The rocket was undergoing a static fire test of the stage, in which a vehicle is clamped to a test stand while its engines are ignited, when the booster broke free. According to a statement from the company, the rocket was not sufficiently clamped down and blasted off from the test stand “due to a structural failure.”
Video of the accidental ascent showed the rocket rising several hundred meters into the sky before it crashed explosively into a mountain 1.5 km away from the test site.
I’m not saying that the persecution against Falung Gong is fake, actually I believe is true, violence against minorities is another Wednesday for the CCP, but he specifically say that, and I quote: “Falun Gong is a meditation practice that started in 1992 in China. At the core of the Falun Gong are values of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.” But the omits the fact that that group is anti gay, anti feminism, anti evolution, is anti medicine and is leader is worshipped as a deity. I wouldn’t consider someone who spread such lies as a good source, because at that point he could be lying about anything, that’s Alex Jones level of manipulation of the Truth. And you’re right, the CCP is a terrible dictatorship, b8t all the info that I have said are freely accessible by an internet search, or even on Wikipedia, they’re not some hidden secret that need protection from the CCP such that he have the right to just say things without having to prove them.
And yes, I only have this comments, I prefer to just lurk usually, but this doesn’t invalidate my points.
The Falun Gong was originally an ally of the CCP as recently as 1993. They had a falling out when some of their chief leadership got caught in a string of financial scandals and abuse allegations. Attempts by the state to begin prosecuting church leaders triggered an outcry from the membership, which prompted more arrests and more efforts hide the organizations money, and finally a wholesale exodus from the country by its most devoted members.
Falun Gong leadership arrived in the US and immediately began churning out anti-China spin, with the help of the Epoch Times - an originally Chinese-only paper primarily distributed in Chinese ex-pat communities by church refugees. If you get into the history of the Epoch Times, you should very quickly discover that it is not a reliable source of information.
Which isn’t to say China’s been great wrt religious freedom or free association. But the modern incarnation of Falun Gong has more in common with Scientology than, say, Mormonism or Baháʼí. You’re going to fall down some really QAnon-themed rabbit holes if you take everything their community is saying at face value.
That is some fine tuned measuring, my friend. Scientology Vs Mormonism. I appreciate you and your eye for detail.
To be fair, none of that was in your original post. Not knowing all of that, I think it was a safe assumption you meant the allegations of mistreatment by the CCP, rather than the Falun Gong claims of benevolence.
Obviously you didn’t though, and a quick Google search suggests you might have some valid points. I didn’t know any of that!
However, I do want to point out that you could say most of the same things about fundamental Christians, and while I’d personally take the same view of those types ( I do believe they’re a dangerous cult) I wouldn’t say anyone calling them peaceful religious types was engaging in “Alex Jones level of manipulation of the truth” and wouldn’t discount them entirely for holding that view. Particularly when, as you say, it’s very likely they are actually being persecuted
But hey, if nothing else I think you’ve shown that I have no idea what I’m talking about here. Maybe that comparison doesn’t actually hold. Also, for all I know he’s a bought and paid for propagandist. Honestly, nothing surprises me these days
Lurk less. You’re making a good contribution here.