| China campaigned for the 2008 Olympic Games | | | | on Sunday February 10, 2008, China's attempt |
| with a promise to improve its sad record of | | | | to control free speech has now extended into |
| human rights abuse and suppression of free | | | | a compliant United Kingdom. The paper reports |
| speech. It promised world reporters | | | | that British athletes competing at this |
| "unfettered access" in the country and made a | | | | year's Olympic Games in China are being asked |
| commitment to clean up the quality of the air | | | | to sign a contract that includes a pledge not |
| in Beijing for the Olympic Games. | | | | to speak out on political or human rights |
| | | | issues. The Mail says a clause in the |
| The fact is that Beijing has failed on every | | | | contract states that "athletes are not to |
| important promise it made to become the host | | | | comment on any politically sensitive issues." |
| city of the 2008 Olympic Games. Sure it spent | | | | It reports that anyone who violates the |
| the money to build world class Olympic | | | | contract will be sent home from Beijing. |
| venues. It even spent several billion dollars | | | | |
| in a failed attempt to clean up its air. | | | | Potentially the pledge in the contract means |
| However, granting basic human rights, | | | | that a British athlete who witnesses someone |
| allowing free speech, and its effort to | | | | being mistreated at any time in China is |
| improve the quality of the air in Beijing | | | | forbidden from even speaking to their |
| have all turned out to be dismal government | | | | colleagues about it. Competitors emailing |
| failures of Olympic proportions. | | | | home or writing blogs will also have to |
| | | | exercise self-censorship or face having their |
| The result of all these failed promises is | | | | Olympic dreams ended. |
| that China was allowed to win the 2008 | | | | |
| Olympic Games as the host city under false | | | | The pledge (which is contained within a |
| pretenses. To disguise its sad failure, | | | | thirty two page document that is designed to |
| Beijing has taken a page out of the Nazi | | | | be presented to all participants on the |
| regime's playbook used during the Summer | | | | British Olympic team ) brings back memories |
| Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936. During | | | | of the order given to England's football team |
| those Olympics, Berlin tried to disguise its | | | | to give a Nazi salute in Berlin in 1936 which |
| racist policies while welcoming the world as | | | | immediately created a large protest in Great |
| the host city of the Games. All anti-Jewish | | | | Britain. |
| signs were temporarily removed and newspapers | | | | |
| toned down racist rhetoric. The Olympic Games | | | | Further consider the fact that it has been |
| were used as a venue to present foreign | | | | reported that December 12, 2007 was the worst |
| spectators and journalists with a false image | | | | day in history for the measurement of air |
| of a peaceful, tolerant Germany. | | | | quality around the city of Beijing. Many of |
| | | | the world's athletes will risk health |
| Seventy years later, China is attempting to | | | | problems due to the filthy air especially on |
| disguise its dismal failure on improving | | | | the long distance endurance events at this |
| human rights, free speech, and the | | | | summer's Games. For this reason many teams |
| environment as it always does, by controlling | | | | are postponing their arrival in Beijing to |
| the message and the messenger. Like Germany | | | | just prior to the scheduled events. Years of |
| in 1936, it is the totalitarian regime's | | | | being the world's biggest environmental |
| message control that disguises the truth and | | | | polluter could not be corrected in time for |
| promotes the big lie. Here is a quote from | | | | the Olympic Games. However that has not |
| China's official newspaper, The People's | | | | stopped these Olympic Games in Beijing from |
| Daily last month: "If at each Olympics people | | | | being promoted as the environmentally |
| stood up and used politics to attack the host | | | | friendly "Green Games". |
| nation, where does that leave the Olympic | | | | |
| spirit?" | | | | The political reality of the 2008 Olympic |
| | | | Games in Beijing is the sad spectacle of |
| There it is for all to see. The Chinese | | | | China's ongoing human rights crackdowns on |
| government's Olympic year initiative to | | | | its internal dissidents. In addition, China |
| disguise its failure. In effect the | | | | continues to support some of the world's |
| government's subtle message is that there is | | | | worst regimes in Tibet, Myanmar, and the |
| no Olympic Spirit in free speech. Therefore, | | | | Sudan. It has placed world class athletes |
| to criticize China during the 2008 Games is | | | | from every country in the world at risk from |
| against the Spirit of the Olympics. This | | | | exposure to its filthy, polluted air. It is |
| quote comes after China's crackdown on | | | | clearly evident that China's commitments to |
| internal dissidents over the last several | | | | the world that led it to become the host city |
| months. (See Beijing 2008: Human Right Are A | | | | for the 2008 Olympic Games have been broken. |
| Propaganda Game on eworldvu.com). Many | | | | |
| dissidents including Hu Jia, Wang Dejia, and | | | | Indeed, it is a record of failure of Olympic |
| others have been jailed in the country since | | | | proportions; a record that China is |
| late in 2007 for not exhibiting the proper | | | | attempting to disguise just as Nazi Germany |
| "Olympic Spirit". | | | | disguised their real intentions as host of |
| | | | the Summer Olympics in Berlin in 1936. |
| According to the London newspaper, The Mail, | | | | |