It's Christmas!... at the Dollar Store

I do love my local Dollar Store. It's clean, the employees are sunny and helpful and it's wonderfully convenient when I'm out of laundry soap, sponges or cat food.

Cleverly, the store puts its whimsical, "impulse buys" near the register. This includes snacks, drinks and ornaments, all tremendously inexpensive because, you guessed it, they're made in China. Before September began, Halloween decorations abounded, and before September was even through, up go the fiberoptic Christmas trees, Santa mugs and stockings. Children, tugging at the hands of "Nana," begin to tremble with anticipation like my Jack Russell when she sees a squirrel out the front window. Mothers shake their heads and say to those behind them in line, "I cannot believe how early they have this stuff out!" I cast a look of despair.

It didn't hit me until a few years ago when I realized how everything, everything, was made in China. The more I learned about the country, the more I could no longer simply shrug and say, "But what can you do? It's nearly impossible to find anything no
t made in China!" That's true, on the other hand, there are plenty of websites out there dedicated to American-made products if you're willing to take the time.

This isn't a rant against trade with China in general. I do understand, sadly, how businesses choose to survive. It's just, as a struggling Christian, (trust me, I ain't exactly levitating) how can I celebrate such a holy day by purchasing items that continue to fund and support a government that, well, let me give you this quote from an editorial from Christianity Today Magazine:

"...year after year, China's Communist leaders continue to harass pastors, seize and destroy church property, and imprison Christians. (The Chinese government also persecutes other religious groups...) In addition to religious abuse, the Chinese state sanctions mandatory abortions, forced sterilizations, trafficking in human organs (99% which come from the estimated 15,000 executions performed each year, according to Amnesty International) arbitrary arrest, child labor, and the exploitation of prisoners. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and other organizations have performed a great service in documenting these abuses of human rights....for years China's leadership has recognized American protests about human-rights abuses; China spurns those complaints as self-righteous meddling by foreigners."

The U.S Department of State (www.state.gov) adds:

"We began 2003 with hopes that the incremental but unprecedented progress in China seen in 2002 would be continued and expanded; however, we saw backsliding on key human rights issues. Arrest of democracy activists, individuals discussing subjects deemed sensitive by the Government on the Internet....

...The Chinese Government's record in Tibet remains poor and ongoing abuses include execution without due process, torture, arbitrary arrest, detention without public trial and lengthy detention of Tibetans for peacefully expressing their political or religious views.

And let's not even discuss their terrifying record on arms sales around the world...
I'm just one person in a country about to hit the 300 million mark. It won't make a bit of difference if I give Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store a wide berth come the Christian holiday of Christmas, but, sorry, China, you ain't getting a penny from me.