Yet Another Trophy – Congratulations to Dalai Lama

 

Upon receiving the news that Dalai Lama was named the 2008 World’s Most Influential People by Time Magazine, I wrote Yet Another Recognition – Congratulations to Dalai Lama to offer my congratulations.  Some of my friends felt that the tone might be too strong to be considered congratulatory, so here I am, writing another article and hoping it can better convey my sincere congratulations to his holiness.

 

I, unlike a lucky few, never had the honor to know Dalai Lama personally, and naturally I have never had the chance to admire his holiness’s bookshelves filled with the trophies after trophies he received over the years.  I can only sit in the corner of my cozy bedroom staring at the only memorable thing I have ever received, my degree.  In its humble $10 frame, the photocopy looks pretty impressive while the original being safely stored in a well-protected bank vault.

 

I know, believe me, had I have more things to treasure, I would have not been so protective.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for his holiness to look at his extraordinary collection of trophies, more than anybody in the world could ever match.

 

He has to be proud of what he has achieved over the years.  Not only does he remain the beloved and only spiritual and political leader of the exiled Tibetans for over 50 years, he also spreads the messages of love and peace to millions of people with his not so fluent English, which is a true testament to the power of his messages.  Not only did he meet so many important world leaders, he also befriended scores of well-known celebrities from many countries.  Not only did he give speeches in so many prominent venues, he also received keys to so many famous cities, although all are without gates and the keys probably won’t open the doors of any city halls.

 

The army of trophies on his holiness’s bookshelves has to be his most treasured accomplishment as words and memories fade away slowly but surely and these trophies are the only ones loyally accompany him even alone at night.

 

Which one would his holiness treasure the most?  Could it be the Lincoln Award from Research Institute of America for His Holiness’ distinguished leadership in the service of freedom on January 23, 1960?  That was only few months after his holiness fled Tibet and it had to be a real moral bolster to encourage him and his followers to carry on with the mission of the armed rebellion and to fight to get their power back.

 

Could it be the Nobel Peace Price on December 10, 1989?  Just the title of “Nobel Price” should make anyone cringe with admiration, and not to mention the whole world was boycotting China after the Tiananmen Square student movement.  You can almost see the sparkles in his holiness’s eyes.  The dream of his and his followers’ was so close to become a reality.

 

Could it be the Congressional Gold Medal on October 17, 2007?  It is the highest award a civilian can receive from the U.S. Congress, and every single important American leader, from President Bush to the House speaker Nancy Pelosi, was present to honor his holiness.  The whole US government with its almighty military although bugged down in Iraq seemed to be behind his holiness and his followers, with full force.

 

Or, could it be the latest one, the 2008 World’s Most Influential People from Time Magazine?  The whole world seemed to unite once more to support his holiness.  With the help from virtually all free media outlet, so many world leaders came out to condemn the brutal crackdown by the Chinese government.  Although the brainwashed Chinese people are trying to spoil the party, his holiness must have been feeling the momentum finally on his side.

 

I wouldn’t know given so many choices, but his holiness must have his picks.  Any of them, frankly, would make me happy for the rest of my life, and that’s the true tribute to his holiness’s achievement.

 

Back in the corner of my cozy bedroom staring at the photocopy of my degree, I sincerely congratulate Dalai Lama on this well-deserved recognition.

 

May the new trophy find its rightful place on his holiness’s bookshelves.

Yet Another Recognition – Congratulations to Dalai Lama

Time magazine named Dalai Lama as the World’s Most Influential People of 2008.  When his holiness and his followers are celebrating yet another recognition, I really hate to be the party spoiler but in the aftermath of the Lhasa riot that more than 19 innocent civilians have been killed by his followers and the global movement against the exiled Tibetans by hundreds of thousands of oversea Chinese people, the question is, what good will it do?

 

In his lifetime, Dalai Lama has received numerous recognizable awards, especially the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.  We all know what he and his followers have achieved other than receiving useless awards after useless awards after that, while the 6 million Tibetans inside China have made great improvement in their everyday lives.

