'08 Beijing Olympics Update

(One in an occasional series provided during the run-up to the ’08 Summer Games in Beijing, China. Archived posts in this series can be accessed by entering “Olympics” in the blog search box above).

ESPN ran an Outside the Lines segment last night featuring comments LeBron James made this past spring with respect to speaking out against China’s human rights abuses (segment can be found at the top of the queue on the right hand side of page, here). In May, James said that he would help raise awareness as to China’s involvement with the Sudanese government and that government’s de-facto sponsorship of genocide in Darfur.

But now that James and the rest of the team are in Beijing, putting the finishing touches on preparations for the Games that start this Friday, he and the rest of the team are singing another tune. To a person, including the coaches, the party line is “we’re just here to play hoops” and the “Olympics is not the venue for politics”.

It was suggested that David Stern eyeing China's 300+ million basketball fans (as many fans in China as people living here in the States) would not take kindly to any rhetoric that would chill potential customers.

What, if any, obligation do athletes, particularly those from the most high-visibility and freest nation on the planet have to speak out against China’s policies ranging from Darfur, Tibet, internal dissident groups, etc.?

Should the basketball players, for instance, just let their on-court excellence be a witness to freedom and liberty and just be gracious and humble guests by keeping their mouths shut or has China’s egregious behavior demanded that a bold stance and protest against these actions be displayed during the Games? Or is there some sort of middle ground where a subtle show of solidarity can be shown towards China’s oppressed without causing a scene?

Please feel free to comment and participate in out poll on the right-hand margin.

Actions of the Government have caused fear and panic among its citizens.

"The recurring violations of liberties [in Algeria] have lately reached an intolerable level. The most recent of these is the witchcraft trial that took place on the stage of the courthouse in Tiaret. The victim, a 37-year-old woman, is in danger of being sentenced to three years' imprisonment for the crime of Christianity."

This is typical of the persecution of Christians in Africa. Actually, this woman is getting off easy as Christians and animists are just hunted down and slaughtered elsewhere on the Continent, particularly the Sudan. Full story here.

H/T: MEMRI

Dear Sudan, Meet our 42” High-Def Flat Screen Television, Muhammad.

N.O.W. has officially become an irrelevant feminist organization, fully sound and fury signifying nothing. Actually, not so much sound and fury, either. If there was ever a no-brainer issue for which a feminist organization to take a stand, it’s the case of the British school teacher, Gillian Gibbons who because she had the temerity to allow her class of Sudanese children to name a teddy bear, “Muhammad”, faces 40 lashes, jail time and a possible fine. Read article here.

According to the article, “a spokeswoman for the National Organization for Women said the situation is definitely on the radar, and N.O.W. is not ignoring it.” “But she added that the U.S.-based organization is not putting out a statement or taking a position.” Yep. The NAGs are all over it… hi-liters at the ready just waiting for the word to start making placards and buying batteries for their bullhorns. We checked their website and there is no mention of the incident, let alone a statement.

Former Los Angeles Chapter N.O.W. President, Tammy Bruce (Bruce is representative of a new strain of hawkish, pro-Western, anti-authoritarian feminists that we find appealing…. well, that and the fact that she’s kinda hot. Sue us.) called out N.O.W. for their silence by issuing the quote of the day:

“The American feminist movement has not taken one stand to support the women of Iraq, the women of Afghanistan, the women of Iran,” she said. “It is the United States Marines who have been doing the feminist work by liberating women and children around the world.”

For their part, the Brits are exhibiting their usual amount of pique by executing a lot of “discussion” and “summoning” and what not.

And the Sudanese….? These people are priceless. Again, from the article:
Ministry spokesman, Ali al-Sadeq, said the case of a "teacher's misconduct against the Islamic faith" should not have provoked a British government caution warning to its citizens in Sudan.
Al-Sadeq said this was particularly so after the school had apologized to the parents, pupils and to the Sudanese in general for the teacher's "unacceptable conduct."

Sure, Ali. Don’t know why British nationals living in your sorry country should be worried that one of their own faces medieval torture for offending the great religion of Islam by naming a damn class mascot Muhammad. Read here for more reaction from across the Islamosphere.

To Tammy Bruce’s point… were this to ever happen to one of our own, we would fervently hope this country’s CinC would have the stones to have an element of the 82nd Airborne Division on hot standby to execute a “punitive” rescue operation.

And not to go Ann Coulter on everybody, but why does it seem the most tolerant strains of Islam can be found in corners of the globe where the 3rd ID and 1st MEF have performed a little missionary work of their own?