8 December 2010:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this resolution as I do not believe it is our place, as Members of the US Congress, to dictate internal policy to the Chinese government. Obviously, as an advocate of minimal government and personal liberty, I do not support imprisoning individuals for their political views and believe that anyone held anywhere for merely holding unpopular views – including anyone held in the United States – should be released. I do object to the meddling in this bill which falsely advertises itself as a non-controversial expression of congratulations to a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

As one who believes strongly in national sovereignty and is opposed to the idea of a world governmental authority, I particularly object to the sentiment expressed in this bill that “violations of human rights in general…are matters of legitimate concern to other governments.” This idea is the recipe for abominations such as the “humanitarian” bombing of Serbia in 1999 and is used by those who wish to maintain the current disastrous occupation of Afghanistan. As we can see from interventions such as the US attack on Iraq, which was at least partly sold as a humanitarian-inspired overthrow of a dictator, sometimes the “cure” is worse than the disease particularly when one calculates the number dead from the intervention and the number actually killed by the regime being replaced.

I find it ironic that, at a time when the US government is desperately attempting to censor the publication of sensitive leaked information that it considers embarrassing and is demonizing and calling for the prosecution or worse of the publisher of that information, Julian Assange, this resolution “calls on the Government of China to cease censoring media and Internet reporting of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo and to cease its campaign of defamation against Liu Xiaobo.”

In the interest of a non-interventionist US foreign policy I must therefore oppose this resolution and will continue to oppose any meddling in the domestic affairs of foreign countries.