屎虼螂的颂歌（中英文）
Sing in Praise of Dung Beetles (in Chinese & English)

陈凯 著 By Kai Chen Written 4/2/2007, Reprint 9/20/2011
www.kaichenblog.blogspot.com

Translation into English by Kai Chen 12/28/2010

农夫们将自己一生的积蓄带到市场上去购货。 他们想买一件东西来证实他们一生的价值。

Peasants brought their life savings to the market, wanting to purchase one thing that could demonstrate to the world their lives’ worth.

市场上卖货的人很多。 他们有不同种族的人们，有不同宗教的人们，有不同文化的人们、、。 他们的货也是多种多样的，五颜六色，五花八门。 农夫们看花了眼，搞不清哪件货值得他们一生的积蓄。 于是农夫们就将注意力集中在卖货人的身上。

There were many merchants selling their merchandise on the market. All of them were from different places and of different races, cultures and religions. Their goods also reflected this diversity. They were colorful and full of varieties. The peasants had never seen so many goods and they were very excited yet confused and fearful, not knowing what to buy to prove their lives’ worth.

最后农夫们决定只从那个长的与他们相近的商人那里买货。 但那个商人的货都是放在一个个四四方方的彩色盒子里的。 谁也看不到盒子里究竟是什么。 商人卖货的唯一条件是买货的人只能在回家以后才能将盒子打开。 商人并让农夫们许诺绝不退货。

After a tortuous hesitation and a long debate, the peasants decided to buy only from those who looked like themselves with similar racial, ethnic and cultural background. However, all such merchants’ goods were packaged in colorful square boxes and no one knew what was in them. The merchants had two conditions for all buyers of their goods: First, those who buy their goods must go home before they open their packages. Second, the buyers can never return the goods for refund.

农夫们想要知道盒子里到底装了什么，但又不愿从与他们长相不同的商人们哪里买货，即使那些商人们的货品是公开让顾客察看检验的。 农夫们最终决定用他们一生的积蓄去买那些装在盒子里，不能看，不能摸的货。 每一个农夫都将自己一生的积蓄买了一个盒子回家。

All the peasants wanted to know what was in those colorful boxes. They felt uncertain about buying from the merchants with such conditions. Yet they were much more unwilling to purchase anything from other merchants of different looks and backgrounds, even those merchants’ goods were open in the plain sight and everyone was allowed to examine them carefully before they bought them. Overwhelmed by their fear of differences, the peasants finally decided to spend their life savings on those colorful boxes from the merchants of similar looks and backgrounds. Every one of the peasants bought a colorful box and went home.

当他们回家打开盒子一看的时候，发现盒子里有一个用极为精巧的包装展现的棕色的圆球。 它是潮湿的，拳头大小，有些尚没消化的草叶从中滋出。 一种农夫们非常熟悉的气味从中弥漫出来。 农夫们觉得非常困惑，不知如何鉴定。 只是当他们的孩子们看到后叫出来“驴粪蛋”的时候，他们才恍然大悟。

After they returned home, they eagerly opened the boxes. They discovered inside the box there was an exquisitely packaged brown ball. The brown fist-sized ball was moist with some undigested grass sticking out from its surface. A very familiar smell emanated from this brown ball. The peasants were very puzzled, unable to decide what it was that they bought with their life savings. Only when their children yelled out “donkey dung, yak, donkey dung”, running away covering their nose, they suddenly understood.

有的农夫非常愤怒。 但他们已经许诺绝不退货。 他们知道自己受了骗，一生的积蓄已荡然无存。 他们离开了他们的祖地，不断地告诫着他们的后代不要再重犯他们的无知，偏见与愚蠢。 他们决心绝不重蹈覆辙并在新的家园建立新的正义的文化。 他们把那新的家园称之为“美德国度”。

Some of the peasants were very angry, knowing they were cheated. But they had already promised never to return what they bought. Their entire live savings were gone and their lives’ worth was nowhere to be found. They left their own homeland to start a new life somewhere else, all the time warning and educating their own children not to repeat their own stupidity based on bias and fear of differences. They eventually established a new village with a new culture based on individual virtue, justice, courage and rationality. They named their new village “Land of the Beautiful”.

更多的农夫们不光不觉得羞耻与受骗, 他们大骂着他们的后代们并让他们住口。 他们认为如果他们买到的是那么昂贵，那这个货品一定也同样有价值。 他们为他们的驴粪蛋起了一个新名称：“黄金蛋“。

However, most other peasants felt otherwise. They reacted by cursing their own children, calling them names and shutting them up. They reasoned that since they spent their entire life savings on this one thing, it had to be very valuable. So they named their donkey dung “Golden Ball”, just to reflect its preciousness.

他们建立了”黄金蛋“研究所，”黄金蛋“大学，不断地教育，告诫他们的后代们”黄金蛋“的伟大。 他们说黄金蛋之伟大是因为它的得来是不易的，是来自农夫们一生的血汗辛劳。 他们说黄金蛋之伟大是因为它来自”黄金驴“-- 它披着”黄金甲“，食了”黄金草“，喝了”黄金河“的水。 他们不知疲倦地，兢兢业业的将他们毕生的精力投入了”黄金文化“，有所发明地研究着为什么黄金蛋的光泽是那么亮，黄金蛋的味道是那么美，黄金蛋的气味是那么香，黄金蛋的品质是那么纯，黄金蛋的原由是那么古，黄金蛋的价值是那么高、、。 他们发明了”黄金蛋“文学并书写了一卷又一卷不朽的”黄金卷“及”黄金诗篇“，如”黄金游记“，黄金演义”，“黄金浒传”，“黄金楼梦”、、。 近代的最高的“黄金著作”叫做“黄金选集”。 自然地“黄金主义“，“黄金思想”，“黄金理论”，“黄金原则”，“黄金坚持”，“黄金代表”，“黄金荣耻”都应运而生。 他们称着“黄金帝”，舞着“黄金龙”，披着“黄金袍”，打着“黄金旗”，宣扬着“黄金特色”的“黄金主义”。 一批批的“黄金圣人”被一代代的“黄金传人”推上了“黄金祭坛”。 “黄金文化”由此不断发扬光大，一代又一代地千古流传。

