Greetings from Taiwan

I hope Michael and his family are safe and return home soon, safely. I'm hoping, at this point, no news is good news.

public schools, you know...

We need your return.

Michael, if you haven't got firm reservations back to Boston, the maybe you can stopover in Saipan. It's not that far from you.

I'll buy you a Mai Tai and we can sit by the Philippine Sea and wait for the Green Flash.

Cheers,
zp

And started reading up on Ron Paul and signed up on this site while I was there.

Back in 1964 I was with the 3rd Marine Division from Okinawa when we attacked Taiwan, Operation, "Back Pack". The aggressors (bad guys) were the 1st Marine Brigade from Hawaii.

The first night ashore I remember sleeping in a dried out river bed on the smooth stones just with a poncho over me like the rest of my headquarters artillery battery.

We never made it into the cities, just the countryside. We had two Chinese soldiers attached to our battery. I recall seeing them warning young Chinese men to keep their distance from us, they didn't, and I seen a Chinese Sergeant whipping one them who was on his knees in a small shallow stream with his pistol lanyard for disobeying.

We only saw poor farmers who kept giving us the, "Gung Ho, thumbs up" from the WW II Marine Raider Carlson era. Most everybody we saw had stained red teeth and gums from chewing beetle nuts. All the rice paddies were drained when we were there, and there were huge mounds of onions in some of them. I was killed in action there twice, twice by jets from the 1st Marine Brigade. You don't even see it coming.

My wife's girlfriend is from Taiwan, and they go frequently. When her husband met her there in the '60's, he said they had like a local Judge, Jury and Executioner (one person) in the area he was in. On a more recent visit he said in the restaurants, they charge you extra for the food you don't eat on your plate. True ?

Enjoy your trip, I'll be going back to my old stomping grounds September, Okinawa, Japan.

Sounds like a fun trip. I'm sure you'll tell us about all the newest gadgets!

Hi Michael,

the pictures are great! It must be an impressive experience to stand in front of the tallest buildung of the world..........
Take care and have fun in Asia!

Praying for freedom's revival here.
------
Libera me, let the truth break, what my fears make--Leslie Phillips

What's next after End the Fed? Repeal the XVI and XVII Amendments!

This is exactly why I love Ecuador. I felt the same things over there. A LOT of freedom and opportunity to do good. The people are lovely and the country is lovely. Have a great time.

Healthnut4freedom

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

on and off for about 4 years, In fact I was there around the same time you were, Michael. I live in Hsinchu mostly, then moved to Taipei at the end.

Ahhh, KTVs were so much fun. So was being able to drink after 2 am, and downing a beer at any mom-and-pop noodle shop, or picking up a six at a 7-11...can't do that here in Pennsyltucky. You could watch movies on the cheap VCD format. I still don't think they have VCDs in the US yet.

Yes, they sure seem to have more freedoms there than we do here anymore. Seems like so many things are basically illegal, but nothing is enforced except to 2 weeks out of the year...the week before Chinese New Year, and the week of Chinese New year, the police stnd out on the cornoers making it look like they're actually working...the rest of the time they're taking bribes from the mafia to look the other way.

Great pix Michael....
For a mode of selling that different cultures have been doing for centuries, we in this country have to be regulated til we have nothing left but America's department store - Walmart - for all our needs!

These old-time vendors in most countries of the world, offer the freshest of food that they usually raise themselves and have seemingly little if any problems with government regulations. I remember the Lower East Side in NYC and in my travel, the open air markets of Paris, etc. Boy do I miss that.........sighhhhhh!

Have a good trip!

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom." Patrick Henry

Thanks Michael, nice pictures.. the market reminds me of one here called the Green Dragon...A good place to meet people & buy fresh food...
Have a great vacation..Send our reguards
you-no

Makes me homesick!

Computex Taipai, that is a real treat.

the family is fighting again.

