It's a sad day for Taiwan when someone like Shih Ming-teh (施明德) -- a man who sacrificed 25 years of his life for the cause of democracy -- sacrifices his dignity to become a tool of the pan-blue camp and their media hounds.
His "1 million people to topple A-Bian" campaign is not just plain ridiculous, but also undemocratic, something you would think Shih would understand more than most.
So what if 1 million people contribute to his campaign? By my calculations, that comes out to only about 4.5 percent of the population. Is this really enough to force a head of state to step down?
If the support of only 5 percent of a country's citizens was needed to depose a president, then I am sure US President George W. Bush would have been kicked out of office long ago, as almost 50 percent of Americans cannot stand the guy.
You really have to ask what the real reasons are that would make someone like Shih sell himself out. Does the China Times or some other pan-blue comic have pictures of him in compromising positions with Sisy Chen (陳文茜)?
OK, so the president's men have proved the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely," but would things get any better if Chen resigned?
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) might have a clean image, but the rest of the KMT still remains rotten to the core.
And anybody who believes any differently is just fooling themselves.
Henry Blackhand
Taipei
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