Free Tibet?

[Buccaneer]

I guess what those folks with a FREE TIBET bumber sticker really only cared about was a cool concert. If you really want to help and think advocacy is more than a cool bumber sticker, try www.tibetanaidproject.org. Also, email your Congressional representatives in protesting China's latest crackdowns. Hopefully the various member nations are willing to make a stand in some ways since the IOC don't have any guts.

[Cringer]

I will try, but they didn't listen when I complained about what our country does.

[Chief Rum]

Free Tibet?

Aren't you underpricing it a bit?

[sabotai]

I'll take it!

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Free Tibet?

Aren't you underpricing it a bit?

We are talking about Tibet, right? If anything free may be OVERpricing it. But if you want to deal with the Chinese overlords, be my guest.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I guess what those folks with a FREE TIBET bumber sticker really only cared about was a cool concert. If you really want to help and think advocacy is more than a cool bumber sticker, try www.tibetanaidproject.org. Also, email your Congressional representatives in protesting China's latest crackdowns. Hopefully the various member nations are willing to make a stand in some ways since the IOC don't have any guts.

There's no oil in Tibet, the US won't bother.

[wade moore]

As the Olympic Games grow closer if this stuff continues in Tibet I'm curious to see whether the US makes any gestures of any sort besides "discouraging" the Chinese or whatever.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I'll take it!

Hello, China? I think I have something you want.

[Butter]

What's a bumber?

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by wade moore

As the Olympic Games grow closer if this stuff continues in Tibet I'm curious to see whether the US makes any gestures of any sort besides "discouraging" the Chinese or whatever.

I doubt it.

The US were extremely hesitant to even get their hands dirty on the Myanmar/Burma democracy protest crackdowns by the reinging military junta, since the country in in the Chinese sphere of influence. I really don't think that they would be willing to do anything outside of the usual diplomatic routines that they've done.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

I doubt it.

The US were extremely hesitant to even get their hands dirty on the Myanmar/Burma democracy protest crackdowns by the reinging military junta, since the country in in the Chinese sphere of influence. I really don't think that they would be willing to do anything outside of the usual diplomatic routines that they've done.

FWIW - I agree. But I imagine that there will be a lot more pressure on this one (by pressure I mean media, etc, etc) than Myanmar/Burma with the Olympics coming up so maybe there's a slight bit more of a chance.

And Russia getting their hands dirty in this - I'm not sure what impact that has.

I'm no foreign policy expert (far from it) but it seems like if the Chinese keep up with this blatant stuff that it's going to be hard to ignore during the Olympics.

[Kodos]

Luckily, it'll be easy to ignore the Olympics.

[flere-imsaho]

Does anyone know why China's so keen to hold on to Tibet anyway? Do they have some sort of mineral wealth or something? Or is it just a case, at this point, of not wanting to be seen to "lose" if they let Tibet go independent?

[Anthony]

why was china awarded the olympics in the first place if they have so many abuses?

anyway, olympics are not the venue for politics.

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

anyway, olympics are not the venue for politics.

the olympics ARE politics. thats why everyone waves around thier own flag. i say the US boycotts the olymipics, for no other reason than to keep that worthless crap off the TV.

[Greyroofoo]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

Hello, China? I think I have something you want.

That's right, ALL the tea!

[MikeVic]

Isn't that from Family Guy? It's ringing a bell...

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

the olympics ARE politics. thats why everyone waves around thier own flag. i say the US boycotts the olymipics, for no other reason than to keep that worthless crap off the TV.

olympics are, optimistically, a time for all the countries to unite together and to have the whole world marvel at feats of human perfection and ability. the countries are just to give you people to root for.

[Greyroofoo]

The olympics are the one time (in every four years) when a bunch of ski-bums can be celebrated as national heroes.

[Kodos]

I always wonder why I should care about sports I normally don't care about just because they are part of the Olympics.

[Cringer]

I didn't know it was the cool thing to hate the Olympics now. Guess I am not cool. I still find athletes from all over the world coming together and competing pretty cool for the most part.

[JPhillips]

There's no question the Chinese see the Olympic Games as a ratification of first world status. When I was there the Olympic Games were front and center every single place we visited.