 

It must have been very frustrating not only to Dalai Lama himself, but also to his followers and supporters in the west.  The recent riot in Lhasa clearly demonstrated their hopelessness and desperation.  With the new railroad, Tibet has since opened itself up to the China proper and the whole world.  Goods, including food, fuel, and luxury items can now be transported to Tibet cheaper and faster than ever.  Millions of tourists from all over the world can now visit Tibet every year and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Tibetan economy.  Tibetans are enjoying much better living, much better than that of under the rule of his holiness, and a lot better than just a short few years ago.

 

What really bothers Dalai Lama and his followers the most is the fact that more and more people from every corners of the earth can now see Tibet with their own eyes.  They can visit Tibet, enjoy the heavenly sceneries, and talk to ordinary Tibetans.  As a result, Dalai Lama and his government in exile lost the monopoly on speaking for all Tibetans.

 

In fact, the most powerful evidence against his holiness’ accusation of brutal crackdown by the Chinese government on the peaceful protesters came from the almost instant blogs, pictures and videos of western tourists trapped in Lhasa.  They showed us the protesters lead by monks set hundreds of shops on fire, and beaten and killed innocent non-Tibetan looking civilians.  Moreover, the killing and the disruption of the torch rally united the Chinese people, especially those living overseas.  They come out in force to condemn the killing, distortion by western media, and support the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

That’s something that his holiness and his followers had never accounted for.

 

Now comes another recognition.  It indeed deserves some celebration, especially in this difficult time with all of their lies debunked and their plan to disrupt the Olympic Torch Rally defeated.  I don’t think the celebration will last long tough.  The reality of Tibetans in China are moving on to a more prosperous future while they themselves are still left with nothing should set in just about now.

 

The question to his holiness and his followers remains, what good will another recognition do?

 

On Being Grateful Guests

Watching the unfolding of the recent counter-protests by the oversea Chinese against the Lhasa massacre that more than 19 people were killed by the Tibetan terrorists and their plan to disrupt the Olympic torch rally, and to support the Beijing Olympics, I am excited, with caution however.  I, being accustomed to the western culture and way of thinking, know what is coming.

 

Sure enough, barely recovered from the shock of seeing so many Chinese outside of China all at once, some started to smear the oversea Chinese from every angle possible.  One particular type of attack caught my attention, not because it’s nasty or original, but because we all have seen it in action before.

 

You might be among the 1% of westerners who still remember the demonstration by the illegal Hispanic immigrants in the US against the increasing hostilities and prosecution against them last year.  Do you happen to remember what kinds of criticism were mounted against them?  One of them, interestingly enough, is exactly what we are seeing today, accusing them being ungrateful guests.

 

TV pundits pounded on the fact that they didn’t see enough American flags being waved by the protesters.  Another evidence they cited is an old soccer match between US and Mexico held in Los Angeles that majority of the Hispanic fans supported the Mexico national team.  The Hispanic activists started urging their communities to use both American and Latin American flags in their future protests in order to avoid being called “ungrateful” again, and they did.

 

Did it work?  Well, sort of.  Nobody mentioned the lack of American flags and that soccer match anymore, but the game of blaming everything on the illegal immigrants had since become the most favorite national past time.  Jobs being lost, health care going downhill, crime rate shooting up, and even some environmental problems became the faults of the illegal Hispanic immigrants.  I kid you not, go back and look at the taps, and you will realize just how creative some can be.

 

This time, however, things are a little different.  (Please take some time to understand the sarcasms in the following)  We don’t stand on street corners waiting for a day job, we stay in the classrooms and offices.  We don’t deplete the public funding for emergency services, we pay our own share in tax and health insurance.  We don’t do crimes, we work hard to raise our families.  We don’t have noisy parties that cops have to come three times, we remain quite even in our own homes.  We don’t ask for bilingual education, our kids are doing just great as is.

 

Can you say model guests or citizens?  Well, at least before March of 2008?

 

Let’s parse what happened since March, shall we?  Those “peaceful” protestors went on a rampage on the streets of Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China, once filled with shoppers and tourists from all over the world, resulting in hundreds of shops, hospitals, schools burned, and 19 innocent civilians killed or burnt to death.

