The night is dark, and I am far from home. 
                                        -All that Fall, Samuel Beckett.

The Year of the (green) Horse began at midnight in China. Happy New Year, Chinese.

The Day of the (green) Fairy began a few hours ago, also. Happy Friday to me.

On Song Binbin, and On and On and On.

I just saw this article, by Professor Xiao Han, from a few days ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/opinion/confessions-of-the-cultural-revolution.html. This is pretty close to my own view. When this latest Song apology came up I wrote in an email to Dr. Jennifer Ruth "Chinese do not seem to me a very forgiving people." Of course, we write more unguardedly in emails than we do publicly, even on a blog. I caught myself writing that but let it stand in the email. I've thought about it since. Very general statement, I allow; might be wrong; certainly individual exceptions if generally true, yada yada; that is how it seems to me.When I wrote imagining question-and-answer sessions with Song Binbin at Peking University I had this specific image come to mind:

Actually, that specific image without having been washed in olive oil. That's a peasant denunciation of a landlord. I thought, but did not write, "Would Chinese question Song, or would it degenerate into...that?" Ironically, I had just written ("Oh my God, Weimin Mo") that Chinese do not ask questions well (interview with Ben Kingsley, "Omg, W.M."). They have little experience doing it. There is no civil society in China, which means that there is no forum for, ahem, landlord-tenant disputes and the like and no outlet for grievance. So, the Party wants to bulldoze your apartment building, you stand in front of the bulldozers until the cops make tumbleweed of you.

That's why there are 500 protests a day in China and why I, at least, don't view those 500 protests a day as a "simmering cauldron" of unrest. That's all the Chinese people can do! If they could file for a "temporary injunction" I believe they would do that rather than get their asses beat. I make an assumption there. Anyway, they have experience doing tumbleweed, they do not have experience doing questioning. On their first opportunity to do questioning, of Song Binbin, I could see it ending up in olive oil. They did have one formal trial over the Cultural Revolution, we recall.

Objection! Your Honor...Honors. How many Your Honors did they have there? Didn't go well. That trial did not go over well with us foreigners.

They are also missing what underlays Anglo-American law, the Bible. There is a "cycle of redemption" in Christianity, something like, sin-punishment-forgiveness-redemption. "Christian charity." Chinese are not religious much less Christian; they don't believe in that shit. It was that and my memory of Olive Oyle that "informed" my comment to Jennifer, which I now make to all of you'uns. I entirely agree with Professor Han and my friend Zhou Jineng that it is a good thing that Song and others, including Zhou, are apologizing. The Chinese people are credited with this for it was not the Party.  It seems to me, a foreigner, as it does to Professor Han (a non-foreigner) that it is in the Chinese people's interests to encourage more of this. Professor Han says the vitriolic reaction to Song's latest will discourage others. I confess that I have had the same thought but I think the Chinese people (including the confessors (including Song)) have handled this astonishingly well so far. There is nothing in the Bible or Anglo-American law that compels forgiveness or redemption. There is no forgiving some crimes (see People v Charles Manson, Leslie van Houten, Patricial Krenwinkle, Susan Atkins). You can still be damned for eternity after apologizing. Song's case may be one of those and I vehemently disagree with Professor Han that Song Binbin does "not appear to have committed very serious crimes." It appears to me she has committed the most serious crime. However, we will never know if she is cowed into (back into, I should say) silence for there is no formal apparatus compelling her to talk. So, no compulsion to forgive, but Christianity says, if possible, that would be "nice." Do the Chinese people have it in them? They don't seem to me a very forgiving people.

On Song Binbin, et al.

My Declaration on the Hypocritical Apology Made by Song Binbin and Liu Jin

By Wang Jingyao

August 5, 1966 afternoon, the Red Guards of the Girls’ School of BNU (Currently renamed BNU Lab School) attackedphysically Comrade Bian Zhongyun in name of “subduing her arrogance”.  The Red Guards cruelly beat her up with clubs prickled with nails and brass-buckled belts. The brutality of their torture made onlookers’ hair stand on end!

Around 3 PM in the afternoon that day, Comrade BianZhongyun lay unconsciously on the ground with cuts and wounds all over her body. Her coma had caused fecal leakage and dilated pupils. Evidently she was dying. The Red Guards threw her on top of a tricycle, covered with dirty large-character posters and a canvas raincoat which I have kept to this day. For as long as five hours, the Red Guards of the Girls’ School refused to save her life (the Postal Services Ministry Hospital was just across the street). Not till 8 o’clock in the evening did they begin to move her to the hospital. By then it was impossible to revive her.

On August 18, 1966, thirteen days after the murder of Bian Zhongyun, Mao Zedong received representatives of Red Guards. Song Binbin, one of the leaders of Girls’ School of BNU, went up to the top of Tiananmen Pass. She put a Red Guard armband around Mao’s arm in honor of her school’s Red Guards. The armband was stained with the blood of Comrade Bian Zhongyun. Mao nevertheless told Song Binbin to be “militant”.

Since the day (8/18/1966), there were in Beijing 1,772 morepeople whom Red Guards beat to death, including many school teachers and principals.

48 years have passed since the murder of Bian. However, the culprits and perpetrators are still at large. The truth about “August 5 Incident” has been purposely covered.

On 1/12/2014, Song Binbin and Liu Jin made a hypocritical apology to the school leaders and their families, using as excuses their “inability to stop (beating)”, “inability to protect well (the victims)”, and “lack of knowledge about the Constitution and lack of legal consciousness” to rid themselvesof their responsibility for “August 5 Incident”.

Hereby, as widower, and comrade-in-arms of Comrade BianZhongyun, I solemnly declare:

1.

The Red Guards of Girls’ School of BNU are the perpetrators in murder of Comrade Bian Zhongyun!

2.

The Red Guards of Girls’ School of BNU have never tried to rescue Comrade Bian Zhongyun!

3.

I will never accept any hypocritical apologies made by the Red Guards of Girls’ School till the truth comes out about August 5 Incident!

The declaration is intended to make the point.

Wang Jingyao

1/27/2014

"Mayor Unapologetic in Eye of Storm That Brought Atlanta to a Halt."-New York Times.

"'Buck Stops' with Deal As Reed Battles Brunt of Blame."-Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A tale of two headlines, a tale of two different politicians. A tale of a politician who is man enough to stand up and take responsibility; A tale of a coward, and a fool.

There you go again, Reed, arrogantly flapping your lips, digging yourself deeper. If two inches of snow can bury your city, maybe it can bury your political future. You show no more skill digging out of a political scandal of your making, which scandal you have the arrogance to defend, then you had skill protecting your city. You're close to the Obama White House? Take Obama with you when you leave. You're incompetent, Reed, two storms in three years, you're ineducable, you're a fool just like your mentor in the White House.  Take him with you when you leave. And stop flapping your lips. Just shut the fuck up. Bitch.

Does America Still Work?

Above is the city of Atlanta, Georgia, paralyzed by less than three inches of snow. Kids had to spend the night in schools. People were stranded on the highways. One lady gave birth in her car. Three inches! The governor of the state of Georgia is "Nathan Deal." Nathan, take a bow.

