“What connects two thousand years of genocide? Too much power in too few hands.” Simon Wiesenthal
I planned to write more about the Z88.3 lawsuit but decided to wait until more information was received.
In January, I heard a statement from a billionaire tech mogul that made me sit up. NPR wrote about it in Co-owner of NBA’s Warriors slammed after saying ‘nobody cares about the Uyghurs. Chamath Palihapitiya said:
While discussing politics on his show, the All-In Podcast, the 45-year-old venture capitalist repeatedly told his co-hosts that “Nobody cares about the Uyghurs.” Palihapitiya said he cares about many things, including inflation, American health care infrastructure and climate change, but not the genocide China is accused of carrying out against the Muslim Uyghurs.
“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, okay. You bring it up because you really care, and I think it’s nice that you really care, the rest of us don’t care,” said Palihapitiya, who is also on the board of Virgin Galactic. “I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things I care about, yes, it’s below my line.”
The following video is for those of you who want to listen to the entire show or the relevant part. The relevant part starts at about the 15:00 mark.
NPR commented that Palihapitiya repeated that he didn’t care about the plight of the Uyghurs in response to hearing about a stand that some in the US took regarding the Olympics being held in China.
Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, okay. You bring it up because you really care, and I think it’s nice that you really care, the rest of us don’t care,” said Palihapitiya, who is also on the board of Virgin Galactic. “I’m just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things I care about, yes, it’s below my line.”
…..If you’re asking me do I care about a segment of a class of people in another country? Not until we can take care of ourselves will I prioritize them over us,” he said.
Realizing that he came across as an uncaring technocrat, he clarified his remarks on Twitter.
However, this exchange caused me to stop and consider my own beliefs. Many Christians act self-righteously because they are “boycotting” the Olympics in China simply by not watching them pn TV. I would venture to guess that they know little about the situation they are so ineffectively protesting. I realized I knew little about this people group and thought I would educate some of you as I educate myself.
A short history
The BBC in 2014 posted (they spell the name of this people group differently) Why is there tension between China and the Uighurs?
The largest of China’s administrative regions, Xinjiang borders eight countries – Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India – and until recently its population was mostly Uighur.
…Most Uighurs are Muslim and Islam is an important part of their life and identity. Their language is related to Turkish, and they regard themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations.
The region’s economy has largely revolved around agriculture and trade, with towns such as Kashgar thriving as hubs along the famous Silk Road.
But development has brought new residents. In the 2000 census, Han Chinese made up 40% of the population, as well as large numbers of troops stationed in the region and unknown numbers of unregistered migrants.The region has had intermittent autonomy and occasional independence, but what is now known as Xinjiang came under Chinese rule in the 18th Century.
Xinjiang officially became part of Communist China in 1949, which would spell trouble for those who hoped for freedom.
In July 2014, some Xinjiang government departments banned Muslim civil servants from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
In June 2012, six Uighurs reportedly tried to hijack a plane from Hotan to Urumqi before they were overpowered by passengers and crew.
There was bloodshed in April 2013 and in June that year, 27 people died in Shanshan county after police opened fire on what state media described as a mob armed with knives attacking local government buildings
…Establishing facts about these incidents is difficult, because foreign journalists’ access to the region is tightly controlled, but in recent months, there appears to have been a shift towards larger-scale incidents where citizens have become the target, particularly in Xinjiang.
…There have also been reports of mass sentencings and arrests of several “terror groups”. Chinese state media have reported long lists of people convicted of extremist activity and in some cases, death sentences.
High-profile Uighur academic, Ilham Tohti was detained and later charged in September 2014 on charges of separatism., sparking international criticism.
So, where are the Uyghurs today?
The Council of Foreign Relations posted a summary in China’s Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjian
- About eleven million Uyghurs—a mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group—live in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
- The Chinese government has imprisoned more than one million people since 2017 and subjected those not detained to intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced labor, and forced sterilizations.
