Congratulations to the people down under, who have woken up to how to handle China. Beijing is aggressively trying to lock up the world's natural resources, from oil to copper, by directly buying oil and mining companies. But in Australia this week there was a backlash. Poliicians and corporations eager to cash in on China's deals were dealt a setback as public opinion soured on China, forcing the Australian government to back off its support for a $19.5 billion dollar deal to buy a major Australian mining conglomerate. This economic nationalism is a new political force and may save Australia's future.

Where does China get the money to make such deals? From you, the American consumer. Every time you buy something made in China you make the oppressive Beijing regime stronger. We shopped for a birthday gift yesterday at Pier 1 and were happy to find many choices from India, Morocco, the Philippines, scattered among other imports from China. So if you make conscious choices you can avoid sending cash to Beijing. 

Then we shopped for a gift bag in the Hallmark aisle of Long's Drugs at Lake Tahoe. EVERY bag was made in China and so were the greeting cards. Hallmark is in bed with the communist government of China, and if you want to see a free Tibet, scratch Hallmark off your shopping list! Also, contact Hallmark via email to tell them why you aren't buying their goods. We did find a roll of Hallmark gift wrap made in the USA so we bought that. 

In everyday life, you have chances all day long to send a message to China by spending your cash on products made elsewhere. It may not be a headline-grabber like Australia's action this week, but if millions of us change our purchasing habits, together can deprive China of billions of foreign exchange earnings. The goal is a democratic China and a free Tibet and the way to get there is through economis pressure on China's communist elite.