The Genocide Olympics

Oh boy... it's been a long time since I've posted and I have very little time right now - I have to go grab lunch before the next session starts but I think I've found a new way to fight for something I care about. What do we know about a movement to have Canada boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics which is lately receiving the moniker The Genocide Olympics. Mia Farrow has been super-active in this area and has done a great job raising awareness.

I'm at a Conference on the Prevention of Genocide this weekend - one of the speakers has already tried to chase me away from studying in this field - too depressing he says. I guess he won't be my PhD advisor. ;-P

5 More Reasons to Boycott Goods from China

Ah Friday! Time to wind down with one more rant for the week. Here are 5 Reasons to boycott Chinese goods - just off the top of my head.

5. Questionable safety standards in manufactured goods that have resulted in several recalls. 'Lead makes everything look and taste better.'

4. Massive environmental degradation. 'Wow! It's so much cheaper to produce goods when we can just dump the waste into the river.'

3. Illegal fishing vessels in international waters. 'So what if the UN made drift nets illegal 15 years ago - they still work for us!' or 'Mmmm... this canned tuna is dolphin-y goodness.'

2. Human and workers rights violations on a grand scale. 'If our people don't like the Olympics we have ways of keeping them quiet.'

1. China's support and enabling of the military junta in Burma. 'Hey, their government actually makes us look pretty darn good, plus we get cheap oil!'

Here's a bonus one: when you support manufacturing somewhere else you help destroy Canada's remaining manufacturing sector. Buy Canadian! Be proud.

On a slightly different topic, here is a hopeful piece on the demonstrations from CBC this morning. If it has moved to the archive it is titled 'Conflict Getting Worse' and is Sept 28, 2007.

Where to begin?

I don't even know how to express the awful feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear the daily report from CBC about the worsening situation in Burma. Dozens of monks and nuns have been beaten/arrested/shot. Mass arrests were last nights attempt to keep the people from marching - but it didn't work. They were out there again today and the latest reports have 11 wounded and 9 dead, including, possibly, a foreign journalist.

The military junta is trying to restrict bandwidth to prevent pictures and reports from 'leaking' out of the country.

The military junta is going to crack down. There is going to be a massacre. And we are watching. It hurts me.

I always thought that if I was about to witness innocent people being slaughtered that I would surely throw myself in front of the guns.

But now I sit and watch. Does it matter that they are far away around the world? Not to me - but how do I help when I can't get there.

Please visit www.avaaz.org and sign the petition. Write Stephen an email. The Security Council is having emergency meetings, let's hope that it gets better.

My email to Stephen...

Dear Sir,

I am sorry to hear that your speech at the UN was not so well received but perhaps you can earn some points for Canada by bringing up this issue during your stay in New York.

There are hundreds of thousands of monks and pro-democracy believers, marching through the streets of Myanmar/Burma, demanding freedom from the oppressive military junta. Last time they tried this, thousands were killed. Please don't let it happen again.

Please say something to support them, please say to the UN that these people deserve our attention. They are desperate for democracy and they have suffered long enough.

Don't let your stated commitment to protecting and developing democracy in other countries ring hollow. Prove that you truly support the freedom of the soul and the body.

Please.

Something important is happening in Burma

If you dig through the National Post you can find it on Page A18. There are protests happening in 'Myanmar' or Burma as it was called before the military junta took over decades ago.

The revolt in 1988 was viciously put down by the military and thousands were killed.

Since the middle of August, there have been more and more protests.

Today there are 40-60,000 monks - that's right, monks - leading protests of civil leaders, students and others demanding democracy. Marching through the streets of Rangoon and other towns. Hundreds of thousands of people rising up and demanding democracy. Literally risking their lives for freedom. Literally, of course, because the government has promised to crack down on the marches. And when they say crack down they mean with bullets, not with flowers.

Visit avaaz.org for more information and to lend you name to a petition to the UN Security Council. While Ahmadinejad is mistreated in New York as the U.S. marches to war against Iran, this issue is ignored. While the U.S. and Canada pick and choose their targets (based on uncooperative governments, I suppose) the very real dictatorship in Burma has been unopposed for decades. DECADES!

To learn more about this issue and one of my favourite people on Earth, here's the link to Wikipedia for Aung San Suu Kyi.

If you have a bit more time, please send an email to Stephen Harper, he just happens to be in New York this week making an ass of Canada before the UN. Maybe he'll enjoy an email or two.

Pay attention - the monks are leading the way. It probably won't hurt to send them your prayers.