Canberra, Sydney protests over torch relay

[Sister Fracas 5]

I don't think the Olympic protesters are advocating a military invasion of China.

How else do you think freedom is implemented. I don't know of many nations who have simply protested their way into freedom. Most countries freedom has been implemented or protected by the tip of a gun.

Diplomacy and economic pressure are the only options and have been for a long time. I'd expect someone with an advanced degree in economics to grasp the significance of the power of the purse, so to speak, in this situation.

But we were talking about (largely peaceful) protesters and their motivation. You've dismissed and trivialized not just the protesters themselves but activism, engagement, and social awareness. You've characterized liberals generally, and hippies specifically, as rabble-rousers who apparently have nothing else to do, certainly not jobs and families to take care of. You've mocked people who actually give a $#it and who realize that apathy is dangerous. And you've stated in several posts that you admire China for resisting outside pressure to grant its people more freedoms. That, I think, is very curious.

I love you Big Agnes....

[Chica Yeyé 41]

And we will recruit Dear Joyce to spread the looooove and the Helmet. And that's that. :dance:

Hippies united!

do we sing Kum BaY Yah now or later???

Settled then. Now we just need to choose a logo...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I don't think the Olympic protesters are advocating a military invasion of China.

How else do you think freedom is implemented. I don't know of many nations who have simply protested their way into freedom. Most countries freedom has been implemented or protected by the tip of a gun.

Diplomacy and economic pressure are the only options and have been for a long time. I'd expect someone with an advanced degree in economics to grasp the significance of the power of the purse, so to speak, in this situation.

But we were talking about (largely peaceful) protesters and their motivation. You've dismissed and trivialized not just the protesters themselves but activism, engagement, and social awareness. You've characterized liberals generally, and hippies specifically, as rabble-rousers who apparently have nothing else to do, certainly not jobs and families to take care of. You've mocked people who actually give a $#it and who realize that apathy is dangerous. And you've stated in several posts that you admire China for resisting outside pressure to grant its people more freedoms. That, I think, is very curious.

I'm also not getting this idea of how the Chinese people "choose" their government. Clearly "choice" is an irrelevant concept to the Tibetans, and a suspect one to many Chinese - the idea that 1 billion people are somehow happy with their lot is, I think, rather suspect.

If you don't have the right to say or write what you want - publicly or in the media, then the idea that prevailing opinion can be broadly assumed is just wrong.

It does go back to Jimmy Carter's quote the other week - that in a dictatorship the prevailing view you get tends to be that of the dictator. It says little about the views of individual people - because the dictatorship essentially speaks for everyone, regardless of whatever views individual people might have.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

I love you Big Agnes....

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

And we will recruit Dear Joyce to spread the looooove and the Helmet. And that's that. :dance:

Hippies united!

do we sing Kum BaY Yah now or later???

I think we should sing "Waltzing Matilda" and "I'll be coming round the mountain"

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Incidentally China has just overtaken Japan as Australia's biggest trading partner.

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

someone wake me up when it's time to care.

[HAL 9000 96]

Nah, you can just keep sleeping.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I don't think the Olympic protesters are advocating a military invasion of China.

How else do you think freedom is implemented. I don't know of many nations who have simply protested their way into freedom. Most countries freedom has been implemented or protected by the tip of a gun.

Diplomacy and economic pressure are the only options and have been for a long time. I'd expect someone with an advanced degree in economics to grasp the significance of the power of the purse, so to speak, in this situation.

But we were talking about (largely peaceful) protesters and their motivation. You've dismissed and trivialized not just the protesters themselves but activism, engagement, and social awareness. You've characterized liberals generally, and hippies specifically, as rabble-rousers who apparently have nothing else to do, certainly not jobs and families to take care of. You've mocked people who actually give a $#it and who realize that apathy is dangerous. And you've stated in several posts that you admire China for resisting outside pressure to grant its people more freedoms. That, I think, is very curious.

Sister Agnes, you are wise. Indeed, I believe human beings are political animals, and pursuing and fighting for whichever cause we espouse is yet another way of being a contributing member of society - sitting on our comfy spaces without participation (in whichever cause, not just the "liberal ones") is, in my opinion, just lame. Thanks for the wisdom

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

Nah, you can just keep sleeping.

probably the best choice. it don't seem like a major issue anyways.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Nah, you can just keep sleeping.

probably the best choice. it don't seem like a major issue anyways.

you're right, human rights never are.......

[Empress of Groovy 373]

It's an interesting irony that BY is dismissing the various Olympic protests as trivial nonsense while defending China's right to do as it pleases--which includes jailing people for protesting.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It's an interesting irony that BY is dismissing the various Olympic protests as trivial nonsense while defending China's right to do as it pleases--which includes jailing people for protesting.

Its consistent with his expressed views on corporal punishment and authoritarian government.

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

Nah, you can just keep sleeping.

probably the best choice. it don't seem like a major issue anyways.

you're right, human rights never are.......

imo it's not about human rights. it's about politicizing the olympics.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Nah, you can just keep sleeping.

probably the best choice. it don't seem like a major issue anyways.

you're right, human rights never are.......

imo it's not about human rights. it's about politicizing the olympics.

don't assume that is what it is about for those actually doing the protesting...