Later on, they worked even harder to prove the priceless value of donkey dung and hence the value of their lives:

They established all kinds of institutes and universities to educate their offspring about how great the “Golden Ball” was and how valuable it was to all their lives. They told everyone that the Golden Ball’s greatness was in its price – the price of so many people’s lives and so much hard work. They invented fables, proverbs and folklores to sing in praise of the Golden Ball. They extolled that the Golden Ball was from Golden Donkey – It had Golden Armors on its back. It ate Golden Grass by the Golden River. They wrote many volumes of books to espouse the virtues of Golden Ball Culture. They marketed the Golden Ball with a feverish passion in the world, telling all mankind how beautiful the Golden Ball is, how fragrant the Golden Ball smells, how pure a quality the Golden Ball is if it is from the peasants’ homeland, how historical and valuable the Golden Ball is to all mankind in the world….

Their children have learned all about Golden Ball Culture. They have read Golden Poems, Golden Literature Collections from the ancients, Golden Thoughts from the modern saints and saviors, Golden Theories from sages and gods, Golden Principles from Golden Governments, Golden Rules, Golden Morals, Golden Ethics, Golden Characters, Golden Heroes and Martyrs, etc. etc…. They have worshipped Golden Emperors and Golden Chairmen. They have danced with Golden Dragons. They have upheld Golden Flags. They have fortified a Golden Society. They have forged Golden Generations with Golden Characteristics. They have all knelt before the Golden Alta to chant Golden Scriptures….

A Golden Existence thus has been emerged, prolonged and reinforced in the Golden Land, on and on, till eternity.

那些生活在“美德国度”的人们偶然返回他们的祖地，惊异地发现他们的祖地已经没有了人的存在。 在那满地驴粪蛋的，臭气熏天的大地上，只有大大小小的屎虼螂们兢兢业业的打理着，维护着，建造着驴粪蛋的事业，弘扬着驴粪蛋的文化，唱赞着驴粪蛋的悠久与伟大。

After awhile some peasants who live in the Land of the Beautiful returned to their ancestral land for a visit. To their horror, surprise and amazement, they have discovered that in their ancestral land there has long been a total absence of human beings. On the ancient abyss, enveloped with a nauseating stink of donkey dung, countless dung beetles are hard at work managing countless pieces of fresh and stale donkey dung, singing passionately in praise of a culture of excrement from donkeys and dung beetles.

鹰与鸡
Eagle and Chicken

献给我的爱 – 人的自由之灵
To My Love – the Spirit of Human Freedom

“自由人”对抗“中国人”序列
“Free Beings” vs. “Chinese” Series

By Kai Chen 陈凯 (Written 3/22/2011, Reprint 9/2/2011)
www.kaichenblog.blogspot.com

Translation by Kai Chen 10/29/2011

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No one knows who placed an eagle egg in a chicken's nest.

When the young eagle was first hatched, she was weak and had very hard time surviving among the fast moving baby chickens. Yet her eyes often stared at the sky, for no apparent reason: There was something in the sky - a soaring shadow in the winds under the sun, that attracted her attention. However, she was not quite sure whether it was real or just an illusion, whether it was just a specter or a true existence created by God.

"What are you looking for up there?" The near-sighted white chick derided her. "There is nothing up there besides clouds, rain, winds, lighting, thunders.... All we need is on the ground. You see: There is grass. There are seeds to eat. There are delicacies such as earthworms and bugs. There is also the guaranteed daily portions from our master - the farmer. Our eyes should be focused on the ground. Everything we need for happiness is on the ground."

The young eagle didn't speak. Her vision was getting sharper. The shape of that soaring shadow in the sky was getting clearer.

"That is so right." The very agile yellow chick agreed, using her feet in fast motion to dig out seeds, worms and bugs, savoring the delicious snacks. "You see: There are all kinds of food here in the dirt. They are so tasty. I am so satisfied and contented. Why don't you come and dig with us."

The young eagle didn't speak. Her ears started to hear the whistling winds, the thundering storms and the violently screaming seas.

"Why don't you talk at all, like all of us? Are you deaf or mute?" The brave little black chick, with his red crown standing straight up on his head, asked, fighting with another male chick over a morsel of food. "You are so weird and odd. You look ugly as well. Your beak is not straight like all of us. It is like a hook sticking out in front. Your feather is so thick and hard. Everyone avoids contacting you for fear of getting hurt. Your eyes, yes, especially your eyes, are so sharp and uncompromising. They poke deep into others' hearts. No one can hide from you. You will never have friends. You will be forever alone. I pity you."

The young eagle didn't speak. Her heart was pounding violently. Her blood was surging fast in her veins. Undetectably, she was gathering strength in her wings.

The farmer came. He poured chicken food into the feeding container. All the chickens went crazy, fighting for the space to get a bite of the free food. They screamed, beat upon each other, trampled onto each other, extending their necks to swallow whatever the farmer fed them, being afraid of getting less than others.

