That seems like a normal enough quote, given China’s long-time suppression of human rights in Tibet and its recent crushing of opposition demonstrations there. But normal it’s not.

That’s because it’s from China’s People’s Daily newspaper, part of a recent lashing out at the “Dalai clique” that apparently is duping naive Westerners into getting this entire story 180 degrees misunderstood. It’s poor, poor Beijing we should be worrying about!

And a big push this is. Here’s what greets us front and center on the English-language edition of the People’s Daily today:

• Documentary “The past of Tibet”
• Tibet regional chairman: Situation in Tibet returns to normal
• Tell you a true Tibet – Ownership of Tibet
• TYC, Common Enemy to All Human
• Eminent monks, masters condemn violence, pray for Olympics
• Tibetan Youth Congress = a terror group
• Commentary: Yet another show of lies by Dalai Lama
• Perspective on a Tibet with freedom, harmony and prosperity
• “A slap in face” to Paris itself

The journalistic phrase for that is “full court press.”

The aggressive push is generating news bits on many fronts, including the bold claim by Beijing that what it referred to as “modified automatic weapons” were found hidden in a Buddhist temple in southwest China, near the Tibetan border.

Reuters reports the item straight-up:

Chinese forces found firearms hidden throughout a Tibetan temple in an ethnic Tibetan area of southwestern China which has been the scene of anti-Chinese riots in recent weeks, state television said.

Police, responding to what they said was a tip-off from the public, found 30 firearms in the monastery in Aba prefecture of Sichuan province last month, state television said in a report, a transcript of which was posted on its Web site (http://www.cctv.com).

If this item were about us in Iraq, it would have been reported much more skeptically, something like, “After raiding a holy mosque in a quiet Baghdad neighborhood, U.S. troops said they found what they described as firearms in the building. But local residents disputed the claim.”

No local residents disputed this claim apparently — probably because they feared they would be tortured until they, too, provided “a tip-off from the public” to the Chinese forces.

We break now for this little reminder to help you process this story:

Yes, it’s Chinese soldiers with shaved heads carrying Buddhist monk robes — evidence that the Chinese are manipulating events in Tibet. Sort of like planting weapons in a temple (not that I have any hard evidence that they did).

Also in the People’s Daily offensive according to the Reuters piece:

• Charges that Western media trumped up coverage of Olympic torch relay demonstrations, making them appear more violent than they actually were. (I’m sure there were miles of violence-free torch-running somewhere, but who’s going to cover that when you’ve got Paris and London to cover?)

• China’s ambassador to Ireland stomped out of a speech when Tibet was brought up.
• Releasing news that five people had been arrested on a domestic flight after “acting strangely.” If we read the Reuters report long enough, we find that that strange action was speaking a language no one could understand.
• And in Beijing, our good friend and ally Pervez Musharraf assured students the torch would be safe in Pakistan and added helpfully, “Tibet is an inalienable part of China.”

China is letting the world know it will not stand down on Tibet and it will remember those who embarrassed it during its glorious Olympic moments. It is trying to bully the world as effectively as it has bullied minorities unfortunate enough to live within its borders.

They’ve got a lot of economic power behind them, but the Tibetans have a lot of emotional power behind them, and I don’t think this will die down between now and August. The Chinese will continue to be troubled with outbursts of anti-Chinese sentiment up to and throughout the games.

In the end, nothing will change. They’ll slap a happy face on the games, and when everyone goes home, it will return to business as usual in China and Tibet. If we are to take any lesson away from Tiananmin Square, it is that. If you need a reminder of what China will do to protect itself, watch this powerful, awful clip:

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The torch arrived in San Francisco this morning at 4 a.m., and as of this moment, the Chinese are still pushing forward with their plans to hold a six-mile relay through a town well known for over-the-top protests.

It’s nuts. China is losing massive prestige (Yay!) with each stop on the torch’s way. They should just cancel the torch tour and run the thing around China, where state operatives can ensure that the throngs will at least appear enthusiastic — especially if they cross Tibet off their list of torch venues.

