George Bush has succeeded brilliantly at giving China more economic policy tools to use against us.
Heck-of-a-Job
Dave of the Jungle
· 1 year ago
BOYCOTT THE OLYMPICS
msirt
· 1 year ago
Considering the number of ongoing protests around the country and now this, the previously invincible communist regime is suddenly looking like an overreacting bunch of thugs who haven't quite figured out what year it is. They want the prestige of being on the world stage with all of the money and political clout but they're acting much more like the two bit dictators that are standing by their side.
You mean kinda like Bush.
Mikki --SE Pennsylvania
· 1 year ago
Yes, I know its not on thread but I need to get this out of my system:
DISQUS BOTH SUCKS AND BLOWS!!!!!
Paul_In_SF
· 1 year ago
Are you trying to say that it is DISQUS-ting?
Paul_In_SF
· 1 year ago
If you are going to be anywhere near San Francisco on April 9th, please join us in speaking out against the Tibet crackdown. The only North American Olympic Torch Run will take that day, and it provides a perfect opportunity to China and to the world that such violence and repression must stop.
Psst. Do something.
paulko
· 1 year ago
The best form of protest is to take the torch and put it out in a bucket of water. They can not be allowed to do what they do....all for the benefit of Wal-Mart.
Paul_In_SF
· 1 year ago
What happened to the threading? It worked fine yesterday?
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
Pelosi has been very brave before on the subject of China. She went to Tiannamin Square a few years ago and unfurled an anti-Chinese gov't scroll. I think officials gave her the bumb's rush out of the country.
Pelosi has many Chinese constituents who adore her.
Indigo
· 1 year ago
Would that be the same Chinese government that poisoned America's pets and spoiled Christmas for American children with lead-based toys?
And yes, this system is DISgusting.
jimfromthefoothills
· 1 year ago
China is disturbing to say the least. The control that they have over our country, the politicians who shill for them in this country and Europe have enabled these fucking lunatics to control us. If we wanted to shut down Chinese trade our economy would collapse. Chicago school of Econ, Friedman, Volcker, Greenspan, Bernacke, Bush 1 and 2, Clinton (yes sorry fellow dems), Blair, Merckle, Sarkozy.
GrantinHouston
· 1 year ago
Jim, it's okay to take off your Clinton "rose-colored" glasses. I took mine off some time ago!
According to Maureen Dowd, some of the bad blood between Nancy Pelosi and the Clintons goes back to the days when Pelosi " tangled bitterly with President Clinton over his pursuit of a free-trade agreement with China, once charging him with papering over China’s horrible record on human rights."
Unfortunately slave labour exists in China and people like Bill Clinton profit from it. If you could see the faces of the people making the plastic shit you buy at wal-mart you would never walk into the store again.
1billinnj2
· 1 year ago
i wonder how cindy sheehan would handle the situation. vote nancy of of office for taking impeachment off the table. thanks
Andrew A. Gill
· 1 year ago
Can I threadjack for a moment here?
My Mom is an Independent in Pennsylvania, and she's thinking of switching parties to vote in the Democratic primary (deadline to change: Tomorrow).
After the primary, she's thinking of switching back to Independent.
I seem to remember that this was illegal in Ohio, but I'm not sure if it's legal in PA (looking into it), so I thought I'd ask you guys--do you think this will cause some serious shit for her if she does this?
(And no, I won't tell you which way she's leaning.)
LunaStick
· 1 year ago
Andrew, in Ohio they have to sign a statement that they are switching parties because they agree with the ideals of the party. Crooks and Liars has a post about it. If she has to sign anything, she better read it carefully.
LunaStick
· 1 year ago
The Chinese must be republicans. New slogan: It's okay if you are China! IOKIYAC
No Olympic coverage is going to be allowed to air in my house. I hope many others do the same. Let this years games go down as a huge failure.
Rab
· 1 year ago
China poisons us with lead toys, pollutes the world, but the are the U.S.'s pimp so being the money whores that we are we can't or won't say anything. Maybe the shrub's old man will go over there and toast them again on their fine job of crushing people.
