[Vinid]

Just to clarify what I have said and to further your understanding of where I sit on the issues allow me to explain my personal position. I have nothing against the chinese people, they are not the ones truly running their country.
When I said that "The Chinese have no interest in your freedom of speech and care far less what you say" I am refering to the Chinese government. They do not allow any freedom of speech, and anyone speeking out against the government, well bad thing happen to them (prison, death, vanishing). I think I can logically surmise that they have no intrest in what an opposing view of a situation such as Tibet or their human rights violations.
On a personal note, I do not care about what a person's religion, race, or anything else that makes them aesteticaly different then me. I think I've posted that before here too.
I personaly would not boycott China at this point because you would first never get enough people to do it and also I personally don't have enough income (due to medical issues) to forgo all Chinese made goods. During my last post I was venting my anger towards people who are the bumpersticker protestors. It looks good on a head band, tee shirt, and my car. Fashion statements are rarely good idea for your personal garb or car adorments.
However, if you wish to force change or get a political statement across, sometimes those people are going to get hurt financialy because of what has to be done. Thats the entire idea of a boycott, people stop making money and they complain to the government that their way of life is being ruined by a stupid descion that the government has made.
Many people are apaulled with the way china (refering to their government) treats their own people let alone what has gone on with Tibet. Remeber that Tibet was a religous country, China is Communist, where the state is god, this creates a bit of an issue between them.
As far as CNN goes, I used to watch them on occasion. But after one of their commentators made a comment on one of Obama's goofs, and the commentator prcoeeded to defend Obama (as he always does) and compare the people of Pennsylvania who are "clinging to their religion and guns" to the people who join Al Queda (sp?) I tuned them out and won't watch them for a long time. Or the numerous times they've screamed the sky is falling with Global Warming without reporting all the facts, just the facts that fit into their story and refusing to have anyone who disagrees with their opion part of the reporting.
Its almost as bad as watching Fox news but Loony Toony Lefty. Oh and I like my guns, I can do without religion, but to each their own.

[RedMaple]

Love the 300 Reference, but being a nerd... Didn't the Persian Empire actually have a much BETTER record on human rights than their Greek Counterparts? I mean, there was the Cyrus Cylinder which was the first charter on human rights and all.

[mtbr]

Nott..don't turn athletes into politicians. it's the IOC's fault for awarding it to them in the first place. Maybe thats where the protests should be aimed so this shit doesn't happen again.

[YOUR_DEAD]

Not.

[ridenrain]

..that's the problem with those nasty old human rights things. Their never polite and always upset people.

Why can't we just all get along...

[Vinid]

Well don't forget the Greeks did have that whole awful Man gets to have little boy as "companion" thing going on... and thats just creepy.

[kenmore]

I think we should go and when we are on the podium ( just supposing) we say.. We would like combo #2 with sauce on the side...please

[mtbr]

kenmore wrote:

I think we should go and when we are on the podium ( just supposing) we say.. We would like combo #2 with sauce on the side...please

Is that the Beef and Broccoli special. or is it Bweef and Bwokowe.

[EmperorLiam]

Yes, well when China uses its massive submarine fleet to sink every last American Carrier (they won't make the same mistake Japan did), and collapse the N. American economy, then uses its bulging land army to invade all its neighbours...

...this boycotting of the Olympic games will not exactly seem significant.

All wars have been about economics, thats not about to change just because we have nukes (which we wont beable to maintain with a crap economy).

/Part of the Coalition of 'Changing the Topic'

//Wake me when the monks start self-immolating.

[Tiler]

I love it when people with no grasp of military tactics try to make claims about China's prowess. I am aware of the hypocrisy. Anyways, China's navy is no real match for the US navy, submarines or not, and the only thing it's army has over the US is sheer numbers, which don't mean nearly as much in warfare as people assume. It's all a moot point anyways; nobody is going to go to war over Olympic boycotts, especially America and China, which are tied inexorably together economically. Even if they did go to war, large armies would mean nothing as they all were wiped out under a cascade of nuclear warheads. And as a final notes, wars are not about economics. Wars are about power of some form or another. And as an even more final note, I question how a recession, a perfectly normal part of the economic cycle, could somehow make all of America's warheads somehow blink out of existence.

Anyways, to be more on topic, I say boycott. Mostly because I'm sick and tired of China trying to control the flow of information, and use the Olympics as a giant exercise in propaganda. I find it rather humorous to watch the Chinese government scramble to reply to this, all the while failing to comprehend that it's a lot harder to create a 1984 dystopia when you can't simply shoot the protesters and press in other countries. On the issue of Tibet itself, I don't really care what happens to it.

[Psudo]

I doubt Liam is referring to the economic conditions of a few months. I think he means the continued budget overspending, accelerating national debt, and impending gov. expense explosion we can expect when the boomers retire. Whether we pay for welfare, military, and environmental programs that we can't afford, or cash in our military to pay for the other two, either way it's unlikely for us to continue thorough upkeep on a massive national nuclear program.

That is all my interpretation of his view, not my own view.

[Tiler]

Still, economic conditions are hardly a factor in simply possessing nuclear weapons. Just ask North Korea. Developing new weaponry would be an issue, but it's not like the US can't eradicate all life on earth 50 times over as it is. As for the whole boomer thing, yeah, I could see that causing economic issues if the government does something stupid like simply raise taxes sky high to pay for it. I would more expect that they'd just screw over the elderly instead of slashing the military budget, anyways.

[gurofriend]

It's not about East verus West because the rest of Asia hates China, too. China has been an oppressive force in world politics for centuries. I think it's important to boycott the Olympics, their goods, and to not support companies that trade with them.

China shouldn't be feeling like they are some incredible force, they should not be encouraged to feel powerful or respected as largely they are not. They commit atrocious human rights offenses on an obscene level because there are simply that many people in their country... so... for me? I'll boycott the Olympics and I'll try to boycott everything else, too.

Even though ultimately I think that Chinese culture is really cool.

[Psudo]

Chinese culture has it's high points. I like their traditional five elements better than the Greek or Japanese systems, and of course Chinese martial arts are awesome. I tend to blame communist dictatorship more than traditional Chinese culture per se for the modern Chinese moral failure.