The young eagle didn't move. She stood quietly by the commotion. Her head was held high and mighty with an utmost dignity. She finally saw clearly the soaring shadow in the clouds: He was real. He was extending his giant wings, gliding with the winds, penetrating the clouds with confidence and ease. He absorbed the endless energy from the sun, watching and examining all occurrences on the ground.... His beak was as sharp as hers. His feather was as firm as hers. His eyes, yes, especially his eyes, was as pure and uncompromising as hers. She actually saw the image of herself. She was looking at her own soul.

All of a sudden, that proud specter in the lofty sky uttered an incredibly heart-shuttering, ear-piercing cry. The crowd of chicken was scattering from their feasts, panicked by the horrifying sound from the sky. They ran fast toward the nearest shelter, toward the bushes and chicken houses. Only the young eagle remained calm and composed. It was as though she had always expected the battle cry, like a soldier expecting the sound of the bugle. She finally realized her true identity, her true existence. She finally realized she was an eagle. She had never belonged to the chicken houses, to the dirt and filth on the ground, to the warmth, the comfort and meaninglessness of a chicken's life, to the misery, pain, indignity and unavoidable slaughter from the master... She finally understood the powerful calling from the sky: The soul-piercing scream from the universe was uttered only for her sake, yelling at her, tearing down all the doubts and fears from her heart, injecting immense energy into her wings, prompting her to extend her wings naturally to fly toward the sky, toward freedom, toward God, toward the embrace of his passionate love.

The young eagle raised her head, extended her wings, opened her mouth to cry out the passion for life. For the first time in her life, she heard her own incredibly gut-shuttering scream. She gathered her strength, awkwardly in the beginning, to flutter her immense wings to fly toward the sky, toward the clouds, toward the rain, the lighting and the thunder, toward the sun, toward her own soul, toward her own love.....

The chickens on the ground were stupefied by the young eagle's flight and her cry of freedom. They only glanced from the corner of their eyes at the soaring eagle with fear and trepidation. Yet soon they returned to their normal routine, digging, eating, gossiping, fighting, laying eggs, being slaughtered by their master.... After all, they were only chickens settling for a chicken's life. They could never understand an eagle's yearning and love.

..... Under the sun's golden rays, the two free souls were soaring above the sky, immersed in each other's joy and passion. In the firm embrace of their own nature, in joy and love, in the endless challenge of the unknown they had to face in the future, in the passionate anticipation of coming battles in life, the two eagles kept flying higher and farther, screaming to call all the young eagles among chickens to discover the true nature of their being. They would fly around the world, screaming, wakening up all the free souls, till the end of time.

THE TALE OF THREE TURTLES
塘龟，旱龟与海龟的故事

- A Story for Children -
一个童话

By Kai Chen 陈凯 (Written 4/20/1993, Reprint 4/20/2001)

A long, long time ago, three baby turtles were born in a swamp.

Each of the three little turtles had a shiny green shell, a pair of bright eyes on his soft tiny head, four feet layered with scales and a pointy tail attached to his behind. Their parents loved them very much and played with them often. Sometimes the little turtles took a swim under their parents’ bellies. Sometimes they crawled on their parents’ backs for a ride. Every day their parents brought them food, protected them from outside peril and taught them to understand things in their world. The little turtles never had to worry about anything.

One of the little turtles had a dark spot on his shell, so the parents named him Spotty. One of them liked to wriggle his tail a lot, so the parents named him Wriggly. The third on had an extremely hard shell. Once he fell from a cliff, he bit his lips and didn’t even shed a tear. The parents’ named him Toughie.

Unfortunately, the swamp where they lived was full of things they didn’t like. There were rotten branches and leaves and poisonous mushrooms everywhere. There were hordes upon hordes of irritating insects. There were infectious diseases. There were parasitic worms crawling in the mud. There were dangerous predators like snakes and crocodiles. There weren’t too many things to eat. Their food was almost always green algae. They were tired of it. There was no clean water to drink either. They could only drink from moldy ponds and even then they had to first make sure that the water was not poisonous. The swamp was damp and muddy. Mildew started to grow everywhere inside their shells, behind their necks, between their toes.

Not long after they were born, their parents died. Their mother was eaten by a crocodile. Their father died of an infectious disease of the swamp.

The three little turtles were very sad, very uncertain, and very afraid. From then on they had to look for their own food, for security, for comfort and for happiness. They struggled hard in the beginning just to survive. But after a while they got used to it and managed to get by on their own in the cheerless and precarious environment.

..... As time passed, the three little turtles gradually grew up. But they still lived in the moldy swamp. They still ate the bland algae and drank the dirty water. They still tiptoed among the dangerous predators and worried that they might catch the disease that had killed their father. They grew more and more dissatisfied and bored with what they ate and drank, more and more tired with the way they lived, more and more anxious about their own future.

Every spring, birds came from the ocean. They all had long necks and long beaks. They danced around the ponds and whooped through the bushes, looking for insects and small fish to eat. They built their nests to hatch their eggs. They sang with their high-pitched voices.

The little turtles were more and more curious about the birds. They were drawn closer to the birds and asked questions about their lives, seeking information about the outside world.

The birds mostly told them about the ocean where they came from. They told them that the ocean was so big that no one could reach the edge of it. They told them that the waves were so high that even the tallest trees in the swamp couldn’t compare. They told them that there were whales and sharks in the ocean. They were so big that one of them could fill up an entire pond. They told them about the colorful shells and pearls lying on the beaches and on the bottom of the ocean. They told them about the huge boats sailing on the ocean.

