China's Hot Stock: Orwell Inc.

China's Hot Stock: Orwell Inc.

www.wa shingtonpost.com

The American economy may be teetering on the brink of a recession, but there's an industry our hedge fund gurus believe has an almost limitless future: the Chinese police state.

In a stunning report in the New York Times last week, correspondent Keith Bradsher documented the rise of China's electronic surveillance industry, whose leading companies have incorporated themselves in the United States and obtained the lion's share of their capital from U.S. hedge funds. Though ostensibly private, these companies are a for-profit adjunct of the Chinese government.

(visit the link for the full news article)

The Washington Post OP takes its points from this NYT's article.

An Opportunity for Wall St. in China’s Surveillance Boom

Li Runsen, the powerful technology director of China’s ministry of public security, is best known for leading Project Golden Shield, China’s intensive effort to strengthen police control over the Internet.

But last month Mr. Li took an additional title: director for China Security and Surveillance Technology, a fast-growing company that installs and sometimes operates surveillance systems for Chinese police agencies, jails and banks, among other customers. The company has just been approved for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company’s listing and Mr. Li’s membership on its board are just the latest signs of ever-closer ties among Wall Street, surveillance companies and the Chinese government’s security apparatus.

Once thought that capitalism and democracy goes hand in hand. Give them one of the two and the other will automaticly follow. The thesis should be utterly disproved by this new business venture -- to produce security cameras and computer software that can monitor crosswalks -- to ensure that demonstrations aren't forming -- and cross-check the faces of Internet cafe users against photos of known troublemakers.

Thus will China protect itself against potential terrorists.

In the name of fighting terrorism the hysterical bitches of Wall Street will get really golden opportunities. In reality it will be in suppression of free speech in China.

Only problem, the argument sucks.

There's no threat of terrorists in the global sense to China. It is, however, subject to strikes of workers who don't get paid; to revolts over deadly environmental conditions; to religious activists who worship gods other than mammon and the state (the two that are officially sanctioned); to Web surfers enamored of a free exchange of ideas; to Tibetans seeking autonomy; and maybe, someday, to another outburst of Tiananmen Square-like, pro-democracy agitation.

But capitalism will for the lousy buck help the rulers, that it ever should happen. They are here to support the powers that be. Doesn't matter what they really are.

After all leading American companies have a long record of investing in totalitarian states, including Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia and axis-of-evil Iran (hello, Halliburton).



www.wa shingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 19-9-2007 by khunmoon]

The corporate profiters can not stop from making more money no only from wars but supporting communism and totalitarian governments.

Then people ask why the world hate America so much.

They will love to have the chance to bog every single home in the US pay by the government with our own tax payer money.

Since Bush is been in power the profiters are gotten lose and they are on a rampage.

reply to post by marg6043


In the holy name of fighting the big bad wolf of terrorism, China is offering the largest, the best live-theater for developing the stuff the corporations in the business dream of.

And no pity ideology shall stand in the way to profits beyond imagination.

In China they shall perfect what we one day all will be subject to: The Big Brother Society. Some may say it's already here.

Well! Nothing compared to what it'll become, when Google, Chisco and Microsoft have perfected their technologies in the Chinese live-theater.

You know what is interesting khunmoon, that threads like this one do not even get attention by the war pushers and Bush supporters because they are afraid to know what their favorite president and its war profiters are doing.

They love the threads on Iran bashing and Iran war pushing.

They do not want to deny Ignorance just spreading it.

reply to post by marg6043


It's simple marg. Threads like this actually require critical thinking. Something the supporters of war-mongers are lacking.

reply to post by Beachcoma



You are right, sometimes even I find tedious having to research for the truth and find links to post, because most of the time people don't even care once their minds are set on what they want to believe.

Your statement could hardly be more true, marg.

Not much for the trollers to put as bait on av topic like this. I mean who can show passion and put up strong feelings for Microsoft?

Then there also is that tail to the story, what they're are doing, those investors as entrepreneurs,
is sooo... **** ... u n p a t r i o t i c.

So what should they come here for.

Your statement could hardly be more true, marg.

Not much for the trollers to put as bait on av topic like this. I mean who can show passion and put up strong feelings for Microsoft?

