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I’ve been familiar with the Epoch Times for a lot longer than people have been linking to it here. They started giving it away free in San Francisco probably a dozen years ago, maybe more.

It was pretty obvious after reading it four or five times who was behind it, because in addition to general news it always had an article here or there about Falun Gong and how loveable they were and how picked on they were. And how they TOTALLY, TOTALLY, weren’t any kind of organized group, perish the thought.

Also the Epoch Times advertised that Chinese cultural show, Shen Yung or whatever it was, with a special glossy insert, leading me to surmise that the show was also a Falun Gong vehicle, which it was.

The overall effect reminded me of how the Moonies had all these front groups who would present themselves as independent, but they would all “coincidentally” show an affinity to Reverend Moon. Usually by giving him an award which he would so humbly accept.

BTW, I know someone who is a Moonie, and through them I actually saw Reverend Moon once, ate his chicken dinner, and EVEN drank the grape juice, although I had Jim Jones in mind as I was doing it.

Anyway I’m no fan of the Moonies, but don’t consider them to be the worst characters out there, and have even less problem with the Falun Gong people except to the extent they sort sort of disguise who they are.

But the Epoch Times, which used to routinely publish stories of how many million Chinese had resigned from the Party each week, greatly exaggerates the weakness of the regime. If so many were quitting as the Epoch Times would have you believe, every member of the party would have quit three times by now.

In this regard they reminds me also of Gordon Chang, who used to be on the John Batchelor show, which I loved to listen to because he had the most erudite tone and portentious music, but none of the stuff he reported on ever panned out, PARTICULARLY what Gordon Chang said, about how the regime was tottering on its last legs. I don’t buy it.

Despite the Moonie association, the WAshington Times remains an above average newspaper, and a useful source of good material.

Frankly, “Falun Gong” or not, their billboards in Phoenix advertise “Shen Yung” as “China BEFORE Communism”. This is a message worth spreading, as the Chinese had a very developed culture and civilization, and Communism has only worked to tear it down. Same with Russia.

When Francis Xavier went to China, he was impressed with their achievements, and implored Rome to build within their civilization, unlike say, the Aztecs, who were bloodthirsty savages (calendars notwithstanding) and had to be completely eradicated.

I know little of Falun Gong. I doubt Falun Ging will EVER tell Chinese women how many children they can have, or seek hegemony over the entire pacific rim and economic dominance of the entire world. I doubt they will try to convert westerners to Falun Gong in any serious way. It might be a hip fad among some folks like the Yogi Mahesh (TM) or Buddhism have been, but never a mass movement among westerners.

If they are an enemy, they don’t have the malice or international allies the Chicoms have. I’ll take them.

[But the Epoch Times, which used to routinely publish stories of how many million Chinese had resigned from the Party each week, greatly exaggerates the weakness of the regime.]

A regime can be strong, even as a specific ruling house is weak. For instance, Alexander was Greece’s greatest conqueror. When he died, however, his ruling house died with him. His generals killed his kin and took over from him, but ruled the territories he conquered for centuries. Similarly, China’s First Emperor was possibly China’s greatest conqueror/ruler. As long as he lived, no one could challenge him. But when he died, his ruling clan similarly died with him.

Hua Guofeng was Mao’s designated successor. While he took power after Mao died, his ousting by Deng Xiaoping did not end the reign of what I’ll call the Red Dynasty - a fairly exclusive group of hereditary aristocrats not far removed from the imperial aristocracies that preceded them for thousands of years.

It would not surprise me if what happened to Hua Guofeng also happened to Xi Jinping - without the Party actually collapsing. What holds back many opposed to Xi Jinping (for reasons of personal ambition, differences of opinion or personal pique) is probably the prospect of civil strife after he is ousted. After Alexander died, the Companions fought each other for power. After the First Emperor died, all-out civil war ensued. For Xi Jinping to fall, his enemies in the regime have to be legion, and hate him to the point that they are oblivious to the ructions that could follow his departure from the scene.

Kind of like all the articles over the decades that grandly assured us of the imminent collapse of the Islamo-Fascist government of Iran.

Wake me up when the totalitarian regimes of China or Iran ACTUALLY collapse.

Or when the dolts in Russia have finally had it with being serfs for literally centuries.

Think about it: Russians essentially have been serfs under one group of despots or another for a much longer period of time than the USA has been the USA.

Until then, this board should be spared the worthless prognostications of the collapse of China or Iran. Or North Korea, Venezuela, or Cuba for that matter.

I worked with a Chinese girl back in 2000 and I think I saw her get sucked into the Falun Gong as it was actually happening. I seem to remember a business trip to the Bay Area and then she started talking about what a great group they were etc. etc.

Having had a college roommate 25 years previous who had been an actual Moonie - (and the abducted by his parents and deprogrammed as the saying went) I recognized the symptoms.

But yeah having said all that be they Moonies, be they Falun Gong there are definitely worse things out there for sure as your post implies.