- The United States sanctioned officials and blacklisted dozens of Chinese agencies linked to abuses in Xinjiang. In 2021, it determined that China’s actions constitute genocide and crimes against humanity.
In the article, they describe the conditions inside the Uyghur detention camps.
Some reported prison-like conditions, with cameras and microphones monitoring their every move and utterance. Others said they were tortured and subjected to sleep deprivation during interrogations. Women have shared stories of sexual abuse, including rape. Some released detainees contemplated suicide or witnessed others kill themselves.
Detention also disrupts families. Children whose parents have been sent to the camps are often forced to stay in state-run orphanages.
Wikipedia wrote about the Xinjian conflict.
International observers have labelled the Sinicization campaign to be an instance of cultural genocide.[24][25][26][27][28][29]
Genocide claims have been denied by the Chinese government, which characterises the centres as deradicalisation and integration programs and were the subject of dispute at the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC); 39 countries condemned China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang in June 2020.[30] In July, a group of 45 nations issued a competing letter to the UNHRC, defending China’s treatment of both Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.[31]
Beijing Olympics or Genocide Olympics?
The New York Times, on February 8, 2022, wrote On the Moral Issues of the Olympics, Are We All Complicit?
The Olympics have been in a state of moral crisis for some time now, mired in countless controversies over bribery, corruption, financial waste, cheating, environmental damage, forced displacement of local residents and, more recently, the pandemic.
…Casting the darkest pall over the Games by far are the human rights abuses occurring about 2,000 miles away in the region of Xinjiang, where one million or more Uighurs, a Chinese Muslim ethnic group, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities are reportedly being subjected to mass detentions, forced labor, sterilization and torture.
The Biden administration says this is genocide according to Axios: Biden signs historic bill punishing China for Uyghur genocide
President Biden signed a bill Thursday banning imports from China’s Xinjiang region and punishing the Chinese government for its genocide of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, per a White House release.
Why it matters: Human rights activists say the bill will impose the first substantive costs the Chinese government has ever faced for its atrocities in Xinjiang. This could set a precedent for other countries to follow suit, writes Axios’ Zachary Basu.
The NYT continued:
In December, the White House announced that the United States wouldn’t send an official delegation to Beijing because President Biden didn’t want to “treat these Games as business as usual.”
…sports journalist Bob Costas said recently, “Unsatisfying as it may be, the course of action now that the Biden administration is taking is the correct one.”
But others think the U.S. government and others could be doing more. Victor Cha, senior vice president and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, agrees that a boycott that extends to competitors “makes no sense.” At the same time, he believes the diplomatic boycott depoliticizes the Games by preventing government officials from airing their criticisms within China.
But perhaps the one who holds the most responsibility is the IOC.
Besides the Chinese government itself, perhaps no other entity has received as much blame for the compromised moral status of these Olympics as the International Olympic Committee.
- In recent years, the I.O.C. has come under fire for awarding the Games to authoritarian countries, like Russia and China, precisely because they can suppress domestic opposition.
- Making matters worse, critics note that the I.O.C. has allowed China to avoid a contractually mandated assessment of its human rights environment that future hosts will have to undergo.
- I.O.C. rules also prohibit athletes from using the podium or the playing field to peacefully protest.
How about the athletes? A boycott will hurt them, and it rarely works.
But most seem to think that an athletic boycott would be ineffective and unfair. “
The Uyghur Congress agrees.
I think the consensus is it mostly hurts the athletes who trained so hard, especially since it’s once every four years. Most people’s peaks are only so long.”
What’s more, Derek Robertson reports for Politico that the World Uyghur Congress — the international organization representing the Muslim ethnic group — hasn’t campaigned for an athletic boycott, preferring that competitors use the Games as a platform to raise awareness in the style of American athletes’ Black Lives Matter advocacy.
What about the companies who support the Olympics?
Collectively, the top 13 corporate Olympic sponsors have contracts with the I.O.C. that add up to more than $1 billion. Activists have pressured these companies to withdraw their support, but so far, none have done so, and only four — Omega, Intel, Airbnb and Procter & Gamble — have responded to requests from The Times for comment.
