(Nice that the MSM has been going out of its way to tell people about it, isn't it?)
ATHENS—Syntagma Square, in front of the Hellenic Parliament buildings, August 9, 2007. As dusk sets in, people from all walks of life, from all over the world, gather together in a circle in front of a podium, holding up flags of their home countries.
This is no celebration, however. There are banners too with strong statements: "Human Rights Abuse Cannot Co-exist with Beijing Olympics," reads one. "Stop Harvesting Organs From Living Humans," reads another. Another says in partial rhyme, "Olympic Games But No Olympic Shame."
They are here to support the official launch of the Human Rights Torch Relay, an initiative led by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG).
Some hours earlier, Human Rights Torch Relay organizers held a press conference to explain their goals: To use the threat of a boycott of the 2008 Summer Olympics to pressure Beijing into respecting the basic human rights of China's people.
Read all about it!
My pleasure to help do the job to spread the news that the MSM and the so-called "progressives" (leftists/liberals/centrists) refuse to do, despite boasting that they care about human rights and claim to oppose oppression and tyranny by the rich and powerful against the poor and powerless (and innocent).
See photos here and note the absense of any recognizable members of the "progressive" left. Yes, former Liberal Secretary of State David Kilgour was there, but ask his party (or former party?) what they've been saying or doing about the human rights abuses by the Communist regime of China.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to his credit, has stood up (more clearly and boldly than his predecessors) to the Communists and dared to speak of the importance of human rights, having declared that he will not sell out human rights to the almighty buck. But I urge him to go further... much further. He can lead the world in pressuring the Communists to end the mass persecutions and atrocities they're committing all the time. What he'll say and do, I'll let him decide for himself, but I would hope he'd decide and take action quickly, as the clock is ticking...
In retrospect, Nazi Germany shouldn't have been granted the Olympics. South Africa under Apartheid didn't get the Olympics and I doubt they'd have gotten them no matter what. So does anyone think Red Communist China should be allowed to host the Olympics? Clearly not. If the International Olympic Committee has any honor, if it truly believes in the values it purports to represent, then they'll reconsider their decision to award the Games to Beijing and perhaps cancel them altogether this time around. Of course they can, and should.
