They also have the freedom to decide how they judge freedom, whether you agree with them or not. It called democracy. Don't try to dictate other people's thinking.
I agree. That's why we shouldn't try to stop anyone or try to dictate other people's thinking by throwing out insults. It's not what democracy is about.
Have you not been watching our elections? Insults are democracy. It's survival of the fittest over here in capitalism land. And hell yes I will tell you what freedom is. You live in an totalitarian society, do you think anyone in your system is going to tell you what it is? How would anyone that has never been in a free society know? Freedom is having to take a minimum of Sh+t from anybody. If I insulted you it's because I want you wake up. It frustrates the hell out me to see people give in to some anonymous authority.
Funny how you say that and your industries are crying and whining to Congress for tariff protections because they cannot handle the competition from Chinese made goods.
Blah blah The corporate line. I don't give a ratsass about corporations. I'm talking about you, the individual person. Our corporations don't compete with yours because a bunch of people; yes a collective, got together and said "you aren't going to exploit us". In China, the man takes the worker's soul. Well they do over here too but at least we can yell at them.
That's not the point. The point is that the West, and the USA in particular, can STFU and get off their damned soapbox, because they are spewing hypocrisy and imperialism with every breath.
Imperialism has two meanings, one describing an action and the other describing an attitude. Most commonly it is understood in relation to Empire building, as the forceful extension of a nation's authority by territorial conquest establishing economic and political domination of other nations. In its second meaning the term describes the imperialistic attitude of superiority, subordination and dominion over foreign peoples. And I think this brings us right back to the subject at hand. TIBET.
Right On Brother! But we can change things with a vote; and we are going to. We have thrown out the incumbent party in Congress and we just may elect a multi-racial populist during the second term of a pro-business, anti-civil rights administration . At worst we are going to get a moderate who has known the worst indignities that can be done to a human being. That gives a man a real perspective. That's what I want you guys to get on board with. Democracy is the right to try and change things the way you think they ought to be. I know you can't practically do it, the clamps have been put down the Tiananmen spirit. I know you can't even type that you understand on a damn basketball BBS. Good luck, live free in your minds and take every centimeter you can get away with.
When we took over Tibet, we merely took back territory that was ours since the Qing Dynasty. You don't even have a claim to Afghanistan and Iraq, yet you attacked them anyway. Try again.
I didn't attack anybody. I've got a vote. If I think ending the war and pulling troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan is what is best for humanity and the world we live in, then I will vote for a candidate who professes that he/she will do just that. By the way, you still haven't answered my question yet.
Doesn't matter, GW Bush and the US Government represent all Americans, this is the implicit agreement of the American government with its people, otherwise why doesn't half the country rebel after each election?
We rebel against the SOB every day and have since he stole Florida. But we can rebel in the forum of public opinion. It been a Long March. (Mao doesn't have a copyright on that does he?)
The Mongol Empire, also known as the Mongolian Empire (1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in world history. By 1279, the Mongol Empire covered over 33,000,000 km² (12,741,000 sq mi), up to 22% of Earth's total land area. It held sway over a population of over 100 million people. So... Britain can take back India, Spain can take back Mexico, Italy can take back a whole lot of countries, the Persians can take back Central Asia and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth? "This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." Chief Seattle “Freedom, liberty, the rights of man- these mean little to the ignorant, the hungry, the ill-clothed, the badly housed. It is both the duty and responsibility of the world’s fortunate few to help fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the unfortunate many. Let us not deny our ideals or sacrifice our right to stand as champions of the poor, the ignorant and the oppressed everywhere. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community." You still haven't answered my question.
Malcolm Fraser, the 22nd Australian Prime Minister (11 November 1975 – 11 March 1983), had the following to say regarding an Olympic boycott: Link Beijing boycott 'counter productive', says Fraser Arjun Ramachandran March 29, 2008 Malcolm Fraser, the only Australian Prime Minister to advocate an Olympics boycott, said western leaders have no right to boycott the Beijing Olympics, an action he regards as "counter productive". Mr Fraser's resistance to a Beijing boycott came as some European leaders announced plans to stay away from the opening ceremony in Beijing, in protest at China's handling of unrest in Tibet. Both Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they have declined invitations to the opening ceremony. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also said that boycotting the ceremony remained an option for him. But Mr Fraser told smh.com.au that western leaders had no right to boycott the games after the Dalai Lama has already rejected it. "If he's (the Dalai Lama) opposed to a boycott as being a wrong technique - a wrong method to advance the interests of Tibetans - what right have people in Melbourne or Poland or somebody else somewhere else to say: 'No, we are going to impose a boycott', even though the person most affected ... is opposed to it? "It would be totally divisive as it was in the past," Mr Fraser said. Mr Fraser said the circumstances in Tibet today were very different to 1980 when, as Prime Minister, he advocated a boycott of the Moscow Games in protest to the then Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. "I don't think there's any comparison," he said. "Russia had invaded Afghanistan with a huge army ... Afghanistan had always been independent and free and it was old-fashioned Soviet aggression. "You can't ignore the very long and ancient relations that existed, and [the] often uneasy relationship, between Tibet and China. "It has no relationship to the invasion [by] the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War of Afghanistan." Mr Fraser also said he no longer thought that the Moscow boycott, backed by the United States, had been the right. "At the time, even though I argued strongly for it - it was government policy - it was not good policy," he said. "It was extraordinarily divisive between sports and within sports, placed an unreasonable burden on young athletes." But the pressure on world leaders to make forthright stance was immense, he said. "I think it's extraordinarily difficult, the pressures are great. But there's a right and wrong way of trying to have influence in these matters." He said an arrangement similar to that of Hong Kong, which enjoys a high degree of autonomy from China, might be an outcome for Tibet. "Hong Kong has prospered greatly since handing back from Britain to China. Solutions along those lines I believe could be achievable."
That's what makes the US great. How there weren't riots after GWB's 2 elections, but rather a peaceful transfer of power. We might not like or even respect the other side's opinions, but at the end of the day we don't kill each other over it. Nor do we lock up opposition parties wholesale to prove a point. This civility took us hundreds of years to build, and realistically, it can crumble in seconds as it has across the world and in history. But it also makes us stronger and more willing to try out new ideas in the hope that they're done with the national interest in mind. I have no idea the harmful impact of the last 8 years have wrought in domestic politics and foreign policy, but as long as this system of peaceful transfer continues, it will give us hope that we can manage through it as one nation.
hummm... maybe that was the reason Washington post used the picture taken in Nepal and BBC use the one taken in India. Most of their readers can not see anything wrong anyway although the colors and pattern of the police uniforms are clearly different for Nepal,India and China. When you can not tell the difference between blue and yellow, you probable have to trust whatever they say.
US could not defeat China in Korea war, what makes you think they can do it so easily today? You better pray no such war, or the world, not just USA and/or China, will be different. You will not want to see it if you are lucky enough to survive such a war.
Ironically, I take less crap here from here in China than in the US. Part of that is being an expat, but I find that Chinese people don't take nearly as much crap as Americans like to think. And besides, Americans take a lot of crap from the US govt too. We can b!tch about it, but if enough people vote in presidents like Bush all the time, there's nothing you can do. At least the Chinese government hasn't try to cram down a full-scaled war down their people's throats recently. When I look at the two countries, I see more similarities than differences. The government will always use nationalism to control the masses. They speak one way, and do thing another. The rich has power, while the poor are very much screwed. People are normal, and worry more about family, work, and the economy much more than Tibet or other political stuffs. I know it's easy to cut down another country to make your own look good in comparison. I used to think that way too. But you know, reality really f**ks up a lot of ideals.
