Tibetans to Bush: Don't Go to Beijing Olympics -- Rally in DC

[Catchawave]

Early this morning, a citizen journalist posted this fantastic photo journal:

http://www.eenrblog.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=721
by: be inspired
Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 04:00:00 AM EDT

On Monday, March 31, a large group of Tibetans, Americans of Tibetan ancestry, and other American supporters gathered at Lafayette Park outside the White House in Washington, DC to ask President Bush to make a statement for human rights and refused to attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in protest of Chinese government oppression of Tibet.

I have been very moved by the mostly nonviolent struggle of the Tibetans to regain their freedom, and by the strength and compassion shown by the Dalai Lama in urging them to maintain nonviolence at all times. I decided it was important to go and stand in solidarity with them. This is my report on the event.

Please follow the link....

[Blue_In_AK]

1. A local columnist wrote about this in our newspaper today...

I personally think we are morally obligated to boycott the Beijing Olympics for many reasons, not the least of which is the oppression of Tibet.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/story/362953.html

Chinese grip on faraway Tibet is as close as a heartbeat

ELISE PATKOTAK
COMMENT

It was sometime in the early or mid-'90s. My sister and I were in a Tibetan monastery outside of Lhasa. We were there only because the Chinese government realized it could not subsidize this region forever. Tibet needed to contribute to the national coffers. So China allowed some monasteries to reopen as a draw for tourists.

We sat in front of a shrine of the Buddha. Tucked in every nook and crevice in the wall behind the Buddha were pictures of the Dalai Lama. A very old monk brought us each a cup of yak butter tea. Maybe it was the tea. Maybe it was the altitude sickness Judy had been experiencing ever since we'd landed in Lhasa, 12,001 feet above sea level. Maybe it was just the whole ambience of the monastery. Whatever it was, Judy took one look at the monk, one look at the tea, burst into tears and sobbed for reasons she found impossible to express.

The monks who heard her crying came running and gently led her out to the courtyard. I followed, not sobbing but definitely feeling somewhat unnerved. Maybe the altitude was bothering me too, or maybe it was the almost unearthly sense of peace that overwhelmed us when we entered the monastery. We never did figure it out. Eventually she stopped crying and we went on with our tour.

<snip>

Almost 15 years later, I wonder if Mary (the Chinese guide) ever made it to medical school. I wonder whether our Tibetan guide and driver are out on the streets of Lhasa protesting or in a prison somewhere. I wonder what happened to the old monk who was so grateful for the picture we brought. Was he allowed to stay in his beloved monastery? Or was he made to leave when the tourist dollars didn't justify his keep?

But mostly I wonder how any free government in this world can possibly go to Beijing for the Olympics while China holds Tibet in its iron grip. I know the Olympics are ultimately just games, but it seems to me that in going there and celebrating them, we are giving credibility to a government that does not deserve it.

My sister and I will never forget that moment in the monastery when we felt a sense of peace and tranquility that no foreign occupation could dispel and that no other place we've ever traveled to could engender. We remember, and our hearts break for Tibet.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Elise Patkotak is a writer who lives in Anchorage. Read her blog at www.elisepatkotak.com.

[Catchawave]

5. I'm all for the boycott, my local paper called for it too...

...two faces of China...

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/two-faces-china-olympics-and-tibet

[Blue_In_AK]

8. That's an excellent editorial.

I know the US doesn't have much moral authority in the world these days, but we shouldn't be complicit in China's sins, as well. Boycotting the Olympics is a very small step, considering how much we enable China already, but we should start somewhere.

We have a movement afoot here to compel the Alaska Permanent Fund managers to withdraw their investment interests in Sinopec because of that company's influence in Darfur. The fund managers are resisting, contending that investment strategy should have nothing to do with politics, but the consensus among the citizens here seems to be that we would rather have smaller permanent fund checks than to accept this tainted money.

[Nutmegger]

2. Thanks for posting wave.

R&K!

:hi:

[Catchawave]

6. Thanks ya'nut :)

Nothing like "issues" to take our minds off the primaries :hi:

[Better Believe It]

3. Be Careful .... You Might Get What You Ask For

I'm pleased to hear that the various groups that favor independence or greater autonomy for Tibet are engaged in a non-violent campaign.

Now can you tell me who was responsible for firebombing hundreds of small Chinese owned busineses and physical attacks on ethnic Chinese in Tibet?

Now I support the right of Tibetans to demand and win independence if that is what the majority want .... even if it means the return of feudalism and the God King of Tibet. However, that doesn't mean I must support the God King of Tibet's religious cult or feudalism or any ethnic cleansing of Chinese from Tibet and surrounding areas.

As I've indicated before, western politicians like George W. Bush have absolutely no credibility or moral authority to speak and act on Tibet independence, non-intervention by China and democratic rights and political freedoms in China. And you really want George W. Bush to speak out and take action on these matters? George W. Bush boycotting the Olympics in support of self-determination for Tibet would be the highest level of hypocrisy imaginable and yet that's what you seem to be calling for! Well, I sure hope the Chinese people don't consider George W. Bush to be a political role model!


Now I urge you to read, if you haven't already, an excellent article of the hypocrisy of western "leaders" such as George Bush and their supporters who may very well boycott the summer Olympics.

You'll find it at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3091145&mesg_id=3091145

[Catchawave]

7. Thanks.

:toast:

[chiffon]

4. The time to take a stand is now.

Given the recent and ongoing offenses that China has imposed upon Tibetans, there cannot be a shred of doubt for those with a conscience that the upcoming games need to boycotted.

I have heard the mantra that sports should be devoid of politics, but I don't think that China needs to recognized on the global stage as a humane "fair" host.

In fact, neither do we until....




1/2009

[Better Believe It]

9. What About A Boycott Of The United States?

So .... do you think the 2002 winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City should have been boycotted in view of the U.S. world record on human rights?