Chinese economic collapse – Liberty Blitzkrieg

For several years now, I’ve periodically observed that China’s increasingly aggressive crackdown on dissent serves as a harbinger of far more difficult times ahead. The thinking goes that if anyone is privy to the severe fragility of the country’s economic situation, it would be Chinese leadership. As such, desperate moves by Chinese leadership should foretell drastically worse economic and social conditions.

The scramble to crack down on dissent has become so intense, Chinese authorities seem to be now exerting illegal force against residents of Hong Kong. Of course, this story is long in the making, as the massive protest that broke out a little over a year ago known as the “umbrella revolution,” was in fact a protest against Beijing’s moves to ensure that Hong Kong leadership remain loyal puppets to the authorities on the mainland.

– From the post: Hong Kong Publishers Reportedly Being Kidnapped by Chinese Authorities and Taken to the Mainland

When it comes to the Chinese economy, you can always tell how bad the situation is based on the panicky actions of the authorities. If the latest moves are any indication, things are not getting any better.

The New York Times reports:

BEIJING — This month, Chinese banking officials omitted currency data from closely watched economic reports.

Just weeks earlier, Chinese regulators fined a journalist $23,000 for reposting a message that said a big securities firm had told elite clients to sell stock.

Before that, officials pressed two companies to stop releasing early results from a survey of Chinese factories that often moved markets.

Read more

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I have often said that while 9/11 was a horrible event, our collective response to it has been the real tragedy (read my How I Remember September 11, 2001 post). A terrible event is no excuse to become such scared children that we would relinquish the basic freedoms our ancestors fought so hard to secure for us.

The only people who really benefit from an expansion of the surveillance state and a loss of liberties are the rich and powerful. With China’s economy in free fall and increased violence occurring, it appears the leadership there is taking a page out of our post 9/11 playbook. This is what the commute looks like at train stations in Beijing:

This is what cattle in pens look like:

Actually, the cattle have more space. Seriously though, this is all security theatre. As I have mentioned on prior occasions, I have never gone through one of those naked body scanners. Instead, I opt out for the TSA “freedom grope.” Why? Because I know it’s total bullshit and I’m not going along with it.

I fly from Denver to New York City quite a bit and you know what I’ve noticed. While every machine in Denver is now a naked body scanner, all of the machines from the security checkpoint I use in New York are regular metal detectors. I find this bizarre. If the number one target for terrorism can get away with metal detectors, why can’t everywhere else? Because people like former head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Michael Chertoff, need to get paid.

More from the Wall Street Journal:

Already difficult commutes in China’s capital became even more punishing this week, as Beijing beefed up subway security checks in the wake of deadly attacks targeting civilians.

Hundreds of unhappy commuters stood in long lines across the city Wednesday morning to undergo enhanced security screenings, which now include body checks as well as bag screenings in several stations. At stations in the city’s north, subway staff said passengers had to wait between 20-30 minutes to get through the security line, up from about 10-15 minutes prior to the new screening requirements.

“This is such a hassle,” said Zhi Yajuan, 23, as she stood in line Tuesday at Tiantongyuan North Station. “It’s just going through the motions. They don’t care even if the machine beeps.”

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As China’s Economy Craters, Economic Data Starts to “Disappear”

Commuters Herded Like Cattle as China Escalates its Own “War on Terror”

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