100th post for Tibet!

This will be my 100th post on this blog,and I can't think of a better thing to write about than the current situation in Tibet.

My last post gave some background on this topic, and some things you can do.
Here, I want to post some specifics to make it easier for you, so that you can make a difference and still keep your day job.

I also wanted to address something that's been coming up a lot online recently.
There seems to be a large number of people who think that the Olympics should stay non-political, and that we should honor the idea of bringing all nations together in this friendly international sports event.
Non political? Since when?
Do you have ANY IDEA how much MONEY the hosting country makes?
Hosting the Olympics is an extreme money maker, and local businesses damn near kill themselves for the contracts.
All the dough they blow on erecting those huge temporary Olympic Villages?
Believe me, they get that back and then some.
So, whoever is hosting the Olympics is receiving quite the monetary blessing from the international community that year. And money = politics, folks.
Make no mistake about that.
The big wars are no longer fought for freedom, it's all about the Benjamins.

So- the Olympics equals a huge economic bonus check for China.
It blows Bush's tax rebate out of the water, and your Xmas bonus pales in comparison.
And by supporting the Olympics in Beijing, we are handing that bonus to a country who is and has been conducting large scale humanitarian injustices against the people of Tibet, with a smile and a nod.
While we're at it, buying products made in China does the same thing.
I have always done my absolute best to stay away from stores whose livelihood depends on trade with China, like Walmart.
And it is VERY hard to not buy things made in China, since I really enjoy asian culture, food, etc.

The following sponsors support the Beijing Olympics.
Please boycott their products/services and let them know.
I will be updating all the "sub-brands" on this list in the next couple of days, as I get the time.

The Coca-Cola Company
(includes Minute Maid, A&W, Bacardi Mixers, Barq's, Canada Dry, DASANI, Dr Pepper, Eight O'Clock, Fanta, Frutina, Godiva Belgian Blends, Hi-C, Mello Yello, Mr. Pibb, Nestea, Nordic Mist, POWERADE, Schwepps, Seagrams, Squirt, Sprite, TaB)
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/brands/brandlist.html

Allstate Insurance

Hilton Hotels Corporation (includes Conrad® Hotels and Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Waldorf-Astoria Collection in NY, and of course, by blood relation, Paris Hilton)
http://hiltonworldwide1.hilton.com/en_US/ww/brands.do

Jet Set Sports

Kellogg's (many cereals, and also: Keebler, Pop-Tarts, Eggo, Cheez-It, Club, Nutri-Grain, Rice Krispies, All-Bran, Special K, Mini-Wheats, Chips Deluxe, Sandies, Morningstar Farms, Famous Amos, Murray, Austin, Carr's, Pop-Tarts)
http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/ProductByBrand.aspx?id=943

Nike
24 Hour Fitness
Tyson Foods Inc.
United Airlines
Atos Origin
The Eastman Kodak Company
GE
John Hancock
Johnson & Johnson
Lenovo
McDonald's
Omega
Panasonic
Samsung
Visa

Be My Hero...

I know this is a long post, and I apologize for the length.

But, I wouldn't bother you with it if I didn't consider it really important.
I wrote the whole damn thing myself, and researched it all, so you know I mean it. For really-reals. (blame my mom- she's a writer)

You have the chance to be my hero.

Something is happening at this moment, that will most likely not happen again. The window is open for just a second, and I'm asking you to seize the moment.
You may have heard about the protests in Tibet against the Chinese occupation. The details cannot largely not be confirmed, because China has ordered a total media blackout, and releases its own accounts, which are of course, different than any first-hand accounts from Tibet that leak out.
China has turned away foreign reporters, and even tailed them so far as 260 miles away from check-points to make sure they don't get in. This HAS been confirmed.
Chinese citizens cannot get internatinoal news about Tibet online - the government has control of the web in China, and blocked all access. Even Youtube!