Keeping the race going also hurts, in the short term at least, attempts to have effective dialog with Beijing because it forces the stubborn Chinese leadership into a hyper-defensive mode. Here’s an AP squib on the subject:

Olympic organizers canceled the final leg of the Paris run Monday after demonstrators scaled the Eiffel Tower, grabbed for the flame and forced security officials to repeatedly snuff out the torch and transport it by bus. China condemned the protests as “despicable” but vowed to continue the relay to the end.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters Tuesday it was sad spectacle, but that protests are normal in a democratic country.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, a longtime human rights activist turned diplomat, said he understood the protesters, but said that France’s goal of new talks between China and Tibetan leaders was dealt a setback.

“Yesterday, the answer moved farther away,” Kouchner told reporters at a news conference. “Our answer — and we French do what we can — is a resumption of dialogue between the Chinese and the Dalai Lama.”

Nonetheless, if the Chinese keep the torch going, the democratic, free world has no choice but to mark the occasion with demonstrations. I fear today’s demonstrations in SF may be so far over the top as to actually tilt sympathy towards the Chinese, but in a free country, what can we do?

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Over the weekend, the ruthless Chinese government again took aim at protesters in Tibet, killing at least one Buddhist monk and eight others.

Today, demonstrators in Paris succeeded in stopping the Olympic torch’s progress towards Beijing so effectively it had to be put out several times and transported by bus, then the entire shindig was canceled.

Yesterday, the head of the International Olympics Committee admitted that they were “concerned” about their decision to give Beijing the Olympics.

So what are we to do?

We should not boycott. Political issues should not be carried on the shoulders of athletes who have one window in time to participate in the Olympics. That is cruelty at a level the thugs in Beijing would understand.

President Bush is still saying he’ll attend the opening ceremony “as a sports fan.” That’s crap. He’s not seen as a sports fan; he’s seen as the president of the country that is founded on freedom and is dedicated to standing up for freedom. So he should not attend.

If he does go to the opening ceremony, he should wear a red, blue and yellow tie, to show solidarity (I can’t believe I’m typing that word!) with Tibet and others who suffer at the hand of China.

All our athletes’s uniforms should be quickly redesigned to incorporate a red, blue and yellow element.

And Tibetan flags by the hundreds should be smuggled into the Olympic compound so they can be unfurled on victory podiums.

The IOC can make up for its sins by drug-testing Chinese athletes aggressively. Our assumption should be that, like the Eastern Block athletes before them, they are not taking drugs voluntarily, but are being forced to take them, thereby justifying the aggressive testing.

As many Chinese medals as justifiable should be stripped from the Chinese, amid the greatest fanfare possible, in order to embarrass Beijing.

And finally, red, blue and yellow notwithstanding, we should not limit the cause of our protest to Tibet. There’s Darfur, there’s the suppression of Christianity and other faiths, there’s capital punishment for petty economic crimes, there’s the bulldozing of communities so Beijing will “look better,” there’s slave labor, there’s political prisoner labor, there’s too much to list.

Shame on China. Shame on the IOC. Shame on all the free world if we let the Olympics go unprotested.

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A few years too late, it seems the International Olympians have realized that something’s rotten in the Central Kingdom:

BEIJING (AP/Breitbart) – International Olympic Committee head Jacques Rogge says he’s “very concerned” about the unrest in Tibet and other international issues surrounding the Beijing Games.

“I’m very concerned with the international situation and what’s happening in Tibet,” Jacques Rogge said Monday in Beijing. He was in the Chinese capital to meet with officials from national Olympic committees.

A little late for concern, no? It’s not like half the world didn’t rise up to tell the Olympic Committee not to give the Beijing Commies the legitimacy — false legitimacy — that comes with the Olympics.

So, watcha gonna do about it, Rogge? What kind of window dressing are you going to hang on this mess?

