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| would you boycott the olympics in China? |
| Yes |
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41% |
[ 38 ] |
| No |
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45% |
[ 42 ] |
| Maybe |
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13% |
[ 12 ] |
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| Total Votes : 92 |
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| Author |
Message |
Bramble
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Location: National treasures need homes
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 Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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I got this message through a mailing list recently:
| Quote: |
A quick look back at the history of protest activities
focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes,
and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to
repeat the old mistakes.
The first series of monumental failures of which I have
personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly
hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took
extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics
started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and
intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted
almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had
hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved.
Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John
Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous "Black Power" protest on
the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie
Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970.
I interviewed Evans about the "Black Power" protest in 1971.
Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and
teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture
than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly
shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith,
but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance
change, & sure enough, it didn't.
The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I
knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a
correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a
number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off
firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is
fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian
cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report
much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they
didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay
out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire.
Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue
there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence
cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since.
The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980
Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone
remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did
essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into
some of the very same sites in Afghanistan.
Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988.
That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning
dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the
monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a
similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago.
Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the
boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the
flag.
1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest
against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in
Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local
activists learning the tactics of political organization at the
grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections.
All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996
Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody
remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA
went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in
midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for
Scandinavian tourists.
Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000
Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos &
brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for
discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as
possible Olympic sports.
In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to
bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards.
Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the
middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles
away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to
starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it.
Come we now to Beijing.
First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail?
There are actually several obvious reasons.
One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never
more intense.
Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics
are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, &
just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover
doesn't leave much time for covering anything else.
Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are
preoccupied with other things.
Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote
causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one
cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a
lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you
do both.
And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible
for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait
out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever
the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over.
Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is
exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as
the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment
is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust
resources and burn out activists.
What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled
opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the
interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if
sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and
distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can
refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation
that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal
advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key
contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring
strength after the Olympics are over.
--
Merritt Clifton
Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE
P.O. Box 960
Clinton, WA 98236
Telephone: 360-579-2505
Fax: 360-579-2575
E-mail: anmlpepl@whidbey. com
Web: www.animalpeoplenew s.org
[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing
original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,
founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the
decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.
We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;
for free sample, send address.]
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Dalai Lama 'To Resign' (If Violence Worsens)
The Dalai Lama says he will resign if violence spirals out of control
AP reports
Chinese premier says response to the protests was restrained
Streets of Lhasa quiet but under heavy security, witnesses say
U.S. urges Chinese restraint, talks with Dalai Lama
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The Dalai Lama will step down as leader of Tibet's government-in-exile if violence by protesters in the region worsens,
the exiled spiritual leader said Tuesday as China's premier blamed his supporters for the growing unrest.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures during a press meeting in Dharamsala, India, on Sunday.
"If things become out of control then my only option is to completely resign," the Dalai Lama told a news conference in Dharamsala, India,
The Associated Press reported.
A spokesman for the Dalai Lama later clarified that he was referring to his political role as Tibetan leader-in-exile, rather than his spiritual role,
AP said.
"If the Tibetans were to choose the path of violence he would have to resign because he is completely committed to nonviolence," Tenzin Takhla told reporters.
"He would resign as the political leader and head of state, but not as the Dalai Lama. He will always be the Dalai Lama."
MORE ...
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/18/tibet.unrest/index.html |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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Headed for Olympics? Beware of Big Brother
Olympic Attendees Will Be Bugged and Searched, U.S. State Department Says
If you're planning on attending this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, expect your hotel room to be bugged and searched while you're not there.
(AP Photo/ PhotoDisc ) By KIRIT RADIA
March 20, 2008
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Athletes Wary of Pollution During Beijing Olympic Games
Torture and Taunting: Inside Zoos
That's one of the warnings in a new fact sheet on the 2008 Olympics issued today by the U.S. State Department to Americans who intend to go to the games that are being hosted by the Chinese government.
"All visitors should be aware that they have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public or private locations," the fact sheet says. "All hotel rooms and offices are considered to be subject to on-site or remote technical monitoring at all times. Hotel rooms, residences and offices may be accessed at any time without the occupant's consent or knowledge."
This is similar to advice that U.S. officials visiting China follow. The U.S. military has been increasingly worried about Chinese electronic surveillance capabilities.
ABC News was granted exclusive access to the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Timothy Keating, as he met with top Chinese military leaders in January. Keating told ABC News' Jonathan Karl that even his staff members leave their electronic devices behind for fear that the Chinese could hack into them.
"It's our assessment that the Chinese have the capability to penetrate our electronic systems. We would rather they not do that," Keating said.
The State Department's fact sheet also warns that Americans may not be able to access certain portions of the U.S. Embassy's Web site while within China, a sign of China's growing ability to restrict Internet access to sites it sees as challenges to its rule.
Americans traveling in China are encouraged to register first with the U.S. embassy through its Web site. However, according to the fact sheet, "Since this registration system site is not always available from within China, registering before you leave home is highly recommended."
The State Department says that the terror threat for the Games is low but cites recent violence in Tibet and a purported attempt to blow up a passenger plane in China earlier this month as "good examples of how potentially dangerous events can occur in the run-up to the Olympics."
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4492008&page=1 |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:32 am Post subject: |
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Protest As Olympic Torch Is Lit
Protester Disrupts Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony At Olympia, Greece
International route takes in 23 cities on five continents over 34 days
Torch relay through "China" will take the Olympic flame up Mount Everest
OLYMPIA, Greece (CNN) -- A protester managed to breach the tight security during the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Greece Monday.
