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Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, age 54, a Hong Kong politician, was released from jail on Aug. 13. He was arrested in September 2021 for incitement and participation in an unauthorized 2020 June 4th assembly.

Tsoi was the former vice-chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which was a pro-democracy organization formed on May 21, 1989, in the then British colonial era of Hong Kong. It was formed at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Beijing.

The Alliance was disbanded by September 2021. The then chairperson Lee Cheuk-can, vice chairperson Chow Hing-tung, and Ho Chun-yan were arrested in September 2021 for inciting subversion of state power under the Hong Kong national security law.

Tsoi served as a member of the Alliance since 2004 when he was studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and assisted the Student Union in supporting the 89 Democracy Movement. He then resigned together with half of the members for safety reasons in July 2021.

A month later, the National Security Department of Hong Kong Force accused the Alliance of collusion with foreign forces and asked for the submission of documents. The Alliance rejected the police request, saying that the charge of being a foreign agent had not been explained and had no legal basis.

Around 10:00 a.m. on Aug. 13, several democratic friends were present with flowers to greet Tsoi in Tung Chung, including Leung Kam-wai, a member of the Alliance, Lo Kin-hei, chairperson of the Democratic Party, democratic member Emily Lau Wai-hing, Cheun Man-kong, Kelvin Sin Cheuk-nam, and Leung Yiu-chung.

Tsoi said he could not have the annual candlelight vigil for June 4 Massacre in Victoria park while he was in jail. Still, he observed a moment of silence and sang songs of the Democracy Movement: Flower of Freedom and Democracy will Triumph and Return.

He said there are lots of difficulties nowadays in Hong Kong, and the city has experienced significant changes in recent years, but he believed Hongkongers would never forget why they started their mission, and he is confident that it can be accomplished.

Tsoi told the media that he was working pasting envelopes in prison. He did some exciting reading. He lost six kilograms and was now able to do 100 push-ups. In prison, he has been learning about the current affairs of Hong Kong through newspapers and radio.

He says the days were hard in prison, with severe cold and hot weather, and he felt very miserable. The condition of the environment and facilities in the jail need to improve, he believed that it is already a punishment to be locked up, and there should not be other inappropriate treatment.

Though the local and the world situation is becoming more and more complicated, he still believes the democracy will return from victory.

Tsoi has no intention to leave Hong Kong and will devote time to work and focus on local peoples livelihood and grassroots issues, especially on the rights and interests of prisoners.

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Originally posted here:
Democratic Member Richard Tsoi Released From Prison, Believes Democracy Will Return - The Epoch Times

Published: 8/15/2022 7:03:30 AM

Modified: 8/15/2022 7:00:02 AM

I write in response to Daniel Leclairs letter (Monitor, 8/7) Why the common good is bad. Mr. Leclair equates the common good with collectivism, Communism and Socialism, summoning Cold War bogeymen to attack a high ideal. Proponents of the common good are not the enemy, nor do they lead to more division and hate. Lets start with President Woodrow Wilson: There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed. That certainly includes our military, teachers, police, firefighters, and health care workers, all of whom work tirelessly for the common good.

Then theres Saul Alinsky: People cannot be free unless they are willing to sacrifice some of their interests to guarantee the freedom of others. The price of democracy is the ongoing pursuit of the common good by all the people. People who got immunized and wore masks to protect themselves and others from COVID are to be praised for supporting the common good. Its estimated that 20-30% of Americas one million COVID deaths couldve been prevented if the common good had been prioritized over individual freedom. When people advocate for national action on climate change and back that up by making personal sacrifices to reduce their carbon footprint, theyre serving the common good, including for generations to come. As an independent voter, I salute the Democratic Partys commitment to the common good and wonder why the Republican Party demonstrates such a consistent lack of compassion.

Allan MacDonald

New London

Continue reading here:
Letter: Choose democracy and the common good - Concord Monitor

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TheGrio owner Byron Allen attacked the lack of diversity in media ownership as stifling "true democracy" while appearing on CNNs "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.

The Black media owner appeared a few weeks after it was announced that his company was acquiring the Black News Channel. Now rebranded as a section of TheGrio, the channel will mark a way to expand Black media, Allen claimed.

"We want it to be more inclusive. I never thought it was a good idea - a Black News Channel. I dont think we need the Black News Channel. I think we need a good news channel, a terrific news channel like yours. So the network is going to be a lot more inclusive. It will be far more focused on lifestyle, entertainment, news and sports," Allen said.

Host Brian Stelter quickly pointed out the unique position Allen is in as a Black media company owner.

The CNN building in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images)

RNCS PARIS DENNARD: LIBERAL MEDIA THREATENED BY BLACK, MINORITY REPUBLICANS

"Talking about learning, what have you learned over the years in the media industry which is, lets be frank, mostly White male-controlled media industry, all the media titans. You have been buying up properties. What have you learned over the years doing so?" Stelter asked.