 

We didn’t ask you to feel the same way as we do, but we did hope you can understand our anger, just as we understood yours after 911.  We didn’t ask you to be on our side, but we did hope you can stop demonizing China by manipulating the pictures and footages.  We didn’t ask you to accept the stories of our side, but we did hope you stop repeating the lies of Dalai Lama and his followers.  We didn’t ask you to stop believing what you believe, but we did hope you give us the same respect without labeling anyone as being brainwashed.  We didn’t ask you not to support the exiled Tibetans and even their actions to disrupt the torch rally, but we did hope you could accept the fact that we care enough and we want to show our support for 2008 Beijing Olympics.  And finally, we didn’t ask your politicians not to do what they do best, pandering to their constituency, but we did hope you could therefore understand our outrage toward their actions.

 

So, after all the pleas went unanswered, hundreds of thousands of oversea Chinese went on to the streets and for the very first time, we shown the world what we can do united.  Let me, and in no way I am the first one or the only one, admit that a minority of the Chinese did cross the line and had physical confrontation with the other side, and a few even went so far to attack the personal characters of a Duke freshman from China who has different ideas on how to resolve the Tibetan issue.

 

There you have it, most Chinese agree that we should have done better, but does the action of the few make us all ungrateful guests?  What kind of guests are you when you are on our land then?

 

Your leaders came to our university campuses and gave speeches about freedom, democracy and human rights.  That’s fine, that’s what they do.  But, did they have to be so arrogant to lecture the citizens of a country with 5000 years of unbroken history?  Did they have to be so arrogant to accuse China of everything and be so greedy to force the Chinese to buy their products?  Did they have to be so arrogant to push your own beliefs and values on us?  Do I have to refresh your minds on the days of your military rampaging on our home land?  Are the civilized civilians from the west doing any better than those politicians?  Do they have any respect toward the Chinese people?  Do they have any respect toward Chinese culture?  Now look in to the mirror and you know what I am talking about.

 

So, when your point your finger at us and calling us the ungrateful guests, didn’t you realize that you have four fingers pointing back at yourself?  Have you been grateful guests on our land?

 

But, you are right.  We really should have done better.  Let me apologize on behalf of the few.

 

Furthermore, let me apologize to you that we did wake you up from your sweet dreams of the continued dominance of western culture, we did scare you with our numbers and strength, and we did interrupt your plan of another self-righteous China bashing.  I do apologize on behalf of all Chinese people.

 

I also want to apologize that things are not going to be the same anymore.  We are not going to return to be the silent ones, we are not going to return to be your punching bags, and we sure are not going to return to tolerate your ignorance, arrogance and constant insults.  Again, I do apologize on behalf of all Chinese people.

 

But I will make you one promise.  I promise that the Chinese are going to be more professional when playing your games.  We will organize better when we feel strong enough to go back to the streets again, we will prepare better next time when we want to fight any unfair accusation, and we will make sure that we respect your right to free speech but we will let our voices heard loud and clear.

 

And, unless you are a good host and guest yourself, don’t expect us to do better.  After all we are all human beings and we should be treated equal, right?

 

I am glad that we had this talk.  Free exchange of ideas is fun, isn’t it?

 

On “Angry China” from Economist

Reading the May 1st article “Angry China” from Economist, I finally realized what it means when people talk about the world is moving on, but the west is being left behind at their own choosing.  One does not need to dig hard to find what the west always thinks and does when dealing with developing countries.

 

First off, people outside of America should know the significance of the day of May 1.  It’s the International Labor Day originated from the US ironically.  It was on this day every year workers around the world march for unity and better lives.  That scene scared many, and today, many in the west are scared of the “thousands of Chinese people waving xenophobic fists”.

 

I say, go ahead, be afraid.  You really should be if you are on the other side of what the Chinese people are demanding, just like many were scared of the marching workers.

 

What do the Chinese people really want then?  How about a little bit of understanding when we are angry at the killing of 19 innocent civilians on the streets of Lhasa?  How about a little bit of understand when we are angry at the blatant lies and demonization from the western media?  How about a little bit of understanding when we are angry at the relentless China bashing from the western politicians?  How about a little bit of understand when we are proud to support the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

 

Is it too much to ask for just a little bit of understanding from the west?