For 50 years, Tibet has been trying to break free from Chinese oppression while their culture, temples, and lives have been destroyed. The Beijing Olympics is shining a spotlight on China RIGHT NOW, and this may be the only chance they have at gaining world support to end the tyranny.
Tibet holds a wealth of knowledge for the entire human race- through their unique medical practices, tenets of Buddhism, and their stance for peace and non-violence modeled through their political/religious leader in exile/Nobel Peace Prize Winner, the Dalai Llama.

Even if you don't agree with Buddhism, or don't like to get involved in politics, please consider supporting a people whose unique culture and very lives have been terrorized for 50 years! It is nothing short of a slow genocide.

The Chinese have stated previously that they are just waiting for the Dalai Llama to die, so that they can appoint a new, non-Tibetan leader for the Tibetan people. (imagine trying to replace Ghandi as a role model with your own stand-in!!!)
The Chinese have also enslaved, tortured, and detained countless peaceful monks, nuns, and doctors for protesting the Chinese occupation in Tibet.
They have even told Tibetan doctors that they want to get rid of their ways of medicine, and replace it with their own.
I urge you to take 5 minutes and sign the petition I'm forwarding below.
If you want to make a bolder statement, you might follow my own personal plan:

1. Do not to buy ANYTHING made in China. This is probably the hardest thing to do, but you can also help Americans retain their jobs, if you buy Made in USA. We vote with our dollars, folks.

2. Boycott the Olympics. Don't watch them. Find out who the big sponsors are, and don't buy their products. Write to those sponsors and tell them what you're doing.
http://www.usolympicteam.com/12953.htm

3. Write the International Olymipc Committee and tell them you won't stand for the human rights injustices taking place in Tibet, and urge them to prod China to negotiate with Tibet before the games.
International Olympic Committee
Château de Vidy
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland

4. Write the U.S. Olympic Committee and tell them you will boycott the games and refuse to buy products from U.S. sponsors. let them know that you are also writing the sponsors.
U.S. Olympic Training Center - Colorado Springs
National Headquarters
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
media@usoc.org

5. Write the United Nations Comission on Human Rights and tell them that the human rights injustices in Tibet ARE an international concern, not an internal matter for China.

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
civilsocietyunit@ohchr.org

6. Sign the petition HERE to tell China to back the F**K off.
http://support.savetibet.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rft_wake_up

7. Go here for additional resources: http://www.racefortibet.org/act/help.php

Again- sorry for the long letter.
Please do even one of these things, and know that you are helping to free an entire people, and are now one of my heroes.
Here is the link to the petition:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/21.php

Thanks!

"Truth is our only weapon." - His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

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From avaaz.org:

After decades of suffering, the Tibetan people have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. The spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games is now on China, and Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner the Dalai Lama is calling to end all violence through restraint and dialogue--he urgently needs the support of the world's people.

China's leaders are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama--but we're told many Chinese officials believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. China's leadership is right now considering a crucial choice between crackdown and dialogue that could determine Tibet's--and China's--future.

We can affect this historic choice--China does care about its international reputation, and we can help them choose the right path. China's President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the 'Made in China' brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention. Click below now to join 250,000 others and sign the petition--and tell absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/21.php

China's economy is dependent on "Made in China" exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new and respected China. China is also a sprawling, diverse country with much brutality in its past, so it has good reasons to be concerned about stability -- some of Tibet's rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development today comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from those Tibetans seeking dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in New York, London and Beijing, but it must be a massive number first. Please forward this email to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book--it will come up after you sign.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak--we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:

Crackdown in Tibet, but protests spreading:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/tibet.china
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/crackdown-on-protests-widens/2008/03/17/1205602289349.html

Dalai Lama calling for dialogue and restraint, and an end to violence:
http://www.dalailama.com/news.216.htm
http://www.agi.it/world/news/200803191258-pol-ren0032-art.html

Leaders across Europe and Asia starting to back dialogue as the way forward:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7300157.stm

Chinese Prime Minister attacks "Dalai clique", leaves door open for talks:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/18/content_7813194.htm

Other Chinese signals:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/China_looks_at_India_to_talk_to_Dalai_Lama/articleshow/2875142.cms
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