About the Olympics....and China.

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*[Click the title: Gloria Estefan "Reach" from the 1996 Olympics]*
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This is a painful subject, and I will probally be accused of being Unpatriotic and a Bad American for writing it, but it needs to be said....and talked about. So here it goes.

During the Brutality of the Killing of Monks in Burmah a few weeks back, my teenage son 6-6 and I talked and we ended up talking about ways we could help the Monks and also help thwart the Military Regime, and if your read below we again talked about Tank Man and the Tianamen Square Massacre. ( see Courage Post of 10-11-07). This Burmah Discussion led to a discussion about Something Much larger than Brutality and Human Rights.

We ended up having a discussion about China and the Summer Olympics of 2008.

I have many concerns about China, mostly that we owe them Too Much Money. It in many ways has become an uncomfortable Hostage Situation. We are in essence being held hostage to them. we are buying too many poorly made goods from them, many are made by forced labor and child labor and also do not meet America Standards for 1970's. We have had multiple recalls from their goods adn toiletrie products, and shamelessly for millions of Toys. And the American Government has remained Silent, Complicit on these Damaged and Damaging Goods being sold to Lower and Middle Income Families. I keep wondering if it was a case of Lead Lined Gold Clubs being sold in Boca - would there be an Uproar?.

Our Children have been the deadly pawns in this Deadly Game of Import Chess, and they probally have indeed been exposed to incredible levels of lead, that has not been seen in this Country in atleast 20 years. That is an issue, the lead, a neurotoxin, can cause Learning Disabilities, ADHD, and even in High levels, Autism. ( Rate of Current Childhood Autism in America is 1:150 or 1:166 depending on which stats you read, this has increased 1000 fold in the past 10 years).Since Autism has been increasing in Mammoth Epidemic Proportions, one would think that this would be concerning the Medical Commmunity. One would even Hope that the AMA would come out and make a stand and a Statement about the Lead issue. Even the recall was handled like RSVP 's to a dignataries' Birthday party "You may simply return the gift for EXCHANGE". ( Surely they must be kidding, so people are suposed to exchange for What? yet another lead lined toy?). The Toys should be thrown out, but sadly they will even need to be thrown OUT with care, and sent to Contamintated FillZones.

Now back to the issue of the Olympics. So 6-6 brings up a couple of issues that I had not even pondered. The First One, WHO is providing Security for the Olympics ? Will Blackwater Cowboys be protecting our Athletes and Teams? His other concern, that during the Summer Olympics that is when Bush will make his next Warmongering Move, if Something did happen at the event, and some great tragedy were to god-forbid befall the Athletes, and then (cough) he will be forced to declare Martial Law before the Elections. He also pointed out that we are MORE hated Around the World, than Anytime in History. The Example he sited, " The Miss World Pageant, when Miss America Came on Stage, she fell, but the crowd was booing before she fell". He is worried that our Athletes are hated by and for what Bush has done.

He also pointed out that suposedly Iraq was bombed, shocked and awed due to many False Reasons, and that one of the False reasons was Evil Brutal Dictatorship/ Regime and Crimes against the People, yet now we are suposed to go "Play" in one of the Countries that has the SAME Problem ? The Hypocrisy is glaring and not lost upon the World Watchers.

And lastly, we talked about China and their Human Rights Abuses and their Communist Rule and how we constantly use that against OTHER countries, such as Cuba. Yet we are trading with them, and encouraging trade and even giving them American Trades, and Industries and Jobs. ( At our house, for Many Reasons, yes, we are indeed Boycotting ALL Chinese goods.)

I actually don't have an answer as to whether we should be planning a Boycott of the Olympics. But for the First Time Ever, I am actually giving it careful thought. And More Thought is needed. So tell me what are your thoughts....

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{as always you can always email me at enigma4ever@earthlink.net ]