China Über Alles: Episode 47 – Levi Browde On Falun Gong Persecution, Dr. Joel Wallach On China’s Floods

Nan describes how China has built 98,000 dams.

Amy reminds us that she reconnected with some childhood friends over Fathers Day and many of them reached out to ask her to tell their fathers stories.  Amy begins the story of one of her labor camp friends whose father died when she was 4 years old.

Her father had worked for a CCP propaganda newspaper.  In 1957, during the “Rightist” movement, people were encouraged to express opinions and suggestions to the CCP.  Mao had suggested that the CCP welcomed all kinds of voices. After intellectuals made various statements, Mao labeled them “snakes” and they were rounded up and sent to labor camps.

Nan mentions that the officials sent to find “Rightists” had quotas they had to meet. So, people were accused of being “Rightists” under extraordinarily thin justifications.

Amy recalls that her friends family was kicked out of their house when her father was arrested for being a “Rightist”.  About 8 months later, the mother received a letter saying that her husband was dead.  She was told she could not retrieve the body or the ashes.

For a long time, Amy’s friend’s mother could not afford to take care of her and wanted to give her away, but a friend intervened and offered to take her. Some time later, Amy’s friends brothers put together some money to give their father a burial. Having nothing else, they buried some of his clothes.

In 2005, Amy’s friend went searching for the labor camp in the region they suspected her father was held in a labor camp.  After searching for several months, she had found a map suggesting there was a labor camp. A local official told her there was no labor camp.  Some old ladies seemed they might know something, but were too scared to tell her. She paid one of them and got a lead. Then paid some more people, but received no meaningful information. 

She explained to Amy that a schoolmate of hers had found her father, but discovered that the CCP had changed him into a completely different person. When she found her father still alive, the father did not want to know her. He said, “I wish you had not found me.”

Nan introduces Levi Browde, Chairman of the Falun Dafa Information Center.  Nan explains that the CCP first cracked down on Falun Gong practitioners on July 20th 1999.  Nan mentions candlelight vigils held in San Francisco and Washington D.C.  Levi describes rallies and marches in D.C., as well as activities in Paris and London.  Billy asks if the demonstrations have any effect.  Levi suggests that there are millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China who clandestinely share information and they draw strength from reporting on rallies in the west.  He also mentions that US State Department statements do reach the clandestine Falun Gong network in China and effects the CCP police apparatus’ willingness to commit human rights abuses.

Amy asks about how Falun Gong are found in China.  Levi describes many aspects of China’s digital surveillance technology, describing arrests made over Weibo and WeChat posts.

Nan asks how many people have been arrested and killed in the last 22 years.  Levi says that it is hard to estimate, but every day there are scores of reports of people being arrested and imprisoned. Though he suggests that “it is just the tip of the iceberg”. There has been over 4 thousand confirmed people who have been tortured and killed, but looking at the organ harvesting numbers, the estimate would be around 60 thousand people killed a year.

Billy asks how many people in China still practice Falun Gong. Levi explains that, before the crackdown, state media said there were over 100 million practitioners.  Activist groups today estimate there are still 20 million active practitioners, in spite of the persecution.

Nan asks about the international investigation into forced organ harvesting.  Levi describes the “China Tribunal”, the international tribunal which investigated Falun Gong persecution and organ harvesting, which concluded after an “exhaustive process” that the organ harvesting was indeed happening at a large scale.  Levi mentions a new bill in the US congress which would prevent people from traveling to China for organ transplants.

Michal Olsen mentions the many pogroms in CCP history and asks why the CCP finds Falun Gong a threat. Levi suggests that the CCP goes after a group in part to persecute the group, but also to make every one else afraid.  Levi explains the historical context of Falun Gongs persecution, wherein Jiang Zemin saw an opportunity to gain legitimacy for himself by initiating the persecution.

Amy discusses some of the political objectives of Jiang Zemin. Levi concurs, saying that he installed many new generals in the Chinese military on the basis that they were loyal to him. Levi suggests that Jiang Zemin still retains a power base and mentions that top Chinese party officials and their families are some of the wealthiest people on the planet.

Levi describes scenarios where local officials, even ones who have been very hard line, have had turns of heart and sometimes now help hide the persecuted. He suggests that “more and more people in the security apparatus no longer want to take part in the persecution”.

Billy introduces Dr. Joel Wallach, explaining that his wife is from China and that he has some very interesting ideas about Global Warming.

Amy says that China has built around 100,000 dams since 1949. Dr. Wallach describes the devastation from the recent flooding in China.  Dr. Wallach describes how carbon dioxide is usually blamed on fossil fuels, saying that it is “100% incorrect”.  He suggests instead, that “cutting off the food supply” to oceans and seas limits the growth of CO2 consuming bacteria. 

He describes the hundreds of millions of tons of silt that build up behind dams throughout the world, explaining that, without that silt, the world is severely limiting the potential for carbon dioxide to be removed from the atmosphere. He recommends that we should pass the silt back into the rivers to reinvigorate rivers, oceans and deltas.

Billy wonders what the roll of silt buildup is on dam maintenance.  Dr. Wallach emphasizes the nutritional value of silt, which is commonly considered to be a nuisance.  He mentions 17 minerals that algae require.

Amy mentions a lake in China which had all the algae killed to impress the Queen of England on a visit, explaining that the fish have been dead ever since.

Michael Olsen asks about the effects of damming the Nile river, explaining that horses in the area now have much shorter lifespans. 

Dr. Wallach describes how the advent of electrical power ended the use of wood ash in gardens, which, in turn limited the mineral content in our diets.

Dr. Wallach describes his book Hell’s Kitchen, which goes into detail on the issues created by mineral deficiency.  He discusses the dramatic effects of the 1918 flue and several other pandemics, suggesting that the main problem is our weakened immune systems.

Amy describes one river in China with 120 dams, explaining that most of the dams are not necessary, but a corrupt way for local officials to make money.

Dr. Wallach suggests that we should avoid all the bad foods and supplement with all of the essential nutrients. He describes the Healthy Brain And Heart Pak, which contains 219 nutrients, including all the 90 essential nutrients.  To save the earth, he suggests we need to siphon all the silt from behind the dams back into the rivers.

Michael Olsen asks Dr. Wallach about the potential decrease of intellect and emotional stability caused by the lack of nutrients. Dr. Wallach suggests that, if you have a place where people are lacking in intellectual abilities, it is likely related to the lack of minerals in the soil their food is grown.

Dr. Wallach suggests that, in the Hawaiian islands, islands with Hydroelectric dams have dying reefs, while islands who don’t have dams have healthy reefs.

Nan asks if the UN sustainable development goals are going in the totally wrong direction. Dr. Wallach says it is like hitting your toe with a hammer to cure a sore throat.

Billy asks Dr. Wallach how we should get the world to change. Dr. Wallach recommends going to his website to find his books and DVD’s, including his book Hell’s Kitchen.