Nanzi Flores - Post 9

Should the U.S assist in freeing Chinese prisoners?

I read an article called The U.S. must speak out against China’s offenses…
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020302916.html)

This article talked about Geng He, she is a wife who is looking for assistance in finding her missing activist husband, believed to be captured and held prisoner by the Chinese Government for speaking out and defending victims of abuse by police in China.

My question is should the U.S get involved in trying to find and free this Chinese prisoner? I’m going to be honest and say that I was going back and forth as to whether the U.S should get involved or not. In one hand I believe that everyone who needs our assistance should obtain it, if it is in our reach to do so. The only thing is that there are so many cases such as this one and I’m sure that the U.S is unable to assist every single person who is in the same situation and how do we fairly chose who gets the assistance. Plus the cost of assisting these victims can add up in trying to do so. Also another thing to consider is that the U.S might trigger a war with such countries for trying to go against their rules and policies.

I read so many comments were people felt that the U.S should not get involved in such matters and that each victim should ask for the help of their own country, but what are people to do when it’s their own government who are holding them hostage and torturing them for speaking out and defending their human rights?! One comment made was that “Every day, China systematically oppresses its own population. Even the most fortunate lack basic rights and freedoms.” If this is the case, then I believe the U.S. should get involved in assisting these people if necessary because it’s the humane thing to do. Other comments were that the U.S shouldn’t get involved because these activists already know what the consequences are for standing up against the government and they made the decision to proceed in defying the government. I don’t personally agree with this way of thinking because none of us has gotten ahead in life without standing up to someone or defended something that we felt was unfair.