some thoughts..
Amazing - the same thought jumped into my mind, when i read that report.. the 'net makes so much freedom of information (even given the "rubbish") avaialable to anyone with a computer, that perhaps this is really an "intentional" crackdown... It's hard to know -- yet???
RF -- liked your cat story--LOL ... can't match it . Interesting thing to me about mao is the evidence presented by harrison salisbury in his book "the new emperors" that mao was an opium addict.. the addiction came from the days of organising in the 30's when these guys ran planning meetings all night, and were carried in a litter during the day (so they could sleep) to the next meeting. No other sleep inducing drug avialable - so opium was used. salisbury claims that the kind of political visions that mao had eg. the great leap forward and the cultural revolution, were the kind of thing that is typical of "opium" dreamers..
do you think that charlie and joe? might have had the same sort of visions -- opium was in common use as a medicine in their days --- LOLOLOLOL - just a sudden "jump" in my mind
marilyn -- seen that book in my local library.. will read it next. just re-reading sterling seagraves "dragon lady" pretty good book about the dowager empress ci xi and the last days of the qing dysnasty.
and spaz... the WTS a fascist group??? -- well! i do think there is a close link between christianity and fascism -- but i had another sudden mental "jump" (see above) and suddenly realised the similarities between judge joe and mussolini.... hmmmmmm!!! elders as "brown shirts" explains so muchmore LOLOLOLOL