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San Francisco … Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate, and of course Chinatown.

A restless, angry Chinatown none too happy about what’s going on in the home country, apparently:

Two months ago, police brass issued a department-wide bulletin that canceled days off on April 9 for all 2,245 members of the force to ensure a major law enforcement presence along the torch route.

On any given day, as many as 600 patrol officers are off duty – and pulling them back on assignment could translate to upward of $360,000 in police overtime.

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said he’s been told the department’s full overtime costs on torch day could top $400,000. (source)

San Franciscans, why don’t you send the bill to Hu and his men of hench in Beijing? It’s their fault, not yours, that people around the globe are appalled that the Olympics are being dragged through the filth of China’s pollution — political, social and environmental.

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Nicolas Sarkozy continued in his role as the most refreshing European chief of state in eons today with a slap — albeit a tentative and polite slap — across Beijing’s arrogant cheek:

PARIS (Breitbart/AP) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested Tuesday that a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was a possibility—the first world leader to raise the prospect of punishing China over its ongoing crackdown in Tibet.

The United States, Britain and Germany all condemned China for using force against Tibetan protesters, but they stopped short of threatening to boycott the games or the Aug. 8 opening ceremony. …

“Our Chinese friends must understand the worldwide concern that there is about the question of Tibet, and I will adapt my response to the evolutions in the situation that will come, I hope, as rapidly as possible,” he said in southwest France.

Asked whether he supported a boycott, Sarkozy said he could “not close the door to any possibility.”

His aides confirmed that Sarkozy was talking only about the opening ceremony.

Sarkozy’s statement comes after criticism that he had not addressed the Chinese suppression of Tibet — but better late and a bit strong on the diplomacy genteelness scale than never. With European heads of state gathering on Friday, it appears to be deliberately and well timed.

While I’m still upset Beijing was granted these Olympics and would love to see a sizable international boycott arise to embarrass the regime and promote greater human rights in China, I’m a realist — and that’s a pretty unreal scenario. Sarkozy’s middle ground position of boycotting just the opening ceremonies is one that could get traction and create an embarrassment to the thugs that rule China, so let’s watch what happens now.

Meanwhile, the totalitarians continue their repressive ways. Chinese state media and human rights groups both reported that two people were killed in a clash between protesters and police in an area of western China that borders on Tibet.

That brings the number killed in the uprising 22 or 140, depending on whether you trust the Chinese official or the human rights groups stats.

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After the city of Pasadena nixed all their protest plans, anti-Beijing protesters have come up with a unique way to draw the huge Rose Bowl Parade audience’s attention to Beijing’s horrific record of human rights abuses: They are asking those lining the parade route to turn their backs on the Beijing Olympics float as it passes.

Human rights groups, frustrated that Pasadena will not allow them to protest a Rose Parade float touting the 2008 Olympics in China one minute before the parade begins, asked spectators Friday to turn their backs to the float when it goes down Colorado Boulevard next week.

“We are asking all Rose Parade attendees to show their support for human rights in China by turning their backs as it passes by,” said Tseten Phanucharas, president of Los Angeles Friends of Tibet.

“We, as a coalition, support this wholeheartedly, and we will be out on the parade route urging everyone to turn their backs.” (source)

The float is sponsored by the Roundtable of Southern California Chinese-American Organizations and Avery Dennison Corporation, whose web site is mum on the subject, but a business web site quotes the company:

“Avery Dennison has been doing business in China for over 15 years and we are proud to co-sponsor a float that will highlight the economic success of China of the 21st century and the first Olympic Games ever hosted by Beijing,” said Dean A. Scarborough, president and CEO of Avery Dennison. “Having China participate in one of our most American of celebrations demonstrates the important link between the two countries.”

No chance for a float highlighting China’s world-topping execution rates or its sophisticated torture technologies.

