended freedom of religion and told President Hu that Wang was right and America is strong because of our freedom not in spite of them. That if China ever expects to be as strong as she aspires to be, then her people must be free or China will ultimately join the Soviet Union's brand of communism in "history's dust bin of discarded and failed ideologies."

Probably not.