“These companies stood publicly for justice after George Floyd’s murder and months of self-examination over race in America,” The Times’s Streeter writes. “But with rare exception, when pressed by lawmakers on an issue far from American shores in a country possessing a tantalizing bonanza of customers, their bold stances for justice wilted with the wind.”
In the end, it boils down to us. Do we watch, or don’t we? I did.
The NYT’s piece well states the conflict I’ve had.
n the absence of more robust action from the Olympics’ primary stakeholders, many viewers have been left feeling conflicted about the question of their own complicity. “If we refuse to watch, are we punishing American athletes who are blameless?” Jim Geraghty of National Review asks. “If we do watch, are we unintentionally consenting to genocide?”
I have begun to watch by looking up some of the great performances. I honor those athletes.
Nathan Chen’s figure skating was beyond compare.
Lindsey Jacobellis gold medal snowboard cross run
Beat Feuz performed the fastest downhill ever, averaging over 68 mph!
My niece played in the 2006 Olympics and won a Bronze medal.
I honor and stand in awe of these incredible athletes. I decided that I would not ignore their accomplishments. Instead, I lay the blame at the IOC’s feet. They should stop choosing genocidal countries for the Olympic venues.
At the same time, we should all make sure we know what’s really going on. How many people knew that the Uyghur Congress wanted the Olympics to continue and for the athletes to protest? I sure didn’t.
The main reason I watched the Olympics was to support the athletes who have achieved incredible goals. Years ago, it was thought physically impossible to do what Chen did (his successive four spins.) The same goes for what is going on in skiing.
Out Lord has given us bodies with potential that we can barely imagine. You are older like me (I think.) Do you remember when they claimed the 4-minute mile wouldn’t be broken? It has been by over a thousand athletes and is now the standard for competitive runners.
The Swiss guy who hurtled down his run, averaging 68 mph was stunning. In a car, that feels fast to me. Can you imagine doing it on a cold slope?
For me, this is about what athletes can do and the Olympics features this progression each time. My niece played ice hockey in the 2006 Olympics and won a bronze medal. I loved watching her score a goal. I am so glad she was able to play. So maybe I’m a bit biased.
I honor and stand in awe of these incredible athletes. I decided that I would not ignore their accomplishments. Instead, I lay the blame at the IOC’s feet. They should stop choosing genocidal countries for the Olympic venues.
At the same time, we should all make sure we know what’s really going on. How many people knew that the Uyghur Congress wanted the Olympics to continue and for the athletes to protest? I sure didn’t. Update: Here is some updated news from the Uyghur World Congress which seems to have taken a different perspective. (Thanks to Lowland Seer.)
I won’t watch and it’s based on the following reasons:
1) I lived in Salt Lake City in the runup to the 2002 Olympics. The levels of graft and corruption exposed were pretty legendary and have continued to this day in subsequent Olympics. I’m not even going to get into the entire craaaaazy doping scandals that keep coming out at every single Olympics.
2) The IOC willingly agreed to be used by the Chinese Communist Party in the “proof of life” video for world-ranked tennis player Peng Shuai. Ms. Peng accused a high ranking CCP official of sexual assault and has since been under close supervision (=all but official imprisonment) as a result. Not even the Women’s Tennis Association, which actually represents Peng as a player, was willing to be used by the CCP in that way. In fact the WTA stood up for Peng. (Why yes, Peng was on the Chinese Olympics team in 2012 and 2016, but not in 2020, so really, WTA is her representative, NOT the IOC.) NB Peng participated in a stage-managed interview by French media on February 7, accompanied again by a representative of the IOC.
3) This article {“One by One, My Friends Were Sent to the Camps”) in the Atlantic, where a guy talks about his experience of seeing people disappeared around him before he and his family were able to escape: https://www.theatlantic.com/the-uyghur-chronicles/
I’d also note the Uyghur Congress does not represent all Uyghurs.
