Welcome to the first edition of Panda Punchers, my opportunity to post my favorite inane China bashing quotes of the week. With the Olympics and a U.S. presidential election coming in 2008, and in the face of financial turmoil, expect the rhetoric to reach the heights of idiocy. Enjoy, and feel free to send me your personal favorite quotes from batshit reactionaries.

1. U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-nutjob), speaking about the 3Com/Huawei deal:

In the realm of national security, the equivalent of cognitive dissonance is properly termed “communist dissonance.” This occurs when the global sophisticates inhabiting America’s business and political elites refuse to recognize facts contradicting their belief communist China is our friend.

2. John Derbyshire, columnist for National Review Online, suggested some new Olympic events for 2008. Most of these (e.g. the “400-Fetus Relay”) are way too tasteless for reproduction, but here is one example of what a sick puppy this guy is:

Electric Hurdles. Middle-aged women who have been seen practicing meditation are driven over a 110-meter hurdles course with the aid of electric cattle prods, the hurdles wrapped with electrified barbed wire.

3. Kathryn Jean Lopez, another mentally challenged inmate at the National Review:

Is it me or does the Olympic logo look like a Chinese citizen running for his freedom from red China?

4. Craig Tripp, a participant at a recent political rally in Pennsylvania:

“Everything is falling apart,” Tripp said. “There’s no manufacturing here any more. We’re paying $20 billion a month in trade from China — that can’t be sustained. We could be making those goods in the United States.”

No, Craig, actually “we” can’t.

5. Dad29, a U.S. blogger who proudly displays a “Bloggers Against Red China” banner on his site and brings us this bit of paranoid delusion:

The ease with which the Chinese are now able to flood our market with substandard and highly dangerous consumer and food products gives rise to the question — how hard would it be to use the current import system to introduce harmful elements into the food supply as an asymmetrical warfare technique?

Coming Attractions:

The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission has come out with its annual report. I’m planning on reading it over the weekend and making a note every time I see unabashed, paranoid xenophobia. (I’m bringing an extra pen home with me.)

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