Posted on 07/30/2004 8:11:07 AM PDT by Dr. Marten
What the... ?
There seems to be a whole lot missing from this story...
I hope Ridge wasn't speaking for me. I haven't heard a thing about this incident, and find it hard to believe a customs agent would jump a chinese woman for no reason.
Yeah, like China treats their citizens any better...
>>Yeah, like China treats their citizens any better...
Yeah, so that makes it perfectly ok for our police to treat them the same way. Just imagine if it were someone in your family...
There is a who, what and a where and when, but no why or how.
Any other sources besides The Peoples Daily?
Then you wouldn't have a MFN trade partner angry. And there would be NO prosecution and NO apology from anyone, least of all Powell or Ridge.
Instead, there would be "an internal investigation" that "can't be commented on at this time". Later would come paid administrative leave (read: vacation) for the perp at the end of which the investigation would conclude he "followed procedure".
Of course it's not okay. I just find it interesting that the Chinese are demanding an investigation, as if worse atrocities don't go on under their government, to their own citizens, every day.
Guess it's like the people who think it's okay to abuse the spouse or the kids, but wouldn't dream of abusing anyone else. As long as it's "in the family" it's okay, right?
"And there would be NO prosecution and NO apology from anyone, least of all Powell or Ridge."
Exactly. If it had been an American, they'd just try to shut up the victim by charging them with some bogus charge, which would be dropped in exchange for an agreement not to sue the government for the assault.
Yeah, I do find it somewhat humorous that China executes more people in one year than the rest of the wolrd combined, beat and torture political prisoners and administer forced abortions, but have the audacity to make such a stink about this in front of the rest of the world.
Pot calling the kettle black you think?
A whole lot more to the story:
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20040730/1032886.asp
Oh yeah, the whole thing was just fabricated because it was printed in the Peoples Daily.
Do you think Peoples Daily is an unbiased source? Aren't you interested in hearing the other side?
Here's the text of the original AP story.
A Homeland Security inspector who forcibly subdued a Chinese tourist he mistakenly believed was involved in marijuana smuggling was charged Friday with violating her civil rights, officials said.
The incident occurred late Wednesday at the U.S.-Canadian border in Niagara Falls, after Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated marijuana from a male pedestrian.
Officer Robert Rhodes, mistakenly believing the woman standing nearby was involved, allegedly sprayed her with pepper spray, threw her against a wall, kneed her in the head as she knelt on the ground and struck her head on the ground while holding her hair, according to witnesses.
The woman, whose name was not released, was treated at a hospital and released.
An agent who interviewed the victim through an interpreter several hours later noted in an affidavit that her eyes were nearly swollen shut, and she had bumps and bruises on her face and head.
A telephone number listed for Rhodes was disconnected Friday.
In a statement written by Rhodes as part of normal procedure, he said the Chinese woman and two other women ran when he asked them to come into the inspection station. He said he grabbed the nearest one and sprayed her with pepper spray when she swung her arms at him, then the woman scratched his arm and they both fell to the ground.
Rhodes could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of violating the woman's civil rights.
No, I have no investment in this story.
Yes, I know that the Peoples Daily is an anti-American news source and I would love to have something in western media to compare it with, but I haven't been able to find anything as of yet.
At the same time, with the PD being anti-US, you can bet that they are going to milk every little incident like this for as much as they can get out of it.
Pepper spray=wheelchair. LOL
The "war on drugs" claims another innocent victim.
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