Comments on: The Tortuous Journey of the Olympic Torch http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:15:53 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Randi "Three-fingers" Rhodes http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/comment-page-1/#comment-29449 Randi "Three-fingers" Rhodes Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:33:39 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/#comment-29449 Hey everybody, point of order. Apparently we need to take a little 'time-out' for fact-checking. I know we all get in a hurry sometimes, but words have meaning & it's important to get facts straight. 1. China is not a "game". It's a county, just like Canada. 2. The Olympics are not in San Francisco. They were started in the city of Greece and remain there today. 3. We all love the Tibetan feudal theocracy, but don't forget who we are. OK, continue. Hey everybody, point of order.

Apparently we need to take a little ‘time-out’ for fact-checking. I know we all get in a hurry sometimes, but words have meaning & it’s important to get facts straight.
1. China is not a “game”. It’s a county, just like Canada.
2. The Olympics are not in San Francisco. They were started in the city of Greece and remain there today.
3. We all love the Tibetan feudal theocracy, but don’t forget who we are.

OK, continue.

]]> By: Chris R. http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/comment-page-1/#comment-29006 Chris R. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:26:46 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/#comment-29006 I'm with Tom and P. Ami on this one. I've always been confused about the free Tibet movement, because Tibetans have never known freedom. If one were to "free" Tibet, they would most likely return to their old ways of basically enslaving their people to serve their so-called divine leader. There are many reasons to protest China but I don't see Tibet as being one of them. Protest their overall human rights record, or protest the fact that they keep trying to poison the world with their contaminated products. Trying to "free" a religious autocracy like Tibet is pointless. China should not have been allowed to host the Olympics but now that they have been allowed all we can do is support our athletes in their Olympic endeavors. I hope China wins zero medals during the Games. I’m with Tom and P. Ami on this one. I’ve always been confused about the free Tibet movement, because Tibetans have never known freedom. If one were to “free” Tibet, they would most likely return to their old ways of basically enslaving their people to serve their so-called divine leader.

There are many reasons to protest China but I don’t see Tibet as being one of them. Protest their overall human rights record, or protest the fact that they keep trying to poison the world with their contaminated products. Trying to “free” a religious autocracy like Tibet is pointless.

China should not have been allowed to host the Olympics but now that they have been allowed all we can do is support our athletes in their Olympic endeavors. I hope China wins zero medals during the Games.

]]> By: Ed A http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/comment-page-1/#comment-28889 Ed A Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:09:31 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/#comment-28889 The sportsmen/women shouldn't be made to boycott the games or suffer in any way. They have trained hard and deserve a chance to compete on an international platform. However everyone should realise that what the Chinese Communist Party are doing to their people is totally against the Olympic Games Charter. For example; Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion,politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement. I would say the torture and organ harvesting known to be taking place on an almost daily basis to Falun Gong practitioners, the persecution of Tibetans and the oppression of other religions and culture within their borders is discrimination at the highest level. If you consider that of the millions of people who practiced Falun Gong from all walks of life, prior to the start of the persecution, perhaps there were some who were Olympic sportsmen, who according to the CCP don't have a right to live, let alone compete in the games. It was said by the CCP that to host the games would likely improve the welfare of the Chinese people but the CCP would be the only ones to gain if no protest were to be made. As such the International Olympic Games Committee should have moved the games to an alternative venue to avoid the conflict. The sportsmen/women shouldn’t be made to boycott the games or suffer in any way. They have trained hard and deserve a chance to compete on an international platform. However everyone should realise that what the Chinese Communist Party are doing to their people is totally against the Olympic Games Charter. For example;

Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion,politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.

I would say the torture and organ harvesting known to be taking place on an almost daily basis to Falun Gong practitioners, the persecution of Tibetans and the oppression of other religions and culture within their borders is discrimination at the highest level. If you consider that of the millions of people who practiced Falun Gong from all walks of life, prior to the start of the persecution, perhaps there were some who were Olympic sportsmen, who according to the CCP don’t have a right to live, let alone compete in the games. It was said by the CCP that to host the games would likely improve the welfare of the Chinese people but the CCP would be the only ones to gain if no protest were to be made. As such the International Olympic Games Committee should have moved the games to an alternative venue to avoid the conflict.

]]> By: P. Ami http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/comment-page-1/#comment-28885 P. Ami Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:24:37 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/#comment-28885 Tom, There is no worse dictatorship then Mao's. Today's China is far better then in those days but no one really discusses, especially in China, the cultural lobotomy given to the Chinese people by Mao and his regime. They were responsible for more destruction of property, cultural relics, classic Chinese thinking and human lives then even the Japanese. This same destruction occurred in Tibet to the Tibetans when the Chinese invaded. The question here is, if given the choice, would the Tibetan people want to revert to their old system, would they want independence under Western principles or would they like to remain a region in the Chinese Empire? Protesters around the world are basically acting out based on their own wishes, desires and notions of what the Tibetan people aught to want. I see plenty of Westerners wearing "Free Tibet" t-shirts (Made in China?) and not a single Tibetan. That is not to say the wish for Tibetan autonomy is not the prevalent condition among Tibetans. I am simply not reasonably convinced that it is. All that said, anything that sticks a pin in the Chinese balloon entertains me 10,000 times more then a dragon parade all smoky with firecrackers and iron bells. Tom,
There is no worse dictatorship then Mao’s. Today’s China is far better then in those days but no one really discusses, especially in China, the cultural lobotomy given to the Chinese people by Mao and his regime. They were responsible for more destruction of property, cultural relics, classic Chinese thinking and human lives then even the Japanese. This same destruction occurred in Tibet to the Tibetans when the Chinese invaded. The question here is, if given the choice, would the Tibetan people want to revert to their old system, would they want independence under Western principles or would they like to remain a region in the Chinese Empire?

Protesters around the world are basically acting out based on their own wishes, desires and notions of what the Tibetan people aught to want. I see plenty of Westerners wearing “Free Tibet” t-shirts (Made in China?) and not a single Tibetan. That is not to say the wish for Tibetan autonomy is not the prevalent condition among Tibetans. I am simply not reasonably convinced that it is.

All that said, anything that sticks a pin in the Chinese balloon entertains me 10,000 times more then a dragon parade all smoky with firecrackers and iron bells.

]]> By: Tom Linehan http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/comment-page-1/#comment-28844 Tom Linehan Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:50:09 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/#comment-28844 Lost in all of this discussion is the fact that the Tibetan feudal theocracy that the Chinese Communists replaced may well have been on of the few governments in the world at the time that were as bad if not worse than Mao’s dictatorship. The vast majority of the Tibetans lived as veritable slaves. 95% of the population existed solely to serve high ranking monks and nobility Lost in all of this discussion is the fact that the Tibetan feudal theocracy that the Chinese Communists replaced may well have been on of the few governments in the world at the time that were as bad if not worse than Mao’s dictatorship. The vast majority of the Tibetans lived as veritable slaves. 95% of the population existed solely to serve high ranking monks and nobility

]]> By: Andrew Ian Dodge http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/comment-page-1/#comment-28801 Andrew Ian Dodge Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:40:57 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-tortuous-journey-of-the-olympic-torch/#comment-28801 Today its Paris; so it should be even more fun. The French do tend to do "protests" a bit better than the laid back British. Today its Paris; so it should be even more fun. The French do tend to do “protests” a bit better than the laid back British.

]]>