Rab
· 1 year ago
I wonder what the beast that won't die (Hillary) has to say. She probably could go over there and solve it in 5 minutes if we would just make her president. LOL
LunaStick
· 1 year ago
Perhaps some kind of pressure can be put on atheletes to refuse to go over there and compete.....
Another thing, has anyone heard the story of how the Chinese are supposedly going to make it rain in order to get the pollution out? As bizare as that sounds, I swear I read that somewhere and it wasn't as a joke either.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
This might be a good day to consider just when the Palestinian inhabitants of the Holy Land will enjoy the control of their homeland.
msirt
· 1 year ago
OT - New comment system question.:
Is there any way to preview a posting now before publishing it? I can't seem to find that option anywhere.
We need to strip China of their most favored nation trade status. Everytime the cash register opens at Wal Mart somebody in China has to suffer
Chris From Maine
· 1 year ago
the Chinese government has us by the balls. Thanks to Bush and his "borrow billions from the Chinese" they can do whatever they want and we cant say anything about it.
Oh, and Bush is basically building the Chinese military for them with his policies. Gee, wonder if that will bite us someday....
ImpureScience
· 1 year ago
Of course it's ok. The Chinese government holds all of our paper at this point and we have no leverage on them to speak of. On the contrary, we'll dance to their tune when they say so. All they have to do is to refuse to lend us any more. Besides, we've ceded the 'quaint' moral high ground and really, we have no business calling other to task over human rights violations.
KatherineHepburnEyes
· 1 year ago
At least Nancy Pelosi went over there to say something to the Chinese government rather than do what George Bush does, which is conveniently ignore the problems hoping they'll go away.
BorninUSA
· 1 year ago
I have a nephew living in China. God, I wish he would come home. What if we send all of our athletes to China for the Olympics and the Chinese decide to keep them as colateral on our debt? So!
Sarah B.
· 1 year ago
Here is a searing piece on China's heavy-handed tactics in Tibet that appeared in yesterday's Boston Globe:
The author is my very own and much beloved English Literature professor, Eric Reeves:
Professor Reeves is the author of A Long Day’s Dying: Critical Moments in the Darfur Genocide and was an activist over dozen years ago during the horrific civil war in southern Sudan that raged between1991-2001 -- and continues still with sporadic fighting despite a peace agreement signed in 2001 -- and which has left over 1.9 million people dead from genocide and starvation and 4 million displaced from their homes.
Don't talk to Professor Reeves about Bill Clinton, whom he implored through Op-ed pieces in the NYT, WaPo, and Boston Globe -- and testimony before congress -- to intervene in some meaningful way in southern Sudan in the mid-1990s to stop the genocide and starvation and internal displacement, and found that all his pleas for help fell on deaf ears. Suffice it to say that Professor Reeves' opinion of Bill Clinton leaves a lot to be desired.
Perhaps, if Bill Clinton had listened to Professor Reeves and others who warned about the dangers of allowing the situation in southern Sudan to fester, and if he had mounted a strong intervention in 1996 or 1997 with troops and sanctions -- in conjunction with the United Nations, of course -- the current tragedy in Darfur might have been averted. It was certainly worth making the effort given the grim consequences of failure to act.
One thing is clear: the only way for such evil to prevail is for good men and women to stand by and do nothing -- and kudos to Nancy Pelosi for having the courage to say what needs to be said about China's (latest) brutal intervention in Tibet.
Now, if only Madam Speaker would direct more of her outrage at the Bush Crime Family for their brutal invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan -- sadly, we're still waiting for action on that one....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah B.
· 1 year ago
No need for a correction in my previous -- I discovered the "edit" feature and went in and made the correction on the Disqus community page.
It works great unless and until another reader offers a "reply" to your comment -- then the edit feature disappears and is no longer operable for that comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MrTuttle
· 1 year ago
This is childs play compared to when they need our grain and want us to cash their outstanding checks.
Mike_H
· 1 year ago
It's a complex situation all around.
