Chinese Official Executed

I can't get this story out of my head. Executed for taking bribes worth less than a million dollars (and which he reimbursed). And his sentence was carried out (probably by lethal injection) less than 2 months after he got it (his appeal was denied). Yikes. Can you imagine if corrupt government officials were treated thus in America - immediately summarily executed? The mind boggles.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2054413.eceFormer Chinese Top

Drug Official Executed (RTTNews) - Zheng Xiaoyu, the former Chinese top drug and food safety official, was executed on Tuesday after being found guilty of corruption and dereliction of duty and sentenced in May for taking bribes worth some 6.5 million yuan or $850,000 from eight companies.

Zheng, the head of SFDA from 1998 to 2005, was also accused and found guilty of ignoring malpractices by relatives and subordinate officials, and approving substandard medicines in return for kickbacks, including one antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths within China.

And this adds another twist: this article in the current Newsweek suggests that rampant CAPITALISM is the basic cause of all the defective products from (and moe widely in) China. Deep.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19650857/site/newsweek/