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RE:Pay attention to India's riots first
by on Mar 27, 2008 10:26 AM

Yes, I have been to China and have seen moneyed foreigners, like myself, living quite comfortably, but that is irrelevant.

And while most westerners are no doubt unaware of the specific nuances of the historic relationship between China and Tibet, that does not mean we cannot recognize oppression when we see it.

Every government, including my own, oppresses certain segments of its population. But to what degree? And for what purpose?

The CCP's current policy in Tibet is essentially the same as my government's policy toward our native American population - 100 years ago: take their land while erasing their religious and cultural heritage, supposedly in the name of nationalistic unity. Yes, we did that and it was terrible.

If I can condemn my own government for its legacy of oppressive behavior towards Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanic Immigrants, not to mention all the victims of our criminal foreign policy adventures, then I can certainly condemn the CCP for it's behavior in Tibet without being a hypocrite.

Human rights are universal, and no government should be allowed to trample them.

When I was in China, I heard a lot from the Chinese themselves about how their politics and society was so complicated and nuanced, that I couldn't possibly understand, let alone criticize their government's policies. To hell with that.



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Change will come from within China