There remains a pro-democracy undercurrent in mainland China, and the reintegration of Hong Kong has fueled that, as well as convinced the leadership that moving their economic system into a more capitalized one is a good idea, although they will retain a heavy amount of socialism and central control.
We are also talking about a society that goes back thousands of years, and in which confucian philosophy influences the average person's reaction to power, authority, and bureaucracy -- as in, they all tend to follow what those in the bureaucracy, what those in power, tell them to. And let's also remind ourselves that, even with the past century of change, China has maintained an incredibly stable culture over the centuries when compared to Western nations. So there's certainly a reluctance to throw that all away, and that's one of the reasons why it's hard to interpret their actions through our lens.
But let's also consider the fact that in the past fifty years, and especially during the Bush presidency, the U.S. hasn't exactly been the most moral nation, either. One of the saddest facts of the Bush years is that we NO LONGER HAVE THE MORAL AUTHORITY to chastise China.
Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, corporate control of the media, renditioning, suspension of habeas corpus... the list goes on and on and on... when our nation points at another as violating human rights... we're laughed at now.
mirth
· 1 year ago
Boycott The Olympics
paulko
· 1 year ago
Is there a web-site that addresses a boycott?
Keith_in_Southwest_France
· 1 year ago
I have not watched the Olympics since they sued the Gay Olympics and made them stop using the name Olympics in the early eighties. Have not missed it at all.
Keith_in_Southwest_France
· 1 year ago
This post was supposed to be a response to the comment by mirth that was posted two hours ago.... what happened?
Andrew A. Gill
· 1 year ago
And this is supposed to be a reply to your message.
Looks like comment nesting is off. I miss it.
Andrew A. Gill
· 1 year ago
They sue everyone.
Olympics of the Mind had to change to Odyssey of the Mind, and the five-ring logo is jealously guarded.
Haven't watched the Olympics since I realized that I don't care about Tonya Harding or Nancy Kerrigan.
mirth
· 1 year ago
"Another thing, has anyone heard the story of how the Chinese are supposedly going to make it rain in order to get the pollution out?" Luna Stick
I read that as well. This is to occur just before the olympics are set to begin. Even if it works, the athletes need to train there now in spite of the filthy and toxic air. I also read that our athletes (and perhaps those of other countries) are training elsewhere because of China's air pollution.
Then, in prep for the games, there is China's roundup and slaughter of thousands of cats and gawd knows what else.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
Then, in prep for the games, there is China's roundup and slaughter of thousands of cats and gawd knows what else.
what else... A plague of rats and an unusual off menu choice.
mirth
· 1 year ago
Keith_In_Southwest_France:
Comment nesting has been disabled, but it is still a good idea to click 'Reply' at a particular comment so that person you are addressing can read responses at their popup 'View Full Profile' link. Otherwise they may in turn miss reading or replying.
All Comments
Heck-of-a-Job
You mean kinda like Bush.
DISQUS BOTH SUCKS AND BLOWS!!!!!
Psst. Do something.
Pelosi has many Chinese constituents who adore her.
And yes, this system is DISgusting.
According to Maureen Dowd, some of the bad blood between Nancy Pelosi and the Clintons goes back to the days when Pelosi " tangled bitterly with President Clinton over his pursuit of a free-trade agreement with China, once charging him with papering over China’s horrible record on human rights."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23dow...
My Mom is an Independent in Pennsylvania, and she's thinking of switching parties to vote in the Democratic primary (deadline to change: Tomorrow).
After the primary, she's thinking of switching back to Independent.
I seem to remember that this was illegal in Ohio, but I'm not sure if it's legal in PA (looking into it), so I thought I'd ask you guys--do you think this will cause some serious shit for her if she does this?
(And no, I won't tell you which way she's leaning.)
IOKIYAC
No Olympic coverage is going to be allowed to air in my house. I hope many others do the same. Let this years games go down as a huge failure.
Another thing, has anyone heard the story of how the Chinese are supposedly going to make it rain in order to get the pollution out? As bizare as that sounds, I swear I read that somewhere and it wasn't as a joke either.