"We dont have enough diversity in ownership. We dont have a real democracy until people really own these assets. Women dont own these networks and they dont control their image and their likeness and how theyre produced and depicted. Asian people are pretty much nonexistent in the media landscape in terms of how were depicting them and seeing the Spanish networks owned by people who dont even speak Spanish and gay people dont own their networks as well as African Americans," Allen answered.

He reiterated, "We need to own our networks, control the narrative, control how were produced and depicted and seen around the world. Until all of our voices are heard, then we dont have a true democracy."

TheGrio owner Byron Allen appeared on CNN's "Reliable Sources" (CNN)

MSNBCS TIFFANY CROSS SLAMS MAINSTREAM MEDIA OPTIMISM ON ECONOMY, AINT DOING BETTER FOR MINORITIES

Black media pundits have appeared to agree with Allens sentiment. MSNBC host Tiffany Cross called out fellow mainstream media members for failing to properly relate to a minority audience.

"A part of the challenges I have in the mainstream media, and you hear things like, Oh the economy is doing better. And for many of us, the economy is not the stock market. It aint doing better for us," Cross said on Saturday.

Brian Stelter has a long history of skipping the most talked-about stories regarding the mainstream media.

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She added, "And so when you have these conversations, it sometimes feels like such a disconnect between us and the community, we feel left out of the conversation."

Fox News Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

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Black media owner: We won't have true democracy until there's enough diversity in ownership' of media - Fox News

Oklahomas ballot initiative process is making headlines.

After Kansas voters decided to protect the states constitutional right to abortion care earlier this month, reporter Carmen Forman of The Oklahoman published an article about the possibility of a similar question appearing on the ballot in Oklahoma.

Last week my colleague Paul Monies wrote about the state hiring an outside contractor to count and verify ballot initiative signatures.

From criminal justice reform to Medicaid expansion, Oklahoma voters have approved significant policy changes through citizen-led initiatives. But the path to ballot can be anything but easy.

Heres a brief primer on how citizen initiatives make the ballot in Oklahoma.

Who can start an initiative petition?

Citizen-led initiatives require at least three primary sponsors. To start the process, the group must notify the Secretary of States office of their intent to file a draft petition.

Required documents include a fiscal review and an explanation of the measure. Once this paperwork is submitted, the Secretary of State reviews the initiatives language and forwards it to the Attorney Generals office for further review. The attorney general may interpret language as difficult to understand, misleading or biased and propose revisions.

After the petition number has been publicized, theres a 10-business-day window where citizens may challenge the constitutionality of the initiative.

When can organizers begin collecting signatures? How many signatures are required?

Within 30 days of the resolution of all legal challenges, the Secretary of States office must set a date allowing the collection of signatures to begin. Organizers then have 90 days to collect the necessary number of signatures.

The required total varies based on the type of ballot initiative. Heres a breakdown:

Once signatures are verified, how long does it take an initiative to reach the ballot?

It varies. While theres no deadline for signatures to be counted, they have historically been counted and verified 3 to 4 weeks after submission. Legal challenges may arise even after the votes have been counted.

Amber England, who ran the successful Medicaid expansion initiative in 2020, told Oklahoma Watch earlier this month that the initiative process has many opportunities for opponents to stall or challenge the effort.

Once the votes have been counted and all litigation has been resolved, the Secretary of States office notifies the governor, who issues an election proclamation. The state election board must receive this notice at least 70 days before the next election in order for the initiative to appear on the ballot.

How does Oklahomas process compare to other states?

Oklahoma is one of 28 states that allow citizens to initiate legislation. Of these states, Oklahomas requirements to get a question on the ballot are among the most stringent, according to the non-partisan Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California.

For example, Arkansas requires signatures equal to 10% of votes cast in the governors race to get on the ballot. In North Dakota, petition organizers must collect signatures equal to 4% of the states population.

Have democracy-related questions or thoughts? Send me a DM on Twitter or email me at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.

See more here:
Democracy Watch: How Cumbersome is Oklahoma's Ballot Initiative Process? - Oklahoma Watch

President Biden is set to sign a sweeping $739 billion bill to address the climate crisis, reduce drug costs and establish a 15% minimum tax for large corporations. On Friday, the House passed the Inflation Reduction Act on a party-line vote of 220 to 207. No Republicans supported the legislation. The White House released a video of Biden praising the bill.

President Joe Biden: The American people are going to see lower prescription drug prices, lower healthcare costs and lower energy costs. And big corporations are finally going to start to pay their fair share. Those that are paying $0 in federal income tax will now have to pay a minimum tax. And America is going to take the most aggressive action weve ever taken in confronting the climate crisis and strengthening the energy security of America, and the world, quite frankly.

Despite Bidens high praise, many climate groups criticize the package for including major handouts to the fossil fuel industry, which were added to win the support of conservative Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who is the largest recipient of fossil fuel industry donations in Congress. The Center for Biological Diversity described the bill as a climate suicide pact.

More here:
House Passes Sweeping $739 Billion Climate, Healthcare and Tax Bill - Democracy Now!