CNN now sued for $1.3 billion - $1 per person in China

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese primary school teacher and a beautician have filed a suit against CNN in New York over remarks they say insulted the Chinese people and are seeking $1.3 billion in compensation -- $1 per person in China, a Hong Kong newspaper reported.

The case against the Atlanta-based cable channel, its parent company Turner Broadcasting and Jack Cafferty, the offending commentator, comes after 14 lawyers launched a similar suit in Beijing alleging that Cafferty's remarks earlier this month violated the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people.

Cafferty said the United States imported Chinese-made "junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food" and added: "They're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."

CNN said Cafferty was expressing an opinion about the Chinese government, but the Foreign Ministry demanded an apology and accused the network of trying to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and leadership.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080424/tv_nm/china_cnn_dc_6

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Fuck them. The slave labor government that allows its industry to poison our kids and pets can go to Hell!

Jack was Right!

[Blue_Tires]

1. their sensibilities are only worth a buck per man?

that's kinda cheap...

[saigon68]

10. Apparently the "Truth of the Statement" does not matter

They are goons and gangsters

[aquart]

13. They're people.

With pride in their identity. Try starting with that point of view.

[nolabels]

20. Pride and identity is the first and foremost thing totalitarian states try to snuff out

That should be only obvious if you have been watching how the US population has turned inside and started attacking itself. Mostly a population will start to self-police itself if the police themselves are enough of a obnoxious threat. The idea of goons and thugs goes back to the dawn of time and is not been lost when it comes to who helps a government to run.

This is not a ideal of racial identity, it's a matter of characterizing how the management runs the shop

[NinetySix]

21. THEY are people?

To whom are you referring? The Han people? Of course they are; that's patently obvious.

The repressive, authoritarian Government of China? Yes, they're people too. Thuggish, goonish people who repress their own countrymen without regard to their sensibilities.

How much do you suppose the Chinese Government should pay out to compensate the Chinese people for the 50 years of repression, atrocities, and deprivation of liberty that they're responsible for?

[aquart]

26. So oppressed people have no right to identity or pride?

Considering our government, we have no right to call out anyone else's.

But I was referring simply to the people who brought the lawsuit. Who were being "gooked." Like Hillary supporters on DU.

[nolabels]

30. In the US we have as much right to call out other governments as we have for our own

In the US being an individual is not the same a being identified as part of a system (at least from my 49yrs of observation of the place).

May also suggest you might be getting an inordinate amount of your information from corporations and the M$M media they own. Anybody that has traveled the world knows that the government that occupies the country often isn't actually a real reflection of the people who are part of the population.

[saigon68]

41. our government, we have no right to call out anyone else's.

No but we can BOMB the Fuck out of them

[AlphaCentauri]

49. it all depends of what you call Liberty

for many poverty is a prison but for others is a sign of freedom, for poor people not able to pay a doctor visit is a prison for others is free market. Living with a credit card may be called freedom paying the credit card debt may be a prison.

[acmavm]

24. Okay, they have pride in their identity.

Moving on, they're out to take over as the world's leader in trade and they don't give a rat's ass if they have to poison everyone else do to it.

[aquart]

27. So. No individuals, just one amorphous lump all thinking one thing.

What a totalitarian viewpoint.

[acmavm]

39. Yep. They're out in the streets pitching a fit because we took

umbrage to their government's despotic treatment of a sovereign nation.

Hell, let's have 'em over for a barbecue and a sleepover.

[roguevalley]

35. they are pretty ridiculous to believe that they can win. I guess they

will never get free speech.

[Art_from_Ark]

51. So if anyone on TV in a foreign country starts insulting Americans

I can join a class action suit and sue them? All RIGHT!

But I'm going to want more than a buck for my hurt pride!

[Richardo]

2. Jack Cafferty rules

:patriot:

[sandnsea]

3. It's OUR corporations for chrissake

If our corporations didn't build their plants there, China wouldn't be building the toys. If our corporations insisted on legislation to outlaw lead, China would do it to keep the plants. If China enacts the same kind of consumer protection laws as the US has, OUR corporations will just move the plants to another country - or create a country out of the ashes of some civil war.

[onehandle]

4. So China should never reform?

okay...

Anyway, I'm against America doing business with China at all.

[Sequoia]

17. You hit the nail on the head.

Come on, if these USA corporations could get by with what they do in China, well, they wouldn't be allowed to put those toys and pet food on the market. No, we have to blame China by calling them goons and thugs. Good lord, the USA has been goons and thugs since the 7th Calvery. If the Chinese are the bad guys then why did that one toy maker commit sucicide because of losing face? Blame the Chinese, blame the Muslims, blame the immigrant aliens. Jack's just a big ole whiney baby.

[f the letter]

36. Good point n/t

[mainegreen]

5. Who gets the money if they win?

I bet they wont give it to every person in China.

What tools.

[onehandle]

7. Chairman M... Make that, Chief Executive Officer Mao. nt

[truebrit71]

6. Jack is RIGHT!

...

[MidwestTransplant]

8. Lets see if CNN capitulates.

Cans Cafferty or makes official apology.

[madrchsod]

19. cnn has apologized,,,jack has`t

[Blaze Diem]

9. China will settle for ownership of CNN...

Pardon me but I'm a little 'insulted' at China's poisoning our pets & human consumers, can I file a freakin lawsuit?