 

Navigating through all the never-gets-old babbling and we shall find the answer at the end of this article:

For China, that means learning to respect foreigners’ rights to engage it even on its “internal affairs”. A more measured response to such criticism is necessary not only to China’s great-power ambitions, but also to its internal stability; for while the government may distract Chinese people from their domestic discontents by breathing fire at foreigners, such anger, once roused, can run out of control.

 

Very good suggestions indeed, and very genuine as well, but from whose standpoint?  I am afraid that the west hasn’t woken up to the fact that 12% of the world population cannot speak for the whole world forever, and that day is coming faster than they realize.

 

I share the author’s concern for the stability of China, the region and the whole world.  To solve the problem proposed in this article and others around the world, we first have to identify the sources of the problems and who can be part of the solution.

 

What the author suggests is nothing but to insist that the Chinese should get used to the fact that the west is going to continue to stick their noses in China’s internal affairs.  I have a feeling that this suggestion is to the whole world as well.  The author further suggests that for our own good, the Chinese should gladly accept this fact, throw out of our sovereignty and dignity, and tolerate what we have been tolerating for the past 200 years, more than 500 years for the African and the aboriginal population in Americas and Australia.

 

It is exactly this type of ignorance and arrogance scares not just me, but the majority of the 88% of the world population.  The west likes to portray themselves as the solution of the world problems, but the fact of the matter is, they have created most of the problems around the world and the more they try to “help” the worse it gets.

 

And more profoundly, the rest of the world is catching up to this fact, and the rest of the world is developing faster than what the west wants to acknowledge.  In other words, the Asia is rising and returning to its rightful place in history, and the shift of economic and political power from the west to the east is also happening faster than the west admits, as Kishore Mahbubani eloquently pointed out in his new book “The Asian Hemisphere”.

 

Until the west accepts this fact, it will remain the biggest obstacle to a more prosperous and safer world.  So the $10 million question is, will they?

 

The answer, unfortunately, is no, at least not in the near future.  So, the west will continue to create tensions around the world, it will continue to be scared by the reactions, it will continue to offer advices, and it will continue down the road of increasingly being the laughing stock of the rest of the world, it will continue to become inevitably irrelevant, it will continue to try desperately to hold on to their power, and therefore the west will continue to be the part of the problems and not the part of solutions and increasingly so, until one day, hopefully it becomes more realistic and programmatic, or we will see it fads away as quickly as it reached the mountain top.

 

The Propaganda on Propaganda

If I get one penny every time I heard of propaganda being blamed for why the Chinese people, even those live overseas, defend China and Chinese government policies, I would be a billionaire right now, but then again, I am still one of those poor souls who are brainwashed by the Chinese government.

 

Does the Chinese government employ propaganda in its daily practices?  Sure, but the real question is, who doesn’t?

 

Does the US government use propaganda to fulfill their missions?  You bet.  When Iraq war comes to mind, you might still remember all the disinformation and lies the US government spoon-fed to the media, and you might still remember that the media, being free and all, just simply accepted them and propagated them around the world.  The western media even started dancing to the drum beat of US government’s war plan and cheered on.

 

You might still remember those embedded reporters who were so excited to be among the soldiers to witness the unfolding of the war.  You might still remember the ban by the US government on photographing the return of the casket.  You might still remember those retired generals appearing on all networks to give their analysis, using the information given by the US government.  You might still remember the fake reporter, Jeff Gannon, who only asked easy questions.  You might remember the fake news conferences staged by FEMA.  The list goes on and on.

 

What do you call those?  Information management?  Let’s be real here, that’s propaganda.

 

The Chinese government is no angel on this matter either, but the crucial difference is that the Chinese government still has a lot to learn from the west, the master of propaganda, so much so that they even named one of CCP bureau as Propaganda Department initially.  As a result, most Chinese people just simply stop believing the Chinese media, and increasingly, the western media as well.

