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This is just the way China works, up to 1 million people were displaced for the Olympics....
I also read that the water supply was cut off from outlying farm communities and diverted to olympic activities, ruining the crops of thousands of farmers.
I'd rather not have the olympics in my country if we can't pull it off without ruining people's livelihoods.
I totally get that you want facts from a credible source, and not just news stories. And there is so much bias in the media today, I understand your frustration. But I don't live in China, and I don't have access to first-hand reports. Moreover, in a society like China where the government is able to control access to its citizens, I don't think many of us have the ability to hear first hand what is happening there. We have to filter through the media, and, to a certain extent, trust in them. In this particular case, we have a lot of concensus between different media outlets, outlets all along the political spectrum. We know that the IOC negotiated with the Chinese government to establish venues for protest, venues that the government could control and manage. And they controlled them so well that there were no protests. Even in a Shangri-La there are going to be some people with complaints and issues. This is the most populous country in the world, billions of people, with all the problems that any modern country has, and not one person was allowed to make use of those venues. You have issued with HRW, but you don't have any issues with the credibility of the Chinese government when they say the few people who wanted to protest got their problems solved, so no protests? If you set up venues in Italy for protesters, do you think no one would show up? Or France or India or South Africa? So the question is what did the Chinese government do to keep people from protesting? And the few reports we have suggest that the government relocated known activists to places away from Beijing in advance of the Olympics, that they used bureaucracy and intimidation to discourage the few protesters left, and when the bureaucracy and intimidation were insufficient, they detained and arrested the petioners. Agreed, the reports we have are slim on facts, but that's not because reporters don't want answers, but because the Chinese government is not answering.
Can anyone think of a scenario that would justify locking up a 79 year old person?
The answer is that is how things are done in China.
That answer seems to be good for many who have their knowledge of China and what they have read. I just happen not to buy it based on my experience, what I have seen and what I know.
I can't think of anyone's experience and knowledge you should rely on more than your own. But when you are halfway around the world, is there any news source that has any credibility for you?
I can't think of anyone's experience and knowledge you should rely on more than your own. But when you are halfway around the world, is there any news source that has any credibility for you?
DC
I do appreciate the civility you have shown through this discussion BTW.
I watch them all: Fox, CNN, CNBC, BBC, Sky, Aljazeera, CCTV and the Italians too.
I try to contrast the stories to see what makes sense. Believe it or not, Aljazeera English has cleaned up its act in the last year. They once had a ticker that went by that just said Americans Kill Women and Children with no preceding or following story.
I have not seen any reference to this 79 year old ladies story. Perhaps I missed it or perhaps it is not properly documented enough for them to report. I don't know.
To answer your question, they all have some truth to them. Its the curve balls you need to watch out for. Even the news story from AP about the 79 year olds has some truth. That is what makes a good lie. I believe they are 79, got displaced and got sent up the pokey. It is the other details we are not getting that are missing.
arctichomesteader is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.
And you are the biggest cheerleader for the Chicoms that I've ever encountered. It is beyond me why you would start a thread that highlights the human rights abuses for which the PRC is rightly criticized by the international community, and then use the facts to bash other people who are simply stating the obvious.
These old ladies had the never to object to confiscatory policies, so the Chinese authorities simply put them away.
And you are the biggest cheerleader for the Chicoms that I've ever encountered. It is beyond me why you would start a thread that highlights the human rights abuses for which the PRC is rightly criticized by the international community, and then use the facts to bash other people who are simply stating the obvious.
These old ladies had the never to object to confiscatory policies, so the Chinese authorities simply put them away.
Gulag redux. No big deal.
Yeledaf is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.
Quite simply, if a 17, 27, or 79 yr old breaks a law which requires arrest and jail, I don't care. Slam the door!!!
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