Spotty listened to the stories. He laughed through his nose:

“These birds are just bragging about the ocean to make us jealous and to belittle us. Turtles don’t have wings and cannot fly so there is no way for us to prove if what they said is true. Mother and Father told me long time ago that this swampland was the only place for us turtles to live. Our grandparents lived their lives here. I don’t believe these long-necked, lone-beaked, feathered devils. Besides, this is our land. This is the land of turtles. Without it, I wouldn’t be here. I am going to live and die just like my parents. This is the turtles’ way of life. Life is same everywhere. Life is about learning how to survive, how to endure misery and how to pass time. Mother and Father always told us so.”

Wriggly listened to the stories. He was confused. He became unsure of himself:

“Father and Mother always told us not to believe any creatures except turtles. But it seems that birds do live a better life than us turtles. They can fly afar, eat better meals, drink cleaner water, even dance and sing to enjoy themselves. It must be the ocean that gives them the strength to do what they are doing. We turtles can’t fly like the birds. It must be this dirty swamp that has disabled us turtles. I am sick and tired of the muddy, moldy, poisonous swamp. I’ve got to get out of here.”

Toughie listened to the stories. His eyes sparkled. His thoughts flew far away to those strange and fascinating places. He dreamed that one day he would be just like the birds, carefree, swimming in the vast ocean, exploring countless treasures, understanding and communicating with those strange creatures he had never seen before.

“I don’t want to live a life like all the other turtles. I don’t want to end up like my parents - living in desperation and dying in misery and pain. I want to live a freer life, a more fulfilled life, a joyful life, a life of my own. One day I will die. But when I die, I want to be able to say to myself: ‘I have lived a good life. I have lived my life and haven’t let my life live me. I have nothing to regret about my life’. I’ve got to do something to find meaning in my life.”

So one day, Wriggly and Toughie decided to leave the swampland. Spotty remained.

They crawled with their feet, carrying their shiny green shells on their backs, their pointy tails dragging behind on the ground. They crawled. They crawled toward where the sun rises every day. They crawled toward where the birds came from. They crawled toward where the briny winds blew. They crawled. They crawled over the mountains and hills. They crawled over the deserts and grasslands. They crawled through treacherous rivers. They crawled day and night, through storm and heat wave. They crawled.

Their feet were full of blisters and their toes bled. Their shells were dusty, full of scratches from rocks and stones. Their soft heads were dotted with scars. Their tails had callous. Yet they kept going.

In Wriggly’s mind, he kept seeing the swampland he had lived in all those years. He hated the damp stagnant climate. He hated the dull tasteless food he had to eat. He hated the insects that bothered him all the time. He hated the predators from whom he had to constantly hide. He hoped to find a better place where he didn’t have to work so hard to survive, where he could eat better food whenever he wanted without much effort, where he could be safe, where he never had to look after himself, where he could be relieved the burden of life he had carried for so long. He wished this ordeal of traveling would end soon.

In Toughie’s mind, he kept seeing the rainbow of colors from the seashells the birds had told him about. He kept seeing the giant whales and walruses swimming in the ocean. He kept seeing himself swimming among the coral reefs and schools of colorful fish, sampling to the fullest extent the beauty and grandeur of nature, tasting many varieties delicious food. He was mesmerized when the birds told him about the immensity and mystery of the ocean. Yet, he knew he had to work hard to learn how to live in the ocean. He had confidence. He had a strong will. He was not afraid. He knew he had to chase after his own dreams and one day those dreams would come true. He was happy that he was finally doing something to make his dream a reality. Every time he thought about his dreams, he would forget about the scars on his body and he crawled even steadier and faster.

When the leaves on the trees started to drop, when the salty smell from the winds grew heavier, when the soil under their feet became sandier, Wriggly and Toughie finally heard the sound of the waves.

Wriggly was shocked. He had never heard anything like it. So loud and frightening and overwhelming! Not even the roar of crocodiles could compare.

Toughie was excited. He had finally reached his destination! The thunderous sound of roaring waves was like a giant bugle, calling him to crawl faster into the mysterious deep water and the violent embrace of the unknown.

When they finally reached the beach, they saw mountain-like waves coming layer upon layer from a body of water expanding endless toward the sky. The tide whirled and seethes, pounding the shore with tremendous force. The brothy foam, with the sand sandwiched between the waves, tossed an turned, like the clouds they had seen before in a storm.

Wriggly’s guts shuddered:

“The seabirds never told me that the ocean was like this, so violent, so inhospitable, so unfeeling.”

He then crawled gingerly by the water and dipped his toes in it. The water was freezing cold. He then extended his soft head toward the water and sipped a little. It was bitter and salty.

“The seabirds never told me that the ocean was like this, so very cold, so very bitter, so very salty.”

A giant tidal wave surged toward him. He wanted to run, but he was too late. He was immersed by the sand-tossing salty water. He felt the relentless power of nature. He panicked.

He shouted. He cried. He struggled to exert all his strength to get away from the water. He fled the ocean like a rabbit escaping from a coyote. He crawled fast back toward where he came from, toward the mountains and hills, toward the deserts and grasslands, toward the dirty moldy swamp where he was born.

“Come back! Wriggly. This is great!” Toughie was shouting.

Wriggly kept going, pretending that he didn’t hear.

But on his way back to the swamp, Wriggly suddenly realized that the swamp was not that enticing either. The mere thought of the mildew, the parasites, the diseases and the predators made him shiver. But where would he go?

