Shadow_Reaper
Apr 12th, 2008, 09:26 AM
From CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/09/house.olympics/index.html
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution Wednesday calling on China to end its crackdown on Tibet and release Tibetans imprisoned for "nonviolent" demonstrations.
The vote was 413-1. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who has not dropped out of the presidential race, was the lone congressman voting against it.
The resolution passed just hours before runners were to carry the Olympic torch on a six-mile route around San Francisco Bay.
San Francisco, California, which is in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 8th District, is the only U.S. stop for the torch relay, which is wrapping up the first week of a 23-city international tour.
Pelosi and other House members introduced the resolution, which urges China to end the crackdown in Tibet and "enter into a substantive dialogue" with the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India.
"It is my hope that the House of Representatives will send a clear message that we support the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people and a peaceful solution to the instability in Tibet," Pelosi said Tuesday on the House floor.
"It is long past time for Beijing to reassess its failed policy to attack and demonize the Dalai Lama, and show the world it can have civilized discussions as a responsible world power," she said.
The resolution, which has no force of law, also asks the State Department to reconsider its decision to exclude China from its list of countries considered the "world's most systematic human rights violators," and calls Chinese officials to allow independent international monitors and journalists access to Tibet.
In the Senate, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, and Oregon Republican Gordon Smith introduced a similar resolution, The Associated Press reported.
By mid-morning, protesters were marching along the San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge, where on Monday three protesters scaled suspension cables and unfurled a large banner that read, "One World. One Dream. Free Tibet."
In some places in the city, protesters acted out violent confrontations between Chinese authorities and Tibetan monks. One protester moved through a crush of people in a makeshift military tank. Video Watch the protests in San Francisco »
However, pro-Chinese demonstrators also were out in droves, waving Chinese flags.
In one incident, a man with a Tibetan flag snuck into a pro-Chinese crowd and a skirmish ensued. The pro-Chinese protesters surrounded the Tibetan demonstrator, yelling. No arrests were made.
San Francisco authorities have put up barricades around the flame's planned route. Police were also monitoring the protests from the bay, where they sat on jet skis and boats.
When the flame arrived in the city Tuesday, thousands of people chanted slogans and waved banners to demonstrate against China's human rights record, including its treatment of Tibet.
Also Wednesday, Sens. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia; Hillary Clinton, D-New York; and Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey; wrote President Bush a letter stressing the recent crackdown in Tibet, as well as years of human rights abuses in China.
"If the Chinese government is ever to treat its people with basic human rights, it must be sent a bold and clear message that its record of violence and suppression is completely unacceptable," the letter says. "[We] urge you not to attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing this summer."
Clinton called on Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama to join her in the request.
Obama released a statement Wednesday saying a presidential boycott of opening ceremonies should be on the table.
"If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security, and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the president should boycott the opening ceremonies."
He called on China "to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region [Tibet], and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet."
But, Obama said, the decision over whether to boycott the opening ceremonies should be made closer to the beginning of the Olympic Games.
Brooke Buchanan, a spokesperson for McCain, told CNN that the Arizona senator "believes the president should evaluate the situation as it evolves and ought to keep his options open."
"He continues to condemn the brutal oppression that the Chinese inflicted on the Tibetans and protestors around the world," Buchanan said.
President Bush, however, has publicly committed to attend the Beijing games.
When a reporter recently said to him, "You're planning to ... be at the opening ceremonies," Bush neither confirmed or denied the statement.
When pressed on the issue Wednesday, White House spokesperson Dana Perino stated only that the president is going to the Olympics.
A number of other international leaders have decided to skip the opening ceremony, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.
Some, however, made the decision separate from a human rights issue. Brown, for instance, will attend the closing ceremony, when the London will be recognized as the next host.
Brown never had any plans to attend any other part of the Beijing Olympics, his office said.
Clinton, speaking at the Irish American Forum Wednesday in New York, issued a statement on Brown's decision.
"I wanted to commend Prime Minister Gordon Brown for agreeing not to go to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing. That was an important decision by Prime Minister Brown and I am calling on Sens. McCain and Obama to join me in my request that President Bush also not attend the opening ceremonies."
Here's Obama's response to china:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/10/usa.olympicgames2008?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
The US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama today called on the US president, George Bush, to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
His rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, has also urged Bush to stay away.
Yesterday, it emerged that Gordon Brown would not attend the opening ceremony in Beijing.