Nathan, why do you look puzzled? Well, because, "As you know, we have been confronted with an unexpected storm that has hit the metropolitan Atlanta area." Actually, Nathan we don't know that, in fact we know exactly the contrary. The storm may have been unexpected to you because you've drunk too much moonshine in your life which has resulted in the death of millions of brain cells which has resulted in you looking puzzled but the storm was expected, Nathan and you were warned 24 hours in advance but instead of acting were at an honorary luncheon...

...very nice Nathan, where the honoree was the man who "leads" Hotlanta, Mayor "Kasim Reed." 

Kasim, take a bow.

Kasim, you look puzzled, too. Are you puzzled, Kasim, or just stupid? Kasim also received the storm warnings but was attending the aforesaid honorary luncheon when the first (the first of three inches) snowflakes began falling. Three years ago Atlanta was also paralyzed by a winter storm. Kasim was also the mayor then. Friends and enemies, at top, that is the face of Atlanta, Georgia in three inches of snow. Above, those are the faces of incompetence. Take a walk, Nathan, Kasim.

We are a curious species, we humans. Some photographer turned this from a cute, mundane photo of three dogs into something fascinating and humorous by adding mystery: What are those dogs looking at? Maybe it's just someone else throwing a ball into the air, but we don't know! Like Mona Lisa, Leonardo added mystery to his portrait with a barely recognizable hint of a smile and we all wonder, What does it mean?

I shall close today, appropriately, with a quote from China's endangered lunar rover Jade Rabbit (Yutu):

"I'm aware that I might not survive this lunar night."

"The sun has fallen, and the temperature is dropping so quickly... to tell you all a secret, I don't feel that sad. I was just in my own adventure story - and like every hero, I encountered a small problem."

"Goodnight, Earth. Goodnight, humanity."

Hey! Chinese amigo-friends. Why you no tell me 'bout this, fucking HUH! It's only 7 years old, I haven't done much writing on Song since 2007. And it's not like this is important or anything. Here's from a 2010 write-up, including an English translation of a particularly unimportant part:

"[A] schoolmate of [Song's] named Tao Luosong said in a 2007 statement that while principal Bian and other teachers were beaten on a stage, “Song Binbin happened to stand behind me. I heard her say, ‘That might be a way to cut back their arrogance.’” (“煞煞他们的威风也好.” I should say that the expression “也好” is somewhat difficult to translate; it has a tone of “not the best option, but…”)

End-fucking-quote. 

Chinese amigo-friends, let me ask you some friendly questions:

1. COULD VIOLENCE HAVE OCCURRED THAT DAY WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE STUDENT LEADERS?
2. WHO WAS THE FUCKING LEADER OF THE STUDENTS?
3. DOES NOT SONG'S STATEMENT HEARD BY TAO TEND TO PROVE SONG'S APPROVAL OF THE VIOLENCE SHE HERSELF WAS WITNESSING?

You just don't get the concept of "evidence," do you? Don't get the meaning of "principals" in the law, no matter how many fucking times I've explained it here. "Principals in the Death of a Principal"-- ZOOM! right over your heads, huh? Okay, fine, those concepts didn't "sink in." Did it never occur to any of you that this might be of interest to me? Anybody ever think, "I wonder if that crazy American, Ben, would find this interesting? Maybe I'll pass along this statement of an eyewitness to Bian Zhongyun's murder who overheard a statement by Song Binbin as she was witnessing the beating, just in case."  No, huh?

Okay. Got it. No prob!  No hard feelings! Don't think it hasn't been a little slice of heaven! 'Cause it hasn't. 

我在1964年考入北京师范大学附属女子中学高中部。我的初中是在北京女十二种读过的。女十二中在1949年以前是个教会学校，名叫贝满女子中学。

师大女附中在北京名气响亮，我看中它的原因是升学率百分之九十九。我们高一（四）班全部都是从外校考入的尖子学生，同学之间团结友爱，个个争强好胜。

但整个校园里弥漫着一股潜藏的等级观念，有人喜欢有人愁。这个学校里太多了，毕业的毛泽东的女儿，林彪的女儿不算，我在校时有刘少奇的女儿刘亭亭，邓小平的女儿邓榕，部长的女儿大把抓。

我们班没有太大的干部女儿。文革时，我的同桌高滨滨突然被围斗，我才知道她是自杀了的“东北王”高岗的女儿。在高二（四）班，她应该算是最大的，尽管已经失势。

从一九六四年毛泽东喊出“千万不要忘记阶级斗争”，落实到女附中是“社会主义教育运动”。文革前，政治空气就远比学习气氛浓烈。

共 产党撕破面纱露出狰狞面目，于我而言是一九六六年八月一日。那一天，我们这些在邢台军训的学生突然被召回，一进学校，许多人目瞪口呆。“老子英雄儿好汉， 老子反动儿混蛋”的白纸黑字的对联贴在宿舍楼门口。还有“打倒黑五类子弟！”“打倒资产阶级狗崽子！”等等。原来在我们参加军训的十天里，形势大变。反工 作组的学生已经成为英雄。学生按出身血统分为三、六、九等，什么红卫兵、红外围、黑五类子弟等等。红卫兵的出身必须是革命干部、革命军人、工人、贫农、下 中农才行。

几天以后，8月5号，我亲眼看到，在学校里，三个校长，两个主任一字排开跪在操场的高台上。红卫兵勒令他们说：“我是黑 帮，我是牛鬼蛇神。”有几个女学生提着棍子不时打他们。校长卞仲耘当晚死去。红卫兵头目第二天在学校的大喇叭里恐吓：“任何人不许往外说，谁说出去谁负 责。”

文革前学校学生里有些人入了党，后来改名为宋要武的宋彬彬就是党员。她爸爸是宋任穷，是东北局书记，总管东北三省。校领导和 老师对家庭有势力的孩子另眼相看。文革初期，我们学校由邓榕传达她爸爸邓小平的指示，我看见白老师（共青团负责人）与邓榕并肩而行，邓榕滔滔地说着什么， 白老师谦恭的态度就好同对待首长一样。

宋彬彬是红卫兵的头头之一。8月5号卞仲耘、胡志涛、刘致平校长和梅树民、汪玉冰主任跪在操 场高台上被打的时候，宋彬彬正好站在我身后。我听到她说：“煞煞他们的威风也好。”我们学校是“红八月”打人风的始作俑者。不久后，八一八，宋彬彬在天安 门上受到毛主席的接见，她给毛主席戴上了红卫兵袖章。当时我是在电视上看的实况转播。毛主席跟她说“要武嘛”。宋彬彬改名为“宋要武”。她后来去了美国。 她对8月5号发生的毒打和打死人，至今还没有表示过道歉。

一场名叫“文化大革命”的残暴动从这一天开始。我的另一个生活也从这时开始。

2007年6月8日
寄自澳洲 

"Man, if it wasn't for Weimin..." I don't know how many times I have thought that to myself. We've been communicating, 3-4 years now. He has helped me immensely to understand China. Frequently, I turn to him with questions or for advice. Here, I didn't even know about Feng's defense of Song, and Dr. Mo sends me this translation of Feng's article and a rebuttal by Yi. I am posting this immediately upon receipt. I will read it carefully and probably post a response. Thank you, Dr. Mo. I dedicate this page to Dr. Mo.



