Hong Kong is not a police state. The extradition law was necessary and sought by other territories.

Hong Kong is still Hong Kong. If you went there in 2018 and then returned in 2023, you would say, "Yes, it's basically the same place."

There was just a lot of totally unnecessary and often violent drama for a while between those years.

I like honesty. I like the truth. Here's what really happened: 

In 2019 Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, announced that a new extradition law would be established. This would ensure that alleged criminals in Hong Kong could be transferred to countries and territories where they were wanted for prosecution for possibly violating the law in those countries and territories. 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/6/11/hong-kongs-controversial-extradition-bill-explained  

Basically, this meant, for example, that if a guy murdered someone in Shenzhen, China and then fled to Hong Kong, it would be much easier for Hong Kong authorities to send the possible murderer back to where he was sought for justice.

Every country in the world has extradition laws. There are extradition laws between Canada and the United States and nobody complains about this. If a guy commits a crime in one country and then expects to escape by crossing a border into another, this makes it possible for criminals to succeed and get away with violent crimes.

Trying to be objective, it always seemed to me that folks who were anti-China were the ones who attacked the Hong Kong extradition law. They began arguing, with NO EVIDENCE, that the Chinese government in Beijing would identify people it did not like in Hong Kong and extradite them to China unfairly. 

There was never any indication this would happen. Indeed, if this were to have happened, it would have hurt Beijing severely because the Western press would have condemned such actions. The New York Times would have been all over such stories. China would have lost a great deal of credibility around the world. 

Yet, this argument that the extradition law was going to be used by China to persecute people in Hong Kong led to massive UNNECESSARY protests. 

I always felt that the protests were supported by anti-Chinese folks in the USA and UK.

Because of the constant protests, Carrie Lam finally announced that the extradition law would be dropped. It seemed to me that Hong Kong and Beijing were being very reasonable here. Even though they did not have to cancel the law, they did because they could see that many people were misinterpreting the law and many people were being harmed by demonstrators.

So what happened? The protestors increased their protests! 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/asia/hong-kong-carrie-lam-extradition-bill-intl-hnk/index.html

The protests increased as the protestors apparently felt they now had immense power over both the Hong Kong and Beijing governments. They were very much wrong.

In response to the protests, which were becoming more and more violent, and which would not stop, a National Security Law was invoked. 

According to this law it was illegal: 

1) To promote "secession" - the idea that Hong Kong should break away from China. 

2) To promote subversion - secretly working against the Hong Kong or Beijing government. 

3) To promote terrorism - using violence to gain a political end and 

4) To promote collusion - actively seeking the help of governments opposed to China. 

(The same types of laws apply in nearly every country of the world, even the USA.)

After the passing of this law, many of the protest leaders fled Hong Kong and are living in the UK or USA.

It is important to understand the following: 

The UK took control of Hong Kong from China through a series of conflicts and treaties in the 19th century. Here’s a brief overview:

1. First Opium War (1839-1842): The conflict began due to disputes over trade and the illegal opium trade. The British defeated the Qing dynasty, leading to the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. This treaty ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain.

2. Second Opium War (1856-1860): Another conflict between Britain and China resulted in the Treaty of Peking in 1860, which ceded the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island to Britain.

3. Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (1898): This agreement granted Britain a 99-year lease of the New Territories, significantly expanding the colony.

Hong Kong remained under British control until 1997, when it was handed back to China under the “one country, two systems” principle.

Is Hong Kong now a police state? No.  

1. Rule of Law: Hong Kong maintains a legal system based on common law, which is distinct from mainland China’s legal system.

2. Freedom of Speech and Press: Despite recent challenges, there are still media outlets and journalists in Hong Kong that operate independently and criticize the government. 

3. Civil Society and Protests: While there have been restrictions, civil society organizations and protests still exist. 

4. Economic Freedom: Hong Kong remains one of the world’s freest economies, with a high degree of economic autonomy. 

5. International Engagement: Hong Kong continues to engage with the international community, hosting international businesses and events.

I have been to Hong Kong several times. It is basically still Hong Kong.

https://www.meer.com/en/73814-stephen-wong-chun-hei-and-chow-chun-fai

The Real Guy in the Mirror - A Children's Poem by Daniel Gauss

 

You can read the poem on Dirigible Balloon as well - a quality website for children's poetry: https://dirigibleballoon.org/poem/The-Real-Guy-in-the-Mirror

I look in a mirror and what do I see?
Reflections of light pretend to be me.
I’m real, I’m the real guy,
But the guy in the mirror looks more real than I.
If this guy in the mirror is what other folks get
I guess that’s OK, he’s the best guy I’ve met.
But I want to be a much kinder person,
And I wish this showed more in my mirror version.
I’d like to make the good stuff inside me the real reflection
And help people bloom like gardenias upon my detection.
Well, I gotta get moving, though, and get out there and go,
And meet folks from their own mirrors who left moments ago.