Imagine CNN run by China?

Dude,where's my country?

[OregonBlue]

11. Nothing wrong with his statement since it is TRUE!! I can't believe this

government is so in bed with the Chinese. The Chinese look out for the Chinese, no one else. They are not our friends and if push comes to shove they will have no problem throwing us over the cliff. I deal with them a lot in Asia and they are sharp, smart and ruthless.

[mitchum]

16. The curious and close 40 year relationship that the bush family...

shares with the Chinese government probably has a lot to do with why "this government is so in bed with the Chinese"
Apparently, the bushes have a genetic predisposition for treason

[GOPNotForMe]

12. Geez, they crazy.

[AngryOldDem]

14. Opinion, based on fact, I might add.

Sometimes Jack can be a little over the top. Other times, he's spot on.

[Norrin Radd]

15. Class action libel? Silly.

[orleans]

18. this is really funny. almost sounds like an onion article.

so...if we talk about all the crap china exports, all the poison they're sending us in the form of food/toys/pet food--we're gonna get sued? please.

apparently the chinese people love their government far more than we love our fucking gop

(can you imagine if we decided to sue other countries every time they said something negative about the bush regime? what a joke. we'd all be fucking rich!)

[nolabels]

25. If they were suing individuals for dissing the * regime then my guess would be........

that most people posting here would be going to soup kitchens for dinner :-)

[Zynx]

22. In China bullying the press is par for the course.

This lawsuit is ridiculous.

[snooper2]

23. The numbers stated are wrong...

it should be .99cents to the ruling class/government/business owners..

.01 cent to the rest of the people...

[Barrett808]

28. So we can talk about how "Saddam killed his own people," but we can't discuss the laogai?

Nuts.

:crazy:

[AlphaCentauri]

50. well we can't commemorate the Haymarket massacre either

[OhioChick]

29. Tough Shit....

China needs to get over it.

[Indenturedebtor]

31. It's our companies and the Chinese Govt that are at fault

Not the Chinese people. And the Chinese people have no place to sue. This is rediculous. Cafferty's comments were rediculous.

[brentspeak]

32. You gotta be kidding me...

Screw China.

[Flagg]

33. Imagine if the French sued for $64. millions everytime they were being insulted in the media

We'd be the richest country on earth.

[jjr5]

34. However,

I do feel that people in America unreasonably jump to conclusions about China and the Chinese people, using the word "communist" much like the word "fire" to scare people. I mean, looking at what Cafferty said from reading this post, although they shouldn't sue CNN, I can see how people would be offended at being called "a bunch of goons and thugs." Even if the comment was directed towards the Chinese government, it may have been misinterpreted to mean Chinese laborers or generally members of that country.

[onehandle]

42. And CNN apologized and explained that.

As for them being Communists, I rarely think that way about them.

They're militaristic capitalists. A constant threat to the world, their own people, and the peoples in territories they've enslaved in the name of money. Pretty sure we can call them fascists.

[High Plains]

48. "You talking about me?" said Uncle Sam.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

[onehandle]

52. Somewhat different.

Nobody's pointing a gun at us and saying "serve the state or die."

Not exactly like that anyway. And we do have some regulations. They haven't been enforced for the last, let's say almost eight years, but as of next January I expect that will change somewhat.

As for being a threat, I hope that will change somewhat in January as well.

[ohio2007]

37. school teacher and a beautician are chasing the american "get rich quick" dream

Like they are really gonna cut a billion $1 checks..... LOL
good luck with that one

[angrycarpenter]

38. Can we sue fox news for the crap they have said about liberals?

They have made us out to be the worst group of people ever and ruined our good name, I want a jet-ski.

[The Call Up]

40. OK, but only if they agree to lend it back to the US

to pay for another few hours in Iraq.

[DS1]

43. fucking wankers

[ckramer]

44. Most of the replies above displayed fervent nationalism

Unfortunately most democrats can not avoid falling into that hole.

Do we have to find something to hate?

And another thing, Americans could never understand that in China, people don't need to worry about wasting hundreds of millions of dollar to find a new president every four years like crazy. They pray for good leadership. Sometimes they got it, sometimes they don't.

Sometimes I wonder about our election cycle.

Is it a blessing or a curse?

[Doctor_J]

45. This sucks, though it would be great if ConNN were put out of business

[Mimosa]

46. Anybody remember Tibet? Chinese Re-education camps?

If anybody can equate today's America with China's thuggish imperialism.....they might be a little bit right. After all china is our banker, our partner in trade.

And the way they robbed Tibet from the people and looted the whole country is sort of like what the U.S. did to the Native Americans in the 19th century. This part Native American doesn't sympathise with that.

However, today is today. The Chinese are playing to win no matter who they hurt. Has anybody ever read their inside bestsellers? No I didn't think so.

I have one major question, though. Under what set of laws, under what jurisdiction can citizens of a foreign country sue a media entity in any other sovereign nation? I thought the Chinese were supposed to be really clever Orientals. ~LOL~

[High Plains]

47. Long live nationalism!! We're right, they're wrong.

[Ganja Ninja]

53. Great! Let the trial begin.

Let's hear the evidence for and against.