del Guidice: Wow. It’s incredible to hear you mention that and how basically people’s attitudes have shifted in such a short period of time. Do you think this has potential to … become even more serious? It’s already pretty serious given what we’ve seen at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, but do you think it has the potential to become even more serious than what we’re seeing right now?

Howdeshell: I would not be surprised if within the next few weeks, if things continue on the current trend, that the police will begin firing live rounds and we’ll start seeing a lot of IEDs and warfare very similar to the Middle East.

del Guidice: I’m curious, too, how have you witnessed the protest taking a toll on the city? … I know that you mention people have been coming together and there was that one blockade when the police were trying to reach Hong Kong Polytechnic University, but have you witnessed other things happening where, from the time you got there on Nov. 1 to now, the city is a little bit different than it was when you first arrived?

Howdeshell: Well, I don’t think changes in that aspect happened in my short time here. Certainly not that I’ve noticed because it took me a lot to get acclimatized to Hong Kong in general.

But I will say that in the 20-something days I’ve been here now, I have witnessed two people that did not support the protests vocally that came out and yelled, “Hey, go home guys,” or something ruder than that. Whereas I have witnessed thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people that are absolutely for them.

We’re out there and people come up, they give you water, they give you food. They want to know if you’re OK. Can they help you? Three times now, myself and my teammates have gone to dinner … we’re eating dinner with some other Cantonese medics, [and] we go to pay and they say, “Nope, someone paid for your meal,” or, “No, it’s on the house.”

… Obviously, I haven’t been here that long, and I wasn’t here, say, a year ago, but the camaraderie and sort of the esprit de corps that has developed is amazing. With teamwork and the fact that it is all essentially leaderless is all completely naturally evolving is absolutely amazing.

There’s an entire system of what they call “school buses.” It’s just volunteer drivers, people that have a car that will bring protesters to and from the protests. We’ve been given rides a few times by the same people.

The other night a guy pulled up in like a super fancy BMW thing—I don’t know cars, but it was definitely an expensive car—and just loaded these three dirty Americans that were all sweaty and had a bunch of gear and was more than happy to give us a ride. And we said, “Well, why are you doing this?” He said, “I’m a Hongkonger. I have to do my part. And I wish I could do more. But until then, this is what I’ll do.”

del Guidice: Cody, that was actually going to be my next question. I was so curious how the Hongkongers have responded to you, this American, who’s helping their cause. And it sounds like they’re just so thankful, which is, I mean, it’s so incredible to see the vivid descriptions that you’ve been sharing.

Howdeshell: It’s absolutely heartwarming. Everybody goes around the world traveling these days, “Oh, it was life-changing.” Well, I can tell you that this has absolutely been life-changing for everyone in our team here. …

On probably our second or third protest, someone took a picture of us, all four of us together, and it ended up in what’s called the Stand News, which is maybe on par with The New York Times here. It’s a pretty big publication. And next thing you know we’re walking down the street and random strangers just walk up, pull their phones out, and open the article, … they don’t speak any English, but they just point at it and point at you and [give you a] questioning glance and you nod and [they] give you a hug, shake your hand, and walk on.

So they definitely … appreciate it, and it’s warming for them to see that America knows it’s happening. Because they are shocked at times to see that Americans are aware, and not only that, but came over specifically for this.

del Guidice: You’re already famous.

Howdeshell: We’re Hong Kong celebrities.

del Guidice: So given everything that you have witnessed, Cody, in Hong Kong, what would you want to tell many of our own peers, especially here in the States, who are becoming increasingly attracted to communism?

Howdeshell: Oh, geez. I’d like to shake them by the shoulders and slap them across the face. I’d say, “Come to Hong Kong.”

Come and see it. Come and see a country that is literally only miles away from one of the most communist regimes in modern-day history. And see the vibrance here and then go across the border—which I haven’t done, but I have friends that have—go across the border and see just the dull, gray, dire situation that communism places upon a nation.

And come and see these young kids here that could be just like the young kids back home, and all they’re concerned about is going to college, and getting a nice job, and that’s it, but instead they see the threat that is literally on their doorstep, and they’re willing to step up and fight for it.

Talk to them about the freedoms they have lost, the same freedoms that these young communist-leaning individuals in the states want to give away. And do it with an open mind and see if you can still support that ideology afterward.

del Guidice: Well, Cody, I cannot thank you enough for making time out of your really busy schedule to join us on The Daily Signal Podcast today. Thank you so much for being with us.

Howdeshell: Can I tell one more story?

del Guidice: Oh, please, go for it.

Howdeshell: OK. This is just to illustrate—going back to your last question—to understand that communism is [not as] beautiful and wonderful as you may think it is back in the states. You have to understand that nothing in communism is voluntary, and it has to be enforced with violence at the end of the day against those that would preserve their own freedom and liberty.

So the night before last when we were trying to push back and take DePaul University again, there were protests all throughout the city.

I was in an area just south of a suburb called Mong Kok, and the protesters were gathered together. They act a bit like if you think of the old Roman garrisons, the way they took their shields and all massed together and sort of locked their shields together, so they formed an impenetrable mass.

They do that except the front line has 4-by-8 sheets of plywood and everyone else has umbrellas that they overlap. And because they’re standing up against tear gas rounds and rubber bullets, the plywood is fine. And the umbrellas slow it down a little bit.

So the protesters were standing at an intersection, having their standoff with the police, throwing Molotovs. Brave young men were running out ahead of the front lines mere yards away from the police to throw Molotovs. And they’re not trying to directly hit the police it seems because they could do a better job if they were. They’re just trying to make a line of fire that the police cannot cross.

The police and the protesters went back and forth as each gained and lost ground. And at one point, the protesters just banded together and began to hail an absolute rain of Molotovs down on the police force. And the police began to retreat, and the protesters began to move forward.

At that time, and I believe these are new to the Hong Kong police force, or at least the use of them is, the police threw flash-bang grenades, which basically just blow up. They’re not meant to kill anyone, though they can, but they emit a very loud sound that sounds a lot like a rifle being fired and a sharp flash of light.