 

Same cannot be said about the western public.  We constantly hear them saying how much they distrust their media and government propaganda, but unfortunately they always side with their media and government on most of the international affairs.  I’d rather believe that the western public are too brainwashed to know that they are brainwashed, otherwise they are explicitly supporting their government’s exploitation of the rest of the world.

 

To simply label the Chinese counter-reaction to the west as the result of Chinese government’s propaganda effort, is not only an insult to the Chinese people, but also an insult to themselves.

 

What the west cannot and will not understand is that the Chinese do not need to be reminded of the almost 200 years of western colonial exploitation.  Our grandparents and parents live through those years and we live in its aftermath.  In fact, my home province used to be the colony of Germany and the colony of Japan after WWI.  There are many colonial buildings, though beautiful, serve as constant reminder of that painful time.

 

What the west cannot and will not understand is that the Chinese do not need to be taught of the ignorance and arrogance of the west.  We see them everyday with our own eyes.  Those of us live overseas befriended many westerners who are wonderful people but often subconsciously reveal their lack of understanding of the rest of world and their lack of respect to other cultures.  Those of us live in China meet many westerners on a regular basis and what we see are not the best of what mankind can offer either.

 

What the west cannot and will not understand is that the Chinese do not need to be indoctrinated about the hostility of the west towards China.  We experience it everyday.  Those of us live overseas watch the daily China bashing on every TV stations with amusement, and the never-gets-old blaming everything on China theatres by western politicians.  Those of us in China have to sit and listen to the self-righteous sermon on freedom and democracy by the visiting westerners, and the exploitation of the lower labor cost with a devastating effect on environment and worker’s health by the western corporations.

 

So, let’s call a truce.  We are totally fine with it if you don’t care about something, but if you do, please be prepared and educated on the subjects.  Just remember this, next time when you call others being brainwashed to avoid loss in an argument and therefore to save your own faces, watch out for the flying pizzas.  Some might just be coming from me.

 

Here They Go Again – West Continues to Demonize Chinese

On April 24th 2008, tens of thousands of Chinese gathered in Canberra, the capital of Australia to show their support for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  For the large part, the torch run was successful and everybody was happy.

 

Well, not quite, not everybody.  Not to some 500 exiled Tibetan supporters, and certainly not to Mr. Garry Linnell, the editor-at-large of the Daily Telegraph.  He wrote:

HERE comes the ugly face of China. He can’t be any more than 21-years-old. His eyes are full of hate, his jaw clenched so tight his cheeks seem ready to snap. His brain already has.

 

Here they go again!  Instead of understanding the message of those Chinese people, Linnell and many other westerners chose to focus on the “ugly face of China” and the “hate” filled in his eyes.  Suddenly, I remember something, the stereotypes of Chinese by the westerners, bucked teeth and slit eyes.

 

It just never gets old.  Stereotyping China and Chinese has been the patent of the westerners who are either arrogant or afraid of the Chinese for over 200 years.  I don’t think anybody should be surprised, but let’s give them some credits, they did adapt to a new reality, China has changed, Chinese have changed, and now they see an ugly face with anger.

 

Their smearing techniques, however, have not been evolving and adapting as they should.  The same old “reliable sources” are used:

Kunchok, who was born in Tibet and came to Australia three years ago, is posing for a photograph with the Tibetan flag outside Commonwealth Park. A large group of Chinese supporters spy him from a distance and quickly surround him.

 

If you remember, western media quoted exclusively the Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile and started blaming the Chinese government for violent crackdown on the “peaceful Tibetan protesters”, despite the overwhelming evidence, and now Linnell just continues that tradition.

 

In Linnell’s whole article, he only quoted the pro-exiled-Tibetan crowds.  After all, they are so much easier to spot, some 500 among 20,000 Chinese, and it’s simply so much easier to talk to the “peaceful” exiled Tibetan supporters rather than wasting time with the ugly-faced Chinese whose eyes are filled with hate.

 

Nobody is surprised, and nobody should be surprised, by the hostile and demeaning stereotyping displayed by the west and westerners.  We still have a long road ahead of us, the road to a friendlier social environment, the road to a fairer international climate, and the road to a prosperous homeland.