Of course, this being America, we can agree to disagree. My conscience says I cannot give my eyes over to a Chinese Communist Party sponsored extravaganza. Some of you may be shocked that someone as liberal as myself is this way, but the CCP is an authoritarian, dictatorial regime that needs to be starved of oxygen and this is how I am doing it.
1?
The people I know who are boycotting the Olympics are doing so not because of any specific oppression currently happening but simply because China is comminist.
They are boycotting for political reasons rather than for humane reasons.
Of note, every single one of them are conservative evangelicals.
Not quite 1. I guess I will have to settle for silver.
We do watch some Olympics, but yeah, not fan of the corruption and other problems.
Thx for this post.
Our family hosted a student from Xin Jiang for a couple years, just prior to Covid. More on that later.
We were in Beijing in 2008 just before the Games.
Frontline has an excellent documentary on Xin Jiang called, “China Undercover”. Here’s the link:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/china-undercover/
The obvious question here would be “what is the difference?”. Point taken – especially with China.
I actually considered not watching, but we have 10 year old and I remember how much I enjoyed the Olympics at that age.
That and we get our TV over the air from an antenna rather than cable or satellite and therefore are not being tracked as a viewer of anything.
The Uighur congress may have wanted athletes to speak up but China made sure that could not, would not happen. How could anyone speak up against a state which holds absolute power over their every move under the guise of “COVID safety”?
Nathan Chen expressed support for Uighur rights last fall. CNN reported that Chinese state media basically ignored Chen this week despite his gold. On Chinese social media he has been ripped apart as a traitor.
Chen is seen as a traitor because he did not nationalize with the Chinese state but skated for the USA. (His parents are Chinese immigrants.) Other Americans with Chinese parents have nationalized with the Chinese in order to skate for China. It is an open question whether these people have actually given up their American citizenship. In the case of Zhu Li, who was either 15 or 16 when she gave up *cough* her parents made her give up *cough* her American citizenship, it’s questionable as to whether it was even legal. Zhu was really trashed on Chinese social media after she fell during her events. Personally, I’m hoping she leaves China, as it doesn’t sound like a super-healthy environment, but to be clear, I’m not Zhu.
So yeah, politics.
The CCP is a bureaucratic and self-perpetuating oligarchic kleptocracy. It’s about as communist as pastormarks “church” is christian.
The real threat here is not that it’s supposedly communist, but that it’s more than just authoritarian, it’s a dictatorship, and while China is happy do supply a lot of our technology at prices lower than that produced in Western countries, China – like Russia – does everything to disrupt European and American democracy and see it fail.
There must be no successful alternative to these authoritarian regimes – their populations might get ideas.
Western corporations have for decades delivered western technology for free to Chinese corporate partners, and thus the Chinese government, just for a few advantages in the cost-cutting race to the bottom, and western consumers have lapped it up WRT low prices.
Concernig the Olympics: I have given up on them and the football (soccer for you Americans) world cup – the IOC and FIFA are among the worst corrupt organisations. Giving the games to dictatorships is actually not a bug for them, it’s a feature.
I sometimes feel sorry for the athletes, but we’d probably be better off cancel)ing the events until the orgs are reformed.
Unfortunately the claim that the Ugyhur Congress wanted the Games to go on is based on a report that is out of date and hasn’t been updated by Wiki. And Derek Robertson’s article was meant to highlight the completely inadequate and ineffectual response by “The West” to the ongoing persecution of that minority.
Read this and you’ll get a much clearer picture of what’s going on.
https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/category/news/wuc-in-the-news/
Who’d have thought that TWW would become an outlet for CCC propaganda.
