Hey Rich,

Everyone here in Taiwan thinks the election was rigged. Chen was chronically behind in the polls, and they showed him losing by 5% leading up to the election. They think the “assassination attempt” the day before the election also was also a ploy. His injuries were only surface, but it was such a big story, they talked about it all day and night leading up to the election. I was told that he is usually surrounded by guards, but not on this day, also that the hospital was tipped off in the morning before he came, and the bullet recovered didn’t match the caliber of the shells found. It does sound quite fishy.

Also, Chen won by 30,000 votes, and 300,000 ballots were somehow disqualified - no one knows how just yet. It sounds like the 2000 U.S. Election. Once again America leads the world! There was some rioting last night, I hear, but I didn’t witness any personally. Anyway, the outcome is being challenged by the opposition, so we should be in for some more intesting news in the coming days and weeks.

Another thing is that Chen’s “referendum” failed because people just refused to vote. Only 45% cast a ballot – the majority ignored it.

I agree with you on the rise in terrorism, but the question will be who is behind it. The world has been turned upside down. I don’t put it past a politician to try to assassinate himself, or stage a terrorist attack for political gain.

Bush will not be reelected. Have you seen the markets? They’ve topped. This time for real!!! Ha ha. No sitting president will be able to stand such a sharp change in the economic weather.

Michael

Thanks for your comments Jeff, it's always "special."

Cheers Rich

Below is an email that is circulating in Taiwan, from a Taiwanese doctor in the U.S. on the Presiden't GSW (gunshot wound)

From me, Emergency Medicine Doctor with 10 years of experience:
　
All GSW's are high energy wounds. 　It means that GSW will cause extensive bruising along the edges of the wound almost immediately. 　In the picture, where is the bruising on both of them?
　
GSW's are almost never symmetrical nor linear. 　They are round and small, Even if they are shot directly from the side, it’s impossible to create a linear wound because the bullet often tumbles while traveling towards the target. 　The exit wound is usually bigger than the entrance. 　Why does his wound look like someone just took a knife and cut it open? Did they get the idea from Japanese cartoons? Think of using a tooth-pick to poke an orange at high speed. 　See if you can make a symmetrical linear cut. 　You can not!!
　
How can Lu still be standing after been shot in the knee? The knees are major weight wearing joint in our body. 　NO ONE I have ever seen got shot in the knee could still be standing!!
　
All GSW's by bullets are small. 　Unless they are shot gun wounds. 　No one would ever use a shot gun for assassination because the range is short and its blasts would spray too wide to be effective. 　The ideal weapon of choice is rifle.

Rifle bullet creates a small hole but the damage is done INTERNALLY because of its high velocity. So it generates significant local bruising. 　Though the wound maybe small, but the local tissue/organ damage is extensive. 　So why is the wound so BIG and where is the BRUISING?
　
Where is the swelling? Being shot is like getting hit by a hammer, but at twice the speed of sound. 　Have you ever hit yourself on the finger with a hammer? Or walked into a coffee table? Don't u get a big bruise and it swells? 　Where is the swelling that I see all the time when I am in the ER treating GSW patients?
　
Why is he standing up in the picture and still dressed? Am I too cautious in the ER when I am working or the doctor who was treating him is a moron! If you were shot, would you still have enough nerves left to be standing? Even if you could be so calm and stand, any competent doctor would insist that you lay down since all GSW's are potentially assumed deadly, 　if not critical/serious by any experienced doctor. 　They have to be evaluated expeditiously, carefully with the patient fully UNDRESSED.
　
Why is the wound on side? Any shooter would shoot from the front or the back because you have more chance of killing your target. 　Why would the shooter wait to shoot him from the side, in a moving vehicle, standing in a huge crowd? Is he another moron like the treating doctor or maybe there was NEVER a shooter!!!
　
How did the shooter not hit anyone else? He must be an Olympic shooting champion! Or he does not exist!
　
Why not shoot the head? If the shooter was so good to hit him from the side. 　Why not shoot the head? I can see that the shooter thinking that target might be wearing a bullet-proof vest and hit him low. 　But why hit him low when he is standing in a car which makes it very difficult to aim because of too many obstructions. 　Then take the HEAD shot!!
　
Why is the shooter shooting at her knees? Is he blind? OR THERE IS NO SHOOTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
　
How can they not know they were shot? They both said they didn’t know they were shot….. Well…. All my patients, in the ER, when they were attacked, all of them knew at the very moment they were shot by a bullet without needing any previous experience of GSW. 　Being shot is like getting hit by a professional boxer. 　The speed generated by a bullet traveling at least twice the speed of sound can knock any one back a step. 　Think of JFK’s assassination. 　In the film, when he got shot in the head, remember how violently his head wobbled! Didn’t it look like he was being punched by a boxer except you can not see the boxer? How can both of them just say “oh… I felt something burning… and saw blood…. What a stupid lie… Who was their acting coach??
　
Why didn't they go to a closer hospital but drove further to another hospital? Were the body guards so dumb they didn’t know where is the closest hospital? Or…. THEY HAVE TO GO TO A HOSPITAL THEY HAVE ALREADY PREVIOUSLY SET UP!!!!!!!
　
I can not believe they put up such fake stuff on TV without talking at least to an ER/trauma doctor with GSW experience so at least the wounds look believable.
　
They are so unbelievably stupid and what an embarrassment for Taiwan for those two clowns to make up such bullshit for the whole world to see........... So sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks to me as if Taiwan could be a catalyst, almost like Sarajevo was in WWI and Poland was in WWII.