It was too shameful to go back to the swamp, to go back to Spotty.

“Spotty will mock me all my life about the decision I made to go to the ocean. How am I ever going to face him?”

It was also too shameful to go back toward the ocean again.

“Toughie will look down on me and think I am a coward. How am I ever going to face him?”

Wriggly spent the rest of his life wandering between the ocean and the swamp, hesitating to go either way. He didn’t like the dry land either. The sun was too hot. The wind was too fierce. The ground was too rough. Food was too scarce. There wasn’t enough water anywhere.

The desert sand thickened his shell. The wind and sun dried his scales. The rocks and stones sharpened his claws. His neck stretched out before him because he had to constantly look for water. He became a dry land tortoise.

When Toughie saw the tidal wave pelting down from above like a mountain of transparent jade, his heart trembled with joy. He had finally stepped into the limitless ocean. He could finally enjoy exploring the infinite unknown. He could finally swim freely and roam through all the beauty that nature could possibly create.

He didn’t flee. He didn’t pull his neck back into his shell. He faced it - the ruthless force of the ocean. He praised it - the limitlessness of the treasures. He welcomed it - the joy and pleasure and the unprecedented challenge to un-tap them. He was proud of his own power over his fate. He was elated.

He dashed toward the deepest parts of the ocean, peddling frantically with his already tired feet, balancing himself with his delicate tail. The salt in the water hurt his eyes. His body was numbed by the cold. His motion grew precarious. But he kept going toward the deep.

He saw eels, sharks, whales. He heard seals, walruses, sea lions. He sampled seaweeds, shrimps and sea slugs. He kept going toward the infinite.

He swam in warm currents and rested on golden sandy beaches. He climbed icebergs. He explored underwater volcanoes. He took naps in the warm sun under the ocean breeze. He kept going toward the limitless.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the salty water. His shell became smooth and shiny. His feet grew flatter and larger. His toes grew smaller and duller. His tail became more agile. He could swim longer and smoother than other ocean creatures. He became a sea turtle.

He saw someone similar to himself in the ocean - a female turtle. They danced and played together and nested on the warm sand of the shore. They had many babies. They all spread around the enormous ocean.

..... Seabirds flew over the sea, above the dry land and into the swamp, year in and year out. The tree branches turned from green to yellow, and then green again.

Spotty heard many stories about Wriggly and Toughie. He heard they were uncomfortable with the different climate, disgusted with the change of diet, chased and hurt by formidable predators, discriminated against by other creatures.

Spotty sighed to his own children, scratching a mosquito bite on his head:

“Look. Wriggly and Toughie should have listened to our ancestors. They should not have left this swamp. See, how much hardship Wriggly has had to endure. He has become to ugly and unhappy because he made the wrong choice in the first place. But at least I can see him sometimes when he travels to the edge of the swamp. I don’t even know where Toughie is now. He may have already died, eaten by sharks, frozen or starved to death. Or perhaps he is too sick and to ashamed to return. Don’t you ever do what they did.”

After he spoke those words, he felt relieved, assured that the choice he had made to remain in the swamp was right. At least he knew who he was. He laughed, feeling a sense of pride and pleasure, even superiority.

A few months later, though, he died. He died of a disease he had always dreaded, caused by drinking rotten water, just like his father. His dead body sank in the mud. Insects, worms and mildew started to gather inside the shell. The shell gradually rotted and was eaten away. Nothing was left.

“What about Wriggly and Toughie? Where are they? How are they doing? Did they die like Spotty?” You may ask.

Sure. Like every turtle, like every creature in this world, they also died one day.

Wriggly was killed by a human. His shell was first made into a bowl by the humans to drink water from. Later, it was abandoned and crushed. It became dust floating in the air above the dry land.

Toughie was killed while he was climbing a giant motor-powered ocean liner. The ship’s powerful propeller smashed him. His shell was shattered into pieces, scattered around the ocean.

If you go to the beach sometimes and take a careful look around, you may still see the pieces of his shell - green, smooth, translucently shiny. They were sprinkled among colorful seashells all over the world, radiating under the golden sun, enriching the world with their deep mysteries and never-ending fairytales and folklores.

My Exchange with Jay Chen/School Board
我与陈姓学委（陈介飞）的交锋

陈凯博客： www.kaichenblog.blogspot.com

Note: Jay Chen is a member of the School Board (Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, California). He is a Harvard graduate with an Obama vision of a "New World Order" - establishing a Chinese-style, omnipotent government, thus fundamentally transforming America toward Marxism). Jay Chen belongs to an ultra-left organization/a quasi-communist/socialist group named "People for the American Way". He is periodically trained by the organization to instill "political correctness" in America, especially in American youths. Jay Chen is in his late 20s harboring a big political ambition and intends to run for the US Congress.

Jay Chen's blog: http://jaychen.blogspot.com/ His personal information: http://www.electjaychen.com/tacl.html

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(Posted 6/21/2010, Reprint 9/4/2011)

"Y'all can shut up. You guys are the rudest bunch and guess what, those students organized themselves to defend their rights to an education that THEY WANT." -- From a brainwashed youth or parent.

Kai Chen's Reply:

If shutting people up is what you want, you have already been poisoned by the communist tactic of brainwashing. When Jay Chen and his girlfriend rounded up a few high schoolers, using them for his political agenda, then you know what is coming with Confucius Classrooms being implemented in all high schools aross US.

