Last year, Barack Obama became the 3rd African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. That was hot. Yet, at the time, there were some who said he’d done nothing to deserve such an honor — which was hella insulting, for realz. Obama healed bitter racial divides to become the first black president only a few generations post-slavery through waging an overall positive campaign rooted in themes of Hope and Change. Since then, he’s put a successful, low drama end to the disastrous war in Iraq that’s killed almost 4,000 Americans, killed at least 100,000 Iraqis and displaced almost a million more Iraqis. That’s pretty peaceful if you ask me.

Now the Nobel Committee makes another bold selection and turns its eyes to China. Why should you care what goes on over there? Well, they’re becoming the next superpower, our economy is intricately linked to theirs and they have like 25% of the world’s population, among other things.

The Chinese really don’t want you to know about this cat and they’re blocking foreign press in China about him. Liu Xiaobo won’t travel to Oslo like our Prez did — he’s a political prisoner in China. In case you want to get down with knowing more about Liu Xiaobo, here’s the skinny. Essentially, Liu Xiaobo is in jail for demanding the same rights we take for granted here in America such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly & association, free elections, and an independent judiciary. To understand more, peep the video above from Taiwan first.

Next Media Animation is a Taiwanese, pro-democracy media company known for producing the funny animated video clips about Tiger Woods, Steven Slater from Jet Blue, and recently, the TSA body scanners and the feud with Conan O’Brien.  However, today NMA is breaking from its usual satirical, humorous animated video commentaries to share with you a serious video that we hold near and dear to our hearts.

It’s still kinda entertaining despite what NMA says. They just can’t help themselves.

Then check this out as cribbed from Wikipedia:

Charter 08 is a manifesto initially signed by over 350 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists to promote political reform and democratization in the People’s Republic of China.[1] It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopting name and style from the anti-Soviet Charter 77 issued by dissidents in Czechoslovakia.[2] Since its release, more than 10,000 people inside and outside of China have signed the charter.[3][4][5]

One of the authors of Charter ’08, Liu Xiaobo, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

[…]

The opening paragraph of the charter states:
This year is the 100th year of China’s Constitution, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Democracy Wall, and the 10th year since China signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. After experiencing a prolonged period of human rights disasters and a tortuous struggle and resistance, the awakening Chinese citizens are increasingly and more clearly recognizing that freedom, equality, and human rights are universal common values shared by all humankind, and that democracy, a republic, and constitutionalism constitute the basic structural framework of modern governance. A “modernization” bereft of these universal values and this basic political framework is a disastrous process that deprives humans of their rights, corrodes human nature, and destroys human dignity. Where will China head in the 21st century? Continue a “modernization” under this kind of authoritarian rule? Or recognize universal values, assimilate into the mainstream civilization, and build a democratic political system? This is a major decision that cannot be avoided.[8]

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