Or, the US could just turn its back on Taiwan and let the Chinese invade - which wouldn't exactly put US values in the best light as supposed protectors of the free.

The number of powder kegs lying around the world right now is rising, it would seem that we are destined for a major confrontation as some point - much larger and more destructive than Iraq. Lets hope and pray I'm wrong. Problem is that once superpowers mobilize history suggests they rarely back down without a war first (the Cuba Missile Crisis being a rare exception).

Keep your head down Michael!

Cheers Rich

China has been purchasing traditional war commodities like crazy since 2001 right after Bush made it clear that the U.S. will defend Taiwan militarily. One one hand, China is preparing an all-out extended ugly war, on the other, China is playing economy/financial card with the U.S. China is quitely building a strategic oil reserve for the invasion too.

Wow - this whole things sounds like an incredible situation. The whole country must be crazy with speculation about what happened. Thank god in
this country we rig elections through the court system. Quiet, clean and
all within the bounds of the law.

Intrigue and conspiracy are no strangers to politics in that area of the world. The PRC faces two huge obstacle should it decide to "stabilize" the situation and take Taiwan back under its wing. The upcoming Olympic games represent a huge investment for the ruling elite, and any heavy-handed treatment of Taiwan might result in their cancellation, and the subsequent dishonor/loss of face.

Second, Taiwan is one of the linchpins for the world's high-tech infrastructure. A blocade or invasion that disrupts the flow of computer products or causes a mass exodus of technicians and scientists would be at best a pyrrhic victory.

I believe the party leaders will eventually make their move to secure resources and ensure security for the PRC, but when they do, it will involve far more than the island of Taiwan.

the chinese president Hu Jintao told bush in his last year's state visit to washington that china is determined to be involved if taiwan wants its independence, even if that means losing hosting 2008 game and ruins to its economy successes for the past 20 years.

Hu Jintao is a puppet -- he is simply a well-dressed, non-threatening face for western audiences. His meeting with Bush was little more than a photo-op, and IMO any statements he made then are of little consequence.

The real power is wielded behind the scenes by the military and party elites who profit from the current economic boom. It would be ultimately foolish for them to throw away their gains over a small issue like Taiwan. Of course they will use Taiwan's threatened independence as necessary to inflame nationalism and divert public attention from other issues.

>

This miscalculation can be deadly. Taiwan's not only THE issue but also the ONLY issue that China views in its strategy. The late paramount leader Den Xiaoping designed a 50-year-plan to unify the mainland with Taiwan. The plan calls for integration of US and China economy, and even tighter economy intergration between Taiwan and China. The plan also calls for peaceful unification but also prepares for all-out militray actions against independence and any foreign militray involvement (namely, us/japnese militray).