John Cena is an actor and former professional wrestling champion. He weighs 251 pounds and is 6’1″ tall. He seems like a pleasant fellow but is not someone you would want to mess with. The United States of America is a nation of 331 million people, after China and India the third most populous nation. It has the most powerful military on earth and is not a nation you would want to mess with.

But neither Cena nor America are acting like that. Cena stars in the upcoming movie “F9,” the ninth in the “Fast and Furious” series. These movies are enormously popular, especially in Asia. So it is understandable that the producers would not want to insult the Chinese regime.

But understandable is not the same as forgivable. In an interview, Cena remarked that Taiwan would be the first “country” to see his new movie. The Chinese Communist regime considers Taiwan to be part of China, and took offense at this offhand remark. In fact, Taiwan has acted as an independent nation since 1949, but diplomats are expert at ignoring reality.

As a result, Cena apologized humbly and repeatedly, in both English and Mandarin, which he speaks, for his “mistake.” But he did not specify his mistake, which apparently would have angered the regime even more.

Cena need not feel embarrassed at having to humble himself. His homeland is doing the same. In the 14 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, our government – with the exception of former President Trump – has been careful to downplay the origin of the virus in Wuhan. For example, the Biden administration just shut down an investigation of the Wuhan biolab that was ordered by Trump. And after all this time, and all these deaths, neither the US nor the WHO has mounted a real investigation of the origins of this fatal pandemic.

So there we are. A strong man feels he must humbly apologize for stating the truth. And his strong nation feels it must tread gingerly when seeking the truth.

The Bible tells us that when Moses found the Israelites worshiping the golden calf, he destroyed the idol. But the urge to worship the golden calf remains prevalent. Many movie companies depend on Chinese audiences. Many American businesses depend on Chinese suppliers. Many American politicians depend on Chinese contributions.

In the end, we must choose which will be our emblem, the golden calf or Lady Liberty. The Chinese patriots who rose up in 1989 against oppression erected a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Tiananmen Square. They knew what our politicians and business people have forgotten: that without freedom, nothing is worthwhile.

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