Despite the title this is not an anti-American post per se but rather a warning how your country is being taken from you by well-connected elites whose wealth are more tied to other countries than your own. When I was thinking up this post I considered writing it under a pseudonym--John Conner, the LA Police Capt who was a die hard Nippon-phile in the movie Rising Sun and based on the book of the same name. But since I am putting out the charge of cowardice along with greed and treason, would be some what duplicitous of me to charge one while I am doing basically the same. Akagi is not a pseudonym for me, but my nom de guerre and thus this name is not unknown to a number of people, but if there is to be retaliation, so be it.

There are many parallels between this movie (which is different from the book and much less one-sided) and what I plan to describe--a foreign government that wants to influence the workings of the US and US officials who are far too willing to do just that for something in return. In my view there are three types of traitors. The highest sort and one which in my view with the most honor is the ideological traitor--he shares an ideological bond to the country he aides against the country he is supposed to be loyal to--I can understand this feeling. The next is one that does so out of spite--not that he shares a common vision with the other country, but simply hates his host country or its government or its polices and wishes to see it harmed for this reason, I can understand this as well--hate is a powerful emotion. What I can't understand is the next form--doing it for simply greed--selling out your country for a few pieces of silver. How crass, how vulgar?

The story I am weaving involves those of the lesser sort--who sell out their country and its interests for greed, for money. I had planned to write on US relations with Taiwan, but events have overtaken me and I'll let this remain for another time.

The United States like many other countries contain three sections in the economy--the public sector, the private sector and then the non-profit sector. These non-profits engage in a number of activities: law, education, medicine, religious, and foreign affairs. Some well known ones would include the Council of Foreign Relations (one of the shadowy agents of the New World Order) many on TH talk about when they talk about the NAFTA highway and the NAU and the black helicopters they heard the night before and the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA). These bodies often invite former and even current officials to discuss various topics and here is where our strange story will begin.

There is this one non-profit that puts on various programs dealing with various topics of concerning international relations this includes conferences featuring former high level government officials. The name of the non-profit is not important. Its influence is minor and few people even know of its existence--but government officials and selling of their influence is important.

Putting on events aren't cheap and this one was no exception and as such they send out letters to people and organizations that give or have given in the past. In Taiwan, the foreign relations officially are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) or Wai Jiao Bu and since so few countries recognize us, most representation in other countries are done by "private" bodies so that the other country can claim it has no relations with us. The US example, since 1979, has been represented in Taiwan by the American Institute in Taiwan (mei guo zai tai xie hui). In the US, representation came through the Coordinating Council for North American Affairs. The name so obscure there was no way anyone could guess it had anything to do with Taiwan, during the Clinton Administration, Taiwan was allowed to change the name to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (Zhu Tai Bei Mei Guo Jing Ji Wen Hua Dai Biao Chu) known as TECRO in DC which serves as the de facto embassy and various Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices in various cities in the US such as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami (Zhu Mai A Mi Tai Bei Jing Jin Wen Hua Ban Shi Chu) known as TECO which serve as de facto consulates. The de facto Ambassador being Wu Jaushieh who was once the Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan (MAC) and known as representative and who I have also met while in Taiwan in 2005. The various de facto consul generals are known as director generals. Just like AIT which is funded by the State Department and staffed by the State Department, TECRO and the TECOs are funded by the MOFA--even if AIT and TECRO/TECO pretend to be unofficial bodies, they are in reality not.