China's great dictator Xi Jinping knows that the people know he is lying, yet he continues to lie with a straight face. This is called shamelessness.

Xi Jinping also knows that a corrupt clique of officials in Shangqiu, Henan Province — led by former Party Secretary Li Guosheng, former Mayor Bai Xiangyang, current Party Secretary Li Xiangyu, and Public Security Bureau chief Huang Jiheng — has brutally suppressed and persecuted the people. Yet they are still rewarded and promoted. This is called willful protection and complicity.

Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and Nicolás Maduro are your cautionary tales.