While Sonagi documents the Chinese blogosphere's living in denial on the pro-China violence (yes, Virginia, there are more than one source for tapping in to the pulse of the Chinese blogosphere and yes, Virginia, you could also read the comments at the Peking Panda to get a sense of the level of delusion among pro-panda students), the Marmot discusses the prospects that the students were all organised by the Chinese embassy.

As I mentioned in that thread, in the US the focus is the Chinese Student and Scholars Association, which gets mentioned on one line with no explanation on who they are in the NY Times article on Chinese students. First, the CSSA is not the mainstream Chinese students association on any American campus. Where the CSSA exists, it exists as a secondary association with strong ties to the mainland rather than the mainstream Chinese student associations, which incorporate Chinese-Americans and all other non-mainland overseas Chinese. The strong sense of autarky from the CSSA does lead to questions about funding and guidance.

But the real question of guidance is where does the sense that violence against minority opposition is good come from? Not to be seen on those self-proclaimed top Chinese blogs, especially ones dealing with law in China, you'll have to turn to CDT and the mainstream corporate press to report on the violence against lawyers defending the rights of minorities against the state. Justice for rights guaranteed under the Chinese Constitution? It's the state implementing beat, smash, and loot via the paramilitary police and kangaroo courts.

One fine fall afternoon last year, Li Heping was making his way towards a newspaper kiosk not far from his office when a man approached, grabbed him by the arm and said sternly, “Come with me.”

“I said, `I don’t even know who you are’,” Li recalls. “But he said, `If your name is Li Heping, you’d better come with me.’”

In a matter of seconds, Li had a cloth sack pulled over his head, he was wrestled into a car and driven to the outskirts of town where he was brought down into a basement and beaten.

Li is a lawyer – a partner in the respected Beijing Globe Law Firm.

He’s among a select group of lawyers in China who dare to take on politically sensitive cases.

And so the CCP teaches their students at home and abroad, the best way to protect your privileges and profits is to co-opt those willing to sell their souls and beat and smash in to submission the minority opposition unwilling to sell out for a little fame and fortune.