Hi everyone, I am orginally from Taiwan, however my background is a bit complicated. I am 29 and I moved from Taiwan when I was only 10 and have since lived for 8 years in Thailand, and 10 years in the United States. I have also lived in Toronto, Indonesia and now I am in my new home in Sydney, Australia. I would like to share a little about what I think of freedom after all my travels. To me, the United States and the US Constitution is an idea and not a geographical location. The ideas of freedom and liberty are within the minds of the people that live there. I arrived in the US in 1999 for school with high hopes for a better future only to witness the 9/11 "attacks" and the subsequent attack on Iraq. Not to mention the torture carried out in the name of "spreading democracy". I have since been obssessed with finding the truth of the American Empire and what I have found has led me to leave the United States in early 2009. I am a history and philosophy fanatic so I saw the signs and tactics that propagandists use and decided it was time to move on before the inevitable arrived. The videos online of people being molested by border patrol or poilcemen are disturbing, but not surprising in a society in decline. Hitler had the secret police and the Gestapo to whip the citizens into compliance through force. If people have to spell out for you that the militarization of the police in the US is a bad thing, you have a bit more waking up and thinking to do. I was a staunch supporter of Dr. Paul at my last job in the US only to be laughed at by my Californian friends. They think I am a Republican but I told them I am neither and that I do not swear allegiance to any country or government. The only advice I can offer the frustrated Americans who can no longer stand what's happening in the US is to leave. Leave and take your ideas of freedom and talent elsewhere where they are protected. That's what I have done. I research and move to countries where I believe I have more freedom and liberty. If I ever see the government I am under ever infringe on those rights, I research and move on. In this day and age, it is simple to do but many people would cite that as difficult. Many will cite that either family or the thought of leaving their own country is hard, then I must tell them that they have not yet realized how precious true freedom is. I leave you with a few quotes from men of history.

True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs, that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions. - Machiavelli

There is all the difference in the world between treating people equally and attempting to make them equal. - F.A. Hayek

The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists. - Ernest Hemmingway...Notes on the Next War: A Serious Topical Letter...1935

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious. - Oscar Wilde

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. - Samuel Johnson

have a nice trip :)

Taiwan did not start out as a socialist country. In fact, socialism is very not Chinese. But social medical care is the "trendy" things to do, so the gov't of Taiwan followed that way also, even though no party in Taiwan is really socialist. The result was devastating! Tax rate were raised, the socialized medicine bankrupted already! Just a few years because of people's abuse! Now they are trying to maintain the system and raise the co-pay so to reduce abuses of the medical system. It proves one thing, socialize medicine doesn't work anywhere!

Thank you for making such time to treat us - we won't decline more ! Happy Anniversary in advance to a very special couple.

~
We miss you around here, Michael-san. Hope your trip is good and really hope your mother-in-law is feeling better.

Will be highly interesting to hear more about the perspective you've gained while traveling and visiting with family, where some of the best wisdom is gained. ;-)

It's not an issue of race, it's an issue of ideology. As Michael is pointing out, Taiwan is a FREE country, unlike China where civil and political liberties are heavily restricted.

If China were to take over Taiwan, you'd see a full scale war because free people do not often let themselves be oppressed easily. But American's are letting themselves be oppressed, though? Well, let me use an analogy.

If you put a frog in a pot of hot or boiling water it will jump straight out (China taking over Taiwan with force). However, if you put the frog into normal temperature water then slowly heat it up to boiling and beyond, the frog will not notice the gradual adjustment and will not attempt to escape, it will simply just cook and die (What we are seeing in the USA, the gradual degradation of rights and liberties).

I can still feel free vicarioulsy!

Thanks Michael.

Taiwan is not China because the US is in the way meddling where they shouldn't be. Once China becomes the world power they will most likely take Taiwan back. The people speak Chinese and mostly are of Chinese decent, other ethnic backgrounds include the native people there and Japanese when Japan took occupation in Taiwan.