Is It True That Song Binbin's Only Delinquency Is not Being Able to“Protect” the Principal?

-- Examining Feng Jinglan's Untangling the August 5 Incident

By Yi Hong

(In order to help reader separate clearly Feng Jinglan's statement and Yi Hong's rebuttal, two colors are used to indicate the two authors. Feng's is in red and Yi's in blue)

Untangling the August 5 Incident is written by one of the major members of Song Binbin “group”, Ms. Feng Jinglan. This writing is only an observation about some of the points Feng made in her article.

F (Feng Jinglan): …at the meeting which we initiated for the apology, one of former senior schoolmates said to me, “Upon seeing the school leaders were being herded to public humiliation, I felt it was a revolutionary action to attack them, why should we stop the violence? However, I saw Song Binbin try to talk (the thugs) out of it. At that time, I would never have done that if I was in her position."

Y (Yi Hong):  On 6/8/2007, Tao Luosong, a student of the Girl's School then, in Words of an Eye-Witness in Tao Luosong's Testimony, 2007,  writes, “Song Binbin was one of the Red Guard leaders. On 8/5/1966 when our school leaders Bian Zhongyun,  Hu Zhitao, Liu Ziping and two school counselors, Wei Shumin and Wang Yubin, were forced to be on their knees on the sportground platform, suffering gang torturing, Song Binbin was right behind me.  I heard her say, ‘It is not a bad idea to have them (school leaders) humiliated.” Another school girl then, Zhang Min, writes in her article Recalling and Reflecting on the Death of Bian, “Recently I read about it that Song Binbin said when Bian was being tortured, she was around, but was not involved in beating. She also said she intervened to stop the beating twice. Regarding what Song claims about intervening in an attempt to stop the beating, I find the claim questionable. Based on what I know about the situation at that time, if Liu jin, Song Binbin, and Ma Dexiu had stood out and shouted aloud, 'Stop beating people!' or even just one of them did it,’ with the heraldic position and influential power they had, a large number of students would have followed them in action to stop the beating. And Principal Bian would not have been killed that day. However, throughout the whole process of beating as I witnessed, no one came out to stop the beating.”

Therefore, the ststement, which was made by the girl Feng Jinglan mentioned above, namely, “I saw Song Binbin try to talk (the thugs) out of it,” doesn not go with the testimonies made by Tao Luosong and Zhang Min who eye-witnessed what was happeneing that day.  The person who got invited to Feng's meeting obviously identified herself ideologically with Song Binbin, Ye Weili, Liu Jin, and Feng Jinglan and belonged to what Feng later called “our group”. And those who didn’t identify ideologically with Song Binbin, Ye Weili, and Feng Jinglan were unlikely to be invited to the meeting, such as Principal Bian’s widower and children. A handful of people who blew their own horns within their own circle are far from credible. On the contrary, Tao Luosong, in her Words of Eye-Witness, also mentions Deng Rong, in addition to Song Binbin. In similar details, Zhang Min also mentions in her article a girl named Deng and a girl named Liu. Tao Luosong moved to Australia. If she had not been a witness who heard what Song Binbin said then and there with her own ears, why should she bother to write, as late as 6/8/2007, such an article as Words of An Eye-Witness's Testimony to offend Deng Rong and Song binbin? Zhang Min also directly mentions “a girl named Deng “ and  “a girl named Liu”. If Deng Rong, Liu Dingding, and Song Binbin had not been involved in Bian’s death, with their position and power, how come they would have kept quiet for so many years without trying to do something about the two testimonies? In fact, Tao Luosong and Zhang Min are the genuine witnesses in the true meaning of the word "witness".

F: Forcing school leaders to public humiliation was an action of the masses at the beginning of the CR. It was not a murder case and, therefore, there is no such question as who is the murderer. We have to reiterate that the principal suffered gang beating and torture all the way to her death. Gang beating is violent. Likewise, torture reveals the dark side of human nature. However, who would you pick as the killer?

Y: What a strange theory!  “School leaders were forced to public humiliation” and “they were beaten and tortured all the way to their death”. With all that being done, it cannot even be called a "murder case"! With all that being done, it can be nullified light-heartedly by pretending the death simply resulted from the "action of the masses"! Following this logic, the issue of the Nazis gassing the Jews to death was nothing but an action of the masses. And the genocide Rwanda Hutus committed to Tutsis was simply an action of the masses. We have to say the death of Bian Zhongyun is a murder case. A muder that involves many killers is still a murder case. The murderers can be divided into major culprits and their accomplices. Making an effort to dig out all the major culprits and their accomplices is the call of justice. It is in itself a justice to be served.

F: Since we apologized together as a group, the positive response from the mainstream is strong. And it is a great encouragement to  us as a group.

Y: “Apologizing as a group” cannot be used as a fig leave. The “positive response” does not mean to set free murderers and the ring leaders who are behind the murder. Has the “group” realized that the negative response (to their meeting) is very strong, too?  Articles like Resurfacing of the Evil of Banality: Analysis of the Farce of Apologization by Liu Zheli, Tackles between Wang Jinyao and Song Binbin by Crane, and Apologizing Is not Enough to Close the Anti-Humanity Case by Wang Rongfeng  are part of the “negative response”.  More negative responses are coming from the heart of the readers and audience. Ye Weili, Song Binbin, Liu Jin, and Feng Jinlan have underestimated the IQ of the Chinese.

F: This time the mainstream response (to our meeting) is positive. Even famous scholars like Xu Youyu also wrote articles to apologize to Song Binbin for his publications  based on untruthful data. As a matter of fact, Mr. Xu has apologized several times over the past few years, and that indicates some scholars of the three oldest classes of the CR are serious about their responsibilities.

Y: It is very nice of Mr. Xu to apologize for his mistakes. However, he apologized only for the fact that he believed and put in his writings Song Binbin directly killed a half dozen or so people. His apology has nothing to do with the issue of Bian’s murder.

F: We didn't plan the meeting, but we did look for the right time to have it. This time it was accidental. On 1/8/2014, Liu Jin and others went to see Teacher Jin Yuan, who actually isn't much older than we are, sort of like our sister. She provided alot of assistance to us during our August 5 Incident Investigation before. Durng the visit, they talked about the investigation and our plans in the future. they also expressed the wish to get together with former teachers. Teacher Jin immediately responded, "What are you waiting for? You may do it right now!"

Y: The person who cooked up the whole thing was Ye Weili. The timing is by no means unplanned. When Chen Xiaolu's apology was positively accepted by the public, Ye Weili jumped on it as an opportunity. However, the reason why Chen Xialu's apology was accepted by the public was because many people felt his sincerity in the apology. In contrast, Song Binbin, with her spurious apology which is focused on distorting the facts, has no way to clear her name. Even worse, what she did enables many people to reexamine the havoc of the CR and urges more people to question the legality of the communist regime. From this viewpoint, Song binbin's apology has its positive meaning. However, this kind of positive meaning is not what the initiators and  implementers of the activity have hoped for or anticipated.

