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