I think I understand what marksberglund regard as "free market" costing money. I was in the night market browsing all kind of street vendors. Some merchants were trying to sell items off a large board. Picture a giant-size briefcase. The items were inside the briefcase. If anything happen the vendor can close the briefcase and bail. I noticed that one time a few of these merchants were putting all their stuff inside the briefcase and getting ready to get the heck out. I saw a man in police uniform about 100 yards away. But then the merchants were not sure to bail or to stay. It seemed that the lone police/officer was just watching from far. I had the feeling that there was something "protecting" these sellers. I thought that there was no way that this lone police would go through these streets and alleys and come out alive if he raises a stink on any of these sellers. But yet from my experience living in a third world country (Taiwan is no way a third world country), usually such "protection" comes with fee. Be it the mafia, mercenary, gangs, rogue military, whatever.

Another thing is that Taiwan HAS universal health care funded by payroll tax. A few years ago it jacked up the tax rate because it wouldn't survive.

Sometimes when you live in a country for long and you see crap going on in your country, you see things in other countries are better in one way or another than in your country. That how I saw the US before I came to the US. But typically the fact is that the other country also has all kind of crap, too.

Hey Michael,

I've been in southern Taiwan (Republic of China) now for 6 years. I was very surprised to see this post this morning and had to comment. While I think your post was pretty right on, I'd like to clarify a couple things / give some personal experience/opinion. I'd like to mention that I love Taiwan most all the time, yet no place is perfect -there are some things I still prefer about the States.

Engineers call this place the land of not quite right, because people like to cut corners when doing a job (as seen by the driving habits south of Taipei - driving on the wrong side of the road with a scooter for a few blocks or running red lights often) which used to give Taiwanese products a bad branding "Made in Taiwan jokes"- though now Taiwanese companies have tightened quality control and their products are of high quality (they make MACs for example and Acer is a Taiwanese company). Low quality products have had the factories moved to the Mainland or Vietnam and thus laborers here have hours cut, though it's also due to less consumption in the USA and EU.

The R.O.C. has changed a lot since 1949 when the KMT moved in after fleeing the communists
http://books.google.com/b...
is a good read for anyone who wants to learn more.

I'm getting off on a tangent...
The "free markets" cost money (like our flea markets in the USA). I have a friend who paints and sells art at night markets, he speaks Taiwanese, and he is sometimes hassled because he would not pay the fee because his customers where there for the night market. Some say the mafia polices the night market, there is still corruption here (and there is in the USA too). I know you are talking about the wet market that usually happens in the morning. Someone owns that property and the same people have stalls in the same place every day. You would have to find a place where people would let you set up, and someone would still ask you to pay some kind of fee to sell there. Otherwise I would set up an English tutor/guitar booth, haha. Some locals sell from their "blue truck" along the side of the road for free and some seem to sell there for a few days before moving location. I don't see the police mess with them much.

In regards to no inspectors, the Council of Agriculture is starting to impose law again live chicken slaughter at the wet markets because of SARS and other diseases. The local vendors were protesting but ultimately the COA will enforce the new law and chicken will have to be slaughtered off-site and refrigerated before coming to the market. Most locals perfer to but chicken fresh-killed/still warm so they know it's fresh and perceive better taste with fresh kill over refrigerated. The COA is also starting a "traceability system" on all locally grown food to ensure food safety.

Hey Treg, I think the locals are more concerned with the big issue here. Will Ma and the KMT sell Taiwan out to Mainland China. College students here protest for the new KMT president Ma to not limit freedom of speech and right to assemble. (Google: strawberry taiwan protest) There is a pro-Taiwan movement that wants to become a separate country from China and change the name from R.O.C. to Taiwan, thus changing the "status quo on cross-strait relations" that Washington and the AIT support. That is the big issue here: DDP vs KMT, independence vs someday reunifying with the Mainland. Only cops, soldiers and mafia have guns here. So Americans still have some freedoms that Taiwanese do not. I'd also like to suggest doing a search on "2-28" or http://books.google.com/b... just as a reminder that there are pros and cons to all countries.

Michael, if you're headed south via Chiayi, send me a message, maybe we can meet up. Excuse any grammar mistakes, I've spent too long on this already and have to prep for class... Safe travels.

Peace & Liberty

My family left Taiwan back in 1991 and emigrated to the US. I was born and raised in Taipei. While my parents moved back to Taiwan just last year, I stayed in the US and US now to me is as much as my home as Taiwan ever was.

