Law and order -- for whom? Exactly. That's the whole problem. What some people call "law and order" means chaos, dehumanization, and brutality for others. Thanks as always for the kind words, NPK. :-)

Yeah this is one of my all-time favorites too! The Linda Ronstadt version was one of the first pop songs I really fell in love with as a kid, I remember listening to it over and over on a cassette of her greatest hits. Nobody will ever come close to Linda Ronstadt in my book but I must say Susanna Hoffs does a great job of it here!

Exactly. You can't "get over" something when you're still in denial about the very thing you're trying to get over. That doesn't work. That's just called, still being in denial and demanding that others join you in this denial.

Ayaaa, sorry to hear it, Lauren. *shakes fist* Damn you, O corn-destroyer nemesis!

Thanks, Kathy. Grace Lee Boggs is one of our greatest heroes. And yeah, I really like Jimmy too, so many middle-class liberals these days seem to completely overlook the rich tradition of working-class intellectuals which he embodies.

Thanks, Nightprowlkitty. I agree, either we believe in human rights for all, or we don't believe in human rights. You'd be surprised how difficult it is even for most "progressives" to grasp this fundamental principle.

Yeah, the freckles bit was pretty unnecessary -- kinda seemed like a jab at a seemingly absurd component of Mexican culture to "balance" all that ripping on "American assholes" that had come before. Glad people are enjoying this on the whole, though! Hehe. Very silly.

I'm only objecting to the notion that if Sa Dingding supported the Free Tibet movement that it'd be like supporting independence for Texas. But that's not what I wrote, which was: "She has been criticized in the West...for not advocating on behalf of the "Free Tibet" anti-communist movement (which is roughly equivalent to a US singer being criticized in China for not supporting the secession of Texas)." Do you see the problem with what you're doing here? You're inverting various elements of my logic and arguing against something I didn't say. That's grounds for getting banned around here. Please stop. Sa Dingding has been barred from performing at certain festivals and venues in the West for not being sufficiently behind the Free Tibet cause. That's the reality I was discussing. End of story.

Ansel, who is belittling or dismissing? Please read my post again to see where my arrows are aimed. You don't need to teach me about the Free Tibet movement, I assure you. I've studied Tibet all life and have actually been there. I was involved with Tibetan activists in neighboring Szechuan when I was a student in China, shortly after the June 4 demonstrations, and I got into real political trouble with the Chinese government for my activities. That's not what I'm criticizing here and I think that should be clear from what I've said, here and throughout the history of this blog. Let's keep it straight.

Kathy, yes it is hypnotizing, in a good way! And thanks for your comments on Tibet too. Ansel, no problem about derailing, I knew my parenthetical statement would be seen by some as inflammatory; but as you may know, I can't help myself. ;-) Anyway, you say that Tibet has a stronger case for independence than Texas; what is the basis for this assertion? The US invaded Mexico about a century ago and simply annexed the southwest. The complex relationship between Tibet and China goes back 2,000 years. During the Tang dynasty (8th century), Tibet invaded China and actually captured the Tang capital of Changan. During the Yuan dynasty (12th century), China and Tibet signed a formal suzereignty treaty which granted Tibet national autonomy under the umbrella of the Chinese empire, which many see as holding to this day. It was around that time that the Chinese throne conferred the title of Dalai Lama to the ruler of the Lhasa artistocracy. That happened 800 years ago. Seeing that the entirety of the US occupies land stolen via genocide, I'm not sure where US Americans think they draw moral standing to lecture anyone on the granting of indigenous self-determination. As for the modern Free Tibet movement, it most certainly has anti-communist foundations, emerging shortly after the Communists defeated the US-supported Nationalists in the Chinese civil war and Mao declared the People's Republic of China in 1949. The US specifically took up the cause of Tibetan independence in order to destabilize China. The CIA set up camps in Taiwan and Pakistan where it trained Tibetan fighters whom it smuggled in and out of Tibet. The CIA hustled the Dalai Lama out of Tibet and into India after the Lhasa uprising of 1959, air-dropping supplies to his travel party along the way. It doesn't take a genius to notice how differently various independence movements around the world are treated in the mainstream US depending on the ideological orientation of the parties involved. Anyway, there's a lot more to it than I have time to cover right now. I do understand that there are different legitimate perspectives on all this and I don't hold it against anyone if they come at it through a different lens than me. But I would offer that most US liberals who take up the Free Tibet cause have very little of the necessary historical and cultural understanding to astutely negotiate this terrain. Peace.

Oh believe me, Mamita, my gardening skills are limited, I'm just learning as I go. And kinda like you, I'm waging some kind of hidden guerilla war against raccoons. Damn thieves! ;-)

Thanks, Quin, link fixed. And yeah I haven't seen anything quite like this either. Seen movies about Japanese relationships with Chinese and Koreans, but that's another matter. Like, entirely.

Kathy, mm, ZC, thank you!

Julie, belledame, thanks for chiming in, appreciate the additional perspectives. Definitely agree that the Christocrats' aggressive propping up of the Israeli right-wing has nothing to do with some pro-Jewish affinity; it's naked imperialism

Yeah, agreed. She's an intriguing artist, of mixed Han-Mongolian ethnicity, a Mandarin-speaking Buddhist who taught herself Tibetan and Sanskrit and sings in all three languages. Her singing shows strong Central Asian folk influence, which she sets against the whole dance-lounge vibe beatbed. And it works!

Well, I've written guest posts at The Unapologetic Mexican, Nezua and I are hermanos; but this particular post was a collaboration between Nezua, me, and other editors at The Sanctuary, intended to serve as a position paper on our collective view of this story. Yeah, that "immigration expert" in the article you linked was very helpful, right? "Oh it's just a freak incident of boys "wilding", let's not make this into a big deal..." Disgusting. Always appreciate your support, Kathy. :-)

Kathy, you're far too kind but thank you. :-)