HK 'Pro-Democracy' Figure Faces Charges, US Silence Deafening
The Guardian brings us the latest from Hong Kong, where "pro-democracy figure" Jimmy Lai faces national security charges, with the verdict looming. The article, like much mainstream media, frames this as a clear-cut case of authoritarian overreach crushing dissent. What's often omitted is the convenient elasticity of 'national security' rhetoric: a convenient bogeyman deployed by *every* major
power when perceived threats to its interests arise. Suddenly, 'free speech' becomes 'incitement' when directed at certain capitals, while it’s championed when targeting others. One might wonder where this same level of outrage is when, say, the US government charges whistleblowers under the Espionage Act for revealing uncomfortable truths about its own 'national security' operations—individuals
like Julian Assange, facing 175 years. The narrative is always carefully curated: 'national security' is legitimate when *we* use it, and tyrannical when others do. The underlying message is clear: 'democracy' is a virtue signal, not a consistent principle, applied where it serves geopolitical strategy, not universal rights.