 

Remember this, the west won’t change a bit, until we force them to.

 

If you think this is an isolated incident, check this out: Column – China sends in the clowns

Dalai Lama’s Five Point Peace Plan is Not Fooling Anyone

中文版本

Dalai Lama’s Five Point Peace Plan is often mentioned as a proof that he is peace loving man while the Chinese government is simply too evil to negotiate with him. Let’s take a closer look at his holiness’s peace plan, shall we?

1. Transformation of the whole of Tibet into a zone of peace;
2. Abandonment of China’s population transfer policy which threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people;
3. Respect for the Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms;
4. Restoration and protection of Tibet’s natural environment and the abandonment of China’s use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste;
5. Commencement of earnest negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

Forgive my ignorance, do I understand it right to think that 5th proposal means his holiness’s ultimate goal is for Tibet to be fully independent in the future. Doesn’t that mean that Dalai Lama is simply using this plan as a intermediate step to achieve that? Didn’t we all see similar thing happened somewhere, oh, Kosovo? Would you ever accept this plan if you were the Chinese?

Wait, it gets better. Let’s keep reading his holiness’s explanation:

Today, in the whole of Tibet 7.5 million Chinese settlers have already been sent, outnumbering the Tibetan population of 6 million. In central and western Tibet, now referred to by the Chinese as the “Tibet Autonomous Region”, Chinese sources admit the 1.9 million Tibetans already constitute a minority of the region’s population. These numbers do not take the estimated 300,000-500,000 troops in Tibet into account – 250,000 of them in so-called Tibet Autonomous Region.

So, what kind of Tibet is his holiness talking about? There is no way the fragile environment in Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) can support 13.5 million people, not to mention 7.5 million, the majority, of them are “evil” Chinese. Let’s go back a little:

I propose that the whole of Tibet, including the eastern provinces of Kham and Amdo, be transformed into a zone of “Ahimsa”, a Hindi term used to mean a state of peace and non-violence.

Now I get it. The Tibet his holiness was talking about is a greater Tibet, some 25% of China today. What’s more confusing is that with a majority population being non-Tibetan, under the proposed democratic system, wouldn’t it mean that Tibetans are going to lose some power and influence?  Unless of course his holiness is thinking about some kind of apartheid regime like that in South Africa or somewhere in the middle east.

I just simply would not accept his holiness want to do something so horrible. Let’s keep on reading:

For the Tibetans to survive as a people, it is imperative that the population transfer is stopped and Chinese settlers return to China. Otherwise, Tibetans will soon be no more than a tourist attraction and relic of a noble past.

Yeah,see, told you, his holiness thought everything through.  Sounds reasonable, right?  But wait, do I remember it correctly that UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination says:

Article 5: An end shall be put without delay to governmental and other public policies of racial segregation and especially policies of apartheid, as well as all forms of racial discrimination and separation resulting from such policies.

Are you telling me that his holiness is advocating some form of racial separation? That must be some kind of mistake. His holiness’s five point peace plan was addressed to the U.S. Congressional Human Right’s Caucus on September 21, 1987. I sure hope that his holiness has some new proposals because there is no way anybody, let alone the “evil” Chinese government, would ever accept this kind of peace proposal.

Who Are Your Friends – An Open Letter to All Oversea Tibetans

 

We, a group of ordinary Chinese students and scholars who have lived overseas for many years, befriended many westerners, and experienced first hand western cultures and values, call on all oversea Tibetans to give us five minutes and listen to what we have to say.  In return, we open our hearts to you, share with you our thoughts, and are willing to hear yours.

 

It’s a fact that many people are behind you and supporting your causes.  We cannot and will not deny that.  We simply ask you to sit down and examine who they really are and whether they are truly your friends.  From time to time, things get stirred up and you drop everything you do to appear on street corners to put on a show for the world to enjoy.  Suddenly, your friends show up as well and stand shoulder to should with you.

 

Who are they?  Ask yourself that before making friends with them, because a friend doesn’t just stand with you for a few hours.  A friend, a true friend, cares about you and is willing to help you every single day.