Then there also is that tail to the story, what they're are doing, those investors as entrepreneurs,
is sooo... **** ... u n p a t r i o t i c.

So what should they come here for.

Originally posted by khunmoon
I mean who can show passion and put up strong feelings for Microsoft?

Was that a reference to the mountain-load of research I did in my Microsoft thread?

That was sooooo tiring. Even after providing links and relevant quotes people refused to read them much less click on the links.

And then in the end I find out they were just arguing for the sake of it, not because they knew what they were talking about... sigh.

Anyway, let me finish reading the articles and links you posted before I make a comment on topic

All you have to see is to look in the markets, not matter how bad the dollar is doing, the housing is crashing or the credit cards business in trouble, the one sector that is still doing quite well is the technology sector.

Since the 9/11 and the war on people’s privacy rights, I mean the war on terror, technology and all kind of gadgets to spy on citizens and none citizens is big business.

People do not get it, is in the front of their noses and they do not see it, the war profiteers are not going to allow anything to stop them from milking the cow at the expenses of the American tax payer hard worker citizens.

Is like a drug addiction and they do not care for money people are expendable and lives can be replaced (with more better more willing ones), they will instigate more wars and money is not problem.

I think we have most dangerous corporate men in the white house right in all the history of this nation, now Bush and Cheney.

Ok, I've read the article. But I don't really have anything to say that hasn't been said already. I do however would like to quote the best parts of the two linked articles.

To be sure, leading American companies have a long and sordid record of investing in totalitarian states, including Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia and axis-of-evil Iran (hello, Halliburton). But, distinguish as we must among the various levels of hell, at least those American companies did not invest in the Gestapo, the Stasi, the KGB, the Revolutionary Guard. Maybe that was only because it was hard to turn a buck on the Stasi. Once China turned communist repression into an investment opportunity, however, capitalism responded as capitalism is supposed to respond: It wanted in. There are mega-bucks to be made, the hedge funds concluded, in hedging against democracy.

A White House spokesman, Tony Fratto said the White House would not comment on specific companies, adding, “It’s not appropriate to interfere in the private decisions of Americans to invest in legally incorporated firms.”

Hahah! Freedom, who cares! We're makin' money!

To quote Futurama:

Zoidberg: "That's why I love Earth. You can do what you want, and no one makes you feel guilty, because no one cares."
Fry: "We're not listening!"
Zoidberg: "That's what I'm talking about."

Originally posted by marg6043
Since the 9/11 and the war on people’s privacy rights, I mean the war on terror, technology and all kind of gadgets to spy on citizens and none citizens is big business.

Yes, and all kind of electronics are getting cheaper, pumped out of the factories in numbers of millions (billions), making the unit cost next to nothing.

With most of those electronic components and gadget factories in China anyway, the corporate world have just found themselves a columbus egg.

I wouldn't mind some flamers come here and give their view about what it could mean to America from a security point... what these corporate interests are doing out of their very selfish motives.

Well we all know the answer to that, they will say, I have nothing to hide they can bug me anything they want.

Well excuse me, may I? I have something to hide My freaking privacy !!!!!!!!!!

No, they are to predictable, khunmoon, too predictable.

reply to post by Beachcoma


Your quote was my favorite too. It's articles, OP/EDs like this, that makes me endure my inbox sometimes gets clogged by their newsletters.

Once saw an Can/Aus documentary on corporate behavoir, using the WHO definition of a psychopath to characterize them. They fit the 8 (I think it was) criterias perfect.

Can't remember title, but I can easily find it in another thread.

Originally posted by Beachcoma

Originally posted by khunmoon
I mean who can show passion and put up strong feelings for Microsoft?

Was that a reference to the mountain-load of research I did in my Microsoft thread?

The other night I read through MS legal terms for a Hotmail account. That was more than enough for me, the kind of language to surpass my mind.

Important topic your thread I thought when I saw it up. But you're right -just read page 2- they miss the target those posters who don't want to see or agree.

Same as marg points out in reply to my, I wouldn't mind a little patriotic flaming against those corporate beasts.

Problem is in American lore they're holy cows. Yes, you're right...

"dont buy it"... or "I have nothing to hide"

Such arguments are IMO to move or miss the target.