The same site lists the Roundtable members as:

Members of the Roundtable of Southern California Chinese-American Organizations include: Sue Zhang, president, Tsinghua Education Foundation of North America; Gareth Chang, chairman, GC3 International Corp.; Dunson Cheng, chairman & CEO, Cathay Bank; Grace Chew, vice president, Hong Kong Association of Southern California; Leo Chu, chairman, Hollywood Park Casino & Hotel; Feng Deng, director, Tsinghua Education Foundation of North America; Michael Fulton, president and CEO, Western Market, Comerica Bank; May Hsu, president, China Electronic Commerce Association North American Office; Evans Lam, senior vice president, Citi Smith Barney; Richard Lee, chairman, Amsino Corporation; and Yuling Li, president, American International Cultural Exchanges Foundation.

Bankers and Chinese industry reps — none overly concerned about torture, false imprisonment and crushing on freedom of speech and religion.

But Jianzhong (John) Li, a Caltech lab employee who sought asylum in the US after the 1989 Tiananmen Square violent repression of public protest and is now a follower of Falun Gong, sees it differently:

“The Chinese are using the Rose Parade to show the world that a country, without caring about human rights, can achieve so much. It reminds me of the Olympic Games in 1936, which gave Hitler an opportunity to demonstrate for the world how efficient Nazi Germany was.”

Yup.

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OK, I realized when posting this picture of Beijing’s “Bird Nest Stadium,” the symbol of China’s national face for the Olympics, I have been a bit obsessed with China news lately. (Some totally tasteless and decidedly un-PC voice in my head just whispered “Chink-Seeking Missiles?” Sorry.)

But to a conservative blogger, China is a gift that keeps on giving.

The latest news of note is about the stadium pictured above, and the revulsion one of its architects feels about his commission. GameBids.com reports:

Ai Weiwei, considered one of China’s foremost architects and co-designer of the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, said he feels “disgusted” that the $400 million stadium he helped design with Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron has become a proud symbol of China’s development.

He told Reuters, “I’ve already forgotten about it. I turn down all the demands to have photographs with it. I’m not interested. I would feel ashamed if I just designed something for glamour or to show some kind of fake image”.

The designer’s personal experience includes being raised in a labour camp after his father, regarded as one of China’s finest modern poets, was purged in the 1950’s after being denounced as “an enemy of the state and a rightist”.

Ai said, “I spent five years with him at a labour camp where he cleaned toilets, but these stories become so catchy today. I have my own problems”.

Ai reportedly likened China’s embrace of the Olympics as “pretend smile”. He said it was “kind of fake smile which is disgusting…so I hate this”.

Ai is not saying this from the protection of some far off and free haven, but from his home in China. Is he brave? Too sick of it all to care? Feeling immune? Feeling foolish? Can China get away with its usual brutish tactics on someone so visible, so closely tied to this symbol of the new [?] China?

This race isn’t over yet; we’ll see how it turns out.

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Modern, moral nations just don’t have people who do things like this:

BEIJING (AP) — China is still freeing people — including children — forced to work as slaves in illegal brick factories, two months after the scandal involving the brick yards was exposed, officials said Monday.

The scandal erupted in early June after children as young as 8 were abducted or recruited from bus and train stations with false promises of well-paying jobs and sold to kilns for about $65.

“Another 359 slave migrant workers have been rescued in Shanxi since late June, including 15 child workers and 121 mentally handicapped ones,” said Xue Yanzhong, executive vice governor of Shanxi province.

The Chinese government, which prides itself on knowing every last detail of what its citizens are up to, did nothing about the slavery at the brick kilns of Shanxi until it was forced to do so by an internet storm of outraged public opinion. Even then, the main perpetrator of the first case, the son of a local party official, got off easy.

So don’t credit the Commies with any kudos for these latests arrests. They occurred because the Commies are backed into the corner on the slavery issue, at least in the Shanxi brick kilns. And let’s not kid ourselves: Shanxi is not the only place in China where this is occurring; it’s just the only place where something is being done about it.

China doesn’t deserve to host the Olympics, and we shouldn’t participate.

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