F: Without the truth, there is no reflection or apology. Clarification is a must. For instance, the rumor has it that Song Binbin organized a killing match and killed 7-8 people herself. Also, there is the hearsay that she led the Red guards in killing Principal Bian. Without clarifying the facts, what is she going to apologize for? Even at court, people are allowed to defend themselves. Isn't it necessary for Son Binbin to clarify that she didn't organize or was not involved in any violent actions, especially during the meeting where she is with teachers and schoolmates she knows so well?

Y: Wang Youqin, Liu Zheli, and Zhang Min have all proved that there existed in Girls' School of BNU then organizations of Red Guards and Song Binbin was one of the leaders. Besides, it was on 8/1/1966 that Mao Zedong wrote the letter in response to the Red Guards of Middle School of Qinghua University. Anyone, with a little knowledge about the CR and how the spellbound middle school students worshipped Mao and would do anything he ordered right away, would consider it something uncomprehensible if there was still no Red Guards organizations at Girls' School of BNU by 8/5, the date on which Bian was murdered.

Song Binbin admits only the trivial facts but denies the critical ones. In her letter of apology, she claims that in the matter of Bian's murder, she feels guilty only for writing the first big-character post on campus and for not being able to prevent with a great effort the torture and humiliation inflicted on Principal Bian and other leaders and for not being able to "protect well the school leaders". She brags about her "basic humane disposition and moral bottomline" and how her alma mater "has held to principles and proved her innocence". she continues to say, "I am here to tell my teachers and alma mater that I have followed your teachings and stick to the principles all my life, that is, taking everything seriously and living my life innocently". She repeats, " I want to take this opportunity to say to you, teachers who know me, that during the CR, I didn't organize or participate in any violent activities, including search people's houses, beating up people, or deliberately harming teachers and fellow students."

Song says, "Liu Jin and I went to the sportsground and the back compound twice to stop the beating. When we saw the excitement-watching students began to leave, we thought nothing serious would happen, so we left, too. In that sense I was responsible for Principal Bian's death." What she says here puzzles me. Song Binbin and Liu Jin had successfully" stopped" the beating twice, not even "with a great effort". That proves the fact that Song Binbin and Liu Jin were in a position of authority at that time. Otherwise, how could you explain that when Red Guards were brutally beating up the principal, as soon as they two "appeard on the sportsground and the back compound to intervene", "the excitement-watching students would begin to leave"? If "the excitement-watching students began to leave", how about the perpetrators who brandished brass-buckled-belts and struck people with table legs full of nails"? If those perpetrators were gone, how about Ms. Bian Zhongyun and other deputy principals who had been tortured there? Were they staying around there waiting for the perpetrators to come back and continue their beating? Or they were by then already in a serious coma because of the beating and torture? Also, based on what did Song Binbin and Liu Jin made their decision that "nothing serious was going th happen"? If Song Binbin and Liu Jin  "went to the sportsground and the back compound to intervene and stop beating twice" till they both believed that "nothing serious was going to happen", then why did Song Binbin and Liu Jin have to "apologize" for not being able to "protect" the principal? if they really wanted to make an effort to "protect" the principal, why did they leave the site, too? If Son Binbin and Liu Jin were not actually in a position of authority at the Girls' School on 8/5/1966, How come, 47 years later, Song Binbin would so carelessly use the word "protect"? In a nutshell, anyone who says Song Binbin "didn't lead the Red Guards in beating the principal to death" is trying to deny the historical reality.

F: I have to emphasize this, Song Binbin is trying to clarify the facts instead of questioning or fighting those who have denounced and criticized the CR. To those who have exposed the brutality of the CR, we have only the great respect and appreciation.

Y: Wang Youqin is "one of the people who defamed the CR". The so-called "group" headed by Ye Weili, Liu Jin, Feng Jinglan didn't "show their great respect and appreciation" at all to her. On the contrary, they spared no efforts in attacking her in their journal Remebrance and the book they published, Good Stories Are not Necessarily Good History. Isn't it too hypocritical for Feng Jinglan to claim in her Untackling the August 5 Incident for the virtue of respect and appreciation?

F: (When asked "What would you like to say to some of your schoolmates who are directly responsible for the insident) Of course, I hope they can face themselves and openly stand out to apologize. After all, they were children then, not grownups. They have evey reason to set themselves free.  However, you need to think why it's you, not anyone else, that should be held responsble. It could be because you were then cold-hearted, emotionally unrefined, unsympathetic in nature, psychologically abnormal, etc. There are various presonal features that could have made you be "the one".

Y: Those who are directly responsible for the incident were not children. They are muderers. In dealing with killers who are not quite 16 or 18, there are different standards. Nevertheless, Judging by different standards doesn't mean a criminal not quite 18 years old is not a criminal. A cminals is a criminal. She doesn't "have any reasons to set herself free".

One more thing, at the meeting, the term "just children" was used several times by teachers there. What I can say is those teachers are not people of principle when faced with serious right or wrong issues. Song Binbin and Liu Jin joined the communist party as early as 1965. Did the Chinese Communist Party accept children to be its members? By August, 1966, Song Binbin and Liu Jin were at the age of 19 and they were already grownups . They organized and led the steuggle meeting against fellow students on 8/4 and the one against teachers on 8/5. in the murder of Bian Zhongyun, they are responsible for organizing and leading the struggle meeting.

F: Recently a German scholar told me that Germans didn't do their reflection on WWII till late 60s when the younger generation began to question their parents about whether they were Nazis or killed people. By and by, they pushed the whole society as well as political parties and the nation to do reflection on it.

Y: The basis for the younger Germans to ask their parents is the fact that the Nazis' atrocities were totally denounced and cases settled. Without exposing the truth about Nazis' crimes or without denouncing the Nazis throughout Germany, how could the young Germans raise any questions? If all those who experienced the CR are like Feng Jinglan who could not distinguish between right and wrong or between virtue and evil, how could we expect younger generation in China to push the "whole society to do some reflection"? How could they push "the political parties and the nation to do reflection"? Unremorseful apology is fake apology. It is an insult to the victims of the CR if you try to cover for yourself or someone else in name of making an apology. It is also an irresponsible attitude toward the country and the nation.

January, 2014, by the Ohio River

Translated by Weimin Mo

"Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov Says There Are No Homosexuals in Olympic City."-National Post.

Scholars.

It's cold, man.

Angry Birds.

I am so fucking pissed about this. Where's my shotgun; Pope, get out of the window. Racist birds, too.

"Birds Attack Peace Doves Freed from Pope's Window."-Sioux City Journal.

My God.

China's criminal law system was on display this week. The "Beijing #1 Intermediate People's Court" heard the trial of Xu Zhiyong, a lawyer and legal scholar--like me!--who was charged with "disrupting order in public places,"--which I have also done!--a crime sounding similar to what in America is known as "disorderly conduct," a misdemeanor. Except apparently it's not a misdemeanor in China as Xu was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail, which exceeds by three years and ten months the maximum penalty in the U.S. for disorderly conduct. Xu's "crime" was  factually distinct from those with which the undersigned legal scholar is...personally familiar: no yelling, cursing, drinking, fighting, No, Xu did not do none of those character building exercises, Xu started the "New Citizens Movement," which, according to the verdict, was disorderly conduct because it sought, peacefully, to provide access to education to poor country children, and by exposing the practices of China's elite, who, like Song Binbin, take their families and their money abroad. Four years in the Gray Bar Hotel for that. Xu, who seems to be a Christian, gave a beautiful closing argument in his own defense, which I read courtesy of Dr. Jennifer Ruth. I thank Dr. Mo for putting Xu's plight on my radar last week and Dr. Ruth for acquainting me with the New Citizen's Movement, whose acquaintance I had not met before. 