NEWS
The 25th Anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre
“On February 5, the World Uyghur Congress commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre, during which thousands of Uyghurs who took part in a peaceful protest were arrested, wounded, or killed by the Chinese security forces. As the world is focusing on the Beijing Olympics, the WUC remembers the victims of these events, and calls upon the international community to take steps so that atrocities like this will not happen again. “25 years ago, the Ghulja massacre was exemplary of the treatment of the Uyghur people by the Chinese authorities and its crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly”, WUC President, Dolkun Isa, said”
From the Congress this week. Nice timing TWW!
I’m not watching, but *shrug* if others do. We’ve read about some of the events in the Wall Street Journal this week. My youngest daughter asked about figure skating, and I pulled up a video from 2014 (Sochi) on YouTube. A son wondered if the 15-year-old Russian skater had been involved in that year’s doping scandal, so he looked her up on Wikipedia. Doping wasn’t mentioned, but the article said she “retired” at age 18 due to tendon and ligament damage and complications of anorexia.
What a surprise (not) to find the latest 15-year-old Russian skater involved in a doping scandal.
“I lay the blame at the IOC’s feet. They should stop choosing genocidal countries for the Olympic venues.”
Check out the satellite photo of snow at the Beijing Olympics (link below). It’s fake (manufactured) snow. The region only gets 1.3 inches of real snowfall in an average February! Which begs the question: Why the heck was Beijing selected for the “Winter” Olympics in the first place?!!
Yep, there’s a lot wrong with holding the Olympics in China … not to mention selling America’s manufacturing soul to them decades ago. China holds over $1 trillion of the U.S. national debt; American politicians tread very lightly with them. The world at large turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the cries of the persecuted in China because it depends on them for cheap products. So the beat goes on.
https://www.livescience.com/artificial-snow-satellite-image-winter-olympics
wikipedia: 2022 Winter Olympics:
Oslo had been the front runner until they pulled their bid due to the IOC’s “diva-like demands for luxury treatment.”
Norway’s largest newspaper commented: “These insane demands that they [IOC members] should be treated like the king of Saudi Arabia just won’t fly with the Norwegian public.”
Slate described the IOC as a “notoriously ridiculous organization run by grifters and hereditary aristocrats.”
… so there’s that.
Muslin, fka Dee Holmes,
Great comment.As always, you amaze me with your detailed answers. Thank you. BTW-I agree with you on the grift. I feel for the athletes who spend their lives waiting for their day in the sun.
Afterburne,
That is fascinating. I figured i would cause a riot when I posted this. It’s gone pretty well. I know conservatives who boycott lots of things- from Disney to the Olympics. These same folks travel hours to attend certain political rallies in which they think they are making a stand by waving a flag around. I respect their right to do so but I often wonder if they are actually doing anything to make things better.
Ava Aaronson,
Thank you for the link.
CCP officials won’t be starved of anything as long as nations pump $billions/$trillions into China annually to meet the demands of “I want more cheap stuff” citizenry around the world.
Fisher,
Without getting into politics, it is my understanding that our government personally asked the athletes not to say anything when accepting their medals.
The one thing that amused me was the skater who dropped her USA citizenship in order to skate for the Chinese. She did not medal.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zhu-yi-winter-olympics-figure-skating-china/
Muslin, fka Dee Holmes,
Great comment to follow mine above yours.
Gus,
Thank you for both of your comments. I agree. The level of corruption is incredible, not unlike much of what I perceive in politics, religious institutions, and many industries in the US.
IOC is starting to sound like the prima-donnas within American professional athletics. Pay-to-Play manipulation and intimidation should never be a part of the Olympic Games … IOC needs an overhaul.
Corruption will walk into any organization as long as it has an open door. It’s become the American way … and the institutional church ain’t scaring it out of society since some corners of the church have been ensnared by power and greed as well.
Lowlandseer,
I am not an outlet for propaganda. There is always the yin and yang of every discussion. I will add your link to the post.
The main reason I watched the Olympics was to support the athletes who have achieved incredible goals. Years ago, it was thought physically impossible to do what Chen did (his successive four spins.) The same goes for what is going on in skiing.
