Excuse me, China, can we talk for a moment?

I have been trying to closely follow the conflict between the Chinese government and the protesting Tibetan monks in the Lhasa province (and elsewhere). I feel this latest unrest provides a prime example of the kind of human rights violations the Chinese government commits daily. Many human rights groups are calling for a boycott of the upcoming Olympic games in Beijing. The Bush White House claims it is encouraging the Chinese government to have a dialog with the leaders of these protests. However, this administration has refused to speak with its own adversaries, so it's quite absurd that it expects others to do so. I'm infuriated by the fact that Bush still intends to attend the opening ceremonies of the games. Simply showing his face at the games implies he endorses China's hosting these games, and it's disgusting to think about all the horrible acts China has committed against its own people.

I wonder what the White House would be saying if Barack Obama was president. I wrote a short email to the campaign, and I'm awaiting a response. I'll let you know when I receive it. This is an important issue, and we can't stand idly by as it unfolds. One of my friends likened the situation to the 1936 Olympics. While I think that's an overstatement and the situation could be a lot worse, we as citizens of the world have a duty to try to prevent it from becoming so.