Apologize? Hardly. (Score 1)

There seem to be a lot of people here who are confused about the exact nature of the Chinese government. Let me remind you, The so-called People's Republic of China is a Communist Dictatorship. They have said explicity numerous times that the United States is their enemy. Unfortunately, most Americans today, and certainly the younger generations, do not know what kind of horrors people living under communist rule must face. The killing at Tiananmen Square was only the tip of the iceberg. The PRC is nothing more and nothing less than a gang of thugs who exercise power via military might. Apologizing to this gang of thugs is not an option. It is tragic enough that we recognize the PRC as a legitimate government; we must not appease them. President Bush needs to take action against the Chinese, not stand around pondering whether we should apologize for their pilot hitting our plane. The PRC is pushing our buttons; we have a new Chief Executive, and they want to know what they can get away with on his watch. Clinton folded like a bad poker hand; let's hope Bush doesn't make the same mistake. President Bush would do well to take a stance against China similar to President Reagan's stance against the Soviet Union. If Bush wants results, he should give the PRC a deadline, say 48 hours, to return the crew and our plane--fully intact--or we will recognize Taiwan's independence from the PRC (something we should do anyway; Taiwan is a democracy and should be encouraged and aided by the U.S.) and begin arming the Taiwanese military with the anti-missile technology that China so greatly fears. Take away their "Most Favored Nation" status. Vote against their hosting the 2008 Olympics. Bush needs to stop worrying about this incident harming our relations with China. They regard us as the enemy, and we regard them as a source of cheap labor. If anything, this conflict may have the beneficial effect of leading to an economic boycott on China. At one time, this country and its citizens knew that Communism is Bad. Now, we tend to see Communist countries as an economic benefit(!). If this standoff can change that, it may well be worth it.