posted March 20, 2008 10:28 PM            

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Dear friends,

In just 36 hours, 253,553 of us have supported the Dalai Lama’s call for dialogue and human rights in Tibet. This is an incredible response--if each of us can get 4 more of our friends to sign the petition, we’ll hit 1 million this week!

After decades of suffering, the Tibetan people have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. The spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games is now on China, and Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner the Dalai Lama is calling to end all violence through restraint and dialogue--he urgently needs the support of the world’s people.

China’s leaders are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama--but we’re told many Chinese officials believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. China’s leadership is right now considering a crucial choice between crackdown and dialogue that could determine Tibet’s--and China’s--future.

We can affect this historic choice--China does care about its international reputation, and we can help them choose the right path. China’s President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the ’Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention. Click below now to join 250,000 others and sign the petition--and tell absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet: http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/22.php

China’s economy is dependent on "Made in China" exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new and respected China. China is also a sprawling, diverse country with much brutality in its past, so it has good reasons to be concerned about stability -- some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development today comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from those Tibetans seeking dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in New York, London and Beijing, but it must be a massive number first. Please forward this email to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book--it will come up after you sign.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak--we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:

Crackdown in Tibet, but protests spreading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/tibet.china http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/crackdown-on-protests-widens/2008/03/17/1205 602289349.html

Dalai Lama calling for dialogue and restraint, and an end to violence: http://www.dalailama.com/news.216.htm http://www.agi.it/world/news/200803191258-pol-ren0032-art.html

Leaders across Europe and Asia starting to back dialogue as the way forward: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7300157.stm

Chinese Prime Minister attacks "Dalai clique", leaves door open for talks: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/18/content_7813194.htm

Other Chinese signals: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/China_looks_at_India_to_talk_to_Dalai_ Lama/articleshow/2875142.cms
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Our petition for restraint and dialogue in Tibet is exploding, with 253,353 signers since yesterday! Add your voice to the outcry now:

Sign the Petition! http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/22.php?cl=64449496

posted March 21, 2008 02:18 PM              

Interesting comment. He's no dummy, that Dalai.

posted March 23, 2008 10:21 PM            

Oh, one other thing. Nothing they do internally...like killing 200,000,000 of their own citizens should have any effect on their relationships with other nations or how other nations choose to deal with them...or not deal with them at all.

China is getting an international black eye over what they're doing in Tibet...and oh, how outraged they are. It's not their fault, it's no ones business...but their own.

They've gotten away with it for about 60 years. Stamping their feet, shrieking and howling in fits of anger, pretending outrage, taking off their shoe and pounding it on a desk at the UN, has paid big dividends for socialists over the years. Why abandon what works?

Dalai Lama and his allies are out to destroy Olympics, says China

Clifford Coonan, China Correspondent and Andrew Buncombe in Dharamsala
Sunday, 23 March 2008

The Chinese government has defied international anger at its crackdown on Tibetan independence protests, accusing the Dalai Lama and his "splittist clique" of being out to destroy the Olympics and damage China's international reputation.....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dalai-la ma-and-his-allies-are-out-to-destroy-olympics-says-china-799622.html

posted March 23, 2008 10:42 PM            

The president of the European Parliament has said that European countries should consider a boycott of the Olympics in Beijing if the Chinese government continues to take a hardline attitude to unrest in Tibet.

Hans-Gert Poettering joined a growing list of western politicians calling on China to open talks with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, whom Chinese officials blame for inciting a wave of protests and riots over the last two weeks.

If there continue to be no signals of compromise, I see boycott measures as justified,” Mr Poettering told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper ahead of a debate this week about Tibet at the European parliament.

The idea of European politicians boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympics was mentioned last week by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, although he later backed away from the idea.***note, notice, he only talked about boycotting the opening ceremony but later came to his senses and dropped the whole idea of a boycott.***

His comments follow strong criticism of the Chinese government by US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said on Friday during a meeting with the Dalai Lama that events in Tibet were “a challenge to the conscience of the world”.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f31888c-f8e5-11dc-bcf3-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

This must be a first. Nancy Pelosi has finally said something rational. I wonder how long we'll have to wait before Pelosi slips up and says something rational again?

posted March 23, 2008 11:23 PM            

I hope this will be a turning point in global human consciousness when Tibetan people can be free to do what they want. Tibet can be part of china but their religous freedom must not be compromised.