Now, I am Chinese. I am not talking about politics here but facts, all Taiwanese are Chinese ethnically, except a very few (2%) aboriginals The Taiwanese dialect, actually called the Minnan (Southern Fukien) dialect reflects most accurately the Chinese language Chinese spoke 1000 years ago.

And the official name of my country is the Republic of China. In fact, we should be called the Free China, the China (mainland) people usually talks about refer to the Communist (enslaved) China.

There's a joke about laws and freedom in the different Chinese societies. In Singapore, everything is NOT legal unless it is permitted by the law. In Hong Kong, everything is legal if it is not forbidden by the law. In Taiwan, everything is legal even if it IS forbidden by the law. In Mainland China, everything is NOT legal even if it IS permitted by the law.

Taiwan is not a country ruled by law. In general Chinese societies do not adhere to the rule of law (except Singapore). It is a country ruled by men according to their preferences, and sometimes they may chose to follow the law when it suits them. The Constitution of Republic of China was never really enacted. It was enacted in 1947, but then Civil War broke out, so Constitution was put on "hold". It was basically frozen. Until late 1980s, Chiang Jing-Kuo ended the Martial Law era and Constitution was sort of back on line. However, Lee Teng-Hui destroyed the Constitution in the power struggle with the Mainlanders within the Nationalist Party. So every since President Lee's Constitution amendments, the whole government structure has been messed up, and no one respects the Constitution anymore.

Taiwan has lots of freedom (except owning firearms), but it is a society that is bounded by Chinese culture, traditions and superstitions. It is a society build on human(family) relations and networks, and those things trump any rule of law any given day. In fact, Taiwan is more Chinese than Mainland China. Because the Communist destroyed many aspects of the Chinese culture during the Cultural Revolution. We preserved the correct (traditional) Chinese characters and writings. We preserved the traditional Confucianism teachings and morals. We preserved regional food from all over China because after 1949 3 million Chinese came to Taiwan from all over the country. We have every kind of regional Chinese food in Taiwan and they are good!

Yes, Taiwan and the Communist China are different, but we are all Chinese. I hope, and many other Chinese (both in Taiwan and Mainland)also do, is to see that China eventually will reunited, not under the Communist, of course, but under a free and constitutional government that is ruled by law!

of Alka-Selzer cause the chow looks really good.

So good to see those distinctly asian summer scenes!

Many thanks for the snap-shots and the notes.
-y

buy yourself a big-fat computer!

Use to be called Formosa, lest when Vietnam was goin' on, so why did they change the name? Mystery fun question..

They sell Dragon Fruit, if they do, check one out huh. Different flavors of 'em, strawberry is one of 'em, some white, some red on the inside.

"Dragon Fruit
Hylocereus undatus
a.k.a. Pitahaya, Strawberry Pear

the future of opportunity is in asia.

seems like the center of the world keeps traveling west. wtf am i still doing over here in murrica?

--
"Master Blaster runs Bartertown!"
--
"Jeffy likes apples." -Jeffy
--
BUY CHINESE!®
Buy Chinese is a registered trademark of Jeff White

YES I would eat the meat,vegetable, and.....everything!
I'm a eat everything kind of person. Don't knock it till you try it.
God I would love to get my hands on some real food.

Thanks for sharing. I've been to Taiwan a bunch, and when people ask me what I did there and I just tell them I ate. That's all you do when you go to Taiwan, eat eat eat. There's food being sold EVERYWHERE.

Look up some libertarians there. Let them know there are thousands of Ron Paul guys and girls in America who would love to correspond with them. They can practice their English, no problem.

In peace & liberty.
Treg

Thanks for sharing..Have a safe return..Don't forget your passport,blood sample and DNA code...:-}

"I don't want to be in a battle . . . but
waiting on the edge of one I can't escape
is even worse"

Have a great trip.

I am hoping to go to Indonesia next spring, for my son's wedding, and have been trying to read about this part of the world. We're trying to get his intended here for a visit, but the US embassy turned down her 1st request last week. Anyone here have suggestions on working with visitor visa's?

Interesting stuff. More freedom works. Thanks.