Benghazi, NSA, and Egypt. Those are what caused me to do a 180 on Obama. Go back to the Summer of 2012, look what I wrote: "I KNOW this guy, Obama." To the depth of my soul, I believed that. I DIDN'T KNOW SHIT about him. Benghazi blows up and "It's the film, it's the film." I was outraged. And the Obama's pandered, "Islam is a great religion," Hillary screeched. Then they stopped that schlop, as the consensus developed that it was not the film, it was Al Qaeda. I was shocked. Then, recently, via the Times, it wasn't Al Qaeda, it was the film. You'd the think the administration would be saying "Told ja!, Told ja!" But they didn't. I don't think they knew, I don't think they know now. That is pathetic!

NSA: Remember one of Obama's first personal statements on Snowden: "I'm not going to scramble jets for a 25 year old hacker." I thought, I wrote, "I bet he lets him go, he knows this program is out of control." He said, "I welcome this debate."  Those statements were lies, he had every intention of extraditing Snowden. Just ask General Holder.

Egypt: A clear law on U.S. obligations when a coup replaces a democratically elected government. And he IGNORES IT! He ignores the law. This lawyer, constitutional law lecturer, IGNORES the law. It did not suit his philosophy of pragmatism.

Those things were it for me with Obama. Screw him; if he told me the sun was shining I'd go to the window to check. "He doesn't believe in anything," Larry Summers said. True, that. So, I don't believe in him. Most shattering year of my life.

Man, there's so much goddamned unhappiness in the world. Egypt, goddamn it, how much can one people take? It breaks my heart these last three years. Yeah, they're Egyptian, they're Muslim, no wonder they're miserable. Still breaks my heart.

China: Pain FOREVER! "Survival," that's what I said the soul of China was. That's, like basic, you know? Survival. Jesus Christ. It would drive me insane what the Chinese have endured, just to survive, since 1949. Chinese can do anything if they've survived the last 64 years. Poor Mr. Wang, 93 years old, he's survived it all. And can't even get a personal apology from Song Binbin at 93. Oh my God.

I don't know what this Ukraine protest is about...Oh yeah, they wanted to "Go West" toward the E.U. and Putin said nyet. He's a pig, Putin's a pig. God bless the Ukrainian people. God, alright Allah, bless the Egyptian people. And God DAMN Poot-Poot. Swine.

Look at that. That's downtown Kiev, Pilgrim. Poop-Poop thinks he owns Ukraine. His flunky, President Viktor Yanukovych promised to loosen anti-protest laws and make changes to his cabinet but the opposition leader said nyet...At least I think that's what he said but that's Russian, maybe I just insulted Ukrainians. Vitaly Klitschko said "no," in the language of his choice. Probably said no in more than one language. Hope one of them was Russian or English. Shit. I apologize for any inconvenience. I'm with Klitschko and especially that woman with the blonde halo hair. I'm really with her. I think we have a special bond. I'm really, really, really, really NOT with Poop-Poop. NYET!

Islam has bloody borders.

Twelve people have been killed in bombings and police shootings in far western China. Very surprised to read that headline--evidence of a "simmering cauldron" of discontent among the Chinese masses? No, ethnic Uighurs, Muslims.

Protests in Egypt.

You know what today is? The third anniversary. It seems like the thirtieth, like Egypt's breakdown has been going on for much longer. I am so sorry for the people of Egypt; I am so sorry that they are Egyptian, Muslim, protesting, dying, couping, non-couping. I am so sorry for the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammad Morsi, democracy, "democracy in form only," Obama's formulation of that.  I'm sorry America was most interested in getting the most for itself out of Egypt's Passion. What a nightmare.

Really good, Poop-Poop.

Sochi.

Others on Song Binbin.

I just saw these on China Digital Times. (China Digital Times is the best.) The subject head is "Apology Not Accepted." Yep.

                                         Song Binbin: "Teacher, I'm sorry I didn't protect you...Don't you see who 
                                         this is? I was barefoot when it happened."
                                         Bian Zhongyun: "There were three feet kicking me."

Song and some Red Guards cut their hair and rampaged through Beijing barefoot. The literature, in English anyway, on Bian's murder is very vague. What was done? By how many people? By whom by name?  This is the first time I have heard of a specific number. Just those who kicked? Or the total number of beaters? Jung Chang said "Everybody in China knows." But they don't say. Drives me nuts.

Crocodile tears. Oh, you understood that? I apologize for any inconvenience.

This one is captioned: "Regret for her youth or fond remembrance?" A double entendre, peut-etre? Oui, monsieur, me thinks.

Police officer: "You all beat people to death when you were young? So now you're turning your selves in?"
Group: "Oh, no, we came here to apologize."

This cartoon distinguishes between an apology and a confession. They're pretty close, though!  A statement that is vague, as Song's was, is called a "statement against interest." Song's statement at the school, in my opinion, would help prove a hypothetical case against her. The greater point of this cartoon however is the difference between justice and truth and reconciliation. Justice includes punishment; truth and reconciliation does not. This artist, many Chinese, want justice. Where do you go to get justice? To officialdom. To the police, who will then turn over the statement to the prosecutors who will examine it and all other evidence for legal sufficiency, who will then file formal charges in court, where justice is determined and if justice is a "guilty" verdict, where punishment is administered. China does not have this requisite officialdom. And there is, in my opinion, no international court with jurisdiction. Chinese are not going to get formal justice with cops and prosecutors and defense attorneys and judges and juries. And they are not going to get "street justice." Song Binbin is not going to get whacked on the streets of Beijing by outraged citizens, as she might if she were American!  I wish that the Chinese people would come to terms with this and put their collective heads together to come up with an acceptable alternative. I wish that they would not make the perfect an enemy of the good. Wish. Foreigner.

"Google's Gmail Down for Users Around the World."-Reuters.

Right, that.

As it is Friday we must all go to Mosque. Unless we're not Muslim!...Oooooh, don't have to go to Mosque. How about you? Ooooh! Don't have to go to Mosque. 

In the redone conclusion to the January 21, "Oh my God, Weimin Mo" post I asked "What is Song Binbin fighting for?" That led me to think, "What do the Chinese people want?" with regard to Song. In my reading of their statements I see: accountability, punishment, confrontation: they want to confront Song with their accusations and suspicions...justice. They want justice. You can get that in a well-ordered criminal justice system but they don't have that, China doesn't have such a system. They may look for an international court trial, the suggestion of Dr. Rongfen Wang, and I am little beyond a layman on international law so maybe that is feasible but I think not and I will be one incredulous mother-fucker if it is, so, for the purposes of this discussion I shall assume that that T'AINT GONNA HAPPEN.

