Where'd all the good people go?

The Olympic torch is in the United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area today... protests have begun days ago in preparation of the arrival of the torch of freedom being paraded by the worlds most evil empire - China.

Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and I have agreed for the first time: Boycott the Olympics. Do not support the human rights violations and repeated offenses against humanity and freedom that have been committed by the government of China.

And to top it off, our fearless leader, GW, is supporting the Olympics by attending the opening ceremonies WITH the ruler of China...

What happened to the America in which I was raised?

Where is the strength and anti-communist efforts upheld by everyone from Kennedy to Reagan?

Do we care more about commercialization and globalism than human rights?

Where is the outrage? Where is the humanity?

And why the heck do I find myself allied with the most liberal socialist democrats? Why is this not a united struggle? Have we all become complacent?

I ask... Where'd all the GOOD people go?

China just doesn't get it - "torches" freedom

The Olympic Torch has met resistance as it makes it's way across the globe ahead of the Beijing 2008 Summer Games. Wild protests have broken out across the Chinese border regions in India, Nepal and within Tibet which have been met with stiff resistance from the Chinese and other local authorities. As the torch moved into Europe, the clashes with torch carriers increased, often causing security measures which include blowing out the torch and busing the torch past protesters.

The people around the world are protesting Beijing's history of, and current practice of, human rights oppression as well as militarization, authoritarian communist control, threatening entities which desire freedom from oppression (such as Taiwan) and invading and occupying their neighbors (like Tibet).

After the torch left Paris, the brave and respectable French President (yes, I am paying homage to a French-man!) Zarkosy has said that his countrymen may refuse to attend the games due to the international outcry for justice in Tibet.

Meanwhile, Bush has stated that the US will participate... I believe his actual statement was something like: "Heh-heh... Being in the Olympics is hard... it's real hard... and what the Beijingese peoples are trying to do is hard...look people, China is just as much a part of America as you or me... We should support China, cause these little guys, well, they never did anything to hurt the US... heh-heh..."

As the torch makes it's one stop in the US, protests are expected to continue. China has made pleas with the US to suppress protesters in SF, and give the image of US's unity with the Chinese Government. I have heard that they have even offered to increase security for the torch's remaining route (see picture).

China's official response is thusly stated:

China quickly condemned the disruptions as "vile" and, in a departure from past reticence, state-run television and newspapers showed the protests and upset spectators.

"We express our strong condemnation of the deliberate disruption of the Olympic torch relay by 'Tibetan independence' separatist forces," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement posted at www.fmprc.gov.cn.

At a later briefing, she said Chinese and U.S. officials had been working together to ensure the visit of the torch to San Francisco on Wednesday would go "safely and smoothly".

"We also warn groups and elements attempting to disrupt and sabotage the torch relay that their goal -- of using the Olympics for their unspeakable ends and to blacken and put pressure on China -- is absolutely unattainable."

There you have it... Peaceful China's goal of suppression is the only outcome... freedom and independence of millions of people is "absolutely unattainable"... why even TRY to petition your government for a redress of grievances? You will only be met with the gun!

Sounds like the perfect country to host the games of unity and peace!

Tibet is Burning

Communist China reports that 10 protestors have been killed, meanwhile activists groups report the number to closer to 100 killed. Knowing the oppressive media that exists in China, I am more inclined to believe the higher number. Could this be another “Tiananmen Square”?

The country of Tibet has been under communist China’s rule for over 50 years, stuck behind another iron curtain. China has as much claim to this territory as the Russians had to any one of the Soviet States incorporated into the USSR… zero.

Tibet has existed as an autonomous kingdom, led by the spiritual leaders believed to be the reincarnation of the previous. This is the Dalai Lama… the ruler of Tibet, exiled since 1959 to northern India. A leader that, when he dies, China has claimed that the government will be selecting the successor… hardly who I would want appointing my spiritual leader… but an effective way to control the territory once and for all.

The people of Tibet struggle for nothing more than the founders of America struggled for… the right to exist in peace, and to freely practice their religion. China’s iron fist has come down time and again against students and monks, often leading to massacres of peaceful protestors… blatant human rights violations.

But the protests of the last few days have something more than the protests of the past. They have traction… worldwide traction. Chinese embassies around the world are under siege by protestors who favor a free Tibet. And China, the host of the 2008 Olympics, is under a microscope as we move closer to the opening ceremonies. (We all know that China is one of the worst offenders when it comes to Human Rights Violations.) But the struggle needs one finishing touch to turn into a full scale revolution: The blessing of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan people worldwide are pushing for his call to arms, as finding the middle ground has led to little more than murder in the past.

What are my thoughts?

I believe that there is one just cause worth fighting and dying in this world we live: freedom.

Fellow blogger KTracy.com has suggested that the struggle of the Tibetan protestors is little more than the terror groups in Iraq fighting the US soldiers… I would caution him that the people of Tibet fight for freedom, where the terror groups in Iraq fight for fascism.

I support the struggle of the people of Tibet. I believe that all men should be free from living in fear and repression. As a believer in liberty, personal property rights, and freedom of religion, I have little patience for repressive regimes like that of the Communist Republic of China.

If it were up to me, as we move forward with this slaughter and manhunt for remaining protestors, I would issue an immediate statement condemning the reaction of the Chinese government, followed by a threat of sanctions of all Chinese products. I know this would send a shockwave through our economy, but that is just a sign of our dependence on foreign goods for sustaining our way of life. As such, we would need to rethink how we conduct ourselves, how we live, and what we need to survive and enjoy life from within our own borders.

Am I proposing, then, the death of a free market in America by not allowing procurement from foreign countries? I would argue that such a global market is harmful for the very reason stated above, and restated here: we become too dependant on foreign goods, and that leaves us with no leverage as the moral authority in issues of freedom and liberty.

So I suggest calling your legislator, calling the local Chinese embassy, or joining a protest speaking out against the atrocities of the Chinese government in Tibet. Our voices can be a part of the roar!