Jay Chen, Norman Hsu and their cohorts have already conteminated American political culture with the way they think and behave. Collaborating with the murderous Chinese regime to implement Confucius Classroom in US is only a result of their mindset.

Kai Chen
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Kai Chen's Statement:

To all students and parents:

Last night I went to the School Board meeting again in Hacienda District. The other side, the school board members (Jay Chen and his girlfriend), organized a counter attack by using the communist tactic: They call an organizer to round up a few high school students, putting words in their mouths to shout pro-China slogans in the meeting. Even before the Confucius Classroom program is implemented, the communist tactics have already been used - propaganda, brainwashing the youths, rounding up people like sheep for political purposes... I felt so bad for the students being used this way. But I am very familiar with the communistic tactics to attack political opponents. The victims are almost always those who believe vehemently in the evil ideology. This made our effort on this front more valuable, especially now in America.

Kai Chen

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From a Jay Chen supporter:

Please do not make false accusations without any evidence. The words that these high school students were not "put" into the mouths by anyone. There was no "rounding up" of high school students to this meeting for PRO-CHINA SLOGANS but rather a group of concerned well educated students getting together and defending a cultural program that they passionately cared about.

Kai, your patriotic words that back your extreme position on this Confucius Classroom contradicts itself. You wrote " If shutting people up is what you want, you have already been poisoned by the communist tactic of brainwashing" on the post above but are you doing the same thing? Getting rid of programs teaching the culture of China in fear of Communism in America? If this is the path all Americans should take- what makes us different from Communists? How does that make America the Land of The Free? Is this not propaganda? Is this not a "communist" tactic?
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From Jay Chen:

Kai, thank you for reading my blog. It is unfortunate that you think everyone who does not agree with your extreme views and hate-filled speech has been brainwashed. What a lonely life you must lead.

Your reliance upon grandiose statements and patriotic verbiage are not fooling anyone. Whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, it is being thwarted by your own extremism, and it reflects very poorly upon yourself and the organization you are a part of.

I am very curious to learn more about your affiliations, and who is putting you up to this type of extremism. By the way, the eagle on your blog is actually chained and captive. You may want to choose a different picture.
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Kai Chen's Response:

Jay Chen and company:

First, please do not label your blog as "School Board Blog". You are misleading people to believe that your position represents the School Board's position. It seems your title/power is more important to you than your own integrity. Your political ambition is not unfamiliar to me, a person who has seen this too much before.

Secondly, the students you and your girlfriend rounded up for your political ambition are innocent and ignorant, much like the Red Guards during Mao's Cultural Revolution. I don't blame them. I pity them for they are the ultimate victims of your socialist/communist "New World Order" agenda.

The ones you try to shut up are free American citizens who acted upon their own individual conscience. The ones I try to warn not to be the pawns of your political agenda are ignorant teenagers who are eager to please the authority and you.

Indeed after all your research you will find I do act alone. But I am never lonely, for I have conscience and justice in my heart. The only one I have to answer and bow before is God. Power, money, popularity, fame mean nothing to me, unlike you and your cohorts on the School Board.

Indeed the eagle on my blog is bond by the chains of moral confusion, political correctness, group think and other negative traits of humanity. My task is to free her and make her realize her full potentials. The eagle indeed will die without freedom to fly.

Once again, please change your blog's title from "School Board Blog" to "Jay Chen's Blog".

With respect and thanks for posting here. Kai Chen

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From a Jay Chen supporter:

Quote from Kai Chen - "Indeed after all your research you will find I do act alone. But I am never lonely, for I have conscience and justice in my heart. The only one I have to answer and bow before is God. Power, money, popularity, fame mean nothing to me, unlike you and your cohorts on the School Board."

"God?" Is that how Li Hongzi refers to himself these days? I find it disturbing that a quasi-religious organization from China is attempting to influence U.S. education. Kai, you are right. There is brainwashing going on. But you are the victim of it. Get some medical help.
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Kai Chen's Response:

("God?" Is that how Li Hongzi refers to himself these days? I find it disturbing that a quasi-religious organization from China is attempting to influence U.S. education. Kai, you are right. There is brainwashing going on. But you are the victim of it. Get some medical help.) -- Quote from some anonymous coward.

When people attack Falungong practitioners, following the Chinese communist guidelines, they fail to see that Mr. Li Gongzhi is not the one who murdered millions upon millions of Chinese. While the West and America worship someone who was killed because of his righteousness, justice and morality - Jesus Christ, the Chinese worship the biggest mass murderer in human history - Mao. Mao's corps and portrait are still displayed on Tiananmen Square.

Attacking someone who merely believes in something different, in order to deny, avoid and cover-up the murderous culture and history under communism is a common tactic by the communist followers of Mao such as the one who posted this message.

That is why he will not reveal his true name, for America would revile someone like this - a coward who sneak attack and sucker-punch like the Japanese during WWII and 9/11 perpetrators. Watch out for people like this who will inflict more damage to America with the support of the Chinese communist government and a ubiquitous "political correctness".

Best to you all. Kai Chen

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From a reader:

Mr. Kai Chen, I read your blog with interest and share it with my friends. However, all this time I thought you were a Christian since you talk about God all the time. Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior or do you believe in Mr. Gongzhi. I await your answer eagerly.
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Kai Chen's Response:

Dear Reader:

Thanks for raising this question. I am never a FLG member or a believer in their doctrine. But I do believe in freedom of religion. As long as one does not hurt other individuals, one can believe in anything he/she wants.