Talibans and Communist china are being no different. They are more authoritarian or facists when it comes to religiousness of people.

posted March 24, 2008 01:31 PM            

That's the history of socialist governments in the 20th century.

China has carried that concept into the 21st century.

March 24, 2008

Death reports as Chinese police open fire on monks and nuns
(MANAN VATSYAYANA)

Protesters have demanded the safe return of the Dalai Lama after the spiritual leader was branded a monster by Chinese authorities.

Jane Macartney, Beijing
Hundreds of monks, nuns and local Tibetans who tried to march on a local government office in western China to demand the return of the Dalai Lama have been turned back by paramilitary police who opened fire to disperse the crowd.

posted March 24, 2008 01:41 PM            

Why does chinese government get to decide who is the living buddha

Is this communism or state interfering with religion? Or is it impossible to draw a line between them? This is a great puzzle for us as single humanity to solve don't you think?

posted March 24, 2008 01:59 PM            

State communism IS the only approved religion.

Karl Marx wrote about hunting down and killing Catholics amd members of other religions...among a host of other diviants from the communist cause.

posted March 24, 2008 02:29 PM            

Whoa, can you please back up your accusations against Karl Marx with research links or other references.

His original ideas has been twisted over many years by people all over the world.

Karl Marx was brilliant in the sense that he predicted that capitalism (chasing materilistic goods) will ultimately lead to atheism. He dreamt of a Germany that will save him from increasing competition from England and America. He further argued when people will realize that man is already free from Adam and Eve's orginal sin and all that theocracy BS dogmas, atheism will lead to communism. That is people will share each others incomes and expenses. They all will live in harmony. Its a very very idealist goal. In my opinion this is where he failed. It prohibits diversity and suffocates individual freedom. Isn't acceptance of each others freedom more important than anything else? This is where Karl Marx failed. Chinese and other illiterate leaders the world over have twisted these ideas per their own whims and fancies. Didn't people abuse Jesus's words? What to do , we are human beings

posted March 24, 2008 05:49 PM            

Is china a secular nation?

I think the chinese are against all ancient tibetan rituals - bardo etc .
They think its some kind of cult.
Thats the reality. Jealous bleeches.

I didn't have any problems accepting the chinese agnostism or atheism or whatever as long as they don't tell what I should follow or not follow.

Perhaps the world must boycott chinese olympics. Who wants to go to a nation that curbs others freedom. Jeez, I can't stand their air.

posted March 24, 2008 08:17 PM            

Marx and the various other socialist/communists have been discussed here before. The exact quotes and their sources are found in those threads..on this forum.

As for me, I've had enough Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Ho, the father son tag team of Kim Sung and Kim Jong Il, Castro, Pol Pot, Hussein and Chavez to last several lifetimes. I'm not going back to look up what I've aready researched...about Marx or anyone else.

posted March 24, 2008 11:41 PM            

any how - workers are making a decent living across the world these days and they are happy. the constitution allows people to be thrown in jail who do not follow supreme laws of the land. we are living in cosy cosy situation. under chaos and pressure situations how will human beings behave? no one can predict. only a master can, a mystic especially a wanna be like me can come close LOL. there is no exact science to it. its difficult to generalize a group of human beings facing a situation or event.
i guess we can write many pages of it on what will happen when X occurs
Did you see what happened during Katrina? The whole world watched what happened in a proud superpower country. It was a crush to their ego.

democracy stands a chance in china now because it is no longer the sick nation of asia. it has shown progress in economy. God knows how many farmers and their families were killed for this progress. its terrible to think of. the world needs education not charity right now. there is enough riches and supplies in the world. whats lacking is distribution of them for happiness of all . Europe has enough butter, it throws millios of dollars of it in to garbage.
Why can't it be given to Africa where butter is lacking? Look at America the biggest waster of food in the entire earth.
Why can't these food go to Africa?

posted March 25, 2008 12:23 AM            

The proof is in the pages of history. Talk's cheap but it's what they do/did and still are doing that's important.