Would the Chinese people like to question Song Binbin?

I bet they would. I don't know that for sure but I bet they would.  I think Chinese have had it with these imperious statements, they've had three rounds of that now, I don't think they're going to be satisfied with a fourth or a fifth. And, I believe Song's imperious statements have done her no good.

Might such questioning and answering and confronting and quasi-justice-making be arranged? Probably not actually, but the Chinese people can do anything, they are doing this, maybe they can arrange that. All of the Chinese people would have to agree to it, no not all 1.3 billion but the principals:  the "masses," I think there is a "critical mass" of the masses here so I think they've got that principal. They'd need Song. She's a Chinese person, a principal one, and they would need her agreement, for there is no, nor will there be any, indictment, no subpoenas, nothing to compel Song's participation. She would have to agree. The Center, BIG principal, would have to agree. Probably wouldn't. Would the Center stop, however, Song Binbin from going to Peking University to answer some questions informally from some "concerned citizens" from Wuhan, from Mr. Wang Jinyao? Where there's a will there's a way; Western saying, that. Maybe that saying has no applicability in China. Or maybe it does. 

Here's a lovely email that did make it past gmail's spam filter:

yeuq Qiudong Tao comment:
A flower taken a long time, can not bear to throw withered; an umbrella stays for a long time, the rain can not remember closing; road Zouliaohenjiu, dark and no end; saying for a long time: I wish happiness!

Ah, yes, very true, very true indeed. Well, (s)he's come to the right place; all we do here is happiness. This is the universe's Middle Kingdom of happiness.

Air pollution. Beijing. Exercising. Idea. Bad...Opinion. Foreigner.

Great Moments in Spam.

1. Mrs. Christy Walton. "My Dearest, Greetings to you my Dear Beloved."

2. Tracy Williams. "Hi Dear. Hi Dear. How are you today I hope that everything is ok with you as it is my great pleasure to..." They ought to lose the "dear."

3. Little Girlie. "Whattup? How are you currently doing. I enjoy most of your user profile. Are you interested to see my..." I most certainly am NOT, little girlie!

Oh my God, Weimin Mo. What a great guy. The January 17, "DAMN you!" post started out as an email to Weimin. I asked him all those questions but then answered them myself with that post without waiting for his response. This was part of his response:

"First, let me ask you: Have you ever seen Chinese leaders on TV or in person talking to people and directly answering peoples' questions? I bet not. How many Chinese have you met who have a sense of humor? Very few, I guess. Have you met or seen on TV or in reality or read about Chinese leaders who gave impromptu speech and witty answers to reporters' questions. None. Why?"

Weimin would win the bet on the first question! The only time I can remember is... the old Paramount with the glasses, forget his name, came to the U.S., it must have been a long time ago because the reporters were asking him Tienanmen questions, and asking him the way American pencils ask questions of Paramounts, Hey, you in the glasses!. Some reporter shouted, "Where is Tank Man?" and this Paramount answered, "I don't know, Alive, I think" as he walked quickly away with whoever the president was. "Lame," I thought.

Paramounts do not talk to the people, Weimin's question hit the nail right on the head. And, it made me think, Chinese, pencils and all, do not ask questions well. I recalled my first trip to China in 2006. All excited, tired of course, but the adrenaline was flowing, got to the hotel and was curious as to what was on Chinese TV. Turned on the boob tube in the hotel room and flipped around the channels and landed on an interview conducted by a Chinese reporter of Afghan President Mohammad Karzai. Pause. Does Karzai not look like Ben Kingsley? 

That is unbelievable. Unpause. So this Chinese guy was interviewing Karzai and improbably it must
have been in English or with English subtitles because I watched it for 15-20 minutes. The Chinese
reporter was all young and earnest and looking at his copy and, you see how Karzai's eyes are in the photo (the one at left), sort of "interview eyes" right? His eyes were not like that. His eyes were big, bigger than Kingsley's, big like he was trying to keep them open, to avoid falling asleep, or astonished that he was being asked these stultifying questions...It must not have been in English, I remember no questions or answers and remember too much about the body language. If I had understood content I wouldn't have been paying that much attention to body language. The interview was so boring, all the adrenaline I had on arrival was gone in 15-20 minutes. If I hadn't turned it off I would have gone into a coma. Pause. I have never seen two people look so much alike. Unpause.

Sense of humor: Weimin is absolutely right once again. The only Chinese or person of Chinese descent who I have ever shared a joke with is...Weimin.

Weimin explained that so much of this is attributable to Confucianism and the hierarchical relationships that set elaborate rules for interaction literally between everybody in Chinese society: son to father, children to parents, wife to husband, pupils to teachers, all the way up to the emperor, and down again. A subject ask the emperor a question? No. The emperor answer questions. What questions? There were orders given, not questions taken, not answers provided. It helps explain the emphasis in Chinese education on rote memorization. "These are the answers!" The Confucian rules also included semi-formal interaction, common to other royalty: everybody rises when the king or queen (or judge!) enters the room; king, queen or father sits at the head of the dinner table, etc. We all interpret things like this, as I did the interaction between the Chinese TV guy and Ben Kingsley. In that regard, China's red rulers were puzzled by this photograph (bin Laden assassination):

Why's Obama off to the side like that, like a young aide or something? Why isn't he sitting in that "executive chair" at the head of the table like that military guy. He, the military guy, is the most important one in that room. Obama looks like the aide to the military guy. A Martian looking at that photo probably would infer that from the placement of people. A Chinese, too.

So, Weimin put some meat on the bones of that post. Why has Song Binbin just made statements, just read her lines? She's a member of one of the Eight princeling families. Make statements is what princelings do. Answer questions?  Princelings don't do questions. (The first thing I wrote on Morning Sun imagined Song being interviewed by the late Mike Wallace. Can you imagine?) Interact with people, people who are "beneath" her? Fat chance. I have written puzzled about Song's and the Remembrance gang's ineptness. It has been inept but, thanks to Weimin, it is no longer so puzzling. They don't know how.

That is not the only explanation, though. Song is smart, PhD from MIT...I am going to make a sweeping generalization: There is no PhD from MIT who is not smart...and MIT is in, like, America. Song lived in the US&A for years, worked there. Her son was educated at Stanford. She has had
more than a taste for American life, she really did live it. She certainly was exposed to the way
discourse takes place in a real people's republic. Did she learn nothing here? What would have made
her think that appearing incognito in Morning Sun, a film made by an American, for an American audience, was a good idea? Huh? And she saw the reaction from Chinese! The Chinese internet blew up over that, she was excoriated. She did better in Remembrance, nothing could have been worse than Morning Sun and she did apologize, but noShe didn't learn enough. She did better last week than she did in Remembrance but it was exactly the same words in her apology as in Remembrance. She did better last week because her emotion was sincere. So, after decades of silence, Chinese now have three public statements from Song Binbin. And Song Binbin is worse off with Chinese now than if she had never spoken in the first place. She didn't learn enough in America.

