Lie, Create doubt, Create confusion: Shaolin Propaganda War
I pulled this off Russbo.com. It is basically a rebuttal of Hemming’s statements and casts douubt on the validity of the statements attributed to Shi De Yang by Heming.
One thing Mr. Gray is correct about is the operating methodology of the chinese government.
Given that you need to have rigorous standards of inspection of any spokesman originating for chinese sources and some kind of means of cross-checking.
Dear ------,
I do not know who He Ming is, but he must be a student at one of the local martial arts schools in the area of the Shaolin Temple. His comment
that he showed the article I wrote to Shi De Yang may, or may not, be true.
I have no way yet of verifying his statement, but I am working on it. I called my contacts today, and they assured me that Shi De Yang is safe, and
apparently back at Shaolin.
I should explain to you something of the political game that is played by the government of China. In order to keep Shi De Yang from being imprisoned at the hand of Yong Xin, it was necessary to let the government know that we
are watching. Thus, the article and my efforts with both the Chinese Embassy in Washington and high level officials at the American Embassy in
Beijing. My contacts at the American Embassy assured me that, when they want to protect a human rights victim, they let the government know that they are concerned about that person, and it helps provide a type of insurance against sudden imprisonment or death. I hope you can understand
this with regards to Shi De Yang.
The fact that He Ming says what he says can be interpreted several ways.
One would be that he is simply telling the truth, and that his remarks should be taken at face value. But, I have learned that, when dealing with the Communist Party in China, nothing is ever as simple as it seems, and propaganda is a valued and constantly used tool. So, I cannot simply take He Ming’s statement at face value. From my experience with the Chinese
government, lying is normal and is preferred if it achieves the end goal. I would like to think that He Ming is some innocent person who is questioning my intent with the recently published article, and is too youg to understand
the political battle that is going on at the Shaolin Temple, vis-a-vis Shi De Yang and Yong Xin. But, I also know that Yong Xin does not care for anyone unless they are donating large sums of money to the temple. I was offered an opportunity to donate a large sum to one of Yong Xin’s projects, which was the erection of a large bell. If I gave this sum, I would get to personally ring that bell each time I visited. I declined. The amount that was being requested was many times beyond the actual cost of producing the
bell, an exhorbitant amount, and I was not the only person being hit up for money. Knowing how corrupt Yong Xin is, and he is not a genuine Buddhist monk, that is a charade, I wonder what He Ming has to gain by his statements?
Finally, I do know Shi De Yang, but I am not going to state this publicly for the simple reason that, if he is indeed back at the temple, and if he has made such statements minimizing his knowledge of me, then he must be doing so to protect himself in a pool of sharks. Knowing what I know of the government there, not to mention the intense corruption, I must bow to whatever he currently needs to survive. This does not hurt my feelings. I know the truth, and all that matters here is the safety of Shi De Yang.
When all of this has settled and he is safe, then, we can resume normalcy. I hope you can understand this. I am not going to make things difficult for Shi De Yang just to satisfy the curiosity of people who want me to “prove”
things for them. I am not concerned about their need for “proof.” The greater good right now is protecting Shi De Yang.
I sent a copy of He Ming’s letter to my Shaolin contacts. I apologize for the secrecy, but I assure you, it is necessary. I am untouchable,
because I am an American citizen, but these guys are at the mercy of corruption such as you cannot imagine. My friends are going to get back to
me on who He Ming is and what his role in all of this is.
I do appreciate your continued interest and support in helping to make the situation at the Shaolin Temple a healthy one. The battle is far from over, and it will not be as easy as some would wish, but if we don’t do it,
who will?
Best Wishes,
Brian Gray
“Without water there would be no fish”