In the name of thousands of cats, PLEASE BOYCOTT THE BEJING OLYMPICS!!

[elizabethann]

This will be the first time in my life that I won't be watching the Olympics. I have no desire to. I would rather watch my Nieces & Nephews during their soccer and baseball games.

[RICHARD]

To expand on what Lady's Human said about the selection committee..

Each city puts together an organizing committee. Usually it's title goes like this....Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee or SLOOC.

The city then hires people to do a presentation and pick out the venues where the events will take place. A bells and whistles tour of the city usually happens and the selection committee are given a VIP tour of the best that area has to offer. Sometimes the area OC tosses in some money, hookers, tickets and lodging to sweeten the pot. If the city needs to construct any venues that is usually a slide show with some kinds of models that a firm will make for the OC.

I seem to remember that some of the SLC people were caught giving the SC bribes to get the games to Utah.
-------------

Even boycotting the purchase of official Olympic products will help.

Each manufacturer has already paid the licensing fee to the BOOC, but there are roylaties that will be paid for each piece they manufacture-and that will hurt.

-----------

Moosmom.
I got to see the rowing and canoeing at Lake Casitas in 84. IT was neat because an American dude won a bronze medal on the last day of competition, that was the first medal of any kind in a zillion years.


Did you see the Oxford/Cambridge race? That was a blast!

[Lady's Human]

Okay everyone go ahead and punish the athletes...

I fail to see how this is punishing the athletes. They still compete, get their shiny medals from adolph (oops, sorry, wrong facist state), get on TV when they get back, ad nauseum.

All that happens is that the corps don't get ad revenue, official sponsors get a black eye, and the games wind up costing China money.

Anyone notice the FLOOD of PRC propaganda on the web the last few days?
Their netwars unit must be very, very busy running bots.

Find any torch rally protest story that allows comments, and their shameless spamming is obvious.

[caseysmom]

Again I ask why make this boycott of the olympics and import tons of stuff from China? Does that make sense, my coffee cup, my phone, my picture frame, all things within my reach on my desk are made in china but everyone decides to put a dark cloud over the olympics...it makes no sense at all to me.

[Jessika]

Again I ask why make this boycott of the olympics and import tons of stuff from China? Does that make sense, my coffee cup, my phone, my picture frame, all things within my reach on my desk are made in china but everyone decides to put a dark cloud over the olympics...it makes no sense at all to me.

I agree 100%. If you want to really "hit China where it counts", boycott any and all products in China. YES this will be hard to do, and more expensive, but not only will you be hurting their government you will also be promoting your own economy by buying products made in your own country

[Lady's Human]

It's impossible to boycott all products made in country "x". The computer you go online with may be made in the USA (Not bloody likely, except for some really high end machines) but even if it has a US flag on it, there are inevitably parts sourced from other countries inside.

Buy a GM car and buy American?

GM makes engines for their midrange SUV's in China.

Ford has various cast iron assemblies made in China, as do most automakers.

The LCD on your "Made in China" laptop? Highly likely that the glass for that display came from upstate NY, as the biggest producer of glass for LCD's is Corning, Inc.

If and product states that it's made in the USA from domestics parts, labor and materials, I'm more likely to think "Prove it" than buy it.

The reason the Olympics draw the protests is that they are a high profile event internationally, with 24/7 television coverage.

[Jessika]

I didn't say it would be easy not to; in fact I even said it would be hard and pretty expensive. But believe it or not there ARE some companies based solely out of the US. Buy from and support those companies /shrug Of course you won't have the convenience of availability or cheaper prices, but if you're really against China I think boycotting the olympics is the wrong way to do it, because once the olympics are done do you think they're going to care? Do something more long-term

[Lady's Human]

Companies based solely out of the US? Absolutely.

HOWEVER.....

Do we count products made in the US from foreign parts as US made? What about products made in Malaysia from US materials and parts? Boycott either one and the US job market suffers as a result.

Where do they get their raw materials?

source chips? (Hitachi and Samsung control most of the memory chip production)

subassemblies?

Tracing where what comes from becomes a near impossibility.

Embarrassing China during the Olympics brings many, many ugly things into the daylight, and will cause them to lose face. The Free Tibet movement has been ongoing for years, but has gotten more attention lately because of the noise about the olympics.

[Jessika]

Embarrassing China during the Olympics brings many, many ugly things into the daylight, and will cause them to lose face. The Free Tibet movement has been ongoing for years, but has gotten more attention lately because of the noise about the olympics.

OK Now we're getting to something that I do agree with. Bringing things to light DURING the olympics... OK that is another right way to go. Not necessarily boycotting the olympics but using the media coverage to shed light on important issues. This I do agree with

[RICHARD]

Projecting into the future?

What is going to happen when a bunch of protestors show up at a venue?
Outside the Olympic village?
In front of the media centers at the different venues?
In Tianneman Square?

That is where the rubber will meet the road.

You'll have international networks, the protestors and tons of tourists....all armed with the latest video and cell phones.

That is going to be an interesting two weeks. How will the Chinese gov't. react?

Beating the crap outta citizens in front of the world ain't a good idea!
If they let the demonstrators march, there may be heck to pay afterwards.
The world wide coverage lends some sort of protection for them after, but you can never tell with that country.

It's a disaster no matter for China no matter what. The only question is how will the Chinese citizens suffer in the aftermath?

[caseysmom]

It's impossible to boycott all products made in country "x". The computer you go online with may be made in the USA (Not bloody likely, except for some really high end machines) but even if it has a US flag on it, there are inevitably parts sourced from other countries inside.

Buy a GM car and buy American?

GM makes engines for their midrange SUV's in China.

Ford has various cast iron assemblies made in China, as do most automakers.

The LCD on your "Made in China" laptop? Highly likely that the glass for that display came from upstate NY, as the biggest producer of glass for LCD's is Corning, Inc.

If and product states that it's made in the USA from domestics parts, labor and materials, I'm more likely to think "Prove it" than buy it.

The reason the Olympics draw the protests is that they are a high profile event internationally, with 24/7 television coverage.

The Chinese own so many United States government securities that they could bankrupt the US if they called them in, they have us by the balls basically. Why doesn't anyone protest that?

[moosmom]

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Bejing a COMMUNIST country???? WHY are we holding the UNITED STATES SUMMER OLYMPICS in a communist country?

[jackie]

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Bejing a COMMUNIST country???? WHY are we holding the UNITED STATES SUMMER OLYMPICS in a communist country?

Beijing is a city, not a country.

It is not the UNITED STATES SUMMER OLYMPICS, The US do not own the Olympics, it is an international event. The host cities are elected by the International Olympic Committee.

[caseysmom]

Beijing is a city, not a country.

It is not the UNITED STATES SUMMER OLYMPICS, The US do not own the Olympics, it is an international event. The host cities are elected by the International Olympic Committee.

My thoughts exactly! This is an international event, nothing american about it!

[Vela]

Like the two above, the Olympics has never been a US event....it's a worldwide event and that's the reason it's held in many different countries....=x