Is there any way to preview a posting now before publishing it? I can't seem to find that option anywhere.
http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/2008/03/cnn-telepho...
http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/2008/03/tibet-cover...
Oh, and Bush is basically building the Chinese military for them with his policies. Gee, wonder if that will bite us someday....
The author is my very own and much beloved English Literature professor, Eric Reeves:
China’s Genocide Games
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/22/...
Professor Reeves is the author of A Long Day’s Dying: Critical Moments in the Darfur Genocide and was an activist over dozen years ago during the horrific civil war in southern Sudan that raged between1991-2001 -- and continues still with sporadic fighting despite a peace agreement signed in 2001 -- and which has left over 1.9 million people dead from genocide and starvation and 4 million displaced from their homes.
Don't talk to Professor Reeves about Bill Clinton, whom he implored through Op-ed pieces in the NYT, WaPo, and Boston Globe -- and testimony before congress -- to intervene in some meaningful way in southern Sudan in the mid-1990s to stop the genocide and starvation and internal displacement, and found that all his pleas for help fell on deaf ears. Suffice it to say that Professor Reeves' opinion of Bill Clinton leaves a lot to be desired.
Perhaps, if Bill Clinton had listened to Professor Reeves and others who warned about the dangers of allowing the situation in southern Sudan to fester, and if he had mounted a strong intervention in 1996 or 1997 with troops and sanctions -- in conjunction with the United Nations, of course -- the current tragedy in Darfur might have been averted. It was certainly worth making the effort given the grim consequences of failure to act.
One thing is clear: the only way for such evil to prevail is for good men and women to stand by and do nothing -- and kudos to Nancy Pelosi for having the courage to say what needs to be said about China's (latest) brutal intervention in Tibet.
Now, if only Madam Speaker would direct more of her outrage at the Bush Crime Family for their brutal invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan -- sadly, we're still waiting for action on that one....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It works great unless and until another reader offers a "reply" to your comment -- then the edit feature disappears and is no longer operable for that comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There remains a pro-democracy undercurrent in mainland China, and the reintegration of Hong Kong has fueled that, as well as convinced the leadership that moving their economic system into a more capitalized one is a good idea, although they will retain a heavy amount of socialism and central control.
We are also talking about a society that goes back thousands of years, and in which confucian philosophy influences the average person's reaction to power, authority, and bureaucracy -- as in, they all tend to follow what those in the bureaucracy, what those in power, tell them to. And let's also remind ourselves that, even with the past century of change, China has maintained an incredibly stable culture over the centuries when compared to Western nations. So there's certainly a reluctance to throw that all away, and that's one of the reasons why it's hard to interpret their actions through our lens.
But let's also consider the fact that in the past fifty years, and especially during the Bush presidency, the U.S. hasn't exactly been the most moral nation, either. One of the saddest facts of the Bush years is that we NO LONGER HAVE THE MORAL AUTHORITY to chastise China.
Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, corporate control of the media, renditioning, suspension of habeas corpus... the list goes on and on and on... when our nation points at another as violating human rights... we're laughed at now.
Looks like comment nesting is off. I miss it.
Olympics of the Mind had to change to Odyssey of the Mind, and the five-ring logo is jealously guarded.
Haven't watched the Olympics since I realized that I don't care about Tonya Harding or Nancy Kerrigan.
Luna Stick
I read that as well. This is to occur just before the olympics are set to begin. Even if it works, the athletes need to train there now in spite of the filthy and toxic air. I also read that our athletes (and perhaps those of other countries) are training elsewhere because of China's air pollution.
Then, in prep for the games, there is China's roundup and slaughter of thousands of cats and gawd knows what else.
Then, in prep for the games, there is China's roundup and slaughter of thousands of cats and gawd knows what else.
what else... A plague of rats and an unusual off menu choice.
Comment nesting has been disabled, but it is still a good idea to click 'Reply' at a particular comment so that person you are addressing can read responses at their popup 'View Full Profile' link. Otherwise they may in turn miss reading or replying.