After having kids telling you “hello, goodbye, good morning and can I assist you?” for a couple of weeks, you tend to go soft.

Especially when you’re spending the rest of your time chasing sports events all over town.

But let’s not forget what sort of government they have here. One that quashes dissent, denies it, ignores it, tries to make it invisible.

Here is a story that appeared on espn.com, of all places.

It is about how protests were nipped in the bud … by the authorities.

Here is the link.

Also, the laughably government-line-parroting China Daily spoke to this issue of “77 protest permits requested” by assuring its readers here that “76 of the requested permits were not needed” when the government and the would-be protesters “resolved” their issues.

Yeah, I’ve got your resolution right here, pal. A one-way ticket back to your point of origin. Or maybe two weeks in the hoosegow, if we don’t like your looks.