Here’s an idea for a game show: Have contestants go into a major retail store to find clothes and merchandise that is not made in China. Whoever finds the most items, wins an all-expense-paid vacation to a shuttered manufacturing plant in the United States that closed because it couldn’t compete with Chinese (slave?) labor.

It’s terrifying how many clothes, medications, and other merchandise are made in Communist China, a dictatorship that persecutes its minorities – Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists, to name three religions that can’t practice their religious beliefs without fear of being arrested, tortured, and sent to work camps. Some companies are so entrenched with the Communist dictatorship that their logo should include a large golden star with an arc of four smaller stars, so it resembles the Chinese flag.

All Americans are responsible to some degree for this dire situation. Maybe we lazily purchase China-made products without trying to find similar items made in the United States or elsewhere. Maybe we attend sporting events because of multi-millionaire athletes that have professed their admiration for the Communist country. Maybe we visit theme parks that promote American values on Main Street while C-suite loyalty belongs to the totalitarian regime on Wangfujing Street. Maybe we watch movies featuring spineless actors like John Cena, whose pitiful video apologizing to China for calling Taiwan a country, makes all Americans look pathetic.

(Cena’s groveling didn’t help since his latest Fast & Furious movie doesn’t appear to be doing very well in China.)

Putting profit over patriotism is nothing new for American businesses. Some of today’s CEOs hold Old Glory in one hand and a yuan in the other, just as their predecessors did with Reichsmarks.

During the 1930s, with reports of Hitler’s brutal public persecution of Jews, it’s astounding how many leading American companies still happily worked with the Nazi regime. In 10 American Companies That Colluded with Nazi Germany During WW2, Baxter Dmitry listed familiar names:

• IBM
• General Motors
• Ford
• Alcoa
• Woolworth
• Brown Brothers Harriman
• Dow Chemical
• Chase Manhattan Bank
• Metro Goldwyn Mayer
• Coca-Cola

The following are just two of many shocking examples from Dmitry’s article:

First, Woolworth, which went bankrupt in 2009, was so willing to make its Nazi friends happy that it fired all its Jewish employees in Germany. The Nazis were thrilled, giving Woolworth their “Adefa Zeichen” award – reserved for companies that were pure Aryan.

Second, industrialist Henry Ford was a rabid anti-Semite. He financed the distribution of the anti-Semitic The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in the United States and had the pamphlet placed in every new car that rolled off his assembly line. The Ford Company worked closely with the Nazis at its Ford Aktiengessellschaft, producing vehicles that some claim were also used against the American military during World War II. When Ford celebrated his 75th birthday in 1938, Nazi government representatives personally honored him with the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, the most important honor that Germany might offer a non-citizen. During the ceremony, Ford also received a personal note of gratitude from Adolf Hitler who was a longtime admirer.

Yesterday it was Reichsmarks and today it’s yuans. Radio Free Asia has reported that Christians in China are being detained in secretive, mobile “transformation” facilities where they’re subject to brainwashing, torture, and beatings to force them to renounce their faith. Christian charity Open Doors ranks China at No. 17 on its World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted.

There are many U.S. retailers with immense China-made inventory. One that stands out is Hobby Lobby because the company brands itself as aligning its business goals with Judeo-Christian principles. Closed on Sundays, two of its four commitments, make this very clear:

• Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.
• Offering our customers exceptional selection and value.
• Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals, and nurture families.
• Providing a return on the family’s investment, sharing the Lord’s blessings with our employees, and investing in our community.

During a recent visit to Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts store that many creative people find addicting, it was difficult finding merchandise that was not “Made in China.” Its 60,000 square feet stores would practically be empty if all the “Made in China” merchandise were removed. Most upsetting were the aisles adorned with red, white, and blue merchandise celebrating America’s Independence Day – virtually all made in Communist China.

There’s nothing more patriotic on July Fourth than waving a God Bless America sign that was Made in China.

With its Americana success story, it is perplexing that Hobby Lobby has abandoned United States manufacturers, and instead buys most of its goods from China, a nation that destroys liberty (Hong Kong) and tortures Christians and other religious minorities seeking religious freedom.

Hobby Lobby and other China-supporting companies currently have a friend in the Oval Office, thanks to the possibly fraudulent results of the 2020 election. It is up to patriots to encourage change:

• Avoid buying Made in China products whenever possible.
• Do not visit theme parks owned by woke companies that kowtow to Beijing.
• Only attend sports events where players proudly stand for the American flag – the only flag being flown.
• Go to movies and concerts featuring patriotic actors and singers. Buy their collateral material (books, DVDs, posters, etc.) directly to avoid left-leaning companies like Amazon or Costco.

Free trade and competition are great for consumers provided there is a level playing field. All patriotic Americans on Independence Day and throughout the year should support fairness and their values by purchasing “Made in U.S.A.” products whenever possible and avoid those manufactured in repressive regimes. Americans supporting evil empires are enablers of bad actors.

When shopping, especially for Independence Day, look at where the clothes and merchandise are made. Be sure the red in the red, white, and blue is for the United States of America and not Red China.

Image from Robin Itzler

You can reach Robin at TrumpNeighbors@yahoo.com.

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