http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_re_as/china_tibet">Last Friday riots shook the Tibetan capital of Lhasa</a>. China's official Xinhua news agency reports 10 dead in the protests, but Tibet's government-in-exile (in India) suggests that as many as ten times that amount were killed by Chinese security forces in the process of quelling the uprising. en-us Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:18:09 EST Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:36:26 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#19 Did I just see a post on the internet including both "Carter" and "win" in the same sentence?<br> Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:36:26 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#18 <i>  It is doubtful that the US would, at this point, even want to go to war to protect Taiwan, which is much more important to the Western world than Tibet ever was. </i><p> Does the US have military advisors in Taiwan? I would imagine they would. I' Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:34:11 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#17 We helped the Taliban kick Russia out of Afghanistan!<p> Hurrah!<p> Personal note: back then a friend of mine, a reporter, went to Pakistan and Afghanistan and met with some of the mujehadeen (sp).  She brought me back one of those "mooj"  hats. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:59:21 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#16 Winning which one--Russia, Afghanistan or the 84 Olympics the Soviets counter-boycotted? 'Cause it sure didn't win anything for Carter. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:35:57 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#15 Carter boycotted the Russian Olympics because of Afghanistan, and we ended up winning that one, so the boycott must have been effective. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:12:27 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#14 True, there may be political unrest and Beijing might not be an environmentally safe place to compete.  Yet no one has brought up the potential disaster of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_fe_st/oly_beijing_toilets;_yl Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:05:15 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#13 Some athletes aren't competing because of the adverse environmental effects. It's difficult with sponsors, etc, but if one were a big enough name and you could get a couple other big names together, it would make quite a splash to hold an alternative displ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:48:28 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#12 <blockquote><b>port1080</b>: I don't know if the Chinese leadership really thought this whole Olympics thing through when they started pushing for it in the 1990s. The mantra among the Chinese right now seems to be "the Olympics is about sports and a chan Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:42:38 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#11 That may be easy for you, tomc, but what about if you've invested the time to actually make an Olympic team?   I would hope that the British athletes at least would boycott, but I understand that it would be asking a lot, and isn't that likely to happ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:14:38 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#10 Let's start organizing a boycott right here!<p> <b>I refuse to compete in the 2008 Olympics.</b> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:26:07 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#9 My comment about Tibet isn't actually related to the issue of my standard of living, it is about some rather more urgent concerns.  It is true, however, that people who care overly much about their personal standard of living do constitute a major obs Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:22:27 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#8 Skeptic, you've made many very good points.  This is why so many people throughout the world are suffering - "if I try to help them it might affect my standard of living, I'm sorry there is nothing I can do." Like you said, it is not a happy answer bu Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:41:19 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#7 You make a good argument.  I would have to agree that the Chinese take-over of Tibet is at least as offensive and immoral as the take-over of Kuwait by Iraq, which lead to the 1991 Gulf War.  However, no one wants a war with China, which is the w Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:59:03 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#6 <blockquote>if it refuses to do so, it will be much harder for the rest of the world to accept that China is "peacefully rising" to be a "mature member of the international system" (which is the image China <b>badly</b> wants to project).  </blockquot Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:45:29 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#5 Thanks very much for the thorough answer.  <p> In regards to the economy doing poorly and blaming cheap Chinese goods, I am sure we will be seeing a lot of deflecting onto other nations as well as illegal immigration for what has been poor decisions i Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:43:59 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#4 "Don't boycott the Olympics over the Tibet protests it will only hurt the athletes"<p> I call utter bullshit on that one.  Preparing for the Olympics costs millions and millions of dollars.  In Vancouver they are buying new buses, building new ro Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:09:55 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#3 <i>I would be interested in hearing about why our politicians seems less friendly towards China.  I always thought they were to large and powerful for us to be anymore than cautiously friendly.  Why are our politicians willing to take a harsher v Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:56:57 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#2 I am interested in your last paragraph about our politicians and China.<p> I always thought that China was too powerful for any of our politicians to anger.  Even if they become more jingoistic and less inclined to take care of their human rights issu Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:52:39 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/3/15/84111/4666#1 I don't know if the Chinese leadership really thought this whole Olympics thing through when they started pushing for it in the 1990s.  The mantra among the Chinese right now seems to be "the Olympics is about sports and a chance to showcase our cultu Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:24:52 EST string http://www.treesandthings.com/search/