The prime minister will, however, attend the closing ceremony. Downing Street said it had never been his intention to attend the opening events.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, last month said she would not attend the Olympics, becoming the first world leader to decide not to travel to China for the games.
In a statement, Obama said a boycott "should be firmly on the table", but added that a decision should be made closer to the event.
"If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security and human rights of the Tibetan people, the president should boycott the opening ceremonies," he said.
"As I have communicated in public and to the president, it is past time for China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet."
Clinton said Bush should use the threat of a boycott to put pressure on the Beijing government.
"I believe that the president should not attend the opening ceremonies because that is giving a seal of approval by our government," she said yesterday.
Republican party presidential nominee John McCain today indicated he would boycott the opening ceremony but stopped short of calling for Bush to do so.
"President Bush should evaluate his participation in the ceremonies surrounding the Olympics and, based on Chinese actions, decide whether it is appropriate to attend," he said in a statement.
"If Chinese policies and practices do not change, I would not attend the opening ceremonies. It does no service to the Chinese government, and certainly no service to the people of China, for the United States and other democracies to pretend that the suppression of rights in China does not concern us. It does, will and must concern us."
A spokeswoman said Bush condemned the "brutal oppression" of Tibetans by China, but believed he should monitor the situation and "keep his options open".
The White House said it was "way too far in advance" to discuss the president's schedule.
Last month, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, and the former Czech president Vaclav Havel also declared their intentions to stay away from the games.
The international Olympic torch relay has so far been the focus of protests in London, Paris and San Francisco against China's human rights record and recent crackdown in Tibet.
Gosh that Pelosi fuk never ceases to shut her mouth off does she? Who are they to condemn China when they can't even treat prisoners in Guitanamo bay correctly?
If China is going to let the American journalist and diplomats into Tibet they literally been slapped on the face.
Again as this was stated in other posts the American government is using the Tibetan issue to envelope China. If the American government sees the Tibetan issue a "crisis" why the fuk dont they speak up in issues in other Asian countries like Thailand and Hmong?
Fact is America should sort out its own affairs, stop policing the world before they have a right in saying anything to another country.
Seriously this is getting way out of hand. I can feel a storm is brewing and once thunder strikes all hell is gonna break loose.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/09/house.olympics/index.html
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution Wednesday calling on China to end its crackdown on Tibet and release Tibetans imprisoned for "nonviolent" demonstrations.
The vote was 413-1. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who has not dropped out of the presidential race, was the lone congressman voting against it.
The resolution passed just hours before runners were to carry the Olympic torch on a six-mile route around San Francisco Bay.
San Francisco, California, which is in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 8th District, is the only U.S. stop for the torch relay, which is wrapping up the first week of a 23-city international tour.
Pelosi and other House members introduced the resolution, which urges China to end the crackdown in Tibet and "enter into a substantive dialogue" with the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India.
"It is my hope that the House of Representatives will send a clear message that we support the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people and a peaceful solution to the instability in Tibet," Pelosi said Tuesday on the House floor.
"It is long past time for Beijing to reassess its failed policy to attack and demonize the Dalai Lama, and show the world it can have civilized discussions as a responsible world power," she said.
The resolution, which has no force of law, also asks the State Department to reconsider its decision to exclude China from its list of countries considered the "world's most systematic human rights violators," and calls Chinese officials to allow independent international monitors and journalists access to Tibet.
In the Senate, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, and Oregon Republican Gordon Smith introduced a similar resolution, The Associated Press reported.
By mid-morning, protesters were marching along the San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge, where on Monday three protesters scaled suspension cables and unfurled a large banner that read, "One World. One Dream. Free Tibet."
In some places in the city, protesters acted out violent confrontations between Chinese authorities and Tibetan monks. One protester moved through a crush of people in a makeshift military tank. Video Watch the protests in San Francisco »
However, pro-Chinese demonstrators also were out in droves, waving Chinese flags.
In one incident, a man with a Tibetan flag snuck into a pro-Chinese crowd and a skirmish ensued. The pro-Chinese protesters surrounded the Tibetan demonstrator, yelling. No arrests were made.
San Francisco authorities have put up barricades around the flame's planned route. Police were also monitoring the protests from the bay, where they sat on jet skis and boats.
When the flame arrived in the city Tuesday, thousands of people chanted slogans and waved banners to demonstrate against China's human rights record, including its treatment of Tibet.