What is Song Binbin fighting for? What was her motivation to speak in the first place and then to keep speaking, to keep trying? I wish I knew, I truly wish I knew. The most obvious are "respect," "reconciliation," or like synonyms, but she has failed so abysmally that I have wondered whether there's some esoteric thing we haven't thought of, some "weird Chinese thing," I don't know. I truly cannot think of anything that she is fighting for to which these three public statements would be a means to an end. I bet she keeps trying. I bet she makes, or reads, more public statements. If she keeps "improving" at the pace of these three, she's going to be like Confederate General Robert E. Lee who won or drew many more battles than he lost but who ultimately had to surrender unconditionally.

China has ethnic tensions too, right? Yes, they do. Were there any suicide bombings in the run up to or at the Beijing Olympics? No, there were not. See, Chinese, they know how to do security, know what I mean? 

And now more news from Russia. The Sochi Olympics? Eh, maybe wait till the next one. The Rooskis have flooded Sochi with wanted fliers for a so-called "black widow," wife of a martyred Islamic nobleman. She's supposed to be in the city. Um, yeah that's made tourists, athletes, et al skittish. Senator Angus King said over the weekend he wouldn't send his family there. A couple other U.S. officials said the Rooskis have not been cooperative in sharing intel because it's politically embarrassing. Sounds like something the Rooskis would do. It may be something the 'Muricans would do, too. Relations between the two countries are low, low, low: Putin's a pig, he and Obama don't get on, Snowden, ooh boy, Snowden, speaking of political embarrassments. These U.S. guys also said they think "it wasn't a coincidence he ended up in Russia," they believe the Rooskis were involved beforehand and Snowden is an "agent." Oooh. As I recall it was coincidence, or a last resort that Snowden ended up in Russia. He was in Hong Kong with nowhere else to go. So, the 'Muricans may be trying to embarrass the Rooskis. If there is an attack on the Olympics however, the Rooskis will never be able to live it down.

I'm scared of Rongfen...Well, not really...Well, maybe a little. Didjou ever see that letter she wrote to Mao Ze-FRIGGING-dong?!  Whoooo-doggie. You'd be a little scared of Rongfen too. I'd definitely have been scared of Mao. He'd a killed me dead. 

Rongfen Wang.

Hanging on the wall in the room where I sit as I write is a framed copy of the first email Dr. Wang sent me some years ago. She, more than most, has the right and the moral authority to reject Song Binbin's apology. She has good reasons for it also.

I did not know that Song did not apologize to Mr. Wang Jinyao and, we learn, she did apologize to the other victims at the school, presumably still alive. If this foreigner had any right to express his opinion on that matter, he might say to Song, "DAMN you, God DAMN YOU." But he doesn't do that because of his Iron Will. He can say that that is good reason for Dr. Wang to do so, which she does.

"What is to be done?," the topic of my lunch with Professor Xu over five years ago. Truth and reconciliation is out for Dr. Wang. Trial in an international court for crimes against humanity is the special of the day.

As a foreign low-down attorney, toiling in the fields of American criminal law, I do not know positively if that is realistic as I do not know international law, but my strong belief is that it is not. I do not believe anyone, not even Mao Zedong were he alive, could be charged in an international court of law for crimes against humanity for the murders of the Cultural Revolution. I can say that it is not only my strong belief, it is my belief "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Song Binbin could not be charged with the murders of the Cultural Revolution. Perhaps I am wrong (but I don't think so). This option of preference for Dr. Wang is put forth in the last paragraph of the article. I do not see the legal theory for such a prosecution there unless it is that Song is to be tried for the entire 30,000,000* killed during the CR, for which, if that is the theory, there is no "evidence" justifying Song's legal responsibility for 30,000,000* murders. None.

So, an international court trial is out. So is a trial in the only country that could try Song, China. That leaves us with...what exactly? I would commend to Chinese the French philosopher Voltaire who wrote, "The perfect is the enemy of the good," for in my opinion, that leaves... them, not "us," them, Egads, that leaves them Chinese people with this truth and reconciliation process in which they don't have to reconcile even if they do get the truth. Which as I...my friend Chow!...as Chow said they haven't gotten from Song. The whole truth, that is.

*There is no scholarly consensus on the number killed during the CR. The first I knew of this 30,000,000 figure was a few months ago when somebody told me about it. When I was most intensely reading up on this several years ago the number was nowhere near that. From memory, 1,000,000 to 3,000,000. I googled both a few months ago and now "cultural revolution deaths" and got figures ranging from 1,800 to 80,000,000. I believe that significantly less than 30,000,000 were killed but my confidence level there is shaky. 

Rongfeng Wang.

Dr. Wang is the greatest moral figure in the Cultural Revolution period of Chinese history.

