Letter of the Week
With all the talk of a coming out party at the Beijing Games, China has a miserable record on human rights and the IOC has done little to pressure China into meaningful reforms. The week’s LOW asks that the viewers make a statement by choosing to tune out the Beijing Games. Thanks for the letter Tyler. Enjoy your quiet time.
I recently pledged to not watch the Beijing Olympics on television and wanted to ask you for your help to spread the word to do the same.
This year’s summer Olympics take place in China. The Chinese government promotes their Olympic slogan of ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM while propping up one of the world’s most brutal military dictatorships in Burma.
As you probably saw in the newspapers, last fall hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks marched in Burma calling for human rights and democracy. With funding and weapons from China, the Burmese regime cracked down on the peaceful monks, slaughtering hundreds and imprisoning thousands more.
That crackdown was just the tip of the iceberg. Using its veto power, China has blocked the United Nations from stopping the carnage in Burma. In a campaign of terror, the Burmese military regime has destroyed 3,200 villages, forcing 1.5 million people to flee their homes. The regime has recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world. The regime has also locked up Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
As a result of China’s policies, the UN is yet again making the same mistakes the world made in Rwanda and Darfur.
Unless China changes its policies on Burma, I am going to turn off my television, refuse to purchase products associated with the Olympics.
The Beijing Olympics begin on August 8, 2008. On the same date in 1988, thousands of peaceful protesters were massacred by Burma’s regime during Burma’s first uprising for democracy. This date, 8/8/88, should not be forgotten.
Tyler Riddle
This article appears in Aug 7-13, 2008.
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Riddle: Not watching the Olympics on television does no injury to China. It only injures the Network that paid big bucks for the telecast rights. The fewer the viewers, the less it can charge for advertising. The way to hurt the Chinese regime is to stop buying products made in China. This will save you a small fortune because you will not be able to buy anything. The reality is, we are guilty of creating the monster that is China by voting with our wallets instead of our conscience. When price means more than ethics or morality, the current China is what you get.
Not watching the Olympics on TV as a methodology to change the political direction of China is like pissing in the ocean to stop world hunger. Your goal is commendable but your plan has no connection to your goal…
What C.T. says is right, stop buying Chinese if their policies bother you. Personally I have long placed their products at the bottom of my preferred countries of origin list when I shop.
Beyond that if you’re concerned about the sale of arms and supporting oppressive regimes you can look closer to home for a problem you have a lot more leverage to affect.
You may find this link informative-
http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2006_12/ArmsMarket
A couple excerpts:
“The $107 billion in global weapons deals signed by the United States since 1998â “more than double that of second-place Russiaâ ™s $45.6 billion in agreements over the same spanâ “will help ensure that steady business flows to U.S. arms manufacturers. ‘The fact that the U.S. has such a wide base of arms equipment clients globally means that it still will be able to conclude a notable number of agreements annually to provide support, upgrades, and ordnance’ for previously sold weapons, Grimmett wrote.”
“The relative inferiority of Chinese weapons has relegated most of Beijingâ ™s sales to poorer countries in Africa and Asia that cannot afford more advanced and expensive Western arms.”
Burma? Are you kidding?
The USA has military bases in 97 country’s.
The USA spends ten times more than the rest of the world combined on military adventure.
If you oppose totalitarianism, then move to China.
Somebody has fed you a pack of lies. I highly suggest you go visit China, learn to speak the language, and see how free people really live.
2,000 years ago when western men were still practicing cannabilism in Europe the chinese had the printing press, fireworks, and had built a great-wall to keep the cannibals out.
There is nothing ‘inferior’ about Chinese arm-exports, Africans buy the Chinese AK-47 for one reason, it costs less than $5 to manufacture, and its the most reliable gun on the planet.
On the other hand the USA M-16 costs $1,000, and fails in the field. The Chinese are winning the US game of flooding the world with products because they’re cheaper and more reliable.
“I recently pledged to not watch the Beijing Olympics on television and wanted to ask you for your help to spread the word to do the same.”
You should have killed your TV years ago, I’m quite surprised you admit you still have one.
Rice: You ought to hightail your traitorous ass over to your beloved China…hopefully slowly suffocating on the noxious air…And while choking to death, try posting your anti-government comments there…and see how long you live, pinhead.