I think a complete boycott probably is out of the question. I'd love to see it, but I'd be shocked for it to happen. What is feasible and still quite embarrassing to the Chinese would be a boycott by a host of nations of the opening ceremonies. Publicly I think the pressure should be on to get a boycott of the games if the Chinese don't make concessions. Privately I hope something like a boycott of the opening ceremonies will be discussed as the Chinese need to take some sort of hit for their actions.

[Kodos]

I don't hate the Olympics any more than I hate the Golden Girls. I just have little interest in either. Except maybe the track events, because I ran track in high school.

[AENeuman]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I guess what those folks with a FREE TIBET bumber sticker really only cared about was a cool concert.

And it was a really cool concert. Beastie Boys, Smashing Pump, Rage, Foo Fighters, Tribe Called Quest, Chilly Peppers, Beck... Heard the first day from my roof next to gg park. went to the second day, some how i lost my shoes during b-boys.

Afterwards i was torn. Sure tibet gets treated like a colony by china. but if china never didn't, the concert would have never happened.

on the other hand radiohead and tom petty are playing the park during the olympics, not sure if they have a cause yet...

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I don't hate the Olympics any more than I hate the Golden Girls. I just have little interest in either. Except maybe the track events, because I ran track in high school.

I think that the Golden Girls is a pretty funny show, but even I wouldn't want to see them running track.

[Anthony]

i think it'd be better if we dedicated ourselves to dominating all events and embarassing china on their own turf.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

That's right, ALL the tea!

dun-dun-DUN!

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i think it'd be better if we dedicated ourselves to dominating all events and embarassing china on their own turf.

Quick, resurrect Jesse Owens! Or at least the diving equivalent.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I will try, but they didn't listen when I complained about what our country does.

I know, but what the federal govt does or does not do should have no bearing on your own actions, esp. moralistic and social ones. I give because I do have a great interesting in Tibet and Nepal, mainly because of the Everest mountaineering and the Sherpas cultures. I also fully believe that the Cultural Revolution was one of the three worst events of the 20th Century and it pains me to see remnants of that still going on in China.

As far as the Olympics, JPhillips read the same news report as I when they talked about leaders boycotting the Opening. That would send a message since China has been working very hard on PR and image perceptions ahead of the games.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

And it was a really cool concert. Beastie Boys, Smashing Pump, Rage, Foo Fighters, Tribe Called Quest, Chilly Peppers, Beck... Heard the first day from my roof next to gg park. went to the second day, some how i lost my shoes during b-boys.

Afterwards i was torn. Sure tibet gets treated like a colony by china. but if china never didn't, the concert would have never happened.

on the other hand radiohead and tom petty are playing the park during the olympics, not sure if they have a cause yet...

Yeah, it's same thing as the Earth Day 1990 concert I went to here. The cause was "Earth first, no compromise" except they were hooked up to a massive amount of coal-burning electricity. That was a cool concert too and we got a free bumper sticker that we could stick on our fossil-fuel burning vehicles. I guess compromising is for the other folks.

You never told me about losing your shoes during bboys. Gotta hear about that one this summer.

[st.cronin]

The China/Tibet thing has always been more of a religious freedom question, as opposed to a sovereignty issue. Tibetan Buddhism was actually a secret doctrine until the Dalai Lama and others fled Tibet in fear. They then decided to reveal their sublime, beautiful religion to the world.

[Sgran]

I'm sure China will free Tibet right after the US eliminates its carbon emissions.

[Groundhog]

It shows you just how scared the rest of the world is about cheesing China off with all the stuff they get away with. Not just on their home continent, either - They've been doing some pretty amazingly terrible things in Africa, as well.

[JPhillips]

Buc: I'm more basing my thoughts on what I saw a couple of years ago when I was on my adoption trip. The Olympic Games were front and center everywhere. At an elementary school we went to there was a sign welcoming the games and the principle discussed how the children are learning English so that all children will speak English by August of 08. On a tour of hutongs the couple we spoke to purposely included information about how coal burning stoves were being replaced to clean the air for the games. On one side of Tiananmen Square was a digital countdown to the opening ceremonies. Our guide told us about the roads being constructed for the games. In Fuling, hundreds of miles from Beijing, there was an Olympic stadium. It was everywhere.