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Opinion An Independent Attitude China violates human rights? Gasp! The China crackdown in Tibet has sparked calls from all over the world for a boycott of this summer's Olympics in Beijing.
The calls for the boycott arise from the view — a legitimate one, in my opinion — that the Chinese have no regard for human rights and the events in Tibet are only part of the big picture. The Chinese communist government, run by cruel people who border on being animals, has long crushed its people under the jackboot of a dictatorship, which no amount of rhetoric can change or deny. The lack of a free press and free people are an insult to the values Americans hold dear. Further, news stories extending back through last year reported that tainted products from China came to the United States. The reports raise serious questions about whether that government has launched a guerrilla war on the United States. and other countries in the free world. Lead in toys, contaminated toothpaste, contaminated fish products and blood thinners are but a few examples of dangerous products imported from China. More problems will arise as manufacturers based in our United States build products overseas. One of the most prominent local companies, by the way, has a subsidiary that will build airplanes in China. Cessna Aircraft Company will build its light sport SkyCatcher in China, causing a strong reaction with some members of the Airline Owners and Pilots Association. Cessna is part of Textron, which also owns Bell Helicopter. If the U.S. intelligence community has evidence these problems are intentional, it certainly isn't saying so, but it should. Nevertheless, I fear boycotting China's Olympics would be the first step in cutting off relations with China. Our 42-year embargo of Cuba has not caused Fidel Castro to recognize basic human rights When the withered old men of the International Olympic Committee awarded the summer games to China, they laid out requirements for that country, calling for more freedoms for the people and for the press. It was either stupid or naïve, you choose, for the IOC not to have a contingency plan to respond to China's lack of regard for human rights. Instead of boycotting the games, the IOC should have had an alternative site in mind and relocated the games. As Peter Ueberroth pointed out to The Associated Press, the 1980 boycott of the Moscow games didn't force the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. And, the boycott only really hurt the athletes who had devoted years to training and preparing for their competitions. As a former competitive swimmer and sailor, I can personally attest to the disappointment of not being able to go to a competition, so I know where my sympathies lie. But what does the possible boycott over violations halfway around the world have to do with Amarillo? This city doesn't have the human rights issues on the level of China or some other foreign countries. But it has some disenfranchised minorities and, while we hate to admit it, violations occur here. Convictions across the state of Texas because the prosecutor's goal is a win instead of justice is an example. Just ask Jeff Blackburn, the Texas Innocence Project and the folks in Tulia. Another example is what one friend told me about: Since recently returning to Amarillo, he's been pulled over at least twice for what he perceived as "driving while black." To me, that's a human rights violation. Losing our regard for our fellow human beings, demonizing them for their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or faith, is the first step down that slippery slope of disregarding basic human rights — you know, the bottom of the hill where China is now. Sometimes I worry if we've already taken that first step. George Schwarz: Editor and publisher of the Amarillo Independent. george@amarilloindy.com E-mail
comments about this story Posted: March 20, 2008
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