I do believe in the spirit of Jesus Christ. "Only truth shall set you free." But I don't always agree with certain churches, such as the one Obama attended in Chicago, or the ones who believe that Christ is a socialist/communist, such as the People's Temple (Jone's Town tragedy)falsely lead people into suicidal misdeeds.

Indeed I do find it weird and perverse that someone is more concerned about Mr. Li Hongzhi with what he preaches than what Mao, the biggest mass murderer in human history, has committed in his atrocious anti-human crimes. It is indeed revolting to think someone who wants to attack Mr. Li and his practitioners more than the communist regime which still swallows millions today in China and in the world by supporting all the despotic regimes and threatening all the democracies (such as Taiwan).

I hope you are not one of those who is perverted in his moral judgment in questioning who and what I am. With respect. Kai Chen

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Kai Chen's Statement:

To Jay Chen:

You mention repeatedly your want to teach culture to American kids. What culture?

The ancient Chinese culture?

The ancient Chinese culture is a culture of despotism and dynastic cycles. What part of that culture do you want the American children to learn? Let me know the specifics. Chinese culture has never produced the concept of freedom. It has imbued into the Chinese population with fear of despotic rulers, passivity, stagnation in cultural development, tolerance of evil, moral confusion about right or wrong, truth or falsehood, good or evil.... The world should stay far away from such a negative and oppressive culture.

The modern Chinese culture?

What kind of modern political culture does China have? Communism/socialism/totalitarianism, period. If your fathers and grandfathers have been murdered by the Chinese regime, if your mothers and sisters have been raped by the Chinese regime, if millions upon millions of people have been tortured and damaged emotionally and psychologically..., yet the modern political culture wants the Chinese people to forget, to forgive, to numb themselves into oblivion, to tolerate more murders, tortures and mayhem, then what kind culture is it? Is it a culture you want to spread around the world, to teach American children, to numb their sense of justice and righteousness? If a billion people tolerate the killer and murderer of their family - Mao, and even worship him as some kind of patron saint, then what kind people are these? Should these people who close their eyes and all their senses to evil, just to survive, just to be able to climb the social ladder, have any moral right to teach your children? If a culture that preaches the power and money of the collective and those with authority, but ignores the trails of blood and dead bodies as the result of such an evil cult, do you want your children to be exposed to such a cult? If the Chinese today want to escape that Party-State with droves to come to the West and US for safety and a sense of peace, then why do you want to invite a culture that drives them to the US to our school district.

It just doesn't make any sense to learn from an outhouse people want to escape from. It is insane for people like you to use the contaminants and feces to pollute America which is relatively clean with freedom and human dignity still respected. Simply because you see a chaff in American bread, then you want to mix the Chinese feces into it. How insane can you be?

With respect. Kai Chen

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From Jay Chen:

Kai Chen,

It is clear that you have a very shallow and narrow grasp of Chinese and U.S. culture and history.

There are no perfect countries in this world. You have chosen to move to one that was built on the backs of African slaves and Chinese coolie labor, that interned Japanese Americans for no crime other than ancestry, that refused to allow non-whites and women to vote, and that most recently invaded another country based on false pretense.

As someone who seems so obsessed with justice and liberty, have you somehow managed to justify these atrocities in your mind? If so then you are sicker than your writings reveal.

True patriots do not need to manufacture enemies and rewrite history to their own liking and comfort. They recognize a country for all that it is, and all that it can become. I'm sorry Kai, but you are not a patriot.

It is sad that in your zeal to seem more loyal and more American than everyone else, you have adopted so much self-hatred. It is not necessary to mindlessly attack the country of your birth in order to prove that you are a "true" American. That type of acceptance is the beauty of the United States, and it is unfortunate that you do not understand that.

With warm regards, Jay Chen
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Kai Chen's Response:

To Jay Chen:

This message just exposed what a dangerous mindset you have and what a despotic vision you envision in your liberal world -- Moral equivalency of a legitimate government based on the consent of the governed and on the US Constitution with a government of Party-State based on bloodshed, repression and fear. Your "multi-culturalism" is exactly based on your erroneous premise that all cultures are equal and should be respected.

First, it is exactly based on the spirit of Declaration of Independence and US Constitution, America progressed from slavery toward freedom, mistakes have been made along the way. But using these mistakes to justify atrocities by despotism and tyranny shows your extreme moral confusion and corruption. To simply compare, not contrast US and China is a perverse approach to understanding of human history and the direction of human progress. Your view of the world mirrors the Chinese view of the world - everything is going nowhere but revolving around nothingness. This nihilistic view of the world dooms not only the Chinese society, it will doom anyone who takes such a view. So no wonder you don't give a damn about right or wrong, truth or falsehood, good or evil. To people like you who sees no meaning in life, who sees everything is relative, power/social status/money is what you worship and see as absolute. All the socialist/communist countries are essentially nihilistic. So are all the liberal leftists in America. This is why people like you as Obama's follower in his vision for America pursue mindlessly and soullessly to emulate China - a model of fast growth without liberty, justice and human dignity. People like you and Thomas Friedman of NY Times (who wrote an article to praise Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony) really admire the power the Chinese Party-State has.

It is too bad American college campuses have already been inundated by the morally perverse leftist professors who produce people like you. Now you want to take it further in your power to take American youths into the morass of socialism/communism and proudly declare you are only following some politically correct "diversity" doctrine. People like you in America should spend some months in the Chinese Laogai (gulag) to experience the fruits of the vision you so cherish. Then you can come back and tell me you still want to invite this kind society and mindset into the US to be learned by our youngsters.

