"Americans are the most heavily armed people in the world per capita. According to a CNN report on July 23, 2012, there were an estimated 270 million guns in the hands of civilians in the U.S. and more than 100,000 people were shot by guns each year. In 2010, there were more than 30,000 deaths caused by firearms."<p>There are roughly 11,000 gun based murders each year in the US. The US doesn't first have a gun violence problem, it has a black poverty problem mixed with horrible drug laws that drive it all.<p>The rate of gun homicide for blacks is 15/100k. For Asians it's 1/100k, for whites it's 2/100k. It's almost a 700% greater likelihood that you're going to be murdered by gun if you're black than white. If you fix the black poverty problem, and fix the drug laws, the rate of gun homicides would plunge off a cliff.<p>And besides, Switzerland is as heavily armed per capita as the US is, and they do not have a rampant gun homicide problem. The reason the US does, is explained by poverty and drug laws.<p>Also worth noting: the US homicide rate is roughly the lowest it has been in 50 to 60 years. If it continues to fall as it has been, it'll be back to levels not seen since the 19th century. Not to beat a dead horse, but fix the drug laws and America would be exceptionally low on the homicide per capita scale.<p><a href="http://extranosalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1homiciderate.png" rel="nofollow">http://extranosalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1homicid...</a>
It's interesting to see the availability of firearms to citizens presented as a violation of human rights.<p>>Firearms-related crimes posed serious threat to the lives and personal security of citizens in the U.S. Some shootings left astonishing casualties, such as the school shooting in Oakland, the Century 16 theater shooting in Colorado and the school shooting in Connecticut.<p>Also, please be aware that this is a translation, which explains for the awkward and sometimes grammatically incorrect wording of this article.
Reading between the lines...<p>1] Military has too big a delta over civilians; how can I help reduce that delta sanely?<p>2] Too much of our communications remains plaintext; how do I roll out crypto today?<p>3] Our economy has non-productive members; how can I help those who want help?<p>4] People still don't like most other people; how can I detect/counter any biases I might have?<p>5] People still sexually abuse and torture other humans; how can I help victims, and help deter future violence?<p>6] Children don't have rights; how can I help children who want to accept adult responsibilities?<p>7] The US military costs a lot and seems to only make enemies. What can I do to make it act more like Switzerland's army, but without compulsory service? Or to at least be adequately compensated as World Police.
It's always interesting reading reports on the US through a Chinese media perspective. Stories go round relatively regularly using very carefully selected snippets of news to paint a particularly negative portrait that isn't factually wrong, but so narrowly focused that it misses the overall picture (deliberately)<p>On the parts really stabbing into US communications monitoring, I suspect the reasoning is so the Chinese government can say "Look, it's even worse in the west!" to cover the extent of their own filters and monitoring (which most Chinese people are only vaguely aware of. Most of them take what they're told by the Chinese government as simple fact, and even when they can see the facts from a less biased perspective still refuse to accept it)
It's a good thing we have that new perspective.<p>Here in Spain there is no independent press at all. You have the "left" press and the "right" press. Each one talks wonders about their preferred party and throws shit at the others. So you have look into the "left" press to know extensively about the shit from the right party, and vice versa. Similarly, the best perspective about what's wrong with the US is found on non US-friendly press, even if it sounds hypocritical to denounce human rights violations from China.<p>However, press in the US is likely to be much more independent and self-critical than in China (you WILL find self-critical press in the US but not in China, after all).
There can be no improvement without awareness. Criticism can be uncomfortable, but, if properly analysed and acted upon, it is healthy. Although I do not think that this criticism was intended to be constructive, we can easily treat it as such, and gain advantage from it. A fusillade of brickbats can, if caught deftly, be quickly built into strong foundations.
There's an unfortunate mix there of some interesting/troubling facts, and seemingly cherry-picked local news stories. It's decent yellow journalism though.
So many comments basically saying Chinese media has no right to comment on human right issue as China does it so poorly. The whole point of this linked article is that the other side is thinking exactly the same. Talking about nationalism... there is just no objectivity on both sides. Both sides should just mind their own business - hell, like that gonna happen.
The Chinese government post one of these every year to "counter" the one that US-based human rights watch do every year. They definitely know that they are in no position to criticize. However there needs to be some context as to why they are publishing this.
This is utter balderdash.<p>A nation that executes thousands of its citizens yearly, while also arranging sham trials and allowing affluent perpetrators to have body doubles serve lengthy prison sentences, should be the last to point fingers at any judiciary, elsewhere.<p>At least, Middle Eastern states follow Shariah, a religious code (however harsh or barbaric) that dictates the severity of the punishment.<p>These Chinese wastrels have no such consistency nor do they have the moral rectitude to hold every one, high-born or low-born, to the same rigor of enforcement.<p>Muslim theocracies often get a bad rap for their macabre laws and punishments.<p>The Chinese are the true compassion-less brutes. No country comes close to the way in which China "cleanses" its lower classes using a medieval "correctional" apparatus.<p>So take that state rag and shove it up Wen Jiabao's rear.<p>Source:<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment#Global_distribution" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment#Global_distr...</a><p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19357107" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19357107</a><p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00pqhxk" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00pqhxk</a><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China</a><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_van" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_van</a><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEd17taOrmA" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEd17taOrmA</a>