Thursday, August 07, 2008

And so it begins . . .

Today's post will be the last before the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. I will neither watch nor post on the Communist propaganda bonanza, but news on the periphery - like the treatment of protesters, media, and/or athletes who refuse to follow the script - will get the due attention.

The International Olympic Committee is doing all it can to make lemonade out of lemons. Jacques Rogge even went so far as to say nice things about the air in Beijing, all evidence to the contrary (BBC and the Washington Post). The cadres themselves are making certain there are no "disruptions" (Epoch Times) - to the point of tricking petitioners into thinking their complaints would actually be heard so it would be easier to arrest them (One Free Korea), keeping out foreigners who would have brought up issues like Darfur (Washington Times), having their puppets in Hong Kong keep exiled dissident Yang Jianli out of the city (Washington Post), and, of course, keeping all current jailed dissidents under lock, key, and boot (Boycott 2008). Their brutal assault on two reporters in occupied East Turkestan is still generating outrage (Boycott 2008), but odds are by this time tomorrow the only where you'll still read about that will be this quarter.

Foreign leaders are making their way to Beijing as I write this (National Review Online), as are of course, the various sponsor representatives and other starry-eyed would-be investors. I would advise them to mind the food (BBC) and (for the guys) any surprisingly easy offers of companionship (World Net Daily). Meanwhile, the regime will have its circus to make the Chinese people think the world loves the CCP (Epoch Times), and given that the Chinese people have been browbeaten with this meme for years already (Washington Post), odds are the CCP will achieve what it so dearly wanted out of these Games.

After the party's over, the rest of the world will go back to swallowing the same "engagement" Kool-aid, best seen on the utter lack of accountability demanded of Beijing for the antics of its Korean colony (Epoch Times). I'm not so sure the Chinese people will feel the same once the bill comes due.

1 comment:

Charles said...

And large scale conflicts and spectacular Islamic terrorism will resume after the Games. For the wicked grows and gains in turmoil.

Although both McCain and Obama are backed by Soros who donates part of what he gets from the Communist regime in the form of brokerage fees and commissions, the Beast will still want to test him out after the election by a few devastating shocks to have the new president totally subdued mentally to the Sheep-skinned Dragon. (Rev.13:11)

``To fear of the Lord is to hate evil.``(Psalms 8:13)