Thanks for exposing yourself so thoroughly that you cannot really call yourself a closet communist. You are truly a communist with your dialectic goggles. Good luck in your pursuit of power.

Kai Chen

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From a Jay Chen supporter:

Mr. Kai Chen,

I understand your deep abhorrence with mainland China, but do you not see the burden of proof fallacy that lies on the crust of your entire argument?

To say that we were "rounded up" by Jay Chen's girlfriend just for this issue is quite fallacious. If you noticed, the majority of us did not speak, since this was the first time we attended such a board meeting, and it was at this meeting where we first met Ms. Karen Chang. Those signs were created by us, as concerned students of our school district. To go ahead and say that we are "brainwashed" lies on false pretenses.

If you have actually seen and read the course materials, then you would know that there is nothing that would demonstrate anything near "communist". I have seen the materials, and read through them. If you think books that teach a child how to read, write, or pronounce certain characters such as "motorcycle", or "rainbow" is communist, then I really do advise you to go back to primary school. Other materials include Sun Tzu's Art of War, and Laozi's work on Taoism--all created before common era, and are currently taught in many other schools and universities. Understand that Hanban, the organization which is the host of this Chinese course, has been working with College Board for many years already. Unless you find SAT, ACT, and AP tests to be "tainted with communism" now, then there really should be no problem with this course at Cedarlane Middle School. I have spoken with Mrs. Ezaki (the principal of Cedarlane) four days ago, and she told me that there were absolutely no complaints from both parents and students that were reported.

Mr. Kai Chen, I do agree with you that China does demonstrate human rights violation, along with censorship, but this does not distort the materials provided to us. Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth grade students are wise enough to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.

I would find it beneficial if you read/re-read Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto. The ideal communist regime is a system where the working class and every member of society rules democratically, not to be confused with totalitarianism.

What I find quite confusing is how you believe learning Chinese, even if it is simplified, would "fundamentally transform" the United States of America. Learning Chinese does not destroy "young minds with their sense of individuality, common sense and moral judgement", nor is this a trait of "socialism and communism".

Being culturally aware does not destroy a child's sense of individuality; if a child understands what happens in different nations, it would allow them to expand their knowledge (becoming more aware)--hence turning away from the fascist practice of a "singular collective identity". With regards to the destruction of our common sense and moral judgement, I do not see how this develops. I understand the injustices which occurs in China, along with the injustices that occur America's capitalist system, but does knowing this "destroy" my "common sense", and "moral judgement"? It would be very beneficial to see both sides of the argument, rather than sticking with such adamant beliefs that seems to be built on speculation.

-Jeffrey Tso

Graduate of Cedarlane Middle School in 2008, and current student at Glen A. Wilson High School
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Kai Chen's Response:

Dear Jeffery:

Thanks for posting this message.

Your message indeed shows America how confused and ignorant some Americans are with regard to the Communist ideology and its effect upon humanity.

This is why the current American political culture is sickened by the likes of Obama and his cohorts who preach socialism and worship the biggest mass murderer in human history - Mao.

Most Americans are confused morally and intellectually to think China is just another country, no different from America. Yet I challenge you all to demonstrate an iota of legitimacy of the Chinese government. To confuse recognition with legitimacy indeed shows this moral and intellectual confusion and corruption.

China does not have procedual legitimacy for it is never elected with the consent of the governed. It is a regime based on guns, violence and threat of violence against its own citizens. It does not have moral legitimacy, for it is a criminal regime which killed 80 million innocent lives in China without any remorse or admission to its own atrocities. Even Tiananmen Square Masscre in 1989 is still being covered up and a taboo subject in China. Persecution of minorities, dissidents, religious groups, Falungong practitioners is still continuing to this moment. "One Child Policy" with million upon millions of forced abortions and sterilizations, with millions up millions of infanticides is still being enforced.

Chinese history books are propaganda tools with perverted and twisted history. The more education you have in China, the more morally and historically hadicapped you will become.

Mao's image is everywhere in China, on Tiananmen Square, in the Chinese notes of currency, in school campuses..... Chinese flag with its one big star and four small stars symbolizing tyranny and unconditional submission of individuals to the governmental power flies everywhere in China. The children in China have to ware red scarves to show their loyalty to the communist government. If you are not connected with the communist party, you will not advance in society. Communist organizations are everywhere -- in churches, in law firms, in businesses, in schools, in every governmental organs....

China is not a nation. Yes, you heard right. China is a Party-State/Dynasty. Everything and everyone is China is a tool for the communist party to maintain its power and control over the Chinese people.

Yet, you and confused mind like yours want to view China as a normal country, a normal society, a normal government. What a joke! Yet the joke is on you. The joke is on America. What a pity.

When China and Islamic terrorists view America as the biggest enemy, Americans are numb and complacent to think otherwise, to turn a blind eye to the moral threat from China and terrorists. Political correctness indeed reign supreme now under the current Obama administration and a sicken political culture in society.

Wake up America! Wake up not just to outside threat from China and Islamic terrorism, but to your own moral confusion, ignorance toward socialism/communism, and your own passivity and inaction.

I, for one, will stand up for this great nation, for this last bastion of human freedom and hope. I hope more people will stand up with me and join me to fight America's enemies - domestic and foreign.

Best to you all. Give me liberty or give me death. Kai Chen

Kai Chen's words for today:   5/5/22

Today's conflict in the world can be defined as conflict over the definition of legitimacy of a government:  Government by the power of guns and threat of violence vs. Government by the consent of the governed.  Which kind of government is legitimate?  You choose and your choice will tell who and what you are as a human being.