Tibet needs your help now!

[Lynn Farris]

After reading the Dali Llama's book Freedom in Exile, I learned a tremendous amount about the Tibetian people and how badly the Chinese have treated them.

Recently the monks have protested asking for Religious Freedom. These are Buddhist Monks which are among the most peacful people in the world.

China is cracking down hard.

Please see this site, and send follow the links to send an e-mail to your congressman, senator and the ambassor asking them to stop the repression.

Thanks
http://act.credomobile.com/campaign/support_tibet/i3ii7g840ki3wjk?

[Bret Callentine]

exactly what are you proposing that the United States do?

Call me callous if you must, but isn't this the type of thing people are saying we should stay out of?

Is this a genocide? A religious war? A civil unrest?

Exactly where do you suggest we draw the line? Because I seriously doubt that China will change a thing with just a stern phone call from the U.S.

And until I see any positive influence from the U.N. programs in Darfur, I'll reserve judgement as to how much I think any kind of sanctions will work.

So, the question is, exactly what do you think we should do?

[Lynn Farris]

Bret, you make an excellent point.

What should our role be?

I think the atrocities committed by the Chinese against the monks, nuns and citizens of this peace loving country while maybe not completely rising to the level of a genocide, should be condemed. They are also dumping their nuclear waste in Tibet, which was a beautiful country and due to the temperatures gets rid of waste slowly.

We condemn Cuba which is a communist country which has had its bad moments. But we give favored nation status to China, a country that is also communist who has a much worse track record on human rights? Is it that we are so indebted to the Chinese financially that we have lost any right to say anything?

Perhaps again we should stop entangling aliances with other countries that make us afraid to call them on human right violations.

Maybe you are right that diplomatic pressure to ease up on Tibet won't do anything. But isn't that worth a try? Can the UN do anything? Can they try? You are right the Sudan is having more severe problems but does the lack of easy solutions there mean that we shouldn't try in China?

The one big thing that is hanging over China's head right now is the Olympics. They want to show the world that they are a super power, culturally, intellectually, financially and athletically. They don't want any problems. I'm sure that it is because of that - that Tibet has decided now is the time to act - to get support.

Now is the time that diplomatic pressure will work - if it wouldn't at any other time. So what is the harm in giving it a try?

Perhaps the other question is do we have any moral authority after the mess we have created in Afghanistan and Iraq? I don't know?

[ryan costa]

There was an interesting documentary at the Cleveland International Film Fest. It was about the Hungarian revolution against the Soviets in 1956. I
t was called "Torn from the Flag".

There are some differences between the situations. Tibet isn't as cool as Hungary was then. And the Chinese are not quite like the Soviets were.

The U.S. won't speak brusquely about this. Because China provides most of the our circuses and quite a bit of bread. And if you're in management or consulting and need to go on a business trip to China, they will throw women at you.

[Stephen Eisel]

They need weapons so they can defend themselves...

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

This situation almost reminds me of the atrocities that occured in WW II when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded Nanking and slaughtered 300,000 men, women and children for no apparent reason.

Well the reason was to conquer the whole continent of Asia, which is something that they believed would be achieveable in 3 months.

This continent is full of suppression and brutal militaristic nations which will go to any length necessary to expand their rule.

The Dali Llama has threatened to resign as the political figure if violence continues, but he will not disown his title of Dali Llama, which he received at birth.

Hopefully this can spark peace and calm.

[ryan costa]

Does the Chinese Government care if the Dalai Lama resigns as a political figure from Tibet?

[Bryan Schwegler]

Does the Chinese Government care if the Dalai Lama resigns as a political figure from Tibet?

Maybe; then they wouldn't be able to use him to blame for everything like they do today.

[Bret Callentine]

Perhaps again we should stop entangling aliances with other countries that make us afraid to call them on human right violations.

I agree, but be prepared, because China is nothing compared to the wasp's nest that is Saudi Arabia.

[Bill Call]

Please see this site, and send follow the links to send an e-mail to your congressman, senator and the ambassor asking them to stop the repression.

Thanks
http://act.credomobile.com/campaign/support_tibet/i3ii7g840ki3wjk?

Just pretend the people of Tibet are Iraqi's.

[Lynn Farris]

I'm not exactly sure where you are coming from Bill. I'm against the war in Iraq for exactly the reason you mention. The Iraqi people are getting killed and their homeland destroyed and the vast majority of them are innocent pawns in the whole thing.

But the people of Tibet are among the most peace loving people in the world. The people protesting or at least the ones that started the protests are Buddhist Monks. These are people that won't kill flies. Arming them doesn't make sense - because they won't kill.

Maybe the Press will work. China doesn't want bad press before the Olympics. If every paper, TV show started covering this the way they do Paris Hilton or Brittany - maybe we would see some change.

JMHO

[ryan costa]

I was under the impression the Dalai Lama has no political role in Tibet. What is Radio Free Tibet telling the Tibetans to do?

There's been no severe press coverage of any of it. No political leader I've heard on the news has spoken up about it. It figures. There were also a few state uprisings in Mexico against the Mexican federal government in the past few years: It isn't in the news much. Mostly Israel and things going on near Israel are in the news.

Maybe our own semi-sovereign entity will speak up on the matter. Wal-Mart buys more from China than many entire countries' businesses do. But public relations budgets are limited. The Wal-Mart commercials tell me all about how it is a great store for "families" and stuff. As an occasional wal-mart shopper it is good to feel a greater sense of familyness in Wal-Mart.

Do people in Tibet even care about familyness? They obviously don't want to be Chinese. They probably don't even want to be Americans. The justifications of our untraditional free trade policies is that it will make China more like America. Hopefully that won't happen soon, because then China would invade Iraq or something.

There has to be a diplomatic solution to this. China could outsource its administration of Tibet to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart would make sure Tibet had more Familyness for everyone.