Out Lord has given us bodies with potential that we can barely imagine. You are older like me (I think.) Do you remember when they claimed the 4-minute mile wouldn’t be broken? It has been by over a thousand athletes and is now the standard for competitive runners.
The Swiss guy who hurtled down his run, averaging 68 mph was stunning. In a car, that feels fast to me. Can you imagine doing it on a cold slope?
For me, this is about what athletes can do and the Olympics features this progression each time.
Oh, I forgot to mention something. My niece played ice hockey in the 2006 Olympics and won a bronze medal. I loved watching her score a goal. I am so glad she was able to play. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Parsons
I have updated the post to reflect some alternative information. I also added the fact that I’m biased. My niece played in the Olympics.
Let me add one more perspective. My niece would not have been able to wait another 4 years. She was at her peak in 2006. She was not able to qualify to play 4 years later.
We no longer watch the Olympics simply because it is no longer a competition of true amateurs. Today it is too much about the money and the career and not enough about the athletes for us, so we no longer watch.
If you enjoy it, enjoy it. If not, don’t.
Not a big deal. I’ll still fry you hush puppies if you provide the crappies.
Bingo, bingo, and bingo Max, it’s da’ troof!
How do you (generic you) think ‘rock-bottom-prices’ at Walmart are made possible?
Late Adopters like all Conservative Evangelicals, they are still fighting the Cold War.
“Billy James Hargis – For Christ AND AGAINST COMMUNISM!!!!!”
— Radio opening for Sixties Televangelist B.J.Hargis (from 1980s Christian AM radio)
My niece was an amateur and won the Bronze medal. However, I am more interested in seeing the best of the best play. If that means professional athletes compete if they are the best, then I’m all for it. For me it is about the joy of stretching the boundaries of what can be done physically. However, that may be the nurse in me speaking.
In it’s long-historic pattern, China has absorbed another foreign philosophy and made it Chinese. Ending up (as always) with a new version of the Chinese Imperial System with a Marxspeak coat of paint.
Xi is the latest Emperor of the Hong (Red) Dynasty founded by Mao (AKA the Second Chin Shi Huang-Ti) after a Time of Troubles after the collapse of the Ching Dynasty. Great Yuan succeeded by Great Ming succeeded by Great Ching succeeded by Great Hong. With Times of Troubles (civil war fragmentaion) in-between.
And the CCP is just the latest name for the heirarchy of Bureaucrats always infighting for power and favor (with proper calligraphy, of course) – the higher you ascend in the Imperial System, the greater the corruption.
First Emperor Chin Shi Huang Ti was the King of Chin who unified China some 2000 years ago. Best known for blood-purging scholars and burning previous books so history would begin with Himself. (Like Mao’s Cultural Revolution and attempted erasure of previous history.) The Chin Dynasty’s philosophy was Legalism, where every act possible by everyone in the Empire was micromanaged by Decrees and Laws, all of whose penalties were Death (usually in some creative ways). The Emperor was NOT on top, The System was. The Emperor was bound by The System to the point that a dying Emperor would be held in position as he died to prevent his body taking an inauspicious (ILLEGAL) pose. All Micromanaged by The System enforced by Bureaucracy.
I am certain future generations will refer to the People’s Republic of China as just another in the 2000+ year string of Dynasty after Dynasty after Dynasty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIC4zom3w0g
P.S. Chinese Dynasties traditionally have a lifespan of 300 years. 100 years to Grow, correcting the mistakes of the previous Dynasty; 100 years of its own Glory; and 100 years to Decline, crumbling from entropy and corruption until it collapses and the next Dynasty takes over.
“Rags to Riches to Rags” is a folk proverb in both English and Chinese.
And the current Dynasty is still in its first century.
“Chin – founded by Shi Huang Di –
Strictest of the Dynasties.
Second Shi Huang Di – Mao Ze Dong –
Drove out gwai lo, founded Hong.”
— filk lyric of the filksong in the YouTube video
Lovely. Lifetime memories for her and for your family. The experience. One can only imagine. Congratulations.