 

So who are they?  There are some Indians are with you. In a country that Buddhism used to flourish but only 1.5% of its population as of today, in a country that religious conflicts between Hindus and minority religious groups are frequent and many people have been killed, in a country that forced Dalai Lama to accept McMahon line and to concede many territories that traditionally have always been under Tibetan control, and in a country that has housed you but has limited you to the tiny remote mountainous region since day one, how much do you think they really truly support you?  Ask yourself, are they really your true friends?

 

There are the Germans are with you as well.  In a country that has never been known to be religiously tolerant, in a country that only 60 years ago a single mad man could cultivate the hatred of his people and killed 6 million Jews and tens of millions of other ethnic groups, and in a country that minorities are still frequently attacked for their darker skin and culture, how much do you think they really truly support you?  Ask yourself, are they really your true friends?

 

Then there are the British are with you.  In a country that has colonized and exploited almost every corners of the world with whatever means possible, and in a country that everywhere they have ever touched there are turmoil even long after their departure, in a country that had invaded Tibet and forced Dalai Lama to open Tibet to them, and in a country that followed the Americans blindly to invade a sovereign country, how much do you then they really truly support you?  Ask yourself, are they really your true friends?

 

Who can forget the Americans?  They are always with you.  In a country that almost wiped out the indigenous population in only few hundred years, in a country that only 30 years ago blacks and others alike were discriminated legally and the discrimination still exists today, in a country that had hands in every single hot spots in the world, in a country that supplied and trained most separatist groups and then turned around labeling them as terrorists, in a country that invades countries with lies and deception, in a country that wages war for religious reasons and the profits for the few, and in a country that even the their peers dislike and distrust, how much do you think they are really truly support you?  Ask yourself, are they really your true friends?

 

Yes, you have many friends, friends that don’t know your people, friends that don’t know or care about your culture, friends that you have nothing in common with, and friends that too often use their support to impose their own agenda on you.  Now ask yourself, are they truly your friends?

 

Yes, you have many friends, at the expense of turning against your brothers, brothers that have fought many battles with you, brothers that share long history and tradition with you, brothers that worship Buddha with you for thousands of years, and brothers that sincerely want the best for all of us.

 

It has been too long that you are away from your home.  It has been too long that you live among strangers.  It has been too long that you are away from the heavenly mountains and rivers of Tibet.  It has been too long that you haven’t prayed as your ancestors did.

 

Come back, even for a short visit.  With your mind open, your will receive hospitality and the warm hearts of your brothers.  With your mind open, you will realize what we can achieve when we join forces.

 

Sincere thanks for your attention and we are now here to listen.

 

Tell Me Why …

Just listen, listen to that penetrating voice of this child asking:

Tell me why, does it have to be like this

Tell me why, is there something I’ve missed

Tell me why, cause I don’t understand

When some many need somebody, we don’t give a helping hand

Tell me why …

Let’s just listen, let it touch your heart and soul, and let the tears swirl in your eyes, and hope and pray that we all will have a better tomorrow, then get off our sorry asses and do something already!

Courtesy of youtube video.  Produced by J. Chen and Y. Bai.

 

Tibetan in Exile: What more can you do for America?

On April 13th edition of ABC’s Sunday morning political talk show, the popular This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Stephen John Hadley, Gorge W. Bush’s National Security Advisor, was asked about whether Bush will attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Hadley danced around the question saying that Bush will attend the Olympics and the details are still being worked out.

This is hardly surprising to anybody. The real story here is that Hadley repeatedly talking about Nepal, and said people should talk with the Chinese about situation on Nepal. Not even once had Hadley ever mentioned Tibet and Stephanopoulos did weigh in as well. Only few of us even notice that the Maoists in Nepal are all but certain to win and change the country dramatically. I think we all owe Mr. Bush an apology for writing him off as ignorant of international affairs.

It’s such a sad story for Dalai Lama and his followers though. Just how much do you guys have to do to get noticed by the US government, your biggest sponsor? You looted, you burnt shops, schools and hospitals, you beaten people, you killed 19 civilians, and you protested your brains out to disrupt the torch rally, and you still cannot get them to even acknowledge you. Sure Madam Speaker did so something, but all of those are symbolic at best. Sincerely, I feel for you.