The Raven and The Peacock - a children's poem by Daniel Gauss about forgiveness and meaningful remembrance

This poem was published on an excellent website for children's poetry called Dirigible Balloon.

Raven and Peacock Daniel Gauss   <--- Click on the link to read Dan's poem.

Here is the poem with AI generated images. I used Microsoft's "copilot" to create images and that turned out well.

The Raven and the Peacock by Daniel Gauss

The colors of the peacock were something to adulate,
And the animals in the forest were delighted by their luster;
All animals except the raven, who this beauty could not celebrate,
And in his heart, toward this brilliance, only jealousy could muster.

“Why can’t I be as colorful as the peacock?” he would brood.
“I am good at solving mysteries, I need to learn her secret.
The goal is very simple, to go from feathers black to multi-hued.
There has to be some trick, some magic little trinket.”

One day the peacock’s radiance began to slowly fade.
She then began to hunt for something that was distinctive.
It was a cruel and deadly snake of which all creatures were afraid,
But the peacock showed a bravery that was surely part instinctive.

The fight was wild and ghastly, but the peacock’s bravery prevailed.
The fierce and cruel snake lay lifeless in her claws.
When she began to feast upon this creature a miracle entailed
And her colors quickly restored due to secret ancient laws.

The raven had discovered the age-old secret practice.
With his intelligence and courage he could this thing repeat;
And so he plotted out some clever little tactics
To make sure he’d soon be eating some magical snake meat.

Yes, the raven went hunting for the same type of beast,
And attacked one in a manner that was simply quite vicious.
Nothing could stop the raven from enjoying his own feast.
His bravery was not from instinct; he was just quite avaricious.

He looked down upon the snake as its life helplessly vanished,
And with a sense of victory and pride he contemplated his cuisine.
The long, tough and risky fight had left him clearly famished.
Without hesitation he picked the snake’s skeleton clean.

The raven wondered how it would feel to be transformed.
He sauntered to a pond to watch his feathers refashion.
But he grew weaker and more dizzy as his body greatly warmed.
The raven died, his eyes going from sparkling bright to deadly ashen.

Sometimes children would pass by and see the raven lying still.
They would say, “What a beautiful bird this was, it is so sad he died.”
They lovingly touched his rich dark feathers, but only felt a chill;
And many sat down next to the poor bird and cried.

The animals had loved the raven, he was usually so smart and witty;
But, he had wanted the beauty and grace that another had possessed.
They did not blame him, from their love they felt great pity.
The raven had touched each of them and from this they all felt blessed.

“We will bury the raven under the tree he loved the most.
Let’s all go through the woods and find only the best that can bloom.
Plant these over him so no area greater beauty can boast,
And we can remember his life in a garden not a tomb.”

One day the peacock passed the place where raven calmly slept.
A gentle fragrance had led the bright bird to go that way.
And seeing all the beautiful colors the peacock sadly wept.
“Only these flowers are more beautiful than the feathers I display.”

This poem is copyright (©) Daniel Gauss 2024

Please feel free to share the poem with your school kids or in any way you choose. 

The Day the Ants Applauded Me - funny children's poem by Daniel Gauss about being able to choose the emotions we feel

My children's poem The Day the Ants Applauded Me was published in this fine journal of children's literature: BLJ issue 14 by BALLOONS Lit. Journal - Issuu

You can find it on page 35.

Here is a copy of the poem:

The Day the Ants Applauded Me (published in Balloons Lit. Journal)

By Daniel Gauss 

I stepped on a snail and heard it go crunch

But 10 minutes later the ants had their lunch.

Poor little snail could not have seen

That my clumsy old self did not want to be mean.

I was just in a hurry to catch my ride,

Not seeing the guy, I did not change my stride.

My heart was broken when I heard the shell crack,

I wish time went two ways and I could go back.

But happy, happy as they could be,

All the dear ants applauded me.

“I’m no hero,” I said to their gathering throng,

“Indeed, I feel I did something so wrong.”

“Do not feel so guilty,” the queen ant said,

“It’s much better for us that we found this guy dead.

We’re not into killing or chewing alive,

We wait for such accidents and on them we thrive.

You killed one fat snail, and we know how you grieve,

But please share our joy in this meal we receive.”

So a lot of people enjoy reading the poem and think it is clever and funny, but when I ask them what it means to them, they are not sure.

Well, to me, it is about our right and capacity to choose our own emotions and how we are going to respond to events in the world or things that happen to us.

The person in the poem clearly has two choices: he can feel guilty for accidentally stepping on a snail, or he can feel joy and celebrate with the ants.

Which choice would you make?