Was there a grand watch party with a big screen?
The USA is in the minority in that American Citizenship is defined by “Jus Soli (Law of Soil)” – if you were born in the USA (or naturalized), you are a citizen.
Most other countries (including China and the Islamic world) are “Jus Sanguinis (Law of Blood)”, where if your ethnic bloodline is Chinese (or whatever tribe), you are a citizen no matter what Jus Soli says. And Jus Sanguinis states usually do NOT have any naturalization process for those of other bloodlines. You are what you are BORN, no exceptions. Under Jus Sanguinis, Chen (and all ethnic Chinese) are Chinese, period.
And racism (as in only ethnic Han are the True Chinese) easily goes hand-in-hand with Jus Sanguinis.
Actually, they’ve been that way for a while.
Diva-ness and My Own Importance tends to grow over time, both for Individuals and Institutions.
Not interested in the Olympics. The Chinese jailed 2 Canadians for 2 years until they got their Huawei executive back.
Canada became a pawn in a US/China feud.
We should have pulled out athletes from that dog and pony show.
It’s all for doped up glory anyway, if they can get away with it.
Went to Shenzhen in 2007. What an oppressive atmosphere. More eye opening than enjoying. Wouldn’t go to China if you paid me.
Athletes are smart to keep their mouths shut. The bamboo gulag awaits.
Well, Jesus did an intervention but I guess as individuals we have to go for it. In God’s image, free will to choose, and all that.
Hmmmm … would those be famous Ozark hush puppies with a secret ingredient?
… has its own fleet of cargo ships hauling stuff from China, bypassing snags at the LA Port.
goodness…. so many things…
but in the midst of it all these considerations,
i just watched nathan chen’s final skating performance as a celebration of excellence and the enormous dedication & sacrifice made for the sake of excellence. i’m totally inspired.
My husband and Abby went to Turino and were there when she scored her goal. I had committed to meeting my brother to be introduced to his future wife on St Johns (VI) I took my other daughter and son. We watched it from there and saw the cameras pan to my husband and daughter jumping around when the goal was made.
elastigirl,
Isn’t he amazing? He has spoken out on the Uyghur genocide and his hated by the Chinese government.
dee,
Together… across the globe, for a momentous occasion. Thank God for technology.
They likely are making things better for the pocket books of Glen Beck and all the others that hold the rallies. If they are willing to travel, you can bet they are also donating to the heroes of the moment.
Love the Olympics and always will.
Max–could be grandma walton’s finest. Not really. My grandma’s secret ingredients but no fire water. But yes, Ozark’s recipe.
Agreed. Throughout the history of the Olympics, there has always been nations rattling swords in the background … some tyrant trying to get the upper hand on other tyrants … the unfortunate mixing of politics and sports … the cries of oppressed souls somewhere in the world. In recent years, the greatest sports event on the planet has been tainted by the inclusion of professional athletes with amateurs, deceptive use of drugs to enhance performance, coaches who use and abuse athletes, corruption and greed among organizers at the top. But underlying that which is wrong is a thread of good as the best in the world compete for gold, the success of always being called an “Olympian” even if they don’t medal, children who look at them and dream that they too can participate some day, the world coming together for just a moment to lay aside strife. So, I choose to watch the Olympics while still praying for those who dream and hope for a better life tomorrow, for a taste of freedom, to be delivered from oppressors.