Some words of advice if I may, since I do watch Sunday morning political discussion quite a bit, if you think the West cares about you, you are wrong. After all, you are nothing like them, not skin color, not looks, not tradition, not culture, and not religion either.

Stop turning on your brothers and sucking up to the west.

Argentina torch relay dissapointed CNN

Breaking News: CNN European Evening News anchor Becky Anderson on April 12, 2008:

We were promised a big surprise (by the Tibetan in exile) but it did not realize.

Can we tell how disappointed she was? I am talking about Argentina, you know, Madonna sang “don’t cry for me, Argentina”? Yeah, it’s a country, a democratic one as a matter of fact. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch rally in Buenos Aires, the fine people of Argentina showing their love for the Olympics and China:

Darfur and Oil: what do you really care about?

Ok, I admire the fact that you care about everyone and anyone on this plant.  The problem is, with more than 6 billion of us, just how thin can you stretch your sympathy and love across the globe before they all become virtually meaningless?  When you think you love everyone, you love no one.  To pretend otherwise is merely an attempt to impersonate GOD himself.

 

Ever wonder why those hot spots are all lined up nicely in your media?  It’s almost like somebody plan it.  Sure you care about the human rights over there, but somebody else is keeping eyes on something else, OIL:

Courtesy of youtube video: Darfur, Sudan, Oil, America and China

Don’t let your sympathy and love for humanity become the vehicle of the greedy, the zealots, and the warmongers.

Where is Tibet?

Should we at least know where it is before we got too emotional about it?  A hint, it’s not on Mars.  Well, let’s see what Americans have to say:

Olympics are for everyone but them

Even before Christ was born, the Greeks were able to come together and celebrate the common humanity.  People set aside their differences and laid down their weapons to join the quest of excellences in human spirits in Olympia.

 

In 2008, some 2700 years later, why cannot we honor what Olympics really are?  China has been diligently preparing for the event and Chinese people are ready to welcome the athletes and spectators with open arms.  The political theatre we saw lately is not only the profound disrespect to Olympic spirits, but also a blatant insult to all 1.3 billion Chinese.  Do not repeat the nonsense that their aim is the Chinese government not the Chinese people.  If one cannot distinguish an athletic event from politics, one cannot be trusted to have the intellectual capacity to know the difference between Chinese government and Chinese people.

So, what are Olympics?

Olympics are what you want them to be.  In other words, Olympics are a blank canvas that you can create anything on.  To me and many if not most of my fellow Chinese, Olympics are a chance for the entire world to get together every 4 years.  Although we also want to showcase our country, I do not believe that in anyway compromises the Olympic spirit.  From an old Chinese saying: in Buddha’s eyes, everyone is a Buddha, while in demon’s eyes, everyone is a demon.

 

These are the so called athletes who have exhausted the hospitalities of Chinese people.  We call on the Chinese government to reject their visa application, if they are able to ever make it to the big stage, which I sincerely doubt.  

• Andrew Michael (SF)
• Majora Carter (SF)

 Please contribute to this list.  We need names and pictures if possible.

 

And, bravo to the French as well 🙂

Image courtesy of unknown author, originally from here.  Delicious!

 

Driving Alone through Regions Inhabited by Ethnic Tibetans after the Riot

This brave soul drove thousands of miles through remote mountainous regions of Sichuan Province, China starting on April 3^rd, 2008, after the riot in other words.  He endured a lot of physical hardship, saw a lot of snow covered sceneries, and he met and talked with a lot of people, mostly ethnic Tibetans.

 

Following his journey we can tell that all people including every Tibetans he met are heartwarmingly friendly and want peace and quite in their lives.  They had suffered as the result of the riot because of decrease in traffic and tourism, and they want their lives back.

 

Cannot read Chinese?  You have nobody else but yourself to blame, but don’t worry.  Just look at those pictures of many shy but proud smiling faces and you tell me who really represent the Tibetan people, and whether they want anything to do with Dalai Lama and his supporters’ political pursuit!

 

Click here to see this photo journal.