From The New York Post
By Jonathan Zimmerman
I LOVE everything about sports, but when the Olympic Games start later this week in Beijing, I’m not going to watch. And neither should you. Call it the People’s Boycott.
Despite worldwide protests, every major nation is sending its athletes to Beijing. That’s all the more reason for you and I to stage our own silent demonstration. If you want to change the Olympics, change the channel.
From The Zimbabwe Vigil
Dear Supporters,
08/08/08 is the start of the Olympic Garmes in Beijing. Amnesty International has expressed alarm at the abuse of human rights in China. The Zimbabwe Vigil has been in contact with Tibetan and Burmese human rights groups and we plan to hold a combined protest opposite the Chinese Embassy in London on Friday 8th August. Our common link is that all three countries are victims of China’s use of its veto in the UN Security Council to protect human rights abusers. We are also in contact with a Sudanese group and are hoping they will join us. Below is information about our plans so far. With 3 or 4 oppressed nations working together, we have the potential to put across a really strong message.
Ed. Note – I just received an e-mail about this great new project, and was asked to help publicize it a bit. So, I am reposting the press release here for you to read and hope the event goes well. Thumbs up to Tents For Hope/ ECO-CELL for the creativity displayed here, it’s a simple way for people to make an impact without hitting their wallets to hard, which unfortunately is holding alot of people back. And how many darn cell phones do you have stored in the closet collecting dust since you upgraded to the new hip phone?
Tents of Hope & ECO-CELL Partner to Raise Funds for Darfur – It’s amazing what you can save when you recycle. In honor of World Refugee Day on June 20, 2008, Tents of Hope (www.tentsofhope.org) is announcing the launch of its partnership with ECO-CELL to help raise funds for the crisis in Darfur. Integrated with nationwide events on World Refugee Day, improving the life of someone in Darfur is now as simple as donating an old, unused cell phone.
From CNN – The threat of violent protests prompted officials to make dramatic last-minute changes in San Francisco Wednesday as the controversial Olympic Torch run got under way.
The torch was lit in a short ceremony at AT&T Park in front of hundreds of pro-Chinese supporters who waved Chinese, American and Olympic flags.
ps. To all of you out there in the blogosphere keeping all this in the news, and especially to those who are making the news- keep it up! The goal of raising awareness on the Tibetan front is being accomplished.
I think not! The blogosphere is lit up right now , and the eyes of the world are staring directly into a land they probably don’t know much about, or minimally, heard of in a whisper or two- Tibet.
Since the 10th of March, Buddhist Monks have been holding peaceful, non-violent protests for a variety of reasons. The date signifies the anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese invaders/ occupiers in 1959, that is one reason. Another is that some monks are/ were seeking the release of monks arrested in October for celebrating the Dalai Lama being awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal.
US President George W. Bush said Thursday he would attend the Beijing Olympics in August as a sports fan, but vowed not to be “shy” about pushing China on human rights as well as Darfur and Myanmar.
Bush also stopped short of saying Olympic athletes should be able to publicly criticize President Hu Jintao’s government, saying every country’s Olympic committee would set the rules for their competitors.
From The Epoch Times – American actress Uma Thurman has joined the growing chorus of celebrities speaking out about China’s human rights record in the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games.
Referring to Steven Spielberg’s recent decision to resign as artistic consultant to the Beijing Olympic because of China’s involvement with Sudan, Ms. Thurman said the U.S. film director could add a few more things to his list of concerns.
