Olympics

For reasons that are beyond anything that I can comprehend, the powers that be made the decision that the only North American city that will host the Olympic Torch as it makes its way to Beijing will be San Francisco. Someone or some group of people sat down in a board room somewhere and decided that was a good idea.

SAN FRANCISCO — In this city where protests are as much a part of the landscape as the Golden Gate Bridge, the impending arrival of the Olympic torch is drawing out thousands of activists critical of Beijing, even as many residents celebrate San Francisco’s cultural ties to China.

The torch makes its only North American stop in San Francisco on Wednesday. The torch is expected to arrive at San Francisco International Airport early Tuesday morning.

Its path around the globe already has been marked by protests against China’s policies toward Tibet and Sudan, and more demonstrations are expected worldwide before it reaches the Summer Games.

Chinese officials have dismissed the demonstrations as the actions of a few who are trying to hijack a historical event for their own purposes.

There have been rallies, vigils, news conferences and demonstrations already in anticipation of the arrival of the torch. The protests related to the Olympic Torch are less likely to be violent than the ordinary protests that go on in San Francisco on any given day. After all, the usual groups of communists (Code Pink) are not likely to show up to protest a communist country.

Then again, we might do well to remember how monks so poignantly brought down governments in Vietnam and other wars/conflicts. They do it in their ‘non-violent’ way, generally by setting themselves up to be abused and killed by whoever the target of their protests might be. Or, as we all recall from the 1960s, setting themselves on fire. Those kinds of protests aren’t soon forgotten. The message of those protests is clear. Tibetan monks are not to be messed with.

If a Tibetan monk grabs the Olympic torch in San Francisco this week and immolates himself, nobody should be astonished. If the 19th anniversary on June 4 of the Tiananmen Square crackdown passes quietly, everyone should be surprised. [source]

There’s gnashing of teeth on both ends of the issues of human rights in China. Many claim that China has made enormous progress in the area of human rights. The Tibetans have legitimate concerns that they are facing cultural extinction at the heavy hand of the Chinese communist.

So some people sat in a board room and decided San Francisco would be their best choice for a non-violent reception in North America. As it turns out, they might be right. If the communists stay at home and the Richard Gere- type Buddhists are the protesters, it might be the most non-violent demonstration San Francisco has seen in a long time.