In the meantime this morning’s Communion service was awesome. Elements were hot cocoa and marshmallows. The processional began at our house and ended at the altar of a small fishing lake nearby. We recessed out by a different route, enjoying more of the greatest cathedral of all. In the words of the country song, the place where we worshipped was the wide open spaces built by the hand of the Lord. Acolytes today were a mixed herd of baldies and herefords, accompanied by an aussie cattle dog. The sermon topic was resurrection. The area is now dead and dry, but in just a few weeks it should be covered by an abundance of paper whites and yellow daffodils. These grow here not just in flower beds, but just about everywhere including pastures. If you ever see an Ozark spring follow an Ozark winter you will see resurrection happen, and it will point you to the great and wonderful one coming. Or you can visit Shiloh or Pea Ridge, reflect on what happened there, and look at the beauty and experience the peace those places have become and be pointed to resurrection. Music today was brought by the birds, who have begun building nests and singing their lovely mating calls despite the fact winter is very much upon us with more coming. As a final reminder of resurrection, the pink ladies are beginning to show their blades. These lilies will sprout up quickly much like daffodil greenery. Then they die and disappear instead of blooming. But come mid to late summer, if we get enough rain, they will quickly send up tall sprouts that will be topped with multiple gorgeous pink lily blossoms. Large and extravagant ones.
Today we are in the heat of battle with evil in our world, but someday the battle will end with resurrection celebrations to follow! Keep the faith!
This doesn’t relate to the Olympics, which I am watching, but Ughyur food. There are two restaurants near me that I have visited, and I could survive off of their butter naan, honey chicken, samsas, and baklava.
Thank you for the link, Muslin, fka Dee Holmes.
I had read an article about the Uyghur (and the Uyghur genocide) sometime within the last two or so years and was going to include a link to the article in my comment. Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I read the article, but if I remember correctly, much of the focus of the article had to do with the “education camps”, the forced sterilization of Uyghur women, and other things along those lines. The article I read might (?) have been based more from the perspective (plight?) of Uyghur women…
I think I found the article….The Associated Press had done several on the Uyghur genocide.
Article title: China cuts Uighur births with IUDs, abortion, sterilization
Link: https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-weekend-reads-china-health-269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c
linda,
Thank you, Linda. Your words painted a beautiful picture that I walked into. Creation didn’t fall over the centuries as far as man, and it groans waiting for us to get it together.
Yum.
Also, the whole Uyghur culture is amazing. The restaurants I’ve gone to have amazing instruments, hats, clothing, decorative plates and other artwork, as well as pictures of their beautiful land. I better stop because I want to go to the restaurant now!
Classic Eugenics.
When you don’t want to go all the way with Zyklon B and Krema ovens.
“ONLY PERFECT SEED MUST BE SOWN! LIFE TO THE FIT, EXTINCTION TO THE UNFIT!”
Remember this from two Winter Olympics ago: one of the Pipettes at DesiringGod all excited to watch couples figure skating, as the embodiment of his ‘Biblical Manhood & Womanhood’ notions?
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/an-olympic-lesson-for-husbands-and-wives
“He leads her onto the ice and initiates each part of their routine. She receives that leadership and trusts in his strength”
“Her focus is on following his lead and signaling her readiness to receive his next move. He takes responsibility for the two of them and she trusts his leadership and delights in it”
“They complement each other in their complementarian approach”
“he does all the lifting…She complements his strength with her…beauty, grace, speed and balance”
“No one yells, ‘Oppressor!’ as he leads her around the arena, lifting her up”
“the roses and teddy bears, thrown onto the ice when they have collapsed into each other’s arms at the end, are for her”
Oops, this couple didn’t get the memo to always follow CBMW dogma in their skating lifts?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl0jPhFnDxg
Oh brother! NeoCal indoctrination at its worst! Puke.
I’ve seen Olympic skating pairs where the man wouldn’t have made it to the games if not for the more superior female skater. He “complemented” her leadership, being only a mere derivative of her image on ice.
“How many people knew that the Uyghur Congress wanted the Olympics to continue and for the athletes to protest? I sure didn’t.”
Here’s most likely the way that went down:
Communist Party of China (CPC): “You do want the Olympics to continue, right?”
Uyghur Congress (UC): “Well, we’re not sure.”
CPC: “I repeat, you want the Olympics to proceed … do you understand?!” (whip cracks in the background)
UC: “Uhhh … well, since you put it that way. Sure!”
“And if you’re good little gwai lo, we’ll exterminate you last.”