Also Wednesday, Sens. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia; Hillary Clinton, D-New York; and Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey; wrote President Bush a letter stressing the recent crackdown in Tibet, as well as years of human rights abuses in China.
"If the Chinese government is ever to treat its people with basic human rights, it must be sent a bold and clear message that its record of violence and suppression is completely unacceptable," the letter says. "[We] urge you not to attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing this summer."
Clinton called on Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama to join her in the request.
Obama released a statement Wednesday saying a presidential boycott of opening ceremonies should be on the table.
"If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security, and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the president should boycott the opening ceremonies."
He called on China "to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region [Tibet], and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet."
But, Obama said, the decision over whether to boycott the opening ceremonies should be made closer to the beginning of the Olympic Games.
Brooke Buchanan, a spokesperson for McCain, told CNN that the Arizona senator "believes the president should evaluate the situation as it evolves and ought to keep his options open."
"He continues to condemn the brutal oppression that the Chinese inflicted on the Tibetans and protestors around the world," Buchanan said.
President Bush, however, has publicly committed to attend the Beijing games.
When a reporter recently said to him, "You're planning to ... be at the opening ceremonies," Bush neither confirmed or denied the statement.
When pressed on the issue Wednesday, White House spokesperson Dana Perino stated only that the president is going to the Olympics.
A number of other international leaders have decided to skip the opening ceremony, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.
Some, however, made the decision separate from a human rights issue. Brown, for instance, will attend the closing ceremony, when the London will be recognized as the next host.
Brown never had any plans to attend any other part of the Beijing Olympics, his office said.
Clinton, speaking at the Irish American Forum Wednesday in New York, issued a statement on Brown's decision.
"I wanted to commend Prime Minister Gordon Brown for agreeing not to go to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing. That was an important decision by Prime Minister Brown and I am calling on Sens. McCain and Obama to join me in my request that President Bush also not attend the opening ceremonies."
Here's Obama's response to china:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/10/usa.olympicgames2008?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
The US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama today called on the US president, George Bush, to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
His rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, has also urged Bush to stay away.
Yesterday, it emerged that Gordon Brown would not attend the opening ceremony in Beijing.
The prime minister will, however, attend the closing ceremony. Downing Street said it had never been his intention to attend the opening events.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, last month said she would not attend the Olympics, becoming the first world leader to decide not to travel to China for the games.
In a statement, Obama said a boycott "should be firmly on the table", but added that a decision should be made closer to the event.
"If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security and human rights of the Tibetan people, the president should boycott the opening ceremonies," he said.
"As I have communicated in public and to the president, it is past time for China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet."
Clinton said Bush should use the threat of a boycott to put pressure on the Beijing government.
"I believe that the president should not attend the opening ceremonies because that is giving a seal of approval by our government," she said yesterday.
Republican party presidential nominee John McCain today indicated he would boycott the opening ceremony but stopped short of calling for Bush to do so.
"President Bush should evaluate his participation in the ceremonies surrounding the Olympics and, based on Chinese actions, decide whether it is appropriate to attend," he said in a statement.
"If Chinese policies and practices do not change, I would not attend the opening ceremonies. It does no service to the Chinese government, and certainly no service to the people of China, for the United States and other democracies to pretend that the suppression of rights in China does not concern us. It does, will and must concern us."
A spokeswoman said Bush condemned the "brutal oppression" of Tibetans by China, but believed he should monitor the situation and "keep his options open".
The White House said it was "way too far in advance" to discuss the president's schedule.
Last month, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, and the former Czech president Vaclav Havel also declared their intentions to stay away from the games.
The international Olympic torch relay has so far been the focus of protests in London, Paris and San Francisco against China's human rights record and recent crackdown in Tibet.
Gosh that Pelosi fuk never ceases to shut her mouth off does she? Who are they to condemn China when they can't even treat prisoners in Guitanamo bay correctly?
If China is going to let the American journalist and diplomats into Tibet they literally been slapped on the face.
Again as this was stated in other posts the American government is using the Tibetan issue to envelope China. If the American government sees the Tibetan issue a "crisis" why the fuk dont they speak up in issues in other Asian countries like Thailand and Hmong?
Fact is America should sort out its own affairs, stop policing the world before they have a right in saying anything to another country.
Seriously this is getting way out of hand. I can feel a storm is brewing and once thunder strikes all hell is gonna break loose.