I've been thinking a tiny bit more about the whole Brandi Swindell/Patrick Mahoney dual arrests in Bejing.
As per my initial posting, Mr. Mahoney has always seemed to have a knack for irritating people in the name of Jesus. Too strong a term for a conservative Christian evangelical to use (especially creating inter-familial bickering)?
No. Not strong enough. I'm a bit of an expert in realizing that a big voice is completely different than a big mouth. One works, one doesn't.
Here's the back story that I've experienced: just before the general election of 2000 I joined a few other businessmen to bring much-needed American cash into China to help support underground (and therefore illegal) Chinese Christian churches. The leaders of those churches were so thankful. They live off $25 per month and we brought in over $30K in pre-September 11th dollars. They were also thankful for the recent business relationships that had developed between and among US companies and the Chinese government. Why? It brought businessmen and women of faith from around the world to witness a terrible, truly terrible, government-sponsored mind/spirit incarceration - therefore allowing outside actions to help "set the captives free".
Many of the national conservatives in the US were screaming at the time that we should withhold any and all economic benefits from the Communist Chinese nation. At the time, (but prior to actually going to China)I believed this was logical and sound public policy. I was dead wrong.
The resistance HAD to come from the Chinese - and they had to be helped, financially. The Americans were only hope-givers and money-mules. All done with no notice.
Not so with this recent activity by Mr. Mahoney.
A Media-mule tends to bray too loud, I suppose...and does that really help anyone else?
Den
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