They promised economic justice, social justice and equal shares in the productive output of their respective nations. How did that work out in practice?

If you don't know, then I'll tell you.

Their regimes produced chauffeured hand made cars for the socialist elites and subway rides for the people.

Their regimes produced dachas for the socialist elites and small cramped tenement quarters for the people.

Their regimes produced plentiful food and articles of consumption for the socialist elites and long lines to buy the most basic of foods...when it was available...for the people.

In their legal systems citizens didn't bring charges against the socialist elites. It was the other way around. They set up a system of justice much like the King and the Peerage where citizens could not take them to court. Only the King or his ministers could administer justice to members of the Peerage. Besides, for a citizen to complain usually meant they or their entire family disappeared into the socialist gulag for "reducation" or they were simply executed. If sent to the gulag for "reeducation" they were systematically worked and starved to death.

Socialism in it's various forms is nothing but total control of a nation and it's people by a small group of power mad thugs and they got those concepts from the incoherent babblings of Karl Marx.

posted March 30, 2008 12:28 PM            

TORONTO—A rally that was billed as promoting "anti-violence" turned hostile on Saturday as flag-waving Chinese denounced Tibetans who they blamed for the recent turmoil in Tibet in which 100 are said to have died.

Close to 1000 Chinese were in Toronto's Dundas Square for the afternoon event, many of them students.

"Dalai Lama die there!" some Chinese shouted at a group of Tibetans who had gathered across the street from the square to protest. "Leave Canada!" others urged.

Tibetans say the Chinese rally, which began orderly, was designed to incite hate against them.

The event was promoted in Chinese-language press as a rally to tell the "truth" about Tibet and "safeguard the reunification of the motherland."

Several major Chinese-language media outlets in Canada have parroted the Chinese communist regime's line on Tibet, blaming the turmoil on the Dalai Lama and his followers and fanning a nationalist animosity toward Tibetans. ( Read more )

The rally began with a parade of speeches repeating the Chinese regime's line on Tibet: that it has long been part of China, that the Chinese government spent millions trying to help the Tibetan people, and that Tibetan monks and youths led violent protests in Lhasa recently that caused death and suffering of Han Chinese, the majority ethnic group in China.

"China and Chinese people have helped Tibetan people to improve human rights," said one organizer who spoke in English. "How can somebody who cannot even read or write understand anything about human rights? If they cannot read or write, how can they understand what they have lost in the past in Tibet? People were just blind faith to believe in their religion. They were controlled."

Another speaker added, "Tibetan culture not only has not been damaged, but has been greatly protected, spread and developed."

The rally became dramatic when a Tibetan refugee took to the stage waving a Tibetan flag. He was seized by a group of Chinese who dragged him away before police intervened to separate them.

After the incident, the man spoke with The Epoch Times. In tears, he described the suffering of Tibetans under communist rule, explaining that he left Tibet 10 years ago and came to Canada only recently. The man said Toronto Mayor David Miller should reconsider a planned trip to China next month amid the ongoing repression in Tibet by the communist regime.

Angry Chinese turned on the Tibetan protesters, hollering "Dalai Lama die there!" "Dalai Lama lies!" "Liars, liars!" and "Leave Canada!"

Police detained one man after he charged across a busy street to where the Tibetans were protesting, waving a large Chinese flag. He was identified as University of Toronto student Yang Shao by other students in the square.

Police at Toronto's 52 Division said the man had been released and no charges had been laid.

A spokesperson for the city office that oversees the Dundas Square said earlier this week that he didn't believe the group organizing Saturday's event would be spreading hate.

Patrick Carnegie, the square's manager of programming and events, said there were rules that governed how the square is to be used, including not belittling any identifiable group and conveying messages only in a positive way.

Any group can use the space "as long as they do so in a safe manner that is in accordance to the bylaws," Mr. Carnegie said.

According to Mr. Carnegie, the event had been approved as a "Love China Concert." When The Epoch Times pointed out that even English-language flyers for the event seemed to suggest an anti-Tibetan theme, he said the group was expected to follow the rules.