German Chancellor Boycotts Olympics!

[GTaudiophile]

If the Guardian is correct...

This makes her the first major leader to boycott the Games.

I am not seeing any news on the reputable SPIEGEL web site, so I wonder if the Guardian is true or not. Whether we are talking Tibet or not, I think any action in deviance against China in any way is a good thing. Too bad the USA is attached at the hip.

 

[kage69]

This thing is getting more support all the time. :thumbsup: C'mon Sarkozy....

 

[palehorse]

Anything short of withdrawing your nation's athletes is somewhat pointless... but hey, I guess it shows that they "care"!

Let's see if anyone still cares one month after the Games are over...

 

[kage69]

Anything short of withdrawing your nation's athletes is somewhat pointless... but hey, I guess it shows that they "care"!

It may seem pointless to a Westerner like you, but I think you're underestimating the sensitivities of the Han Chinese. Keep in mind that they've been lusting over getting the Games for awhile now. America and our allies have largely become desensitized to the prestige of the games simply because we've been there, done that.

It's the same reason shuttle launches are no big deal to Americans these days, but you know damn well were China to have a shuttle go up next year (for instance) they'd be pimping it like crazy and partying like it's 1999.

Political statements like this may seem trivial when it's only endorsed by the Czech Republic or Poland, but when other more influential seats of power like Germany or France get involved.

There's only so much you can dismiss I guess is what I'm saying...

 

[Dari]

Why does that article says she's the first world leader when two other Eastern European leaders made the announcement before her?

 

[kedlav]

Originally posted by: kage69

Anything short of withdrawing your nation's athletes is somewhat pointless... but hey, I guess it shows that they "care"!

It may seem pointless to a Westerner like you, but I think you're underestimating the sensitivities of the Han Chinese. Keep in mind that they've been lusting over getting the Games for awhile now. America and our allies have largely become desensitized to the prestige of the games simply because we've been there, done that.

It's the same reason shuttle launches are no big deal to Americans these days, but you know damn well were China to have a shuttle go up next year (for instance) they'd be pimping it like crazy and partying like it's 1999.

Political statements like this may seem trivial when it's only endorsed by the Czech Republic or Poland, but when other more influential seats of power like Germany or France get involved.

There's only so much you can dismiss I guess is what I'm saying...

Still, they're showing a pair of two's when they have three aces in the rest of the hand...

 

[tweaker2]

because we shipped so many of our jobs and manufacturing to china etc., and because so much of our debt load is being held hostage by china etc., and because so many of our large corps. like walmart are chronically addicted to the cheap labor from china etc. to boost margins, and because bush and cheney pre-emptively invaded and now occupy what was once a functioning soverign nation, we as a nation are left impotent against making moral judgements on others as the big corp's and the present administration have prostituted us and erased any moral high ground from which we could cast judgement down on others, especially so with china.