Policemen detain a protester as he holds a banner at the beginning of the flame-lighting ceremony.
The man rushed behind the podium as China's Olympic chief was speaking.
He unfurled a banner, but was quickly apprehended by security who escorted him away.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/24/torch.relay/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
Meanwhile committee chief Liu Qi continued to make his speech in Chinese while the commotion went on behind him. Two other men were also detained.
China state TV "cut away" from the protest and showed a prerecorded scene, preventing Chinese viewers from seeing the incident, according to The Associated Press. Chinese television commentators did not mention the demonstration.
The torch was lit moments later as it began its epic began its 130-day, 137,000-kilo meters (85,000-miles) journey.
Later on Monday, a Tibetan woman covered herself in red paint and lay in front of a runner carrying the Olympic torch while other protesters chanted "Free Tibet" and "Shame on China," AP said.
China's human rights records has been under scrutiny from the international committee in the lead-up to what promises to be one of the most controversial Olympic Games in recent times.
Watch footage of protester disrupting torch ceremony
"If the Olympic flame is sacred, human rights are even more so," the group said in a statement. "We cannot let the Chinese government seize the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic situation of human rights in the country."
Meanwhile, a Chinese activist who called for human rights ahead of the Olympics was sentenced to five years in prison, AP reported.
Yang Chunlin had gathered more than 10,000 signatures for an open letter titled "We want human rights, not the Olympics." He was charged with subverting the power of the state, a charge authorities in China commonly use the charge to clamp down on dissent.
The Olympic torch will go from the site of ancient Olympia in Greece to Beijing, China, where the 2008 summer games will begin in August.
The mammoth trip is the longest ever in Olympic history.
The flame was lit by focusing the sun's rays on a concave steel mirror at the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia.
Greek actress Maria Nafpliotou, portraying the High Priestess, lit the first torch. Alexandros Nikolaidis, a Greek athlete who won a silver medal in taekwondo at the 2004 Olympics, then carried the flame for the first mile.
China's Olympic swimming gold medalist, Luo Xuejuan, took the flame from Nikolaidis. Another 603 bearers will run the torch through Greece, culminating in Athens on March 30, where the torch will be handed over to China for a flight to Beijing.
Don't Miss
China to increase torch security after protest
China's threats raise boycott talk
After a ceremonial arrival in Beijing, the flame will move around the world through April. At the beginning of May, it begins a three-month trek through at least 111 Chinese cities in more than 30 provinces and regions.
A second flame will attempt a side trip sometime in May -- depending on weather conditions -- to the top of Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak, along the Tibet-Nepal border.
The most controversial leg of the torch relay is planned for June, when it is scheduled to be carried through Tibet and three neighboring provinces where violent unrest broke out this month.
Olympic officials insisted last week that the relay in these areas will proceed as planned.
"All the preparations for the torch relay in Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu are proceeding very well," Beijing Olympics organizer Jiang Xiaoyu said.
The flame is set to arrive in Beijing on August 6, where it will be paraded around the city until entering the stadium for the Olympics opening ceremony on August 8
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/24/torch.relay/index.html |
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TexasPete
Joined: 24 May 2006
Location: Koreatown
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:49 am Post subject: |
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I would think that Koreans would be totally against China and pro-Tibet considering that China is doing damn near the exact same thing to Tibet as Japan did to Korea. Then again, they don't seem to be too pissed off that, were it not for China's 2,000,000 crossing the Yalu River, there would be one Korea today.
FCUK China. I'm hoping there's some great travel deals to anywhere else in the world from Korea during the Olympics. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:12 am Post subject: |
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Chinese Open Fire On Hundreds Of Monks & Nuns At Tibet Rally
March 25, 2008
(MANAN VATSYAYANA)
Protesters have demanded the safe return of the Dalai Lama after the spiritual leader was branded a "monster" by Chinese authorities
Jane Macartney in Beijing
Paramilitary police opened fire on hundreds of monks, nuns and Tibetans who tried to march on a local government office in western China yesterday to demand the return of the Dalai Lama.
Residents of Luhuo said that a monk and a farmer appeared to have been killed and about a dozen people wounded in the latest violence in Tibetan areas of China. Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, said that one officer was killed when police confronted a �lawless mob� in Luhuo.
The demonstration began at 4pm when about 200 nuns from Woge nunnery and a similar number of monks from Jueri monastery marched towards the Luhuo Third District government office. They were joined by several hundred farmers and nomads, witnesses said.
Shouting �Long Live the Dalai Lama� and �Tibet belongs to Tibetans�, they approached the office. The paramilitary People�s Armed Police appeared and ordered the crowd to turn back.
Witnesses said that shots were fired and two people appeared to have died.
They identified one as Congun Dengzhu, a farmer, and the second as an unknown monk.
MORE ...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3612661.ece |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 4:11 am Post subject: |
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Reports: New Protests In Tibet ... As Diplomats End Visit
Radio broadcaster and Tibetan activists report fresh protests in the Tibetan capital
U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia reported several hundred people took part
Foreign diplomats were ending a tightly controlled visit to Lhasa organized by Beijing
NEW: In Nepal, police say 200 Tibetan exiles, monks tried to storm Chinese Embassy
BEIJING, China (AP) -- Radio broadcaster and Tibetan activists have reported that fresh protests broke out in
the Tibetan capital Lhasa as foreign diplomats wrapped up a tightly controlled visit organized by Beijing.
CONT'D ...
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/30/china.tibet.ap/index.html |
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