王容芬: 道歉不能为文革反人类罪结案

发布者 lixindai 在 14-01-18 01:14 Apologizing Is Not Enough to Close the Anti-Humanity Case of Cultural Revolution By Wang Rongfeng Translated by Weimin Mo 近年来，宋彬彬仨字儿成了中共当局对待文革的风向标。2007年9月，文革中第一个打死校长的皇家师大女附中，后来的“北京师范大学附属实验中学”，在人民大会堂举行“90华诞庆典"，各级领导和各国驻华使节出席，CCTV新闻主播罗京主持，CCTV全程拍摄，制造光碟出售。宋彬彬很看重自己的符号价值，为了竞选“荣誉校友”，提供了不少私家照片，把革命老母和美国博导都拉来助阵。结果她成了这场闹剧的主角，不但与毛泽东家室同登“荣誉校友”榜，而且风头大大盖住了她们。宋给毛戴红卫兵袖章的照片，戳在校园里，制在光盘里，印在纪念册里，传递了明白无误的信息。到了国庆节，文革特产样板戏和红色芭蕾纷纷上演。转过年来，薄熙来在重庆唱红，俨然文革卷土重来。唱红高潮的2010年，宋彬彬又递出信号，与当年女附中的冯敬兰、刘进、叶维丽、于羚集体回忆当年红八月，不但把导致卞校长惨死的责任推得一干二净，而且把她和女附中革委会变成了抢救卞校长的义士。回忆座谈记录先发在以研究文革著称的《记忆》网刊“师大女附中文革专辑”上，到了敏感的八月，竟然堂而皇之上了“秉笔直书，以史为鉴”的《炎黄春秋》。 In recent years, the name of Song Binbin has become the weathercock of the communist authorities' attitude about the CR. In September, 2007, the aristocratic girls' school, aka, Lab School, of Beijing Normal University (BNU) of which the principal was the first to be murdered during the CR, celebrated its 90th anniversary at the Great Hall of the People. Various official figures and even diplomats of foreign countries participated in the activity. The celebration was broadcast alive by CCTV anchman Luo Jing. The whole activity was made  into a film by CCTV and its DVDs were made for sale. Song Binbin, who treasured the symbolic value of herself, actively competed to be included in the list of Honored Alumni by providing numerous pictures from her personal album, even recruiting the images of her elderly mother and American doctoral advisor. As a result, she became the major character of the farce and was not only included in the list together with Mao's children, but also overshadowed them. Pictures of Song putting a Red Guard armband around Mao's arm were pinned up on campus, made into DVDs, and included in the yearbook. All that was, in fact, a signal which unmistakably heralded something else. By the National Day, the morbid offspring of Cultural Revolution, the so-called theatrical model dramas and ballets were revived and reappeared on stage. The very next year, Bo Xilai began the campaign of Singing the Red Songsin Zhongqing,  as if the CR came back to life. Right in the midst of the campaign climax in 2010, Song Binbin gave another signal. She, together with her old schoolmates Feng Jinglan, Liu Jin, Ye Weili, and Yu Ling,  had a symposium, in the proceedings of which she not only clearly denied her responsibility for Principal Bian's brutal murder, but also turned herself and the school revolutionary committee into good Samaritans who tried to rescue Bian. The proceedings were later published in electronic history journal Remembrance and the themed issue of Cultural Revolution at Girls' School of BNU. When the sensitive August came, they were so audacious as to have the proceedings published in Chinese springs and Autumns, a journal boasting of its mottol as "forthright atittude to enable learning from history".  如今宋彬彬又传递信号了，与以往不同的是，这次她回母校，念了封“公开道歉信”。道歉信字斟句酌：“请允许我在此表达对卞校长的永久悼念和歉意，为没有保护好胡志涛、刘致平、梅树民、汪玉冰等校领导，向他们的家人表示深深的歉意”。她承担的是“没有保护好胡志涛、刘致平、梅树民、汪玉冰”，这四个人都不在文革中被迫害致死的女附中九位员工里。死者里面宋彬彬只提到一个卞校长，而且仅仅是悼念，并没有像对另外四人那样向家人道歉，公然无视为亡妻昭雪奔走48年的女附中第一苦主王晶垚先生。 Song Binbin has now given a new signal. The difference this time is the fact that she went back to school in person and read "an open letter of apology". She weighed every word in the letter carefully: "Please allow me here to express my ever-lasting condolences and regret on Principal Bian's (death). And also my deep sorrow to school leaders Mrs. Hu zhitao, Liu zhiping, Mei shuming, Wang yubing and their familes for not being able to protect them (during the CR)." However, these four people were not among the nine faculty/staff who were murdered at school during the CR. The only killed one whose name Song mentioned in the letter was Bian, for whom she only expressed condolences. Unlike what she did to families of the other four, she didn't even apologize to Mr. Wang Jingyao, wodower of the school's first victim Bian, ignoring the fact that for 48 years he has been working persistently in order to have justice served for his wife. 公开信的主要内容是辩白，1966年8月20日《光明日报》署名宋要武，括弧宋彬彬的文章“我给毛主席戴上红袖章”不实，“真实的历史是我从来没有改名叫宋要武，我们学校也从来没有改名叫“红色要武中学”。事实是，就在毛对宋说“要武嘛”之后一周，红卫兵暴力组织“西纠”，全称首都红卫兵纠察队（西城分队），宣告成立，在成立宣言上签字的35个红卫兵组织里有“红色要武中学（师大女附中）红卫兵”和“红色要武中学（师大女附中）毛泽东主义红卫兵”。在前面提到的五人座谈记录里，主持人冯敬兰女士也证实当时看见红纸黑字“红色要武中学”贴在校牌上。文革档案里有一封1966年9月6日的“在武汉致北京、武汉革命同学的公开信”，署名“北京师大女附中红卫兵战士宋要武、华小康、刘静梓、朱培、潘小红”，这封信得到当年同去武汉串联的北京清华附中红卫兵卜大华的证实。信确实很武，开口就是“有一小撮反革命、混蛋、王八蛋，他们在武汉大学干尽了坏事”。宋彬彬无视这些有人证物证的事实，坚持说学校和她都不曾改名“要武”，大概指没有正式登记和报户口改名，在那个无政府的年代冒出来的数以千万计的“卫东”、“向东”、“要武”、“爱红”们在哪里申报过？“红卫兵”这个组织又在哪里注册过？ For most part, her open letter was purported to prove she was innocent. She claimed that the article was not true that was published in Guangming Daily on 8/20/1966, under the title I Put an Armband Around Chiarman Mao's Arm and signed by Song Yaowu with Song binbin in brackets. "The true history is I never changed my name to 'Song Yaowu'. And our school never changed its name to 'Red Yaowu High School', " said Song. The truth is a week after Mao told Song Binbin "to be military", the violent Red Guard organizational association, formally known as the "Capital Red Guard Pickets" or "West-City Detachment", declared to be founded. Among the 35 Red Guard organizations which signed in the declaration were the "Red Guardsn of Red Yaowu Highschool, aka Girls' School of BNU" and "Maoist Red Guards of Red Yaowu Highschool". Even in the proceedings of the above-mentioned five-people symposium, the chairperson Feng Jinglang also gave evidence that she witnessed the school sign was being covered in black characters against red background and renamed to "Red Yaowu Highschool". In the dossier file of the CR, there is an open letter under the title of An Open Letter to Revolutionary students from Beijing and Wuhan which was signed by Song Yaowu, Hua Xiaokang, Liu Jingzhi, Zhu Pei, and Pan Xiaohong. The letter has been proved to be true by Bu Dahua, a Red Guard who, from Highschool of Qinghua University, went down together with Song to Wuhan for revolutionary connection. The letter also sounded very militant and stared with such words as "There are a small number of counter-revolutionaries, bad elements, turtle eggs, etc. who are trying to do sabotage in Wuhan University." Song Binbin denied the facts proved by eye-witnesses and insisted that neither the school nor herself had ever renamed "Yaowu". Maybe she was referring to formal registration process and name-change procedure at the government offices. Just think, in the chaotic years with no normally functional government offices, where did the thousands of thousands of young people who renamed themselves to "Weidong", "Xiangdong", "Yaowu", "Aihong" re-register? Were there any organizations named Red Guards that had ever registered at that time? 念到道歉信结尾，宋彬彬摆出姿态：“我要再次说声，对不起！”原来高潮就是个“Sorry”，王晶垚先生和胡秀正、梁希孔、周学敏、赵炳炎、宗传训、王英同、关炳衡、王永海等八位文革死难者的家属，连个“对不起”都不配。 At the end of the letter, Song highlighted her position by saying, "I want to repeat that I am sorry!" Alas, her point was simple a word "sorry".  Besides, Mr Wang Jinyao and families of Hu xouzheng, Liang Xikong, Zhou Xiumin, Zhao Binyian, Zhong chuanxun, Wang Yingtong, Guan Binheng, and Wang Yonghai are not even qualified to deserve the word: "sorry". 宋彬彬这次风向标演砸了，文革浩劫，不是一句时髦的“Sorry”就能结案的。中共当局对文革的反思与德国人清算纳粹不可比，与邓小平审判林彪、四人帮相比，也是退步。命案永不逾期，是各国通例。三千万人的命案，只能通过反人类罪法庭结案。 Song Binbin's performance as the weathercock went bankrupt this time. The havoc of Cultural Revolution won't close its case just for a most common word "sorry". The communist authorities' reflection on the Cultural Revolution is far from comparable with Germans' settlement with the Nazis; it is also a step back, even compared with Deng Xiaoping's handling of the case of Lin Biao and the Gang of Four. There is no time limit for murder cases, which is true with every country. A case such as murder of 30 million people can only be concluded at court of anti-humanity crimes. January 6, 2014 （2014年1月6日） 来源：《纵览中国》 Source: China Panorama